March 2014 Newsletter
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TRAVEL CLUB The Free Road Detour to Ensenada From the DBTC Office Spring is in the air and that means it’s time to get down to Baja! The cactus are blooming, the fish are biting and adventure is calling. -Discover Baja is doing insurance and FMMs for more and more groups headed down to Baja. If you have a group, call the office to find out about our special group We’ve been getting a lot of Keep in mind the road is two membership rates. questions about the free road lanes and can be steep and detour between La Misión and windy at times with no -Check out the Discover Baja Blog Ensenada due to the collapse shoulder. Have patience, drive or follow us on social media to of part of the scenic toll road at alertly and only drive during stay up to date on the best of Baja. Salsipuedes in December daylight hours. They are now 2013. Traffic is still being rerouting most trucks through Let’s Baja! rerouted inland on the free Tecate on MEX 3, so there is road from La Fonda to San no longer a problem with Hugh, Carol, Jen, Maythé & Miguel. The detour is easy to getting stuck behind slow- Monica follow and takes about 30-40 moving semi trucks. minutes. We recommend If you need local access to taking this route as opposed to driving out of your way to go Punta Piedra, Baja Seasons, through Tecate. The scenic toll La Salina or Bajamar, the authorities will grant you road is expected to reopen again in August or September. access on the toll road to those destinations. The road is well-paved throughout (the construction at We’ve put together some information and step-by-step the southern part of the detour is now complete). They have photo directions for the detour installed new guard rails along that you can follow here: bit.ly/1nUtgRP the road and are working on Looking for a last-minute Baja installing more. escape? We had one last spot open PEMEX PRICES: up on the March 12-17 Graham Mackintosh Gray Whale trip. It Magna: $3.61/gal PESO EXCHANGE RATE: promises to be the adventure of a Premium: $3.79/gal lifetime. Email us at Diesel: $3.74/gal $13.26 to $1 U.S. dollar [email protected] 1 ON OUR RADAR FOR MARCH MARCH 1-4 MARCH 9 Carnaval Daylight Savings The carnaval Time to spring ahead celebrations one hour in California continue until and in Baja Norte. Baja Fat Tuesday on March 4th this year. Sur remains on standard San Felipe, Ensenada and Rosarito time until they spring are having their own festivities, while ahead on April 6th. Now the famous celebrations in La Paz are you have an extra hour for snorkeling, renowned for the parades, music, surfing, hiking, fishing and exploring dancing and ornate floats and the peninsula. costumes. MARCH 15 MARCH 17 Grammy St. Patrick’s Jammin’ with Day the Mariachi Divas You may be Rosarito Beach Hotel surprised to Tickets $10, $15 VIP hear that St. Come join the party, concert and Patrick’s day is a holiday celebrated in celebration with the two-time Grammy Mexico. “Los San Patricios” were a award winners, the Mariachi Divas. All brigade of Irishmen who fought for proceeds benefit the Rosarito Boys & Mexico in the Mexican American War. Girls Club. On St. Patrick’s Day, ceremonies are www.clubrosarito.org held to honor their valor. Erin go bragh! MARCH 20 MARCH 28-29 First Official Day San Felipe of Spring Blues & Arts Spring is one of the Fiesta best times of the year The 8th annual to head down to celebration of blues music and arts Baja. The weather is perfect, the fish Get ready to dance to music, take in are biting, and the margaritas are the talent of local artisans and enjoy the always waiting. Check out what the Baja sunshine DBTC staff members recommend in $20 for Fri., $24 for Sat, $40 for both Baja this spring on page 9. www.bluesandarts.com 2 Sunday April 13 9 AM - 5 PM NOW 50% OFF! Sportfishing ONLY Landings $8.50! in Point Loma Free Admission JOURNEY DOWN BAJA 2014 CALENDAR! The Baja Calendar is back and it Calling all anglers! The Port of on improving both technique San Diego’s Day at the Docks and results is a treasure! The Baja Jims, Jim will take place on Sunday April -Anglers can test their skills at Hendricks and Jim Cline, have 13th from 9am-5pm at San casting contests held teamed up again to bring you a Diego Sportfishing Landings in throughout the day gorgeous, visual journey down Point Loma. Don’t miss the -Sportfishing captains will the peninsula. Featuring twelve West Coast’s largest public showcase their vessels and full page photographs and more celebration of sportfishing. stand ready to discuss plans for inset photos, the calendar the upcoming season Discover Baja will have a booth begins in Tecate and takes you -Boat rides on San Diego Bay. all the way down the Baja and will be giving away free gifts to members who stop by to Great food, entertainment, peninsula to Land’s End in say hello or renew DBTC fishing seminars, open house Cabo. When you can’t be membership. aboard sportfishing boats, kid's traveling in Baja, this calendar fishing, contests, prizes and will remind you of what you’re You can look forward to the more! It’s a day of free fun for following: missing. Perfect for your home the whole family. See you there. or office and an absolute winner -The latest fishing tackle presented by the industry's For more information: as a gift. Softcover, 14” X 11”, leading manufacturers www.sportfishing.org/DAD00/ $16.95 $8.50 -How-to seminars by expert dad2014.html Call 800-727-2252 to order fishermen that reveal secrets yours today! TEMPORAY AND PERMANENT VISAS Since new immigration laws took effect at the end of 2012, there’s been a lot of confusion over Mexican visas for non-Mexicans living in Mexico. The terms FM2 and FM3 have been replaced with temporary resident and permanent resident visas. For new visas, the process must now be started at the Mexican consulate in the U.S. We’ve got step-by-step directions if you’re looking to get a temporary or permanent visa for Baja. Visit our blog at bit.ly/1ocjOto Of course, if you’re only traveling in Baja for a few weeks or months, you just need an FMM tourist permit. Discover Baja is the only source for prepaid FMMs, so give us a call at 800-727-2252 or see our page www.discoverbaja.com/fmt.html for more information. 3 Ask a Local: Loreto The insider’s scoop on the city home to the oldest mission in Baja and some of the most beauful white-sand beaches on the peninsula! OUR LOCAL: Wendy Wilson TOWN: Loreto HOW LONG: 16 years OCCUPATION: Former DBTC Office Manager What are some of the best acvies Any good shopping? to enjoy in San Felipe? Conchita’s Curios for furniture, Fishing, kayaking, snorkeling texles and Mexican Talavera dishes. What's the best street food? Gecko’s Curios has the best selecon El Rey del Taco has the best fish of the finest cras from Mexico. tacos. There are also night-me hot Tony’s Silver has Talavera poery, dog stands that are great! Huichol beadwork, metal art pieces and silver jewelry. And your favorite sit-down restaurant? Are there any internet cafes or wifi Orlando’s, Sabor and Café Olé for spots in town? Most of the outside cafes have wifi Mexican food. Mita Gourmet is wonderful for Italian. Domingo’s is a What’s the best me of year to visit? good steak house. April, May and October for the best What are some of the best hotels in weather. The summer is good for fishing. the area? Mision Hotel on the malecón, Coco Annual events that are worth Cabañas, Desert Inn, Loreto Bay Inn making a trip to Loreto? in Napoló. The Anniversary of the Mission of th What are the best beaches to visit? Loreto is on October 25 and there There are beauful white sandy are lots of fiestas around town. If beaches on Coronado Island. A good you’re a fisherman, there are fishing tournaments in June and July. snorkeling beach is at the Loreto Bay Inn Hotel in Napoló. Things people shouldn’t visit Loreto Any popular nightlife or without seeing or doing? entertainment? The Loreto Mission and museum as well as the San Javier Mission. Don’t There’s a gringo hang-out bar, Augie’s, on the malecón. miss taking a panga ride to Coronado Island. 4 Buen Provecho: Caesar’s, Tijuana Among the things that Tijuana has been known for through the ages (zonkeys, plaster surf monkey souvenirs, tequila shots), perhaps the most respectable contribution to modern culture is the Caesar salad. The salad is usually accredited to Caesar Cardini, the original owner of Caesar’s Restaurante in Tijuana. Cardini was an Italian restaurateur who lived in the U.S. but also had restaurants in Tijuana to avoid Today, Caesar’s restaurant friendly, the atmosphere is the restrictions of prohibition. gives credit to both Cardini and upscale but approachable and The rumor mill runs amok with Santini. The restaurant is now the food is delightful. stories about whether it was owned by the Plascencia family, Cardini himself who actually who own multiple other Who really made the original created the salad or whether it restaurants in Tijuana, Caesar salad? The world may was his chef, Livio Santini.