Brace up, I have a lot to report since Mazatlan. It seems like years ago that we left Mazatlan and we are sitting under our awning on Bajia Concepcion in the Baja as I write this.
On February 18th we traveled from Mazatlan to Topolobombo where we would catch the ferry to La Paz. Great name for a town, right? I read that a Mexican novella was filmed there because of that name. We camped in a trailer park which did not match its description in our Camping Mexico book at all. It was pretty much in a shambles, but we were able to take a cold shower in one of their run down hotel rooms. I’ve learned not to believe guide books especially the eight year old camping guide. My favorite new app is “iOverlander" which has updated traveler-written information on anything someone would need.
The ferry to Baja was a great experience. We drove in the terminal and immediately didn’t know where to go or what to do. We were waved down and motioned to go to a parking lot with hundreds of semi-trucks. I was able to locate a ticket person who measured our van, asked a few questions and I paid about 3,000 pesos which is $150 dollars. If we had used the website to book it would have cost three times that. After buying our ticket, we then didn’t have a clue where to wait or what to do. Finally we figured it out and spent 2 hours watching very skilled drivers load semi trucks into the ferry. We finally were allowed to drive on the ferry and onto a lift which lifted us to the second deck. We guessed about 90% of the vehicles aboard were semis and we’re sure we were the only gringos aboard the slower rustier alternative to fancy Baja Ferries ship which would have required us to rent a stateroom and lock Ruthie in a kennel. Instead, we were able to sleep in El have which made for an easy crossing with Ruthie. We took a dramamine slept all night and woke up in La Paz.
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| Baja beaches are beautiful, water clear, blue and cool. |
We stayed with Pete and Nadene, Boise friends, in La Paz. They drive down and stay in a little hacienda in town. It is a few blocks from the Malecon, the bay, and the market. They have a lively time there, taking Spanish lessons, tango dancing, and Nadine attends a writing group. Plus, they have some great friends. I was so happy to meet a friend of theirs who was a librarian at the library blocks from my mother’s house. It will always be my favorite library. We had a great time with them, going snorkeling and just talking and eating. They are great folks!
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| La Paz with Pete (taking photo) Nadene and Greg and Denise their friends from Boise. |
Moving on we drove north through the middle of Baja California Sur, landing at the costal town of Puerto Adolfo Lopez Mateos, on Magdalena Bay. Our goal was to see grey whales and their babies. We camped in the parking lot and stayed next to a rig which had a chicken coop built in behind the passenger door!! We got the first boat out and were the only people on the panga. It was magnificent seeing the whales and their babies side by side, rolling and diving.
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| Grey whale mama and baby (deadbeat whale dad) |
Soon after we drove across Baja from a bay on the Pacific to a bay on the Sea of Cortez, Bahia Concepcion. We found a quiet little spot on the beach and have been “wild” or “dry” camping for three days. The best part is the water…lovely clear blue and no waves. It is great for kayaking.
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| Kayaking with Ruthie |
We have kayaked each day. The first day was very windy, we probably should have stayed on shore.We paddled to the next beach to the south and pulled in and went for a walk on the beach. As we pulled the boat on shore Tom the cautious one thought we should pull the boat up further….me the careless one said we were fine where we were. BIG MISTAKE!!! We walked down the beach and looked back and the boat was fine…then seconds later we looked and our boat was floating away away with astonishing speed into the bay. Within a short time the boat was a small dot.!! We ran down the beach and two Mexicans (our Saints for the day) pointed to their boat. With their pickup they dragged their boat into the water, Tom jumped aboard. As they drew closer he could see out kayak and was astonished to see not one but both of our paddles still lying across it. He and our Saviors pulled the kayak and paddles aboard and returned to shore. Once again our butts were saved by kind Mexicans. We figured out that the boat owner, Juan Carlos our Savior, was the grandson of the man who owns this little beach we are camped on. Today, Monday, we paddled back to the same beach with a money gift for Juan Carlos, though he didn’t ask for anything in return for his kindness.
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| Sunrise on Bahia Concepcion |
As we travel we meet people from around the world whose travels put us to shame. And we have seen some equally impressive RV’s, some of which are leading us to reconsider what we need and want in one. We realize, for example, that relatively few campgrounds anywhere in North America have full electric, sewer, wifi and other services. On the other hand, our beloved El Chavo is loaded with technologies that require a great deal of electricity, propane, and water: air conditioner, generator, water pump, water heater furnace, lights, stove, microwave, fan, and sewage pump. Not only are some of these things unnecessary, they require power (sometimes a lot of it) and also break down (as we’ve discovered on this trip). Lately travelers from Europe (mostly Germany) have shown us their rigs. In a nutshell, we’ve learned that they can function fine “off the grid” because all their power is generated by solar panels on the vehicle roof or by the engine, and, each technology they do use is chosen to draw the least amount of power (for example, instead of a furnace and a hot water heater, one low wattage device delivers both). We love El Chavo but intend to research the European model of travel.
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| This sticker was on a German RV that we just loved. The map he is pointing to shows the routes European travelers use to ship their Rv's. Most that we met shipped their RV to Halifax and drove across Canada into Alaska then down south. Most travel for a year or more. We met a couple who have been traveling for 10 years. BIMobil is the name of the company that custom makes amazing RV's (all solar and off the grid) |
This is the most peaceful place we have been on our entire adventure. Millions of stars at night, lovely sunrises and sunsets, few other folks. And no loud music. We only have a slow running faucet to wash off the salt water, and no other amenities. It has been a great stop for us.
Someone just walked by and said “snowing in Seattle” …..I do miss my pals and home but am not looking forward to the weather.
Reading
Tom
The Sun (magazine)
The Cellist of Sarajevo by Steven Galloway
The Association of Small Bombs by Karen Mahajan
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