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Articles, Baja Norte, Ensenada

Reflections on the Baja 1000

Congratulations to Justin Morgan of El Cajon, CA, whose Honda (Pro Moto Unlimited Class) crossed the finish line 28 seconds ahead of Second Place Winner Cameron Steel of San Clemente, CA, in his SCORE Trophy Truck.

In all, there were 285 entrants, most of whom were from SoCal, although there were a few from widely scattered places such as Las Vegas, NV, and other regions such as Utah, Alabama, Colorado and New Mexico, plus Mexicans from places such as Mexico City, Puebla and yes, Ensenada!

The Baja 1000 is a grueling event, and the only vehicles that make it to the finish line have been constructed to withstand severely rigorous conditions. It’s not a sport for the faint of heart: The drivers take a beating along with the pounding endured by their cars or trucks.

Not everyone affected by the presence of the racers and their entourages is a fan of these events (the Baja 1000 is held annually in mid-November, while the Baja 500 begins May 30th and ends June 3rd), but like it or not, these events appear to be traditions that are here to stay.

In their defense, they bring a voluminous amount of revenue to the city coffers. The hotels, motels, restaurants, cafes and bars are filled to capacity, prior to and during the events.

Contrarily, they cause local traffic mayhem that raises the blood pressure and tries the patience of the local residents, who still have to go to work, school or place of worship, and have to do so in many instances by adjusting their schedules and their usual routes. Blvd Costero (the coast road), from Playa Hermosa to the end of town is the focal point of the race, and is especially constricted in the area bordered by the Riviera, CEARTE and Museo Carocol. That’s where the racers set up their trailers and pits and retail kiosks. Local vendors also set up food carts. Musicians roam the area. Foot traffic is heavy, vehicle traffic is highly restricted.

As a result, many motorists choose to use alternate roadways, such as Pedro Loyola and Reforma, thereby causing congestion on those arteries as well.

Ultimately, there is a traffic burden testing everyone’s patience from Zona Centro to Playa Hermosa, and all primary routes into and out of  the city.

I used to experience angry meltdowns when caught in one of these traffic traps, but eventually I learned to roll with it.

Now I actually enjoy the festive atmosphere and the period of lucrative exchange that the local vendors enjoy serving our strange but wealthy visitors from other worlds.

The operative word is “wealthy.” In case you hadn’t noticed, the vehicles that are trailored into town to compete in these big events are expensive, and their entourages include pit crews, mechanics, family members, support vehicles carrying spare parts, etc.

The drivers themselves are either rich and/or have sponsors with deep pockets.

Anyway, my change of heart came about a couple of years ago. I was in the parking lot of a Calimax in Zona Centro, preparing to use their ATM, when one of those monster trucks pulled up next to me and parked.

When its driver went into the store, I got out of my car to take a close look at the thing, marvelling at all the expensive hardware adorning it. I noticed a skinny, pimply-faced teenage boy sitting shotgun, watching me gawk at the truck.

“Wow, quite a machine,” I offered.

“Yeah, it’s my Dad’s! He’s really proud of it. He works on it all the time. It’s kind of his hobby,” the little geek replied.

“Hobby?!?” I thought. “Wow…”

Well, who am I to judge? There’s nothing wrong with being wealthy and building a great big gas-guzzling monster truck, is there?

And heck, who’s to blame the guy for taking it to a foreign country, tearing up a few thousand acres of desert, perhaps accidentally killing a few indigenous and/or domesticated animals (and the occasional human being), for sport and profit?

Welcome to Baja! Thanks for coming! See y’all in a few months, when we can all share and enjoy the desert together.

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 Articles, National

Mexican Gas Stations Seeing Changes

Costco opened its first gas station in the state of Guanajuato this week, its fourth in Mexico. The spiffy new station cost $3.3 million. They’re selling Costco’s Kirkland Signature gasoline brand, and sure it comes from the States, but so does most gas. Mexico has very little refining capabilities. Maybe that goes a long way toward explaining the cost of a gallon of gas costing about $3.65 a gallon.

The company assured customers that they will get what they pay for and won’t be short-poured here. Yes, he actually said that, acknowledging the elephant in the room where gas is sold. They will only accept credit or debit cards and members who use their Costco credit card get a 3% discount.

Meanwhile, The British oil and gas company BP continues its expansion into Mexico by opening its first ToGo convenience store in this country, where it also introduced its Wild Bean Café to customers. This station is in Guadalajara. The new store and its coffee is part of a strategy to transform the concept of service stations in Mexico, now that stations other than Pemex are allowed. BP operates the Wild Bean Café brand in 1,200 convenience stores in 11 countries. In Mexico, the company has more than 350 gas stations. And looking at the overall picture, it does appear that BP’s convenience store is a lot nicer than the OXXO’s.

Meanwhile, stodgy old Pemex appears to be running scared, as the government-owned oil company is sporting a new look. The new gas station design was officially inaugurated last week in the state of México. Poo. Always at the end of the line, Baja doesn’t get anything cool.

The head of the company’s industrial transformation division said the new design will be incorporated at 45 stations this year, eight new ones and 37 boring old stations will be renovated. Carlos Murrieta Cummings said the new concept “is intended to maintain the franchise’s leadership in the domestic market.” See? They just admitted they’re running scared.  “The new image breaks with the conventional and projects a new Pemex: a highly competitive business in an open market,” he said in the announcement.

Murrieta added that the new design reflects an eagle in flight, “a leader, strong and agile, with its wings extended towards new challenges.” Murrieta also said the company’s objective is to provide the highest standards of customer service, offering its clients experience, reliability, modernity and innovation. Ha ha ha! Since when? Since President Pena Nieto broke Pemex’s stranglehold on the gas monopoly and invited in competition! Since then they’re trying a tiny bit harder. They’re still short-pouring and short-changing, and they’re still losing buckets of money.

Well, the general manager of the first Pemex franchise to sport the new look did say its sales have doubled since the new design was incorporated in mid-June. With prices fixed, maybe appearances and service do count.

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 Articles, Charities, Rosarito

FRAO Office Brings Charities Together

Representatives of several of Rosarito’s charity organizations gathered together in the last FRAO (Foreign Residents Assistance Office) meeting to speak a few words regarding their functions. Robin Gunther was concerned that Rosarito’s 2012 Animal Law was not being enforced, which stated that tiny puppies would no longer be sold along the roadside. Baja California Spay & Neuter educates children in animal care, so that they are more aware of how to treat dogs and cats. To this date more than 20,000 animals have been spayed or neutered by this organization, and they receive no money from the City.

Susan Smith informed all about the Flying Samaritans mission to provide health care to over 300 persons a month who cannot obtain health care anywhere else. All doctors and volunteers are just that, volunteers. All money is from memberships, donations, and special events. Jackie Alameda mentioned that the Annual Baja Blues Fest provides funds for education, food, and transportation to many of Rosarito’s children. They also help with documentation for those deported into Mexico with no identification paperwork.

Jim Henshaw, soon to be elected to President of the United Society of Baja California (USBC), identified this group as being the hub of charities for the Rosarito area, and that the Society supports two students in medical university at this time. Mary Moreno, president of Cruz Roja Voluntarios Americanos of Rosarito described that all money received from the Rosarito Thrift Store goes to the Rosarito Cruz Roja Hospital and ambulance service and have just expanded the size of the store. Jeff Failing of Rosarito Sister Cities informed everyone that Sister Cities has been around since President Eisenhower’s creation in the 1950’s, and fully operated by unpaid volunteers, supplying police cars, vests and accessories to the police department, and books to children, pairing Rosarito to Cities in the US and around the world.

Dolly Duff took a few moments to introduce everyone to the DACA Dreamers Assistance Project that focuses on women and young adults who have been deported into Mexico with absolutely nothing, including identification, but primarily asks them to voluntarily deport themselves; and offers them housing, mentoring, job placement and skills to allow them a life in Mexico until they can legally return to the United States via Visa in the future. Mavourneen O’Brien mentioned a few words about the Club de Ninos y Ninas who supervise about 80 children aged 6 – 12, in the afternoons who have no other supervision. Volunteers with a hobby, talent or passion to share are encouraged to spend an hour a week sharing this entity with the children. They are now totally solar-powered.

FRAO meets every month, 10 am on the third Thursday at the Calafia Titanic Room (except December). The FRAO office is located on the ground floor of City Hall, room 108, open Monday – Friday, 8am – 3pm; 661-614-9600, ext. 1080. The office can help you with services including obtaining a driver’s license; residency, answer legal questions, and solve problems.

One of the main motives for this assembly was for foreign residents to complete a five-page survey entitled the “2018 Public Consultation.” Questions covered the topics of development in housing, business, government, and other factors. The survey is available online in Spanish at www.implanrosarito.mx. To obtain a copy in English please contact the FRAO office via email at FRAO@rosarito.gob.mx or through their Facebook page. The City would like to collect everyone’s response before the Christmas break, so get a move on! The City wants to hear from you.

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 Articles, Charities, Rosarito

Santas Needed!

This is the time of year to be thinking about giving. If you are still looking for a group worthy of your hearts and thoughts this holiday season, please consider adopting a Kumiai (Kumeyaay) or other local family for Christmas. There are 65 families in the Kumiai community, an Indian reserve one hour into the hills above La Mision, and so many other families also in the hills that have no one to think about them.

Food boxes will feature chicken, fresh produce (purchased the day before delivery), and dry goods, priced at $20. Blankets are $10. Or you can make up your own gift box of food, goods, and gifts, and bring to one of the drop off locations. In return, you will receive a Christmas Thank You card and photo from the family you have helped. You are even invited to accompany Sara and group to San Jose de La Zorra to deliver the holiday gifts.

The deadline is near! The last day to adopt a local or Kumiai family is December 10! For additional information, contact Sara Vega at 661-850-4855 or email to saraenmovimiento@hotmail.com, or contact her on Facebook on either of the pages “Sara Vega” or “Sara.enmovimiento.”

There are several ways to donate to this philanthropic cause: Cash donations may be made through PayPal by contacting Sara at her email address. Or you may make a donation at any local OXXO, into the account 4766-8403-0084-5794. Save your donation receipt and send a photocopy to Sara so she knows whom to thank.

You may donate non-perishable food items, blankets, jackets, or any other winter-related item to either Charley’s Place (k 37) or Betty’s Burgers (on the boulevard just south of the 7-11 / cuota on and off ramps.

Anyone wishing to join the caravan to the Kumiai camp, contact Sara Vega ASAP for cabin reservations, instructions, and logistics of the trip.

The need of the people is great and varied. If you are building your own donation box and in need of suggestions, please contact Sara. Merry Christmas!

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 Breaking News, Ensenada

Anthony’s Bar Building On Fire Once Again

Yesterday morning a once popular bar in Ensenada caught fire for the second time, on its top floor, where it has several rooms for rent.

The fire was reportedly caused by a failure on the electrical wiring of the building. Local firemen where able to control it in a little less than an hour with no one injured.

Four years ago, on September 2, 2014, the same top floor of the building caught fire, at that time authorities said the fire could had been intentional, but no one was apprehended.

The bar, that was almost a landmark in Ensenada with its huge gorilla, has been out of business for a couple of years now.

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 Breaking News, Ensenada, Rosarito, San Felipe, Tecate, Tijuana

Watch out for those Santa Ana winds

Health authorities from Baja are recommending staying at home when Santa Ana winds are active. Problems in the respiratory tract, eyes and skin have been reported during the winds, and thus they are recommending staying home with doors and windows closed.

Dr. David Perez, chief of medical services, stated that these winds affect the health because they carry a lot of dirt with them because of the severe dryness. He also recommended to stay away from street food during this condition, as it can get easily contaminated by pathogens in the wind and can induce gastric diseases.

Perez emphasized the importance of drinking enough water and making sure house pets have enough clean water, which should be changed more often to avoid having them drink contaminated liquids.

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 Breaking News, Ensenada

Do we really need more signs?

At least in Ensenada, authorities and business leaders think so. The third ENSENADA “letters” sign was officially inaugurated in the cruise ships terminal, focused on more national motifs than regional, since it’s almost exclusively going to be seen by cruisers. The sign features the agave plant, charros and the Aztec calendar.

The first one was installed in Playa Hermosa, featuring local animals; the second one, featuring a cruise ship and the cranes in the port, was placed in the “Ventana al Mar” Malecon.

Each of these signs is costing around $7,500 USD and the original project planned for 8, some in the city, one in San Quintin and other ones in the Guadalupe Valley.

The money is coming from a trust managed by local business people, called FIDEM, funded by the state government, through giving back 5% of all payroll taxes that businesses paid during the year.

There is one more sign at the entrance of Ensenada, but that one was placed in there by our tourism officials with federal funds, as they have done in most tourist cities in Mexico.

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 Articles, National

Should You Get Dentistry Here?

Mexico is touted as a great place to get dentistry done, and most of that touting is from the industry itself. But that doesn’t mean it’s not a great savings or it’s not safe, it just means slow down and do your due diligence. Find out who you’re going to trust your health to. Make no mistake, just because your mouth is kind of on the edge of your health, it is still your health. We know a woman who got a tooth so badly infected the pain went into her neck and shoulder and she went to a chiropractor, not even realizing the pain started in her mouth. It took her almost a year to find a doctor who figured out it was coming from an infection in a tooth she had had work done on in a Mexican border town.

The cost here is a fraction of what it is in the States, and you need to ask yourself why? OK, so we’re asking: Why? Because these dentists don’t carry insurance. Fine, if nothing goes wrong.

Another reason for cheap dentistry is they pay such low wages. As a friend and business owner told me when I complained about his lousy service, “Sorry about that but I pay peanuts, so I get monkeys.” Do you want someone making way less than $1000 a month drilling holes in your gums? Fine, that’s understandable. Dentistry is costly, we get that.

Reason three that dentistry is cheaper here is that most Mexicans can’t afford to pay even the price you think is so cheap. Therefore, dentists are hungry for business from foreigners. The price you’re chortling over is a godsend to them.

Do they have the same training as US dentists? No.

There were 83 dental schools registered in the last official national count in 2007. Half are public, half are private. Admission to dental schools in Mexico requires a high school diploma, and to obtain a license in Mexico, dental students must complete a 3 to 5 year program plus a year of community service. But this  is scary: No formal nationwide standard curriculum exists, so who knows if your dentist went to a Mickey Mouse stay and vay or to a tough school where they had to learn their craft? And did you just notice we said that dentists here have four fewer years of school than US dentists? Of course a case can be made that those four years our dentists spend in college before they get to dental school are wasted since they never see a tooth.

There are 195,000 dentists in the US, and 153,000 dentists in Mexico. There are 312 million Americans and 129 million Mexicans. Clearly there are too many dentists here, especially considering how many of the very poor people never open wide for a dentist.

So, why are so many Mexican dentists trained in the United States? Look closer to that diploma on the wall they’re so proud of, especially if it says graduated from a US school. Most of them are a course lasting a week or two on a specialty. No doubt the dentist wants to improve his craft, but being able to say he’s US trained makes that couple weeks a very good investment.

And who over sees dentists in Mexico? Nobody. In the US, a dentist must pass three tests in the state he/she intends to practice in and show a hepatitis B test, finger prints, a course in infection control, and oh yes, “be of good character” whatever that entails. And they belong to the American Dental Ass., a trade organization where you can start the process of complaint.

Good luck suing a Mexican dentist if something goes wrong. There is no tort law in this country. (Tort law provides relief to injured parties for harms caused by others, and to impose liability on parties responsible for the harm).

All of this sounds negative and is not meant to be, it’s just a counter point to the one big, huge, and very good reason to get dentistry done here: Price. You can save a bundle.

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 Columns, Ensenada, Fish Report, Rosarito, Tijuana

Fish Report

Tijuana Bull Ring

Local action has been slow recently — not many bonito or bass, and just a fair number of little rock fish. Out west in the flats, however, the skipjack fishing has been great.

Coronado Islands

After a month or so of very little action, the 10- to 15-pound yellowtail are back on the bite.

The word we have is that yellowtail were seen on the rockfish area just to the NE of North Island and were taking the 6x jr., 6x and 7x yoyo iron, fished on 40- to 50-pound monofilament. Scrambled egg and blue/white were working well also.

Along with the yellowtail, a bunch of 4- to 6-pound bonito were seen spread out along the weather side of North Island.

Offshore

Captain Louie Prieto shows off one of the better-quality sheepshead caught on a recent outing.
Captain Louie Prieto shows off one of the better-quality sheepshead caught on a recent outing.

Below the 425 / Upper Hidden & Hidden Bank

This zone continues to be the best bet for yellowfin, with the most productive area being below 32.06, down in the Upper Hidden Bank area.

There is a temp break running east/west at that number. Temps are below 68°F, and to the north of it as well as 68°F to 69°F to the south.

The yellowfin, skipjack, yellowtail and dorado have nearly all been kelps now with not a lot of open-water jig stops happening.

The average-size yellowfin has been small, mainly from 6- to 10-pounds, with a few up around 20-pounds. The skippies were in the 5- to 8-pound range. The yellowtail have been little rats, from 1- to 3-pounds and the dorado have been small as well, from 5- to 10-pounds.

Lower 9 / Coronado Canyon / 425 / Upper Hidden / Hidden Bank

A couple of boats went exploring and checked out this area today. They didn’t find a lot of fish — in fact, most of the area was a barren desert, but they did find a couple of kelps which produced good numbers of yellowfin and skipjack along with a sample of rat yellowtail.

295 / 238 / 450 / 1140 Finger / Lower 500

Still the location where the biggest scores of yellowfin were coming from, but with a catch: 95% are on kelp paddies.

Easy limits of 6- to 35-pound yellowfin, along with some skipjack, yellowtail and a lone dorado were caught recently.

Most of the area is a desert now as well, with lots of dead water; but be sure and check out any kelp or any dolphin you run into, because these could be holding yellowfin.

Ensenada

Captain Louie Prieto checked in, reporting that for the last couple of weeks, yellowtail fishing has been spotty, but the big bonito and bottom fish have been biting full speed. Water was 63°F to 66°F inside the bay and has been flat and calm most days.

Several high spots at Bahia Salsipuedes were producing sand bass to 7-pounds, reds and chuckleheads to 5-pounds and one nice 23-pound sheepshead on a large root beer colored scampi tipped with squid. Best action was in 120- to 150-feet of water for all the bottom fish. There were several nice bonito on blue and white salas 6x jr. between Punta Pescadero and the Gas Plant. No birds were working anywhere in the bay, but when bait was found on the meter, the bonito have been found as well. Also, lots of bonito are reported a couple of miles inside of the southern end of Todos Santos Island. None of the deeper “go to” spots seem to be holding any yellowtail yet. Only a matter of time until they show. Live bait is not available until probably April, so bring squid.

San Quintin

Only a few groups recently. Troy Hutton, plus some amigos from Lake Arrowhead, Calif., found excellent action fishing aboard Captain Kelly Catian’s 25-foot Parker Offshore III, scoring a mix of yellowtail, big red rock cod and lingcod.

Bahia de Los Angeles

Currently, in a November tease mode with nice weather and only moderate breezes in the afternoons, most if not all the yellowtail action was dropper loop stuff, fishing at depths of 200-feet or so around the Islands. Cabrilla, grouper and pargo was also in the mix closer to shore. So far, north winds have not cranked up to full winter mode.

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