Taco Denominations

Parked on a dirt road adjacent to a block of second-hand stores in Guerrero Negro, Dan and I sat in the Syncro reading.  Pulling my head out of The Monkey Wrench Gang, I looked into the rear view mirror and saw a familiar figure emerge from a crowded alley brandishing a mess of black and neon-blue neoprene.

"Noo way,  Trevor found a wetsuit," I announced to Dan.

"Bull shit."

Dan turned around and shoved his head out the window.

"How much was it?" He yelled as Trevor avoided a large puddle presumed to harbor giardia, athlete's foot and an aggressive strain of Montezuma's revenge.

"650 pesos."

"Holy shit," I laughed.

"Yeah yeah, I know, taxed.  He was trying to get 750 but I got him down a hundred.  There's no way I'm wearing that piece of shit again," Trevor explained, extending his free hand towards a disintegrating wetsuit tied to the roof rack. "I froze my ass off last night."

"Dude, but still, 650 pesos that's -- 55 tacos.  Depending on Carne Asada or fish. No way that shit's worth 55 tacos.  Did you even try it on?"

"Nope. There was no place to, but I'm pumped on it."

"Have it your way dude..."

"Speaking of tacos,  lets stop by that stand on the way out of town.  I'm fiending."

With the cost of tacos ranging from 10 to 15 pesos depending on flavor,  we quickly started converting the prices of  items, like Trevor's wetsuit and a liter of gas into taco denomination.  Adjust for diferences in cost of living and exchange rate,  thinking of things in terms of tacos made them tangible.

Birria Tacos, Pescado Tacos, Carne Asada Tacos,  Carnitas Tacos, Cabeza Tacos, and Pastor Tacos all for between 10 and 15 pesos.

Our freshly speared fish taco operation.

Tortilleria.

Gringo.

The recycling bin at a beach side taco spot.

Tacos and Juice.  Laid Back.

Stopping on the way out of town at a taco shop bustling with locals, we placed our orders.  Anticipating five days' of camping food,  I took the snake technique, and ordered four carne asada and four pescado. In Baja's small towns, these taco shops are a staple, offering similar items at consistant prices.   Living in a cycle of five days' camping and one day in town resupplying,  a lot of our attention, especially as our fresh food ran low three days into a camping trip, focused on these tacos.  We debated condiments, favorite variations and specific shops.   These photos are a compilation of our favorite taco shacks in Baja.

Here are some more links, Tacos Currency (Facebook), @Fosterhunting (Twitter).