March 2014 Part 2

A long drive brings us from Ciudad Constitucion to Playa Tecolote about 24kms. north of La Paz. The weather was hot and breezy and being a Sunday afternoon local families filled the beach and busied themselves with swimming, playing,eating, walking, drinking; no different than family beach days at home. During the afternoon curious locals and tourists came to speak with us. We like meeting people. This was a great place to kick back and relax which is what Carl & Conne are doing. We spent 2 nights here; Monday was a much quieter day, Carl and Conne walked the beach and picked shells. Dom & I hiked early in the morning before the heat sets in then I also walked the beach picking shells. The water was a bit rough so we didn't unload the kayaks; we were kicking back and Carl & Conne don't kayak. — A long drive brings us from Ciudad Constitucion to Playa Tecolote about 24kms. north of La Paz. The weather was hot and breezy and being a Sunday afternoon local families filled the beach and busied themselves with swimming, playing,eating, walking, drinking; no different than family beach days at home. During the afternoon curious locals and tourists came to speak with us. We like meeting people. This was a great place to kick back and relax which is what Carl & Conne are doing. We spent 2 nights here; Monday was a much quieter day, Carl and Conne walked the beach and picked shells. Dom & I hiked early in the morning before the heat sets in then I also walked the beach picking shells. The water was a bit rough so we didn’t unload the kayaks; we were kicking back and Carl & Conne don’t kayak.

Just another sunset at Playa Tecolote. Mexican families went home after the sunset leaving the beach to a few Rvers.

A Caracara checking out the seaweed on the beach. We leave here today for a short drive to Rancho Verde a lovely ranch in a forest setting in the Sierra de la Laguna Mountains.

On route to Rancho Verde we stopped at El Triunfo to walk around and view the sights of this former mining town. The smelter towers and remnants of the mine are a short hike but this time we viewed the towers from the patio of the El Triunfo Bakery and Cafe where we enjoyed an early lunch. Conne and I bought jewelry from the local Artesans Shop.
We all spent a lazy afternoon at the Ranch. I sat out with my binoculars and watched birds; fewer this time, likely due to migration north. Later on Carl hosted a margarita happy hour until sunset. After a hot day it is refreshing to have a cool night.

Posing at the Tropic of Cancer. On route to Cabo San Lucas we stopped here for walk-a-about and a look at the shops. The new globe statue in the foreground and the old globe in the back through the archway.

Our stay in Cabo San Lucas at the Villa Serena RV Park for 3 nights is a busy time for the group. Starting with a tour of the town and harbour then a visit to the Glass Factory. Conne enjoyed watching the craftsman working with molten glass. This is the place to shop if you like glass- all shapes, designs and colors.

An evening out at Vagabundos Restaurant & Bar. Ever affable Peter dined with us and entertained us mightily with his anecdotes and videos of Rock & Roll past. It was an animated evening topped off by the superb food and margaritas that we have become accustomed to at this oasis of culinary delight.

There are No Bad Days in Cabo; Ruthe & Patrick have re-joined the tour after a month in Cabo San Lucas.

The group enjoying a feast on the patio at Latitude 22 in Cabo.

The cheerful attentive waiter at Latitude 22 with Diane, Ruth & Conne. A good evening was had by all.
hot days and warm nights are also part of the experience in Cabo San Lucas.

Well, it wasn’t all about eating out in Cabo. Here at Playa Santa Maria Conne is looking for shells. In this spot the water came up and tipped her over. According to Conne ” she was the first one to go in the water” when the rest of us were feeling wimpish about getting in. Once in, Ruthe & I enjoyed floating on our blow up beds. Thankfully no one took a photo of us trying to get on and off our floaties at the surfs edge. Ruthe was upside down and sideways before successfully getting on while I took a running leap and masterfully plunked myself on it before the next wave hit. Once we were past the shore waves the water was smooth.
Patrick enjoyed snorkelling; the water was clear with lots of fish. Carl went for a walk on the beach, the dogs ran & played and Dom took our dog Grady in for a swim.

This is Medano Beach overlooking the harbour at Cabo San Lucas; here we are having our margarita happy hour with lots of tasty munchies. There were no cruise ships in today so the view across the harbour to Los Arcos is uninterrupted. Many vendors came by and the four of us admired and bought beautifully carved lemonwood boxes. This was a satisfying end to our last day in Cabo.

This morning we left Cabo and turned the corner for a northerly trend along the Pacific Ocean. On our way to Los Cerritos surf Colony we stopped at the Blanket Factory where we were treated with sweet buns freshly baked in a stone oven while we looked through hundreds of blankets and other textiles such table cloths, capes, jackets, purses, wall hangings & more. At Los Cerritos Surf Colony RV Park we spent the most of one day and one night. It really isn't an RV Park but rather a parking lot with nothing but while we stay here we enjoy the beach and the surf club restaurant/bar and pool. We all enjoyed a walk on the beach and the ladies collected some shells. The hosted evening dinner was at Las Pasaditas in Pescadero. The traditional Mexican restaurant is in Jose's backyard patio. Everyone enjoyed the simple but alive farming and fishing community. The real thing! — This morning we left Cabo and turned the corner for a northerly trend along the Pacific Ocean. On our way to Los Cerritos surf Colony we stopped at the Blanket Factory where we were treated with sweet buns freshly baked in a stone oven while we looked through hundreds of blankets and other textiles such table cloths, capes, jackets, purses, wall hangings & more.
At Los Cerritos Surf Colony RV Park we spent the most of one day and one night. It really isn’t an RV Park but rather a parking lot with nothing but while we stay here we enjoy the beach and the surf club restaurant/bar and pool. We all enjoyed a walk on the beach and the ladies collected some shells.
The hosted evening dinner was at Las Pasaditas in Pescadero. The traditional Mexican restaurant is in Jose’s backyard patio. Everyone enjoyed the simple but alive farming and fishing community. The real thing!

Carl & Diane posing for a photo under the newest

statue, an oyster shell with a pearl, on the malecon in La Paz.

On our second day in La Paz the group visited Ibarra’s Pottery where everyone bought something special. Then Dom took us on a driving tour of down town, the malecon and an overlook to view the city from above. Later in the evening some of us went out for a meal to a place we hadn’t previously eaten at and enjoyed a seafood feast. Back at the RV Park we did laundry, caught up on e-mails and lounged around the pool.
The third day we had a walking tour of the center and the malecon followed by lunch at La Perla Hotel. Back at the RV Park we relaxed and enjoyed the pool.
Garry & Jane joined re-joined after a month in Los Barriles. They are ready and looking forward to the rest of the tour.
Situated in the Bahia de La Paz on the Sea of Cortez the city of La Paz, meaning The Peace, is the capital of Baja California South. The beautiful 8 kilometer long malecon (sea walk) fronts the downtown core where hotels, restaurants, shops, and marine focused eco-tourism offices providing tours to the islands and inlets of the Sea of Cortez.

We are dry camping overnight in the parking lot of the Puertobello Restaurant at the Puerto Escondido Marina. The marina is surrounded by a large rugged mountain range called Sierra de la Giganta. A very beautiful setting where sunsets and sunrises are specatacular against the blue sea water and the coppery colored mountain range. Our time here is short but there is time for a walk along the piers and expanse around the area or lounge in the sun. We all sat together after arrival for a happy hour of tasty delectables and cold drinks.

After a long days drive a hungry and tired group of travellers are dining out at the Portobello Restaurant at the marina at Puerto Escondido; a beautiful marina along the Sea of Cortez. Here we are having fun at the restaurant sipping our choice of beverage, pop, water, beer, wine and Margaritas, while using the wi-fi service and ordering our food. Pedro makes a good margarita and fusses over us.

Sea of Cortez in the background. A short drive today takes us to Mulege, a date palm oasis situated on the Sea of Cortez and the mouth of the Mulege River. Lots of road construction and detours seemed to slow our driving time but we still arrived around 12 noon.

The mission at Mulege.

Our second day in Mulege involved an excursion to the Lighthouse and Loma Linda. Here the group is starting their trek to the top of the lighthouse.

Dom,Garry, Patrick and Carl made it to the very top. Who is taking the photo?? Me, I made it too. This is not the best photo of Mulege in the background but this is a great spot to look over Mulege, the Mulege River and Sea of Cortez. The lighthouse is the site of the only Mexican victory over the United States.

It is a fairly short hike up to the Lighthouse and from anywhere on the trail there is a good view. Jane & Ruthe are on the trail, and Conne is the white speck on the beach collecting shells.

The group posing in front of a mural in Loma Linda Hotel which is a ruins of a once hotspot for Hollywood Stars in the 1960’s. Patrick is missing from the photo because he is poking around in another room or building. From here the view is spectacular, looking across the river to Mulege and the Sea of Cortez with the lighthouse in view.

Garry & Jane are getting ideas for there next home. We all like the layout of this place and how it was built from local natural product.

I found Patrick with a big smile on his face. Could he be pondering about The Loma Linda Hotel in its prime?

I found Patrick with a big smile on his face. Could he be pondering about The Loma Linda Hotel in its prime?

Margarita happy hour at Hotel Serenidad; voted one of the best places for margaritas. Our last day in Mulege.

The day arrives to leave for our next destination on our tour north, Guerrero Negro at Mario's Restaurant RV Park. It was a fairly long driving day with wind and blowing sand. At Mario's we made the best of the wind and scoured the piles of scallop shells around the RV Park for the best looking and biggest ones. We all got a few and imagination will find creative ways for using them. Carl & Conne joined Dom & I for a tasty and very satisfactory evening meal at Mario's Restaurant. — The day arrives to leave for our next destination on our tour north, Guerrero Negro at Mario’s Restaurant RV Park. It was a fairly long driving day with wind and blowing sand. At Mario’s we made the best of the wind and scoured the piles of scallop shells around the RV Park for the best looking and biggest ones. We all got a few and imagination will find creative ways for using them.
Carl & Conne joined Dom & I for a tasty and very satisfactory evening meal at Mario’s Restaurant.

from Guerrero Negro, another fairly long driving day takes us to Bahia de los Angeles on the Sea of Cortez. The anticipation of one more beach, the last one on the tour is building as we cut across country to one of the most beautiful places in Baja. Horses standing on the road moved off when we approached but stopped close by for us to admire and photograph them. This desert is home to a natural beautiful array of cacti and desert plants. I love the drive across to Bahia de los Angeles. The weather is hot and breezy when we arrived at lunch time. At our fuel stop in town our van died on us just after filling up with gas. I hopped in with Garry & Jane and led the group to our dry camp in the abandoned Brisa Marina RV Park. While the group set camp I found someone to go and help Dom with the van. Angel with his father went towed the van with trailer to the RV Park and worked on it there. The men worked on it and after a couple of hours it started. Thanks to Angel, his brother and the great knowledge of Marcus, his father. — from Guerrero Negro, another fairly long driving day takes us to Bahia de los Angeles on the Sea of Cortez. The anticipation of one more beach, the last one on the tour is building as we cut across country to one of the most beautiful places in Baja. Horses standing on the road moved off when we approached but stopped close by for us to admire and photograph them. This desert is home to a natural beautiful array of cacti and desert plants. I love the drive across to Bahia de los Angeles.
The weather is hot and breezy when we arrived at lunch time.
At our fuel stop in town our van died on us just after filling up with gas. I hopped in with Garry & Jane and led the group to our dry camp in the abandoned Brisa Marina RV Park. While the group set camp I found someone to go and help Dom with the van. Angel with his father went and towed the van with trailer to the RV Park and worked on it there. The men worked on it and after a couple of hours it started. Thanks to Angel, his brother and the great knowledge of Marcus, his father.

At happy hour I mixed up a batch of summer punch AKA Flying Sam's Margarita Punch, a recipe from the local cookbook "Gourmet by the Bay" a collection of recipes from the residents of Bahia de los Angeles. We all used our special artesan glasses, also created in Baja by The Ibarra Family in La Paz. We sat and visited and picked shells until sunset. — At happy hour I mixed up a batch of summer punch AKA Flying Sam’s Margarita Punch, a recipe from the local cookbook “Gourmet by the Bay” a collection of recipes from the residents of Bahia de los Angeles. We all used our special artesan glasses, also created in Baja by The Ibarra Family in La Paz. We sat and visited and picked shells until sunset.

This is an onyx fronted chapel in town. On our second day in this sleepy fishing village of Bahia de los Angeles we spent 2 hours visiting in town, seeing very interesting little shops, the musem which was a hit and a stop at the grocery store.

Posing at the overlook of the very scenic Bahia de los Angeles. Our RV Park is in the background along the waters edge.

We finished off our last day in Bahia de los Angeles with a potluck at the home of Antonio and Betty. The group enjoyed meeting Antonio and Betty who are long time friends of Dan & Lisa. Dom & I have grown to appreciate and enjoy the hospitality, friendship and knowledge of Antonio and Betty. They used be scientists with the turtle project that was based beside Brisa Marine RV Park. Now retired they are still active in the local community and they love to meet travellers and share stories.