31 May - The "Dia del Marino" festival
started today, have a look at the Program of Activities:
24 May 2007 - Be very careful about
dealing with legal problems. A surprising number of Americans are
experiencing major problems connected with building construction
lawsuits. Both tourists and residents need to immediately contact
their country's consulate if they are threatened with arrest for
any violation. The US and other Consulate phone numbers are here.
Very preliminary discussions are starting amongst
groups of foreigners in the San Felipe region on establishing an
association to represent their interests in San Felipe. This is
to provide some unified response to the needs of the overall community
in addressing health, security, infrastructure and quality-of-life
issues. The sentiment is that the various homeowners, civic and
fraternal associations need to speak with a unified voice and have
some input into the development of this beautiful region of Baja
California.
22 May 2007 - Sorry we are late
with the weather and news today. It has been a harrowing day here
at the Net because our server room air conditioning system went
bad on Monday afternoon. Anyway, the repair man got right to it
and now we know the local meaning of the phrase "24 hour service".
Outside, the skies are clear and there are gentle breezes from
the East. The tide is coming in and we have a very pleasant 80
degrees in the shade. Town is pretty empty but we do expect a good
crowd for the upcoming Memorial Day weekend. Camping should be
a fabulous experience as outdoor nighttime temperatures are still
in the mid-sixties.(ej)
The Association of Homeowners of La Hacienda wants
to remind all property owners that they will hold their annual
meeting this Saturday 26 May at 1 p.m at the home of Farris and
Mileski.
The Las Palmas Homeowners Association will
also hold their annual meeting at Las Chabelas Restaurant at 10
a.m on the 26th May.
17 May, 2007 - The Flying Samaritans’ flew
a fifteen-person medical team into town on Thursday May 10 to perform
eye surgeries on San Felipe residents. Over 20 people benefited
from the visit. Dr. Greg Tesluk, of the Samaritans, performed six
eye (cataract) surgeries on Saturday and post-operation examinations
on Sunday at the San Felipe Hospital. Carlos Kuttler, hospital
administrator, opened his facility and staff to the Samaritans.
To read the press release in its entirety and photos click here.
11 May, 2007 - The Flying Sams will
conduct examinations today and perform cataract surgeries tomorrow
at San Felipe Hospital (formerly St. James). Dr. Abasolo pre-screened
patients on May 3rd and, working with the Lions Club San Felipe,
B.C., provided patients' charts for the Flying Samaritans. Local
optometrist donated his services and examined about 80 people last
Sunday and provided those who needed them with eyeglasses donated
to the Lions Club.
Cinco de Mayo
Local Announcements:
Rosa Sanudo wrote to me
to suggest that we start a page listing local achievements
and items primarily of interest to our local townspeople.
Good Idea, Rosa! We will get this going as soon as we
can. Local readers should feel free to stop by our office
or telephone 577-1600 and let us know of what is going
on in the schools, the local sports world, and anything
that will help them to get some more publicity for their
events. Don't forget that Katherine keeps up with as
much as she can of the local social scene (and gardening
tips) in Kats Korner. Here are a couple of items that
Rosa sent in:
-
The kids of the "equipo
de remo" of San Felipe are in the team
of Baja California. They are going to Merida,
Yucatan to compete on the nationals,
the 27 of May,
-
the other major event is: the State's
Math competition, this event is being held
right now in the Escuela Tecnica Pesquera.
Notice for all Veterans in the
San Felipe area: This is your chance to become
a charter Member of the Fisrt American Legion Post
in Baja Mexico (American Legion Post Baja Frontera)
which is in the process of being formed. We have two
more planning meetings this season on May 10th and
24th at noon, that will be held at the El Capitan Hotel
in town, with formation of the chapter at the start
of next season. Interested? Questions? Contact Walt
(jarhead) Jones on the marine radio or Telcel (686)
111-4465, or email shajo37@earthlink.net
|
Tuesday 1 May - Baja Diamante Launch Party
Sparks Prominent Interest. On Thursday April 26th, Samuel
Ramos Flores, the Mayor of Mexicali, Steve Games, founder of
Prudential California Realty, and luxury real estate buyers and
investors from Southern California and Mexico, to name a few,
gathered at Hotel Solamar, in downtown San Diego, to support
Baja’s newest development – Baja Diamante. “ I
am extremely pleased with the outcome of the event,” stated
Armando Ramos, Sr., developer of Baja Diamante. “The tremendous
support from the Mayor of Mexicali, as well as the community
and business leaders from Mexico City and Southern California,
demonstrates that we are establishing a sought-after, one-of-a-kind
development in San Felipe”. (To read the press release
in its entirety, click here.
Look for photos of the event on Kat's Korner.)
Sunday 29 April - Another accident on the
Laguna Salada. Here is another example of the devastation
that can be caused by blowing sand on the highway. As Shirley
mentioned on her weather report (5/2/07), there was a lot of
sand blown onto the road pavement over the weekend and when a
vehicle hits one of the little sand piles that are created, it
can throw the vehicle off course and into the oncoming traffic
lane.
The above picture was sent to us by Claudia Miller
who was driving north on Sunday around noon. She, and we, plead
for people to go slow during these windy periods when sand is drifting
everywhere. The road crews try their hardest to keep the road clear
of sand bumps but everyone who lives here is very familiar with
the way that the wind can come up very suddenly, blow hard for
an hour and then return to calm conditions. This is also another
very good reason not to drive at night - running into a sand drift
in the dark is a frightening experience. It would be very useful
if the Green Angels (the tourist department trucks that patrol
the highways) and the highway police could put out warning flags
or flares on the road to alert drivers to the hazardous conditions
ahead.
Wednesday 25 April - Update
on the Baja 250 race situation. Victor Rodriguez Silva,
President of the Tourism and Conventions Office in Mexicali (COTUCO)
has informed us that they are requesting a meeting with Sal Fish,
CEO of SCORE International which runs the Baja races. It is hoped
that Sal Fish will be able to meet with COTUCO and the representatives
of the Ejido in May to discuss bringing the Baja 250 race back
to San Felipe in 2008. This event is a major tourist event for
San Felipe and it has a very large financial impact on our region.
We fully support the efforts that are being made and wish the
negotiators every success. A faximile of the letter to Sal Fish
is shown below.
Tuesday 24 April - The Baja Diamante
Development announced that they will be hosting an exclusive launching
event on 26th April in San Diego. The development, on the land
adjacent to the San Felipe Marina Resort, will include a high-rise
luxury condominium building (already almost sold out) together
with the new construction of 101 custom homes (Crystal Beach Villas)
and a Jack Niklaus golf course. A 300 slip marina is also in the
first phase of construction. This development represents a new
advance in the deLuxe property market for the San Felipe region.
The overall site plan can be seen here.
Saturday 21 April - Some time ago,
the St. James Infirmary/Hospital, founded by Dr.
Lowell Somers and his wife Carolyn, changed ownership and much
of the equipment assembled by the founders reportedly was dispersed.
This has been a major problem for the retiree community of San
Felipe as so many people make their decision to relocate from the
US to Mexico based upon available medical care facilities in the
area of their choice. In part, the loss of a high quality emergency
medical facility in San Felipe has contributed to the slowdown
in sales and immigration to this area and to the decision of older
residents to start moving back to the United States. (Note
that Dr Abasolo has
recently constructed a small new clinic and he is a highly respected
medical practicioner amongst both the Mexican and American resident
community.)
We now hear that a Playa de Oro resident, Daniel
Slepian, has brought down $500,000 worth of functioning equipment
for the medical community here:
$500,000 Medical Equipment Donation
to Local Community in San Felipe, Baja, Mexico
ORIMtec, Playa de Oro, Lions Club
team up to provide $500K of needed medial equipment to San
Felipe Medical Community.
San Felipe, Baja, Mexico (PRWEB)
April 18, 2007 -- Playa de Oro resident, Daniel Slepian, recognized
a need three years ago for medical equipment in San Felipe.
Dan, along with his brother Richard, owners and founders of
ORIMtec (a Neurophysological Interoperative Monitoring company),
knew of functional medical equipment in hospitals across central
and northern California that were being upgraded. With that
in mind, Dan set his sights on procuring three truck loads
and over $500,000 worth of diverse equipment to provide to
the local San Felipe medical community.
Dan acquired an operating room
microscope, anesthesia machine, surgical fiber optic head lamps,
two ICU beds, and multiple hospital beds, gurneys and other
miscellaneous medical equipment. Obtaining the equipment was
one thing, picking it up, storing and transporting was another.
He approached Bruce Parkman, PM&D
Developer of Playa de Oro and Playa San Rafael, who agreed
to help. Having already donated tens of thousands of dollars
to the medical community, Bruce volunteered to pay for the
storage and transporting of the equipment to the border. Experiencing
frustrating delays at the border, Dan finally approached the
Lions Club of San Felipe for assistance. With the help of the
Lions Club, members Gary Dilly, Sam Grubb and Scott Parkman
were able to accomplish the mission.
Sam provided three trucks from
his company, San Felipe Storage, to bring the equipment across
the border and into San Felipe. Dilly, Grubb, and Parkman also
donated employee labor to distribute equipment throughout the
medical community. At 900 lbs. per bed, this was no easy job!
There is one more load waiting in San Luis Obispo with storage
and transportation charges again being paid by PM&D. A
big thank you from all residents of San Felipe should go to
Dan and Richard Slepian. They are truly givers and the amount
of work and persuasion it took for Dan to achieve this goal
was truly monumental.
Collectively, the Slepians, the
Lions Club combined with Dilly, Grub and the Parkmans, have
made San Felipe a better place for us all to live and to receive
medical care. And, overall, a safer place to be.
Friday April 19. UPDATE Saturday - The
dog was found thanks to a vigilant person on the beach that called
and reported seeing him at Playa del Sol . LOST.
Large Black Labrador Puppy 3 1/2 months old- with one white spot
on front leg. Wearing a shiny yellow Collar. Lost in Campo Ocotillos
- Please Help.
U.S Department of State issued another warning
about travel to Mexico. We give you the gist here but want to
emphasize that San Felipe is not a danger spot.
his information is current as of today, Fri Apr 20
2007 17:37:04 GMT-0700 (PDT).
April 19, 2007
This Public Announcement advises U.S. citizens
on security situations in Mexico that may affect their activities
while in that country. This Public Announcement supersedes previous
Public Announcements for Mexico dated January 18, 2007 and September
15, 2006. This Public Announcement expires on October 16, 2007.
Narcotics-Related Violence - U.S. citizens residing
and traveling in Mexico should exercise caution when in unfamiliar
areas and be aware of their surroundings at all times. Violence
by criminal elements affects many parts of the country, urban
and rural, including border areas. In recent months there have
been execution-style murders of Mexican officials in Tamaulipas
(particularly Nuevo Laredo), Michoacan, Baja California, Guerrero
(particularly Acapulco), Nuevo Leon (especially in and around
Monterrey) and other states. Though there is no evidence that
U.S. citizens are specifically targeted, Mexican and foreign
bystanders have been injured or killed in some violent attacks
demonstrating the heightened risk in public places. In its effort
to combat violence, the Government of Mexico has deployed military
troops in various parts of the country. U.S. citizens are advised
to cooperate with official checkpoints when traveling on Mexican
highways.
In recent years dozens of U.S. citizens have been
kidnapped in Nuevo Laredo with more than two dozen cases still
unresolved and new cases of kidnap for ransom continue to be
reported. No one can be considered immune from kidnapping on
the basis of occupation, nationality, or other factors. Drug
cartel members have been known to follow and harass U.S. citizens
traveling in their vehicles, particularly in border areas including
Nuevo Laredo and Matamoros. U.S. citizens who believe they are
being followed should notify officials as soon as possible. U.S.
citizens should make every attempt to travel on main roads during
daylight hours, particularly the toll (“cuota”) roads,
which are generally more secure. It is preferable for U.S. citizens
to stay in well-known tourist destinations and tourist areas
of the cities with more adequate security, and provide an itinerary
to a friend or family member not traveling with them. U.S. citizens
should refrain from displaying expensive-looking jewelry, large
amounts of money, or other valuable items.
more info
here.
Sunday 15 April. Mike Labriola,
a local resident here in San Felipe, but also involved in the Iraq
communications industry, sent me this photo when he read the news:
Just read the news about the sandstorm. I grew
up in AZ and experienced many a sandstorm, but they pale in comparison
to those in the Middle East. Attached is a photo taken at 1pm
halfway between Amman and Baghdad in May 2003, during an epic
sandstorm which turned day into night for about six hours. 55
vehicle pile-ups were reported that day on the straight, divided
highway (equivalent to our Interstates).
Mike Labriola
Villas San Francisco
Friday 13 April. Well, the town
was battered by high winds starting at around 6 p.m. Thursday evening
and a sandstorm enveloped the region. Patio furniture flew all
over the place and this morning we have sand in every nook and
cranny of the house. In town, at our office, the gale ripped our
awning off and many signs along the streets have been blown down
or bent sideways. The pools and jacuzzis at private homes and also
at hotels have received a generous helping of sand and have the
new, contemporary, brown bottom appearance. Wise owners are turning
off the pumps and unclogging the filters before something burns
out. Visitors who drove up from Gonzaga Bay yesterday evening reported
that they had also experienced incredible windstorms overnight
Wednesday-Thursday and they had to abandon their tents and sleep
in the cars. They also reported that the store at Gonzaga now is
excellently stocked with fresh meats and fish and that good supplies
of all tourist needs are available. The gas station there is open
and in operation (though the one in Puertecitos is not). The road
north is pretty rough and there is quite a bit of traffic on it
in both directions. A hardy Toyota, baja-equipped, truck with an
experienced driver can make it from Gonzaga to San Felipe in three
hours. Most casual drivers should plan to take longer.
Update from Barbara Anderson in Rancho Percebu: "There
was a lot of wind damage. Windows broken, roof tiles blown off,
skylights damaged, solar panels blown off roofs and many plants
lost. Also, patio furniture blown all over the place and umbrellas
ruined. This is only the ones I know of in Rancho Percebu. I am
sure there was much more...."
From a visitor who drove to San Felipe on
Thursday afternoon " ... On the way down from Mexicali
on Thursday afternoon I crossed the Laguna Salada in an almost
zero visibility sandstorm. I crawled along following the taillights
of the truck in front of me which was only 10 feet away. I could
hardly see him. I am an experienced driver with over 500, 000
miles driving and this was the worst experience I have ever had.
It is a miracle that I made it..."
Easter Day - The sea of tents
on the Malecon beach in the center of San Felipe. It sure beats
paying for a hotel and it provides a unique communal camping experience.
Kids enjoying themselves on the bay beaches. We
just wish that they would wear safety helmets!
April 6 - Good Friday -The Malecon
is packed and there is a line to use the bathrooms, especially
the womens. People do not seem to know that there are plenty of
Porta-Potties around the corner on Mar de Cortez down towards the
Net.
April 4 - The Wednesday afternoon
traffic to San Felipe for the Easter Holidays
Driving south on the highway to San Felipe,
you cross the dry lake bed (the Laguna Salada) about 80 km south
of Mexicali. Recent winds have piled up sand along the northbound
edge of the road and as traffic hits these sand piles a huge
cloud of dust drifts across the road and reduces visibility to
zero for southbound traffic. Be very careful, especially at night
when headlamp glare will make things even worse.
Here you see a line of police cars parked on the
road at La Ventana on Wednesday. These oficers, together with
more busloads of police will be in San Felipe for the next few
days to help to keep order. We hope they will be able to keep
the drinking from glass bottles on the Malecon to a minimum during
this time.
March 29 - San Felipe Medical
Services and Doctors Receive Equipment - Medical equipment
worth about $500,000 U.S. was distributed by the Lions Club San
Felipe, B.C. to San Felipe medical facilities on Friday, March
23rd. Dan Slepian, Playa De Oro, procured beds, gurneys, an anesthesia
machine, microscope and other equipment from 34 different California
hospitals who had upgraded their stock over the past couple of
years. The hospitals donated three truckloads of medical equipment
which Dan said he found difficult to get across the border. Scott
approached the Lions Club San Felipe for help in distributing
the equipment. Gary Dilley, president of the newly-formed Lions
Club, with some of his workers from San Felipe Disposal helped
Scott and his crew to load the equipment and distributed them
to San Felipe Hospital (formerly St. James) and local doctors
Abasolo, Gracia and Lopez. Another truckload of equipment is
still in San Luis Obispo. Playa De Oro paid for the transportation
and storage charges in the U.S. while the equipment was being
gathered. In a letter to Lions Club Members, dated March 26,
2007, Scott thanked the Club for its support and help with distribution
of the medical equipment. "We especially want to thank your
president Gary Dilley for the supervision and the use of his
truck." He went on to say that, without Gary’s organization
and perseverance it would have been difficult to distribute the
medical equipment through-out the community. We "look forward
to working with the Lions on many more projects to help make
our community a better place to live and work." (By Elayne
Caldwell)
March 24 - On Saturday, March 24
at the "5 de Febrero School" in Colonia Los Arcos, the "Macro
Brigada Medica Asitencial" (Macro Medical Assitance Brigade)
held classes and clinics for vaccines (vacunas antirrabicas), collective
weddings, hair cuts, social work, legal counseling, preventative
workshop for addictions and a program for kids in risk situations.
March 19 - A San Diego TV station,
KFMB Channel 8, reports that San Diego Crimestoppers is offering
a reward of $1000 for new information on the murder one year ago
of Jane Kling of Vista (northern San Diego county). It is now known
that Kling spent a couple of days at the Costa Azul Hotel in San
Felipe with a heavyset woman before being found dead just north
of Puertecitos on Saturday 24th March 2006. ...more
March 18. A complaint that comes
up again-and-again is summarized in this latest quote from email
I receive:
As a visitor of many years and a home owner
in the south campos, I am concerned about the litter, especially
the proliferation of plastic. I've been trying to get full-timers
to take this issue on, but have no action yet.
I think all of us are concerned about the garbage
problem. When you drive down from Mexicali you see the proliferation
of roadside trash as you approach San Felipe. If you drive through
town and on to the scenic highway that leads to Puertecitos, you
will see plastic garbage bags caught in virtually every bush and
ocotillo plant along the highway. Trash is everywhere; it is such
an eyesore and it causes potential home buyers to have second thoughts
on the value of investing here. Although nobody likes paying more
in taxes, the time is coming when we need to get serious and tackle
such problems once and for all. The American community in particular
complains about the need for more municipal services to improve
our infrastructure, yet they delight in having annual property
tax bills of a couple of hundred dollars or less. Perhaps we need
to establish a new "voluntary" donation from our North
American residents to help pay for the things that they miss.
MARCH 17. The next big racing event
of the year will be the McMillin CODE 500 mile event from Mexicali
to San Felipe and back on 31 March. Practice runs will be taking
place over the next two weeks. A link to the race website can be
found on our calendar of events for those who want to see the schedule
and the map of the course. We would like to note that the CODE
officials and the Ejido Plan Nacional Agrario representatives have
had absolutely no problems in their negotiations for the race to
use the ejido lands in San Felipe.
MARCH 13. Further information on
the cancellation of the SCORE Baja 250 in San Felipe.
The race was supposed to occur 10 March but was switched
to Ensenada at short notice because of disputes with San Felipe
authorities. The race normally passes through the Ejido lands and
damage occurs as a result. The President of the Ejido Plan Nacional,
Ing. Samuel Gonzales Lara, has sent us the following statement
on the position of the Ejido in this matter. We are publishing
a faximile of his signed letter so that its authenticity is not
questioned. (A translation into English may be found here.)
March 12
I just got this email from a former resident of San
Felipe, Arnoldo Arostegui Jr., who is helping out with the American
football team in San Felipe. I do not know who is the contact in
town for events like this but I will hand this email over to Ken
Carpenter and see what he can learn from the Rotary. Write to him
if you can help.
Hi there, I have contacted you before about the
football program in San Felipe.
I coach at Fife High School Washington and I am currently helping out with
the American Football Team in San Felipe. This is our second year helping
the team out with strategies and techniques.
I dont know if you were aware of that.
I am a native of San Felipe and I am in the process of bringing down American
Coaches to San Felipe to help out with the kids, along with providing equipments
etc.
So far this year the Football team in San Felipe is 2-0 and is in first place
in their division.
I have a link for our people of San Felipe who want to support them, they
can also find a schedule.
<http://www.oefa.com>www.oefa.com
Thank you for you time, I want to get more info out to the community as much
as we can.
Sincerely
Arnoldo Arostegui Jr.
Assistant Coach at Fife Washington
Troj02 at yahoo dot com
March 11 2007
Daylight Savings time started in the USA and Canada
at 2 a.m. last Sunday morning (when it becomes 3 a.m.). Remember
that we, in San Felipe, stay on Pacific Standard Time for another
three weeks. Confirm any meetings that you have scheduled to be
sure that you agree on a time.
If your VCR is programmed to record a show, you may
find that you miss it by one hour. Many people are finding that
their computer clocks are wrong and those who have "atomic
clocks" which set their time according to the US Government
clock in Boulder, Colorado, will have no choice but to accept the
1 hour difference until the first Sunday in April. Your satellite
TV system is also certain to have switched its programming schedule.
March 8th 2007 International Womens
Day and a beautiful morning here in Paradise. Even though the Baja
250 has been taken away from us, we are finding a surprising number
of people have decided to come anyway. These are the people who
enjoy taking one of their annual vacations in our little Port;
the Baja 250 made a good excuse to come but the appeal of San Felipe
is stronger than going to the race in Ensenada. Perhaps it is time
for us to upgrade from the 250 and hold the Baja 300 instead.
March 6 The beaches are deserted
and only elderly tourists on a bus trip from Yuma are walking along
the Malecon. As I walk by I hear the comments "so nice and
quiet". A few taco stands are opening up for the day but the
stoves are not yet hot - it is only 11. All eyes are on opening
hour and the rush to the bathrooms will get underway.
There is a contingent of Spring Breakers but they
have gone south of town and many have chosen to set up camp on
the deserted beaches between here and Puertecitos. This is the
new "ecologically conscious" wave of students that would
rather have a little solitude and night-time bonfires, with a dinner
of fish that they have been able to catch themselves. Pouring beer
down the throat all day belongs to a different crowd. The Costa
Azul and El Cortez are preparing for next Monday's expected onslaught.(ej)
March 5 2007
Do not forget the upcoming change to Daylight Savings
Time in the USA (But not in Mexico)
Daylight Savings Time starts in the USA
on Sunday 11 March (till 4 November). Mexico appears
to have missed this change of date that was enacted by the
US Congress in 2005 to help save more energy and will continue
to change its clocks on Sunday 1 April through 28 October-
so we are going to have timezone confusion between Baja and
California (as well as the rest of Mexico with the other time
zones) for a three week period this spring. Note that Windows
computers operating in Mexico, by default, use the US Daylight
Savings Time switches - this should cause chaos throughout
the bureaucracy when the clocks change in the US. (Interesting
factoid: the huge country of China only has one timezone).
March 1-4 Tequila Festival check
some interesting pictures here.
FEBRUARY 28 At the meeting of the
San Felipe Developers Association last Saturday, the Mayor of Mexicali,
Samuel Ramos, made a committment to line-up funding to complete
the 4-lane highway between Mexicali and San Felipe by the end of
2007. At present, the first 18 miles north of San Felipe is under
construction and the other 90 miles will be completed in a couple
of years. Grupo Inmobiliario Mar de Cortez LLC also announced that
they would be investing $50 million dollars to build 216 condominiums
on the proposed Jack Niklaus golf course at the Baja Diamante property
in the next two years. The Baja Diamante property is a $2 billion
investment with a residential community of 5000 homes, an 18 hole
golf course and 350 slip marina. More information.
February 26 2007 - We just received
word that the Score- Baja 250 race in San Felipe (scheduled 9-11
March) has been cancelled because the Ejido north of town will
not permit the race to pass over their lands. Score-International
has moved the race to Ensenada and will make further
announcements later.
Cancellation of the Baja 250 is a very serious
blow to us here in San Felipe. All day long, locals and racers
have been stopping in to our office to find out the latest information.
Everyone has been truly shocked that negotiations to reach a
settlement to keep the race in town have failed. it is just unbelievable
to them, as it is to us. The 250 is a very special event. It
gets us in the papers, it gets us on television and it gets us
on the world stage. It brings us incalculable recognition and
prestige.
The Baja 250 is far more than a race, it is an
icon that represents the rise of a successful little fishing
town in Mexico. It is proof that there is a tourism base that
can fill the hotels, motels, apartments and campgrounds, and
that its stores and restaurants can be booming with business.
It is a showcase that other towns envy.
it represents a time when, for a few weeks before
the race, we have the small teams coming and practicing on the
course. They are the groups of a half dozen people who have put
their savings into a sport that they love. We see occupancy at
the inexpensive hotels and campgrounds start to rise and money
starts to flow into our economy. A week or so before race day
the big name teams with their prized vehicles move in and establish
their headquarters. The crews are out practicing hard during
the day and then come back to town for some good food and relaxation
- the money flow into our community takes a jump.By the Wednesday
and Thursday before the race, the most faithful fans are driving
into town and the party atmosphere really starts to take off.
On Friday, racing fans from all over Southern California and
northern Baja get off work early and stream south for a weekend
of excitement, socializing, meeting old friends and pushing the
town into a frenzy of activity. The local economy kicks into
overdrive; not a vacant hotel room is to be found and lines to
get into the restaurants in town can be legendary.
Even after the race is over we see a sizeable percentage
of visitors hang on for another day or two, re-living some of
the intense moments, getting out on the course again to try a
particularly challenging section andletting the crush at the
border pass by. They can afford to wine and dine and see what
souvenirs to take home. This is the icing on our cake. These
visitors have the time to stop by and see some of the new real
estate developments that were just a glimpse during the race
weekend. They have spotted sections of the beaches south and
north of town that take their breath away. They make plans to
return to just relax and see what the real San Felipe is like.
The period around the Baja 250 brings us seven
to ten millions of dollars as a direct benefit to our local economy.
It also means many more millions in future opportunities as the
visitors, and the world, see whata beautiful place San Felipe
is and what an investment opportunity it provides. As one couple
said to me as they left the office "how could San Felipe
afford to let these race negotiations fail?" It is now the
question on everyone's mind.
©1997-2007
The Net
Instituto de Informatica
San Felipe, Baja California, Mexico
"A non-profit organization (NGO) dedicated to bringing information technologies
and opportunities to the San Felipe region"
