Our safety on the roads and our personal wellbeing were our top priority. Enquiries at tourist offices, with US citizens who knew Mexico, and the advice we found on the internet painted a bleak picture of this developing country.

Mexico is currently in a "lawless state". Almost everything goes unpunished, so much so that even the police sympathise with the "bandidos". Corruption, kidnapping and robbery are the order of the day. The situation is extreme after crossing the border from the USA into Mexico at Tijuana. Even if there are "only" a few "incidents", the risk for independent travellers is out of all proportion.

Getting through the roads of Baja California unharmed on two wheels is more a matter of luck. The lanes are only just wide enough for 2 lorries to pass each other. The edges of the road have no kerb and, because they slope steeply to the side, there is nowhere to escape to. Because people are wary of walking into a "trap", you can hardly expect help after an accident, neither from locals nor from tourists.

And so, for now, the natural beauty and cultural diversity of this country remain something we can only picture in our imagination.