Baja Bound Blog

Sunday morning we were up at 5:30 and having coffee while preparing for the day. The #35 car – A 1969 Ford Bronco “Big Oly” replica – was in the parking lot at Rice and Beans on it’s way back home. Unfortunately, racers Sol Paradise and Pete Schmidtmann had blown a head gasket just south of San Ignacio and were unable to finish the rally…but the Bronco sure looked great!

The 1969 “Big Oly” replica

As we made our way north, we stopped at another of the many military checkpoints that we went through during our trip. Some people cringe at the sight of of a military checkpoint in Mexico, but for the most part the soldiers are friendly, professional and just trying to do their job…if you are courteous and respectful they will reciprocate. Since we were all wearing our bright orange Mag 7 shirts during the trip, they were curious to learn more about what we were doing in Baja. They were all pretty interested when we explained that we were “talleros para la carrera”, as most of the soldiers at the checkpoints had seen a number of race cars throughout the week. We would typically give them some stickers or some of the signature Baja Bound Mexican Insurance chap stick, which definitely put a smile on their faces. At this particular checkpoint though, the soldiers were interested in buying one of the power inverters that was attached to our cb radio. Apparently the soldiers did not have any electricity in their housing, and they only way to charge their cell phones was using their vehicles and a power inverter. I told them I would be happy to give them one of my smaller inverters in exchange for a photo with them, and they obliged.

Bill, Geoff and Doug at the military checkpoint north of San Ignacio

Entering back in to Baja Norte

Classic Cataviña

More classic Cataviña

We pushed north and were making great time. We grabbed some burritos to go from Mama Espinosas and topped off our gas tanks and headed up the coast. Throughout the trip we had driven through a number of areas that were still recovering from what mother nature had dealt out over the last year. In Baja Sur there was still a lot of evidence Hurricane Jimena – mostly valleys that had been inundated with runoff and debris. In Baja Norte, many of the bridges that got washed out were still in the process of being rebuilt. The majority of Highway 1 was in great condition otherwise.

One of the many bridges under repair that had been washed out

Our trip thus far had been a classic Baja adventure….amazing scenery, friendly locals, great food and a few flat tires to keep us on our toes. What happened next put a twist into how the trip ended.

One of the vehicles in our caravan that had Mexican insurance through Baja Bound was involved in an accident on the toll road north of Ensenada. It is not my story to tell, but it is important to share a few points about the experience.

1. Because the accident occurred on the toll road it fell under the jurisdiction of the Federal Police. Throughout the process of taking statements at the scene and doing paperwork at their office in Ensenada, the Federales were courteous, professional and helpful. We were all very impressed.

2. Although the accident was not the fault of the driver in our caravan, his innocence still had to be proven to the authorities – that is the way the law works in Mexico. Because his Mexican insurance policy (from HDI Seguros) included legal aid, the adjuster had a lawyer on site to represent him shortly after we got to Ensenada. Keep in mind this was around 10 pm on a Sunday. The lawyer remained with him until his innocence was determined. All told, the process took just over six hours from the time the accident occurred, and our friend was free to go, and legal fees were covered by the policy.

3. Due to the nature of the accident, the vehicle had to remain in Ensenada. It took a few days to sort out and obtain all of the paperwork necessary to get the vehicle released, but the lawyer and his staff were there to help through it all.

4. Because the vehicle was still drivable, it was able to be brought back to the U.S. to get fixed here. This is a really great feature of the insurance that HDI Seguros provides. If your Mexico insurance provider does not offer this feature, and you want to get your vehicle fixed back home, you will most likely get paid out in pesos to repair your vehicle based upon Mexico labor rates. This is a problem since what you get paid out will end up being around one third of the expense to fix it in the states.

In sum, getting into an accident is a daunting experience, no matter where it occurs. When it happens in a foreign country such as Mexico, it can be even more daunting. Many people scoff at the notion of buying insurance for Mexico and claim they are “good drivers” or “just don’t need it” or “never take the time to get it”. In my 20+ years of traveling in Mexico I have thankfully never been involved in an accident. Having gone through this experience and witnessing how the process works, I cannot imagine how it would go down without all of the assistance of the adjuster and lawyers that were paid for and provided by the Mexican insurance policy.

That said, I can’t wait to get back to Baja!