Road Trip to Mexico - Maybe NOT

[sanjose_kiter]

Thinking about making a road trip this Christmas holiday to Mexico - La Ventana - until I came across this article.

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/world/b ... -1.2450950 ---- Burned-out van with two charred bodies inside was registered to one of two missing Australian surfers: Mexican officials

The surfers were traveling along the Sinaloa coast which is the other side of the sea of Cortez from La Ventana. I wonder if traveling down the Baja is any safer ??? I can understand getting robbed / mugged and getting away with less $$$ or maybe a black eye ... some bruises. But getting murdered ... after being robbed. That 's too savage for me. May our surfer brothers rest their soul.

[Tony Soprano]

I feel the same way about traveling around and through Oakland.

[Cosmicocean]

Baja is million times safer, the mainland is the real mexico,

Its very strange that they decided to travel by night from topolobampo to guadalajara,

A total no no in sinaloa

Also the freeway there is double lane with tolls so seems weird they were found
Away from main road in a small town, maybe hijacked ?

Tragic stuff..

[Yoda]

Baja is million times safer, the mainland is the real mexico

Really? I think not...
http://www.surfermag.com/features/carja ... 0IrSV6w.97

[sanjose_kiter]

Drove through Oakland once after an Alameda session. Place is definitely 3rd world with graffiti and garbages strewn all over the places.

So, I made a mental note to self, never drive thru Oakland again.

Same thought here, screw the Mexico road trip. I might love kitesurfing but I love my life a lot more.

[Kyle]

My wife and I LOVE Baja. We spend every thanksgiving between Los Barilles and La Ventana, and have always felt welcome, safe, and our business appreciated by the warm people down there. It's sad that a few isolated instances can destroy people's opinions of an entire country. Honestly with all the mass shootings we've been having, not to mention the loss of two dedicated kiters from our own community in Oakland, I'd rather be in Baja at the moment than California. Oh, and if you read my trip report on Maui you'll remember that our cottage was broken into in Paia with my wife's computer and purse stolen... never had one issue in Mexico in 4 years.

I have never driven down, but know people who have. Personally I don't see the point in driving down with flights so short and easy, even with gear. I flew down with 3 boards and a foil and didn't pay a dime in baggage (I love Alaska Airlines) and kited the day I arrived. Once you're there, you can walk anywhere you need to go, or buy a quad if you're desperate for wheels.

Obviously if you have a motorhome that you want to stay in, driving is necessary. But if you follow the guidance on iKitesurf and from others who've done it, I think it can be very safe.

So sorry for the surfers and their families. It's awful news, and will be interesting to learn more. If everyone in the world could taste the stoke of kiting and surfing, we'd probably have a lot fewer murders.

[Sonny]

Drove through Oakland once after an Alameda session. Place is definitely 3rd world with graffiti and garbages strewn all over the places.

So, I made a mental note to self, never drive thru Oakland again.

Same thought here, screw the Mexico road trip. I might love kitesurfing but I love my life a lot more.

You can still kite La Ventana or Los Barriles without having to drive.

[androka]

I flew down with 3 boards and a foil and didn't pay a dime in baggage (I love Alaska Airlines).

How did you avoid baggage charges? I reviewed all the main carriers to Baja and opted for Virgin, seemed the least expensive. Alaskan has defined charges for surfboards, and any extra sized bags
https://www.alaskaair.com/content/trave ... pment.aspx

[Kyle]

I think it helps that I have an Alaska credit card, which allows for 1 free checked bag. But it definitely doesn't allow for a surfboard and full kite board/golf bag. When I flew down last week the guy at check-in told me I'd have to pay extra for the surfboard bag (I was borrowing my friends longboard bag for the foil) and I was fully prepared to pay. But in the end he said he waived my charges and told me they'd likely do the same in Cabo, I couldn't believe it. Sure enough in Cabo, they didn't charge me either. But I do think the fact that I offered to pay with my Alaska Business card helped. Before I had the card, they always charged my $25 for my full golf bag.

The Alaska card also has an amazing feature called the companion fare. Book a ticket to anywhere Alaska flies, and bring a companion for $99+taxes. We use it to get to Cabo over thanksgiving every year, which saves us almost $1000 as the flights are pretty expensive at this time. My wife also got the card this year, so we used her companion fare to get to Maui again saving us nearly $1000. Aside from the amazing deals, Alaska is definitely the best airline for the west coast. Customer service is so good. I don't care that SFO is a UAL hub, I will never fly that airline ever again unless it's to get rid of the hundreds of thousands of miles I've accrued from work trips!

[Sonny]

I flew down with 3 boards and a foil and didn't pay a dime in baggage (I love Alaska Airlines).

How did you avoid baggage charges? I reviewed all the main carriers to Baja and opted for Virgin, seemed the least expensive. Alaskan has defined charges for surfboards, and any extra sized bags
https://www.alaskaair.com/content/trave ... pment.aspx

I fly Southwest and never paid for baggage, but I make sure my bags are less than 50 pounds.