LOST my passport in Mexico-how to get home

[Carl Blackledge]

Well after I arrived in Loreto, Mexico this year I realized I lost my passport, what the hell am I going to do now? I tried calling the american consulate in La Paz and I even sent them an email-Their reply email went something like this This office is closed and if you need anything contact TJ, now I am really getting concerned, so I took a day off from fishing and went to the airport and talked to Valero airlines about getting on the plane from Loreto to TJ, they said NO, no way, after a little discussion and talking to the management they agreed that it was OK to fly from one part of Mexico to the other part of mexico with out a passport. so the next move was to figure out how to walk across the boarder after all I did have my California federal ID...so here goes after a month of fishing and with this heavy burden on my mind I bought a ticket on a flight to TJ from Loreto. After I landed and they would not let me cross the boarder at the airport, they said I would have to go to the regular boarder crossing , so I walked outside of the airport and paid $30.00 for a short taxi ride to the boarder crossing, when I looked at the line I almost passed out...it was 4-6 people wide and not sure how long, just about that time some local guy asks me if i want to get to the front of the line for $20.00 I said yes and if I don't get to the front I want my money back, he agreed so as we took off to the front of the line I suddenly noticed we were walking on a blue line (for the handicapped ) I did have my leg brace on, so right to the front of the line I went, as I got there the woman officer asked me if I was a US citizen I said yes and continued on my way for another 300-400 feet and was greeted by US customs, this gal asked if I had a passport I said no I lost it, she asked if I had ever had an passport, I answered yes, so she told me to put my chin on the camera and took my picture, after a minute, she said "have a nice day" I was never so happy in my life at that moment, however still not out of the woods I now had to pay another $60.00 for a taxi ride to the San Diego airport, buy a flight to San Francisco, then take a commuter bus for $35.00 to Santa Rosa then a $20.00 cab ride home....what a scary ordeal and adventure. so the moral of the story is don't lose your passport , and in the event you do, you can get out of the country with out one...you just can't fly out of the country on a plane.I hope somebody learns from my mistake. I had several people with computers googling information claiming you can't get out of the Mexico without a passport, yes you can, you just can't fly across the boarder without a passport, thanks for all the help from my special buddy in Loreto Gary Roller

Carl Blackledge