Water info
Directions & maps
Border info
Fun things to do
Check out the menu above for more links.
General info:

Money

• Current exchange rate is about 20:1, though some restaurants will give you a slightly different rate (~18:1). Here is the official exchange right this minute.
• Almost everyone takes USD in Baja – toll booths, restaurants, stores, independent vendors, food markets, gas stations – everyone. Sometimes you get pesos back as change, though. OXXO counter clerks will sometimes refuse >$20 bills because it cleans out their change, so small bills are better received.
• Many places don’t accept credit cards. Some (but not all!) tourist restaurants do. It’s good to carry some cash, just in case, especially further from the border

Spanish or English?
Most locals along the coast speak English, especially those who work with tourists. But it’s always nice to know a few key phrases, and all the native Spanish speakers are super cool about it when tourists attempt Spanish.
Hello / Goodbye: Hola / Adios
Please / Thank you: Por favor / Gracias
With / without (as in, “I want my margarita with or without salt”): con / sin
Excuse me / I’m sorry: Disculpe / lo siento
Can I have… : Puedo tener…
How much does this cost? Cuanto cuesta
The check (at a restaurant): la cuenta
Where is the bathroom? ¿Dónde está el baño?
One more beer, please: Una más cervesa, por favor

Eating Out
Pro tip: Tourist restaurants often offer menus in Spanish and English. The Spanish menu often has cheaper prices! And If they have a chalkboard menu, they will also usually have other things if you ask (like fish tacos, which are never on the menu for some reason, but it seems like everyone has them).

Children
Baja SurfnSkate is the dream of childless adults, so there’s a lot we don’t know about kids (like, do they really stick forks into electrical sockets?). But if you want to bring your children and you don’t mind that our place isn’t really child safe – well, that’s okay with us. Children under 18 must sleep in the same room as their parents and be supervised while on our property. Please drop us a line if you want to talk more about it.

Pets in restaurants and out & about
In general, many patio restaurants in our area will allow well-behaved small dogs on a leash. However, there are a lot of unleashed dogs, including strays, loose in La Misión and nearby villages, and they’re not all friendly. Our pampered lap dog was attacked by big dogs in Popotla (a craft shopping district) while walking on a leash. He survived but it was a harrowing experience. Dogs are not prohibited from the beach in Mexico, but again, there are unleashed dogs everywhere and no one is regulating dog fights, so you have to keep an eye on your pet.

Trash
There is no trash pickup for houses in La Misión and local folks are working on recycling but that doesn’t exist yet, either. So please bring a refillable water bottle (for real, those little plastic bottles are the main thing at our dump!), and we really appreciate it if you try not to generate a lot of trash that you leave behind. We take our trash off the hill ourselves.

What other questions do you have? Please let us know and we’ll add answers here!