Archive for the Baja Category
Posted on February 11, 2010 by angela
After our visit with Coco, we continued on the unpaved roads for a couple more hours. The landscape here is like something from science fiction. We finally hit pavement, and decided to continue on to Bahia de Los Angeles. We planned to stay one night, but it’s already turning into more.
A newish highway takes you right to this small See of Cortez town. The view from the mountains before you travel down to the town at sea level is amazing. The past few beach days have been overcast, but today was clear and the color of the water is an indescribable blue. The photos don’t do it justice.
We pulled into our beach campsite near 2 other Volkswagens. We have a theory that 2 buses usually attracts a 3rd. The next night, when one bus left, another pulled in a few hours later.
Our neighbor, Fred was a great guy. He’d pulled in about a month ago, and decided to stay through April. He has been staying in Baja for many years, going home to Las Vegas twice a year for his bi-annual doctor visits and haircut. Jason helped with a few projects on his van, and he was kind enough to give us a bottle of wine and the fresh catch of the day.
There are several regulars, some camping in their rigs and some building a semi-permanent structure to go along with their RVs and 5th wheels. It seems to be a real community. Some of the guys go fishing every day and hand out their bounty to the campers. Bode was intrigued when they pulled in and watched Baja Mike clean the fish. He also loved to eat the spotted sea bass. The trigger fish wasn’t his favorite.
Baja Mike is a pretty interesting guy. He spends several months a year down here with his dog and just fishes, drinks and whittles. He carves walking sticks that tell stories about things he remembers from the 60′s. The top of each stick has the date – this one was ’67. Wine, pot leaves, VW’s, ladies, pot leaves, etc. Good times. Did I mention that he’s married and his wife stays home while he’s down here goofing off?
There was supposed to be a turtle rescue at the camp next to us, so Bode and I walked down there. Turns out it was 4 turtles in a small pool. Perhaps they had been rescued, but the person running the place wasn’t there and there was a big communication gap with the couple there that was doing handiwork on his house.
The camp owners grand-kids were around some days, and Bode made fast friends. They knew a little English, and loved to play with Bode’s toys. For the most part, he loved to share them.
The town of Bahia de Los Angeles is pretty small. We found a woman to do some of our laundry, ate out a few times (we recommend the torta at the loncheria near the main square,) and picked up some limited groceries at the mini-marts. Fruits, vegetables and meat seem to be hard to get in these parts. This made us even more thankful for the fresh fish.
A produce guy drives his truck full of fruits and veggies to camp every week. Bode loved this and climbed on the back of his truck to look in at every stop he made around the camp. We stocked up with lots, and later remembered that the next day we were going to be crossing the 28th parallel. At this point there is an agriculture stop and you must not cross with any fruits or vegetables. So, we ate it all.
Bode and I went out at low tide and found hermit crabs and minnows. One morning we even saw whales spouting in the distance. Lots and lots of whales spouting. Very cool.
You can go clamming on the beach right out front too. It’s even better a little farther north at La Gringa, but we just never got around to it. The sunrise here is stellar – it makes you want to get up early. This is one of those places where time just seems to get away from you.
Posted on February 10, 2010 by angela
We tried to get gas at the Pemex again, but no gas today either. Again, something we’d been warned about so we topped off the tank at the little store from the back of someone’s pickup truck. The teenager siphoned the gas with his mouth and poured 20 liters into our tank. It costs a bit more, of course, but there is no other gas station for hours.
Another 2 hours, another 22 miles through the desert. We had a pack of coyotes run along side us for a bit and it was very cool.
Final destination: Coco’s Corner.
Well known in these parts, Coco’s Corner is another in-the-middle-of-nowhere labor of love that is hard to miss. Coco is a super friendly guy who loves to dispense his knowledge of these parts. Get out of your car and you’ll be greeted by a loud “Hola, amigo!” from somewhere on the compound. He decorated his little patch of land with thousands of beer cans, underpants and miscellany. It’s on the maps, it’s in the guidebooks, it is a true experience.
Coco moved here 20 years, 2 months and 5 days ago (or something like that) after he lost a leg in an accident. He’s since lost his other leg from diabetes (or bad circulation.) He is walks around on his leather-padded knees, and seems to be struggling with some discomfort and exhaustion. Nevertheless, he jokes and has an amazing personality, and warns us of the washed out road ahead. He seemed to be a little worried about the planned paving of the road, afraid no one will stop by to visit him when the new highway moves 5 miles behind his land.
Grab your own beer or soda, 20 pesos each.
If you sign his guestbook, he sketches a picture of your vehicle (and colors it in later.) Red Beard by Coco.
I don’t know how many books there are, but he says the last dusty old book had 80,000 entries. It was a true piece of art. We’re honored to be in the next edition.
Posted on February 9, 2010 by angela
The next morning we got up and headed out for the rough ride ahead. There are a few more miles of new pavement south of Puertocitas, but after that it just ends. “Fin” is written on the road where it turns to dirt.
Jason loved the drive. It was bumpy and we never made it out of second gear, but I think it was easier than a paved highway full of potholes. There were actually lots of paths weaving on and off the ‘main’ path and you just choose the one the looks the best – they all meet up. Sometimes we picked the best route and sometimes we didn’t. We only bottomed-out once.
There was another military checkpoint just before Bahia de Gonzaga. They insisted on a half-hearted vehicle inspection and this time they recorded our names and license plate. This time, Bode noticed the military guys in the van. He thought it was pretty cool.
Our day’s drive was about 40 miles in about 4 hours. Faster than expected.
There in the desert, four hours in either direction to any other paved road is a Mini market with everything. Even soy milk for 20 pesos ($1.60). There’s a gas station here too, but they were out of fuel and they didn’t know when they’d get it. The market also rents palapas by the beach ($10), so we stayed on the beach again. Still no running water, but even the outhouses had a great view.
Besides the mini-mart, Gonzaga Bay has an dirt runway and 2 restaurants. It has about 20 “houses” on the beach and some aging RVs that are in various stages of being converting into more permanent housing. The houses all have boats, jet skis and ATVs, and all have U.S. license plates.
Bode and I went searching for seashells and came back with quite a collection.
Posted on February 8, 2010 by angela
There have been questions as to whether a road is open almost every day so far in Mexico. The recent rains have washed out bridges on the major highways, and the locals don’t know about the conditions of the smaller dirt roads that run along the Sea of Cortez. For that information, you have to ask a gringo. Apparently, they are the only fools that would bother driving for hours through wash out and washboard dirt/gravel/rock roads.
Fortunately, the road to Puertocitas was paved recently and was in great condition. No problema. Things get a little more interesting further down the road.
As we arrived in Puertocitas and decided to pull into the first place we saw – Cow Patties. It turns out it is the only place and we found a cantina full of Americans. Most lived here. We met Jim (oops?) and Larry who had put together the most tricked out Baja buggy imaginable. Jason oohed and awed over their Veedub on steroids. They gave us a ton of great tips on Baja – they’ve been coming out here for 20 years. They were sure to convince us of Baja Rule #1 – fill up with gas at EVERY opportunity. Just because a town has a gas station doesn’t mean they have gas.
They pointed us in the direction of an abandoned campground owned by their friend Javier, whom they couldn’t seem to locate in a year. Stay there for free, they said, it’s safe. And if anyone asks, you’re a friend of Javier.
They also gave us the go ahead on the dirt road heading south to Gonzaga Bay. Rough, but doable. It’s a strange thing, to go somewhere and have to wait until you’re almost there to see if you can go further or turn around.
We headed to Puertocitas proper to check it out before dark and as we were warned, there were ‘private property’ signs plastered all over and a woman demanding $10 to enter the town. The folks at Cow Patties indicated there was a fair bit of controversy over this. There’s a hot springs right on the beach here, so we considered paying it, but it’s only accessible at low-tide and it was not quite the right time. We made the U-ey and went to find Javier’s.
The campsite was a palapa on the beach, but no running water. There were fisherman milling about on either side of the campground and a few of them took notice that we were there. One guy in particular seemed to be keeping an eye on us. Like we figured, about a half hour later, he came sheepishly wandering over and started talking to Jason. All in Spanish, of course. He was clearly not in charge but still wanted $10 (a subsequently recurring amount) from us to camp there.
Jason started in English and tried to tell the guy we were friends of Javier and we could camp for free. “Friends of Javier. Free camping!” and acting like a dumb gringo didn’t quite work, so he switched to “Amigo de Javier. El campo gratis” followed by a bold “Donde esta Javier? Javier aqui?” It worked like magic – his bluff was called. “No problema” was the response. He was quick to change the topic and continued talking about fishing and all sorts of other stuff Jason didn’t quite intiendo. A handshake later, he went out to check his nets and panga and we were alone for the night.
Boondocking on the beach is exactly the sort of thing we never really intended to do and have been warned about by numerous well-traveled folks, but things just seemed to fall in place this time. We got a local tip, we sort of made friendly with the guy on the scene, and things just felt right. And, we’re amigos of Javier.
Thanks Javier!
Posted on February 5, 2010 by angela
Our friends Becky and Jennifer have an aunt who owns a hotel and restaurant in San Felipe – George’s Hotel and Bar. It’s a great place to relax and the staff is really friendly. If you stop by, you might get to meet their aunt Rafaela. Chevy is a bit of a character, and you’ll probably meet him too. Since Becky and Jennifer called ahead (and obviously put in a good word for us,) we got a sweet deal. As a bonus, George’s restaurant has the best chilaquiles I’ve ever had.
San Felipe seems to be set up for ex-pats and attracts mostly Arizona and California visitors. Other than fishing, it’s also a prime spot for off-road types to start their Baja adventure. The sort of place where dune-buggies, ATV’s and dirtbikes are more common on the downtown streets than regular cars.
This should be the height of tourist season, but the roaming vendors seem to outnumber the visitors 100 to 1. We’re guessing either the economy and/or fear of crossing the border seems to have kept most Americans away. We wandered the beaches and the town for a couple of days feeling like we had the town to ourselves. I know there are many American towns suffering from the economy too, but it was a little sad to see how the lack of tourism can effect a place like this.
I’m guessing when Spring Break rolls around the town will be hopping again.
Posted on February 4, 2010 by angela
We have read and been warned about the roads in Mexico and now we know first-hand. The road from Ensenada to San Felipe is in poor condition. Maybe it has been the recent rain, maybe just disrepair. Not only are there major potholes (hot tub size in some parts,) but there are areas where the road has just fallen apart or disappeared. Occasionally there is a cone, a few rocks and a hand painted arrow directing you off the highway and onto a dirt road. The dirt road is single-laned, and there is no one directing you or the oncoming traffic. And, it really isn’t a road so much as an area cleared of cacti so that you can drive through the detour. Still, the potholes on the paved sections are the only places to really watch out.
After a few hours of mostly avoiding potholes (there are so many it is impossible to avoid them all,) the bus developed a new rattle. Jason hopped out once to check it and thought it was just a newly-missing bolt on the front pan. After driving a little further and the noise getting louder, we stopped again only to discover the shock under the driver’s side wheel had rattled completely off. The bolt that was supposed to hold it on was still there, but part of the shock itself blew out. Jason semi-repaired it and put it on backwards so it would hopefully stay put a while. He mentioned something about figuring out how to re-assemble the shock and adding it to The List. Bode and I ate lunch and played games in the bus.
The roadside is littered with all sizes of tires debris, treads and shredded rubber, so we are clearly not the first people with problems on this stretch of road. No whole tires – just remnants of disintegrated tires. Baja road-kill.
Also, there was some snow on the mountaintops on our drive across the peninsula near Mike’s Sky Ranch. If there’s snow in Mexico, we’ll find it.
You know it was a good movie when…
We’ve been waived through about 4 military checkpoints, but on our way to San Felipe they said they wanted to do an inspection. Jason and I hopped out and I opened the sliding door to get Bode. Four armed military men waited while I tried to get his attention. Needless to say I was a little flustered when I couldn’t and tried to explain that he couldn’t hear me because of his headphones. Forgetting all Spanish, I resorted to the international headphones sign complete with look of fear on my face. They laughed it off, and then one of the men (and his gun) got into the car and sat down beside Bode to see what was so engrossing. Bode was clueless and continued to be entranced by the movie – even giggling at one point.
A cursory look around the inside of the bus was all it took before they waived us on, reporting to the others that the boy was watching Robots. They were still laughing as we drove away, making the headphone sign and all.
Later, we asked Bode if he had noticed the four armed men around the car, or the guy sitting next to him in the bus. Nope. I guess he’s so used to stopping for repairs that he didn’t even look up.
Posted on February 3, 2010 by angela
We stopped at a few wineries along the route to Ensenada that couldn’t have been more different. LA Cello is a big Italian-owned facility with Napa-inspired facilities and a large tasting room. Close by was our favorite, the small organic Dona Lupe. It is housed among farmlands in a red stucco house. Inside they sell homemade cheeses, marmalade and sauces.
After sampling only a couple, Bode picked out the quince-pineapple marmalade and declared it the winner. They gave us some crackers and a knife and sent us to the back deck. With the kid occupied with jelly, we shared a tasting of 4 red wines. We were the only people there, so sometimes they forgot to come out and give us the next pour. That was ok, it was a beautiful place to linger and we were in no hurry.
We’ll just say that the wines have a different quality than what we were accustomed to in Northern California. Still, the entire experience was awesome. Wandering muddy Mexican back-roads looking for vineyards and getting the bus absolutely filthy? We may never go wine-tasting on paved roads again.
When we got to Ensenada, we hit the beach. The Pacific breeze kept things cool, but it was a good place to get out and run around.
Then we went into town. It was a a bit touristy for our taste, but it is a good place to warm up on our Spanish. Here we found the blaring nightclubs, drunk Americans, and touts trying to convince us to buy trinkets, wrestling masks, and other Mexican-themed junk as we passed each storefront. We passed on all opportunities for “a special offer just for you.” Saying “no, gracias” becomes tiring.
Later, we found the area we dubbed Gringo-Land where there were nothing but U.S.-based big box stores and fast-food restaurants. Most of the cars in the parking lot were from the States. We took care of some business, like getting new cell phones ($11 for a new SIM card and away we go – bye bye US cell phone companies,) and Bode spent some time at the fast-food restaurant play structure (free Wi-fi!) Here, instead of trying to learn Spanish, he was trying to teach the other kids English – poorly. I kept hearing him telling the other kids “hello means hi.”
We met a new friend via Couchsurfing – Alfred. He welcomed us and fed us homemade tostadas and guacamole. He kept saying it was just a little something – no trouble at all – but the meal kept growing and growing. We ate until we almost burst.
He also gave us some great information about Baja. He’s traveled quite a bit and has been considering a job offer in Dubai. He has family around Houston, so we talked about familiar places too.
Alfred projected photos and maps of Baja on the wall to show us where we should go. Bode thought this was pretty cool. He wanted to use ‘Street View’, his favorite Google maps application, but Baja doesn’t have street views yet. So, he showed Alfred our hometown, and where we used to get ice cream.
The next day we headed to La Bufadora – the Blowhole. It’s the tourist thing to de here and we just couldn’t pass it up. While the attraction was semi-impressive, the tourist area was a little sad. Not many tourist and lots of vendors. The best part of our visit was El Campo #5. For $6, we camped by ourselves on top of world. Beautiful view and sunset to die for.
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