Best regards,

The Baja Bound Mexican Insurance Team

The Dia de Reyes Toy Drive was started by Fernando Garcia, who has been involved in tourism on both sides of the border for many years, and is a very active member of the popular Baja Nomad Travel Forum, and most of the donations have originated from the forum members.  Fernando is asking that any unwrapped new or gently used toys be sent to the Jackson Hewitt office at the address below:

Toy Drive c/o Jackson Hewitt
1655 Broadway, Suite 10
Chula Vista, CA 91911

In addition, monetary donations may be sent via PayPal to toydrive2009@ultimatebaja.com. 100% of your donation will be used to buy toys for these very deserving children.

For more information, please visit this Baja Nomad Forum thread about the Dia de Reyes Toy Drive.

Seasons Greetings from Baja Bound Mexican Insurance!

Dear SDSU Community,

In response to the U.S. State Department’s Travel Alert for Mexico, various University offices have recently expressed concern about members of the University community traveling to Mexico, particularly the border region. As the Director and Associate Director of the Center for Latin American Studies, a campus unit with actual expertise on Mexico and several different courses and programs in the region, we would like to comment on the situation.

First, the drug wars in Tijuana, Baja California, and Mexico, are real. They have claimed a significant number of lives and the country’s institutions are under great pressure to respond.  We feel that it is important that students and other campus community members are aware of the situation and we welcome the attention of SDSU authorities.  However, the current violence has been going on for several years, as reflected in the fact that the State Department Travel Alert which was recently sent around campus is a re-issuance of an Alert that has been in place for some years. State Department Travel Alerts expire, and the current alert was issued in order to keep the previous one active.

Second, members of the campus community should exercise the same caution when traveling in Tijuana that they exercise when in any major city.  Tijuana has approximately 1.5 million residents, and like all big cities, there are situations that should be avoided. That said, if you are new to travel in Tijuana or the border region, you should take extra precautions that go along with being in a new area and a foreign country. We can help you here, please feel free to contact us.

Third, the murder rate in Tijuana is less than 40 per 100,000, which puts it between Oakland, CA and St. Louis, MO.  That is high, but less than Baltimore and Detroit (mid-40s) and well below New Orleans (65 to 95, depending on who you talk to).  New Orleans is a great place to visit, and we have yet to meet anyone who decided not to go due to its murder rate.

Fourth, the overwhelming majority of murders are perpetrated against those involved in the drug trade (including corrupt police officers) and those who are actively fighting the drug trade (again including police officers).

Finally, life continues in Tijuana.  Kids go to school, families visit grandma, parents shop for groceries, and students go to museums and concerts.  We do not want to minimize the reality of the drug wars, but we also want to point out that, as with our war on terror, paranoia grows in proportion to one’s lack of familiarity and understanding.  We thus caution against allowing fear to manifest in perceived narratives of racism or morality as has occurred far too often in interactions between the United States and Mexico. In addition to crossing the border fairly frequently, we have talked at length to our colleagues at various institutions throughout the border region, all of whom assure us that although crime has increased, our students, colleagues, and the average US citizen are not targets any more than are average Mexican citizens and they look forward to our continued interactions with them.

We urge you to continue your normal routines in Tijuana and throughout Mexico, following the same cautions you would use in any region that is undergoing an increased crime wave. If you have any questions, concerns, or would like to discuss the situation further please do not hesitate to contact us. As they say in Mexico, Estamos aqui para servirles.

Jim Gerber, Director, Center for Latin American Studies
Ramona Perez, Associate Director, Center for Latin American Studies

It was announced yesterday that a new border crossing east of Tijuana is in the works. The U.S. State Department has granted a permit for the new project with an estimated price tag of $715 million dollars. Funds for the new crossing will be provided by private investors. The proposed crossing would be built between the current Tijuana crossing and the Otay Mesa border crossing to the east, and will hopefully ease current congestion and long wait times at the current border crossings. The new crossing is projected to be completed in the year 2014.

Although the Mexico insurance we sell does not cover vehicles that are involved in a race such as this, we do offer coverage for many of the team support vehicles and race vehicles as they are towed in and out of Baja. In addition, we do sell quite a bit of Mexican insurance to spectators that follow the race as it goes down the peninsula.

Take the time to visit and support all of the sponsors who supported the Lucha Libre Race Team:

Tequila Fortaleza
Datsun Sports
Baja Bound Mexican Insurance
Bring A Trailer
Con Surfboards