I posted about the new Border Fast Pass a few weeks ago, and today I want to add some updated information, such as where you can get your Border Fast Pass, etc.

How do I get a Fast Track pass?
Certain merchants in the city of Rosarito, Ensenada and Tijuana carry the Border Fast Pass. As the program develops, more will be added.

If you are visiting Rosarito, you may obtain your Fast Track pass by visiting these establishments:
o Grand Baja Resort
o Las Rocas
o Rosarito Beach Hotel
o Festival Plaza
o Calafia Hotel
o Brisas del Mar Hotel
o La Casa de la Langosta restaurant
o Puerto Nuevo II restaurant
o Fausto Polanco hacienda furniture
Check with the hotel for specific requirements. Some will offer the pass with a package and others for visiting the spa, restaurants, etc. at the hotel and spending about U.S. $70 ($1000 pesos).

If you are visiting Ensenada, first obtain your Ensenada Distinguished Visitor Card. The card is $12, but the discounts you will receive will pay back the cost of the card quickly. The Ensenada Distinguished Visitor Card may be purchased from our website. You may then obtain the Border Fast Pass by visiting the merchants who are participating in the Fast Track program and spending about U.S. $70 ($1000 pesos). We advise to confirm with the hotel or venue first that they offer the Fast Track and how to get it once you are there.
Program participants:
o Posada El Rey Sol
o Estero Beach Hotel
o Adobe Guadalupe Hotel
o Desert Inn Hotel
o Best Western El Cid
o El Cortez Baja Inn
o Hotel Santo Tomas Baja Inn
o El Rey Sol restaurant
o Sano’s Steak House
o Playitas Club del Mar

Establishments in Tijuana offering the Border Fast Pass:
o La Casa del Mole - Playas de Tijuana
o Real del Rio
o Corona Plaza Hotel
o La Carnicería
o Vivamex Health Care
o Caliente
o Vita Spa

What border crossings have a Fast Track lane?
Only the San Ysidro border crossing has special Border Fast Pass lane at this time.

Where is the Fast Track lane located?
If you are heading to the border from the scenic toll road, once you are near the border line on Calle Segunda, you will take the far right lane that is sectioned off by concrete dividers and parallels the regular border line. Look for the blue signs that say “With Pass Only” and the blue signs that say “Medical Services.” After going up the bridge, you will see a booth with an official who will take your Fast Track pass and give you access to the lane. What a breeze!

How much does it cost to get a Fast Track pass?
The pass is free once you have met the requirements mentioned above.

Currently the Border Fast Pass program is a pilot program. If the lane is a success, more lanes will be added. This lane will significantly reduce your wait time to get back into the U.S. Reports say the wait on average is 30 minutes or so, but officials say the goal is a 15 minute wait. This line is is similar to the SENTRI in that you can cross the border faster, however there is no background check and the pass is only good for one crossing.

Residents from the United States now have a toll free number to complaint against common and organized crime within the Mexican territory.

The number 1-866-201-5060 is for both, residents of California and the rest of the United States, who can provide the authorities in Baja California, in an anonymous way, information about organized crime and common crime located in Mexico.

Daniel de la Rosa Anaya, Secretary of Public Security in Baja California and Mexican Consul Remedios Gomez Arnau, presented the new toll free phone service 1-866-201-5060 at the Mexican Consulate in San Diego; which can be used to expose criminals located in Mexico or to report if they have been the victim of a crime when transiting through Baja or while living here.

De la Rosa explained that when a caller dials 1-866-201-5060, the call comes into the program 089, operated by the state government of Baja California, specializing in bilingual telephone operators who immediately transfer the complaint to Mexican authorities for their attention. The service is 24 hours a day, 365 days per year.

The program is configured to block phone numbers from which the calls are made, they are not recorded and the telephone operators may not ask the complainant’s personal data.

This service will be introduced in coming days in the consulates of Mexico located in Calexico, California and Yuma, Arizona, to spread mostly among the Hispanic community in these cities and their surrounding regions.

Note that the anonymous reporting service via toll-free number 1-866-201-5060 is available for use from any phone located on the mainland and islands of the United States, including Puerto Rico, Hawaii and Alaska.

Las Rocas Resort in Rosarito Beach, Baja, has announced their latest available specials:

$69* dollars
Round transportation for two from San Ysidro,CA - Las Rocas -San Ysidro,CA** plus One Night in a Standard Room (191 sq ft) - With 180 degrees ocean view, private balcony and some of them with terrace.

$89* dollars
Round transportation for two from San Ysidro, CA - Las Rocas -San Ysidro,CA** plus One Night in a Gaviotas Suite (267 sq ft) - Unforgettable romantic rooms, some of them offer high brick dome ceilings. All of them with 180 degrees ocean view, fireplace and private balcony.

For More Options and Details & Reservations Please Call 1 888 527 7622 and 1 866 445 8909
Attention Hours: Mon-Sun 9am - 5pm PDT

*Plus tax. Valid for Stays between June 5th and 7th. Two Nights Minimum.
** Transportation by Mexicoach

This tourist destination reminds visitors from the United States that as of June 1 they’ll need a passport or similar document to re-enter the U.S. by land or sea.

That is the date for full implementation of the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative. Since January 2007 the requirements have been in effect for air travelers returning from Mexico or Canada.

Under the provisions, U.S. citizens age 18 or older re-entering the country will be required to show a passport, passport card, or approved traveler document such as a NEXUS or SENTRI pass.

Previously, a birth certificate and proof of identity were sufficient. For those under 18, a birth certificate still will be acceptable. Full requirements and application procedures are available at www.cbp.gov

Rosarito has posted notice of the changes on its Convention and Visitors Bureau website (www.rosarito.org) and shared them with city businesses and residents, which include an estimated 14,000 U.S. citizens.

The new requirements, according to U.S. officials, are intended both to make the border more secure and speed processing by providing inspectors with a more standard set of re-entry documents.

“We hope that the transition goes smoothly and that the new procedures do indeed make the border crossing more efficient for our visitors and others who use it,” said Rosarito Beach Mayor Hugo Torres.

The San Ysidro port of entry, used by many of the one-million annual visitors to Rosarito, is the busiest border crossing in the world.

A festive Saturday (May 30) event will bring the fun and flavors of Baja’s popular tourist destinations to San Diego’s Seaport Village.

“Baja By The Sea” will be held from noon until 6 p.m. at the Embarcadero Park North. Entrance is free. A complete schedule and directions are available at www.bajabythesea.org or by calling 619-699-1996

The festive event sponsored by Baja state government and each of its five cities will feature food, music, arts, real estate and travel opportunities. Government and business leaders also will be in attendance.

Signature foods from each Baja city will be featured. They include lobster from Rosarito Beach, home of the world famous Puerto Nuevo Lobster Village; fish tacos from Ensenada; and Caesar salad from Tijuana, where it was invented.

Select wines from Baja’s Guadalupe Valley also will be available as the popular region for tourism, vacation homes and retirement is highlighted. About 14,000 expatriates, most from the U.S. live in Rosarito.

For more information, please call 619-948-3740 or email ronraposa@hotmail.com

Rosarito Beach, Mexico - In Rosarito Beach, as in much of Mexico, we are fighting two battles these days. One is against organized crime. The other is against misleading media coverage that wrongly implies that much of Mexico is unsafe for visitors and residents, and which is devastating our economy. Some reporters, stories and outlets have been responsible and balanced, including some of those who know this area best. Many, perhaps most, have not. The war that Mexico’s President Felipe Calderon has launched against drug cartels, which are fed in part by a $38 billion yearly U.S. drug market, is indeed a serious one, one of vital concern for both our countries.

We welcome and invite serious and analytical coverage of this struggle. Such coverage can be of significant help to both countries, which have much at stake. What we don’t welcome is inaccurate, sensationalized, unbalanced and unfair coverage, which provides no insight but only promotes fear and misunderstanding. There has been far too much of this and it continues largely unabated.

Some media reports are simply biased and inaccurate. They are from individuals or media outlets that have an agenda against Mexico and will publish anything to promote it, whether or not it is true. What is more troubling are reports from mainstream media that present an unbalanced, superficial and worrisome portrait of what life is like in Mexico, including Baja California.

This is sometimes done because sensationalism sells; other times because of lack of understanding: many reporters never even visit. At other times, the situation in one city is presented as if it represents all of Mexico, a vast country.

Reports repeatedly talk of 6,000 drug-related deaths in Mexico in 2008. That surely is a troubling number, as is the existence of organized crime and the corruption it has caused. We’ve had to work hard in Rosarito to clean it up and it is a continuing challenge. But what the reports don’t mention when they talk of killings is that Mexico is an immense country of 110 million people.

The reports often don’t mention that while some law enforcement personnel have been killed, cartel members primarily are killing each other as it becomes harder for them to do business, as they fight each other for shrinking territories.

What the reports also don’t mention is that in 2008, according to MSNBC, the murder rate in New Orleans was much higher than that of Tijuana. Yet you will not see many, if any, stories warning people not to go to New Orleans. Much of the U.S. media uses far different standards when reporting stories outside the U.S.

More troubling, the reports seldom state clearly that 90 percent or more of the killings in Mexico are drug-related. The typical resident is not targeted, nor is the visitor. As in New Orleans—as in gang wars in Los Angeles—the tourist is not the target.

Yet, those who watch or read many sensationalized media reports in the U.S. have become afraid to visit our region of Mexico, where tourism has dropped more than 50 percent, a reduction that has caused painful economic hardship here.
Sometimes reports cite, out of context, the U.S. State Department alert concerning travel to Mexico, indicating it advises people not to go.

In fact, while noting that drug-related violence has increased recently in Mexico, the alert (not a warning) in part advises “common-sense precautions such as visiting only legitimate businesses and tourist areas.” That’s good advice for travelers most anywhere.

The U.S. State Department also notes that “millions of U.S. citizens safely visit Mexico each year (including thousands who cross the U.S. land border every day for study, tourism or business).” You can read the entire alert on the U.S. Customs website.

Our many frequent visitors and expatriate residents—we have 14,000 in Rosarito alone—are among those who speak strongly of feeling secure here. They know the situation first-hand—not from media reports.

This is not to say that Mexico does not have some crime problems, or that no visitor or U.S. resident will ever be victim of a crime in Mexico. With more than 20 million annual visitors and hundreds of thousands of expatriate residents, a crime will occasionally happen, just as it does in the U.S. and other countries. But that is rare here.

More typical is the experience of Jack Flynn, owner of the Professional Longboard Association, who is a part-time Rosarito resident and has been coming here for decades to surf. He never has had one problem. He encourages people—including fellow surfers—to come see for themselves.

A graduate-level public affairs class at Emerson College, a prestigious communications school in Boston, recently began doing a study on U.S. coverage of Mexico. Already it has found many instances of sensationalism and bias, including some from prestigious media outlets from which better should be expected.

No one at Emerson is getting paid for this project. It is being conducted because the professor of the class, Gregory Payne, saw a vast difference between life in Rosarito, where his family has a home, and what the media was reporting.

He simply could not recognize the safe and enjoyable Rosarito he knows first-hand from the one he was encountering in media reports. He knows that with recent changes, Rosarito probably is safer than ever—despite the impression created by many media reports.

We hope the Emerson project, along with other efforts and the media’s self-examination of its own reporting, will result in fairer coverage in the future. In the meantime, please talk to those who know the area first-hand—or visit yourself—to get an accurate picture.

Right now, you’re not getting one from many media reports.

Dear friends,
Although there have been no flu reports in Baja and all its five cities including Rosarito, here is some valuable information, please consider it as a general precaution.
Also, as a general precaution, Presiden Felipe Calderon has suspended clasess in all school levels in the country until May 6th, 2009.
Thank you.

U.S. Consulate General Tijuana advises that as a precaution, Mexican authorities closed all schools in the Federal District and in the State of Mexico on April 24, 2009, as the Mexican Secretariat of Health announced hundreds of cases of flu in the country, some of which may be the H1N1 strain of “swine flu”. Some other public institutions, such as museums and government offices, are also closed. Exact numbers of the people infected with the v arious strains of flu are unavailable. The U.S. Consulate General has no additional information about closures.

The U.S. Consulate General reminds U.S. citizens in Mexico that most cases of influenza are not “swine flu”; any specific questions or concerns about flu or other illnesses should be directed to a medical professional.

At this time the Mexican Secretariat of Health urges people to avoid large crowds, shaking hands, kissing people as a greeting, or using the subway. Maintaining a distance of at least six feet from other persons may decrease the risk of exposure.

In addition, the following prevention tips are from the Center for Disease Control (CDC) website:

1. Avoid close contact.
Avoid close contact with people who are sick. When you are sick, keep your distance from others to protect them from getting sick too.

2. Stay home when you are sick.
If possible, stay home from work, school, and errands when you are sick. You will help prevent others from catching your illness.

3. Cover your mouth and nose.
Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue when coughing or sneezing. It may prevent those around you from getting sick.

4. Clean your hands.
Washing your hands often will help protect you from germs.

5. Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth.
Germs are often spread when a person touches something that is contaminated with germs and then touches his or her eyes, nose, or mouth.

6. Practice other good health habits.

Get plenty of sleep, be physically active, manage your stress, drink plenty of fluids, and eat nutritious food.
For additional information, please consult the CDC website at , or the website of the World Health Organization at . The U.S. Embassy will also post additional information as it becomes available on their website at: http://mexico.usembassy.gov/eng/citizen_services.html