January 1, 2015 – Well on Sunday, December we returned to Baja as I enrolled in a 5 day Spanish immersion course, unfortunately the weather changed, colder with rain in the forecast. Our first was to return to Sordo Mudo and meet with Ed Everret again, we had purchased some powdered drink mixes to donate to the school and then we were off to lunch to Ed’s favourite local restaurant, Vinos Fuentes in the Valle de Guadalupe, just a short drive from Sordo Mudo. This place was a remarkable find, food was wonderful, prices reasonable, we will be returning!
Arriving next in Ensenada we decided to stay at Campo Playa in town only a few blocks away from the Art Gallery where I was taking my lessons. Campo Playa opened in 1976 and was a very nice campground back in the day, unfortunately neglect has seen to park turn into Campo Dumpo, at $25 USD per day, yes more expensive than Cabo San Lucas. However it worked for us, cheaper to walk 15 minutes twice a day than drive 30 minutes each way from Punta Banda. Ricardo, who is the original owner, an American/Mexican, nice enough guy for sure, lost his wife a few years ago and at 65 is way more interested in Kite Boarding in La Ventana then fixing up the park or attempting to do anything to attract more customers. $25 per night, electrical, water, dump, washroom, cold showers and Wifi close to the office, no exceptions.
The Spanish immersion started Monday morning at 9:00 am, Yolanda was the instructor and Jennifer was the only other student in our group. Intense is a good description, overwhelming even better. My brain hurt after Day 1, 5 days later I was done like dinner, however my Spanish is better, but I do need to practice. Really enjoyed my instructor and classmate, Jenny and I hit every Taco stand in a 3 block radius, lots of tasty stops for sure. Friday, December 19th after class we headed for Villarino’s Campground in Punta Banda, always Day 1 on our tours. The weather was changing again, now warmer and sunnier, terrific as were planning on lots of beach time. We did manage to achieve a fair bit while we were there, including a number of productive trips into Ensenada. We now have both our TECEL phones sorted out for internet banking, found a great spot where we had Christmas dinner, SANOS Steak House, Lisa found a decent fabric store in Ensenada to purchase more material for Heather’s wedding, we put together a draft itinerary for our 2016 mainland tour and we took many long walks on the beach with the dogs. As we were the only ones in the park we had great internet, so we Skyped many people, including our family on Christmas and Boxing Day. Adolfo and Belem Villarino graciously invited us to join the family on Christmas eve for turkey dinner and other festivities, this was lots of fun and we had plenty to eat, Mexicans love Karaoke.
On Monday, December 30th we headed back to the US, left Punta Banda at 7:00 am, arrived at the border at 9:30 am, across and on our way at 10:30 am to Rancho San Diego. The weather was again changing, rain and possibly snow at the higher elevations, but first we had some business in town, then a stop at the Oak Creek RV Resort to pick up some mail, next was Walmart for groceries, our final destination for the next 2 days, Viejas Casino. We woke up the next day morning to a few flurries but also some blue skies. Then headed into Alpine for some email and other chores. Back to Viejas and happy to report lots of bargains at the outlet mall, more purchases at Eddie Bauer, great buffet dinner as always for New Year’s Eve at the Casino and only gambled away what we could afford, not much and they even gave us $20 free (which they kept and a little more) . We played some New Year’s Eve Scrabble and hit the sack before Mid-night but were awoken by an awesome fireworks display (short but intense) at the stroke of 12:00 am. Had to run the Van a couple of times as our batteries are a little tired, not much sun during the day, and lots of use as the temperature dipped to -2 C (28F) overnight, just cold and dry with lots of frost when we woke up on New Year’s Day with a few RV neighbours, that is what can happen when we come north every return tour, particularly at this time of year.
We have now arrived at our favourite 5 star RV Park, Oak Creek RV Resort as we wait for Dom and Diane to arrive preparing for our next groups in January and 3 consecutive 28 day tours. I think I will head off to the hot tub for just a little more R & R.
Did you know?
La Ventana is a small Mexican fishing village located on the Sea of Cortez just 35 minutes southeast of La Paz, Baja California, Mexico. Recently declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO, the Sea of Cortez (also known as the Gulf of Baja California) offers intense ocean-blue scenery and the stark contrast of arid desert landscapes. So abundant is the region’s natural beauty that the explorer Jacques Cousteau referred to it as the “world’s aquarium.” In La Ventana, you’ll be charmed by the beautiful views of the bay, the island Cerralvo and the scenic sierras, the variety of plants and cacti, the colors of water, and of course the warm friendliness of the Mexican people who live here. Local activities range from watersports, snorkeling, kayaking, diving and fishing to just relaxing on the beach.
Discovered by windsurfers 15 years ago, La Ventana has become the perfect kitesurfing spot thanks to its steady winds from November to March and to its L-shape sandy beach with sideshore winds. The location is now regarded as a premier venue for kiteboarding and windsurfing during the winter due to consistent strong winds (20-25kts) from November to April. For kiteboarding in particular, the steady side-shore winds, smooth medium-sized swells, wide sandy beaches, and huge area to kite make Ventana Bay perfect for people at all experience levels. Ventana Bay, famous for consistent north winds, are produced from a combination of El Nortes (northerly fronts) and local thermal winds make it possible to kite almost every day during the winter season. La Ventana is one of the many up and coming beginner kiteboarding places.
The north wind here is more consistent than other Baja locations due to the Venturi “pinching” effect created by Cerralvo Island to our east, and the thermal suction from the rising hot air from the desert peninsula to our south (The peninsula also is a landing spot for beginners who’ve drifted downwind). Around late morning the winds begin, light at first, and typically building to 15-25 mph in the afternoon. The wind usually blows all day with calm mornings and evenings for other activities or relaxing. You can launch on the wide beach right in front of the Ventana Windsports resort and many other beach locations. The winds are side shore, and there’s an air hose on the beach to get your kite ready quickly. Kiteboarding magazines consistently rate La Ventana as one of the best places to learn and train.
A very popular attraction in La Ventana is Baja Joe’s. Baja Joe’s is located on the best section of the beach and provides great facilities. You can bring your own equipment, or rent ours theirs. This includes kites, kiteboards, windsurfers, sit-on-top kayaks, and other sporting equipment. They have Baja Brewing Company and national beers on tap, a total of 10 taps as well as many specialty drinks, including margaritas made with fresh fruit, and fresh mint mojitas. At the store, they sell wide selection of gear and accessories for kiteboarding, windsurfing and stand up paddle boarding, and of course souvenirs!
Ventana Windsports is also a great place for your next vacation. It’s a small resort for windsurfing, kitesurfing, fishing, diving, and kayaking. They have created a peaceful spot for your retreat, whether it be for quiet time and relaxation, or for discovery and play around the ocean and desert. This is definitely a comfortable & beautiful beachside accommodation, with consistent winds, superb food, lots of activities, and first-rate rental gear for windsurf & SUP which can all combine for a first class vacation.
“Playa Miramar” aka La Ventana Campground
We have stayed here a couple of times, once on our own when we had our daughter Heather with us and again on tour. In January this is full of Kite Boarders and Windsurfers. Good showers (not heated) and washrooms with access to a great beach. No electricity and some water taps but you would have to get here early to get access to one of those. Probably a 100 sites at this campground, $100 pesos per day, more expensive if you are on the beachfront. This was a very interesting place to hang out when the International Competition was on and this is where we found out Jitterbug was terrified of kites. There are some large trees in this campground that do provide shade, a big advantage over the arroyo next door which is of course free. There are some other camping alternatives in La Ventana, some more expensive than others with a wide range of services.
The 2012 La Ventana Classic and KiteXpo has come to a close and the La Ventana wind machine delivered perfect conditions for the last day of the event. After a few days of light wind, there was a lot to accomplish on the last day of the event and the schedule was filled with SUP races, kiteboarding/windsurfing course racing, the Big Air/Old School competition, live auction, huge raffle, and an awards ceremony at Pizza Vela. All of that and more was accomplished while raising more money than ever for the schools and community of La Ventana and El Sargento. A lot of people heard our plea for help after it became apparent that the La Ventana Classic was being gouged by the local government for taxes and fees that were suddenly imposed on the event and the afterburners were lit on our fundraising efforts. Many vendors generously donated gear for a last minute live auction that raised nearly $6,000 on the last day of the event and helped to push the total to $23,500 USD.
Sadly 2013 and 2014 were cancelled as the former municipal administration has made things too difficult and expensive in order to run a fundraising event of this caliber. They want to help the schools not line pockets of the local politicians so we will wait till 2015, we will see what the new city leadership brings.
