August 16, 2014 – Here we are deep into summer and already thinking about heading back to Baja in a couple of months, we should be crossing into the US southbound on the 15th of October. This got me thinking about the number of RVers we see and interact with every season on Baja, mostly always a good experience sometimes not. We look forward to seeing so many familiar faces, people we have taken down in the past, folks we have known long before we started Baja amigos and other RVers we have met over the Caravan years and look forward to meeting up with again. All of which we consider to be our Baja friends!
We work hard at always being positive, friendly and respectful towards all the campers we interact with whether on a beach or an RV park. We recognize it is a big change to the surroundings when the caravan arrives, even when it is a small one like ours with 6 or 7 RVs. The tranquility and peace of a only a few campers on a pristine secluded waterfront suddenly interrupted by the arrival of so many others full of enthusiasm and energy eager to explore their new surroundings and learn what they can from regulars and veteran RVers on Baja. As a caravan we come and go, usually only spending a couple of days at any particular location. Often we same the same folks at the same spots who never move over the entire season. Baja is big enough to accommodate everyone and it is important to look at the big picture and keep an open mind. At the end of the day the more exposure Baja gets, the better off the locals will be that depend on the tourist trade and the better the facilities will ultimately become for those that want them.
Playa Santispac
As we know this is a very popular beach for campers, about a dozen or so spend most of the winter here including our friends Bruce & Marian and Gord & Kathy. What is puzzling to us and somewhat frustrating is why some of the long term Snowbirds choose to locate in the center of the beachfront (the shoulders are so much more private), expand their footprint to 3 times what they are entitled to and then become hostile when we dare to locate anywhere near them.
Playa Tecolote
30 minutes from La Paz this very large public beach has always been popular with RVers, our friends Bill & Marilyn have spent many winters here. Those that spend weeks here usually set up at the east end up from the water where they have privacy and away from where the local Mexicans congregate and the campers like us that come and go from time to time. We have certainly experienced our share of odd behaviour and lack of RV etiquette on this beach. One winter we had 3 truck campers arrive, all friends from the Canadian Prairies.
They were fisherman and one truck was pulling a large utility trailer, we found out later with a couple of freezers for all the fish they caught. At the time we had 10 or so RVs spread across the beach which could easily park 50. They found a spot for the 3 of them amongst all the other RVs and the surprise for those nearby was that they ran their generator 24/7 for the freezers. All were pleased to see them leave 4 days later. Another time we had a large A class Motorhome pull across the driving lane on the beach blocking all those driving (mostly locals) from using this hard packed lane to travel along to the various public palapas. When they arrived they could see where all the other RVs parked, all in a line which kept this access open. This past season on our March tour we had a Westfalia RV park directly in front of a B Class that with us blocking their view, this was a breach of RV Etiquette 101 and rather inconsiderate for sure.
Villa Serena RV Park
This is the last RV Park left in Los Cabos where caravans stay and in January & February there are many coming and going, sometimes up to 25 rigs. The good news is there are many spaces and usually everyone can fit. Some spots are better than other because of access to WiFi, vicinity to laundry or larger spots particularly on the ravine with a view of the ocean. Some of the Snowbird regular folks are very inhospitable to put it mildly and bristle at the arrival of anyone new. Some even attempt to post rules that the owner and Mexican manager have not authorize or endorse. We have one character “Johnny” who particularly stands out. The past couple of season he has chosen to spread out his belongings over 3 sites, but only paying for one. He has engaged in many shouting matches with RVers who have complained to the Mexican manager, great guy however reluctant to tell “Johnny” to moderate his behavior. On our last tour he threatened “not return”, we can only hope.
Good news
After driving Baja more than 25 times encounters with these kind of campers are few and far between. We are sure they have counterparts for those that visit mainland Mexico and the Southern US in the winter. See everyone on Baja soon, the good, the bad and the ugly!