Baja California

Feels like I've been around the world - looks like I've hardly started.

Tijuana – what a piece of cake, Honestly I don't know what all the fuss is about. The crossing was easy and I picked up all the paperwork necessary to get into Mexico proper. (You can take a vehicle into Baja without any paperwork but not on the ferry over to Mexico. Some people rush through the border at Tijuana and wait until they are in southern Baja to get the necessary documents. Being somewhat anal I didn't.) Later that day I heard on the news that the day we crossed the border 13 people in a drug rehab. centre in Tijuana had been shot dead – All part of the drug smuggling business.

At the immigration office I met Jim (Canadian KLR 650) and we rode together down Baja. 

And , wow, what a change. It was wonderful to be in Latin American again. I just love it here. What can I say? We've spent three days riding down Baja, enjoying the scenery of cacti and desert and the sudden increase in temperature.Mexican food, dogs in the street, happy people, it's all great.

Baja cacti grow big

900 miles to La Paz

Two thirds of the way down Baja we stopped at Loreto and bumped into two more Canadians on BMWs. Looks like I'm back on the gringo trail again. Quite nice having been riding solo for two months. On the fourth day I made it down to La Paz the capital of Baja and 900 miles from Tijuana. Jim and I found an excellent little Pension. Only £10 a night and, most importantly, off road parking for the bikes.

Perfect accomodation

Dom actually cleaning his bike

Having been on the move every day since Las Vegas, and in no particular rush as I have until Sunday to get to Todos Santos, I decided to stop in La Paz for a couple of days. As a tourist destination it doesn't have much to offer except lovely weather and some nice beaches but both Hiedi and I needed a little rest and, Heidi at least, a good clean. So the next day was spent washing the bike and getting my clothes washed as well. I also realised that I still have a slip of paper in my passport that should have been handed in to US customs when I left America. There was absolutely no one at Tijuana to hand it in to but if I don't return it they will blacklist me from returning to the US. I checked on the internet and I have to post it to the immigration office with a cover letter explaining why I didn't hand it over when I left and photocopies of EVERY page of my passport. And I thought getting IN to America was hard!

Those sharp bends can really catch you out - if you're asleep or drunk

250 miles to next petrol station - hence a gallon of fuel as pillion

That's what you call a self service petrol station

This made me laugh.

Jim left on the boat Thursday night and then Friday morning two more overland bikers turned up at my little pension.Baja seems full of off-road bikers.