Janice
Junior Nomad
Posts: 78
Registered: 10-19-2003
Location: Owens Valley/Alpine - California
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Trip report Nov. 14th - 30th, part 2 (long)
The biggest problem we have found with Bahia De Los Angeles is that once you are here for awhile your will to be anywhere else seems to disappear.
This was the situation we found ourselves in by Thanksgiving Day. We had been there since the third day of our trip and we really intended to pull up
stakes and head south the day Randy and Lisa headed north. We originally planned to head south that day and go at least as far as Bahia Concepcion.
Then we decided we would just go as far as Bahia Asuncion on the Viscaino peninsula to visit with Shari. Then we talked ourselves into staying another
day in Bahia De Los Angeles. Then another. A pattern developed where we would go to sleep at night intending to reunite the camper and truck so that
we could continue down the peninsula the next day but we managed to incrementally talk ourselves out of actually leaving by the end of each subsequent
day. Reasons varied form "well you know there have been reports of Dengue fever in Baja Sur" to "You know it is just too nice today to leave. Let's
stay just one more". That's where we are and here is more on how we got to this point.
The day after Randy and Lisa left Rich spent the first part of the afternoon sailing his windsurfer while Janice read, shifting her cot back and forth
from the warmth of the direct sun to the shade of the palapa, maintaining just the right level of comfort. Unfortunately by mid-afternoon we began to
realize that we were both feeling a bit off.
On subsequent trips one or the other of us has succumbed for short periods to minor maladies of the digestive tract. We have come to see this as part
of the territory and has never cost more than a day of taking it easy. We suppose it might be possible to carry all the dried or canned food one would
need for a few weeks in Baja. It MIGHT be possible to avoid any upsets to a persons system that way. We say might because we have talked to very
careful folks who have taken every possible precaution, eating only foods brought with them from the states, who still ended up down for a day or so.
It was not from drinking the water because nobody drinks the water in Mexico, not even the Mexicans. One possible factor that may make preparations of
even the most paranoid moot is that travelling into Baja involves coming into direct contact with a different environment than most of us are
physically accustomed to. As humans we tend to think of ourselves as very separate from the environment around us and we are quick to find some
suspect food item in our previous days menu to blame our troubles on when they occur. Fact is that travelling to Baja puts you smack dab in the middle
of totally different flora and fauna. That goes both for the stuff you see and the stuff you don't. Since we ourselves are like walking menageries
when you take into account all the things that live in and on us it is not a stretch to think that some of these do not thrive as well as some of the
ones we encounter when travelling far from home. I do know from travel in the vicinity of the equator that changing out some of ones internal flora
and fauna is inevitable and so that may be the reason that we have ended up spending a day or so laying around without feeling up to snuff on these
trips. It should also be noted that we have never seen the occasional gastronomic difficulty as a reason to shy away from the many foods here that we
have come to love. To do so would detract significantly from the overall experience and after all, the chance to enjoy exotic delicacies is part of
the reason we come here.
In any case we ended up not feeling like doing much of anything except lying on the cots in the shade of the palapa and snoozing. It is probably
ironic that that is probably what we would have done anyway. Feeling not too great here is still pretty good.
The details of the following evening are uninteresting but we did wake up the next morning feeling much better if not fully mended. The wind was light
but steady so Rich once again set out on the sailboard and spent several hours out in the water. Janice decided to stay out of the water for the day
and read in the shade. She was still reading the book by Graham Mackintosh "Into a desert place" which has a significant section that takes place in
Bahia De Loa Angeles so it did make for an interesting activity albeit in recovery mode. We both opted for a siesta in the mid-afternoon.
The tradition of the Mexican siesta is not held in as high favor in Baja Norte as elsewhere in Mexico or even Baja Sur. It is probably due to the
closer proximity to the U.S. where such a custom is considered quaint or even backward and so it is not observed as much as elsewhere. We find the
addition of this custom of the Mexican culture to our trips a big plus and find that it actually makes one sleep through the night better than going
without. Hey, when in Rome, or, Mexico...
That night we both felt pretty much mended. We lit a small campfire and sat watching the stars while listening to the Sea of Cortez lapping at the
shore a few feet from us. There was no moon at all and the only light was the warm glow from the little campfire and the backdrop of the heavens
ablaze with its seemingly endless canopy of stars. It seemed at that moment as if we were at the center of the universe. It was amazing to be able to
spend such a perfect moment, in such a beautiful place, together.
Accounts of our previous trips have contained rather detailed descriptions of the people we have met in the various places we have visited and the
friendships we have formed with them. These (other than the descriptions of our adventures with Randy and Lisa) are conspicuously absent from this
one. It is not as if the camp is deserted, far from it. There are actually a number of people here but we are just not hanging out with them. The
reason for our lack of seeking out the other visitors and being social is not that we are unsociable. Clearly we are social, friendly people as those
who know us will attest. Still this trip seems to be different for us than in the previous years. As mentioned in the earlier part of this account
Rich has been working on the Cleveland National Forest since July and Janice is still working for the Inyo. With 340 or so miles between us for so
long it has been a challenge but our relationship has proven strong enough to handle the long distance marriage. Even so we just like being together.
We had a long friendship before we began dating and the fact that we are still best friends makes it possible to take on challenges that others might
not. On this trip we seem to be finding that the only companionship we really want is each other's. We are taking advantage of every moment to be in
each other's company and focused on being together.
We plan to be living in the same house (at the same time) as soon as possible once we return to the States but in the meantime we are here and in the
moment.
The next day we went into town for supplies. As we passed the taco stand that we have heard so much about but have yet to find open in two trips here
we had high hopes. We noticed to our disappointment that the plywood front that acts as the door was again closed. But as we drove past we noticed
that chairs were being pulled out from a side door of the stand. Hey it was going to open! We went to the market and picked up our supplies. Then we
made our way back to the taco stand, Carreta's, and had a seat under the awning there.
While parking we noticed that there was a jeep with a "got Baja?" sticker on the bumper. Seeing that there was only one other group of people at the
tables out front, Janice said hello and asked if they were "nomads". The answer was a surprised "yes!" we were happy to make the acquaintance of
Michael Moore, Virginia and their daughter Esperanza Brisa. We recognized Michael's handle from the Baja Nomads site, and recognized the two of them
from our trip last year. This time last year, they were shopping for a place to live in Bahia, this year they were residents. We had a short but
pleasant chat with them before we ordered our fish tacos. We spoke of the passing of Mike Humfreville, one of Michael's closest friends and to whom,
Esperanza was "adopted granddaughter". We have always enjoyed the writings of Mike Humfreville. He was one of the reasons to keep checking back with
the site, as he always had insightful views of this seemingly barren land that we have come to love and an eloquent way with the written word. He had
written a book called "In the Shadow of the Volcano" based upon his life in Bahia de Los Angeles. Janice had ordered the book from Amazon and received
it before we left on our trip. The book arrived in the mail the same day we learned of the untimely passing of the author. Janice had begun to read it
to Rich on the way down while he was driving. Mike had offered us advice about camping in the area just days before. We are very sad that we never
had the chance to actually meet the man we so admired and in many ways still envy.
The tacos were as good as we had heard and Rich told the Senora who runs the stand that these were the best tacos of the trip. "La mejor de la todo
viajae". Our Spanish is not much better than last year since we did not study much but we have yet to have a communication problem. Our adult
education course of the previous year emphasized communication over proper use of the language so being understood must be good enough. We still plan
to spend more time studying and we hope to be able to take an immersion course as we have been assured that it is the best way to become fully
conversational. As we have noted in the past, it is possible to travel the length and breadth of Baja without knowing any Spanish. We have also noted
that the more one learns to speak and understand Spanish the more the peninsula opens up to you. Understanding the culture here allows you to fit in
better and opportunities for experiences, that you might not have otherwise, appear as well. Of course speaking Spanish is an important job skill for
both of us since we routinely encounter Spanish speaking visitors but we believe it makes us better citizens of the planet as well. We have heard it
said that "Travel is deadly to prejudice and narrow mindedness". In our experience so is learning a new language (whether you are good at speaking it
or not).
After several tacos (which really were the best) we made our way back to camp. The sun was beginning to set so we decided to walk out to the small
light house that sits on a large sand-spit between Camp Archelon and town. The beach was deserted and we let both dogs run free of their leashes. They
quickly got into their favorite beach activity which consists of running like maniacs after every seagull they see with Katie barking wildly and Bravo
charging into the water and swimming after the ones that land off shore. It is kind of embarrassing, but they do seem to love it so what are you going
to do? They do seem convinced that one of these times the bird will not be fast enough to fly away before they can get to it. Bravo does let out what
can only be yips of frustration whenever a seagull takes flight just as he is swimming up to it. They never seem to tire of the game and it would have
to be the unluckiest seagull in history for these two clowns to actually get hold of it, so, like I said, what are you going to do? If you come to
Baja and you have a dog, by all means bring your dog. Dogs love Baja as much as people do and Baja is the most dog friendly place we have ever been. I
think we have mentioned before that one of the first dogs we saw on our first trip to Baja was sitting on a barstool next to its owner in the cantina
at Cielito Lindo.
Once at the lighthouse we stood and watched as the sunset colors came on. Seeing the town of Bahia De Los Angeles back-lit by the magenta orange and
yellow of the receding day will be another one of those images that we don't forget but are not able to adequately describe in words. We tried to take
a few pictures but they cannot compare with the shared vision that will remain in our memories. As the sunset gave way to the gathering dusk and the
first stars began to appear overhead we strolled back to camp. Back at camp we found that we were still too full from the excellent fish tacos to want
dinner so we lit the small campfire that by now had become part of the easy routine of our evenings on the shore of the bay.
We originally had concerns about finding a camp that we would like since we had always camped at Camp Gecko and have been perfectly happy there. But
the camp we have been staying at, Archelon is owned and run by the most gracious hosts that we could have imagined, Antonio and Betty. The two of them
keep the camp very clean and they try to discourage loud and obnoxious guests. Antonio is a fascinating man who speaks impeccable English and is
continually concerned that we are happy here. He constantly goes out of his way to make sure that we are. He has mentioned that he is torn between
having a large number of guests in camp and having much less work to do while still maintaining a high quality client base. The more people that stay,
the more money they make, but there is also more trash to deal with and more water to haul too. Antonio has all the fresh water for the camp delivered
by truck since there is no source on the property. Antonio is a retired Marine Biologist who worked his entire career with the Mexican Government's
sea turtle program and he is a true conservationist. All the trash from the camp is separated into what can be recycled at a central trash station..
He says he has become "picky" in choosing whom he will allow to stay and whom he sends down the beach to Daggetts. He does not want people staying
here who do not understand how important it is to care about things like keeping trash from getting into the Bahia and the importance of conserving
fresh water in this desert climate. We feel honored that we are considered welcome campers. I guess being relatively quiet and conscious of picking up
after ourselves and our dogs too helps.
The owners here have four German Shepherds that keep a close eye on the camp at night. Early in our stay Katie was off her cable for a short time,
just long enough to wade into the middle of all four of them with the obvious attitude of her evil Queensland Healer half looking to pick a fight. She
managed to get out alive, but not before one the shepherd's fangs ended up in her backside. We have been careful to keep her constrained most of the
time since, and have been keeping the wound clean. It is healing well but she got a good bite for her bad manners. Bravo seems to have enough of the
smarts of his Border Collie half to stay away from the pack of Shepherds. The German Shepherds do a good job of keeping the place secure and they add
to our feeling of security. We have never been worried about our stuff disappearing since the dogs seem to know who should be here and who should not.
We have been treated like family here and we will be returning in the future as often as time and funds allow.
Something else that is missing from this year's account of our travels is, well, the traveling. We actually have traveled some distance (Janice will
have an extra 340 each way) and Bahia De Los Angeles isn't exactly "down the street" (well it is right now). In past years we have always set out with
a sense of excitement at finding new places to explore and this has usually resulted in trips that spent half the time in getting there. We are not
against driving long distances to get to interesting destinations but on this trip we seem to prefer staying put and getting a real sense of what it
is to be here at a level we have not before. We have traveled the entire length of the Baja peninsula several times but we have a lot to see in
between the border and Land's end. On this trip though we are getting a taste of what it would be like to actually pick a spot out of the many we know
and love (and the many we still have to find) and settle in for a time. We do have plans of living in Baja at least six months a year after we retire
but retirement is still a long way off. In the meantime we do see that if we were to choose a place that would be our seasonal home this would be hard
to beat. We did not set out to do this on this trip but as things have turned out we are pleased and satisfied. We are looking forward to plenty more
exploration trips in the future full of new places and sights. It just seems like the thing to do on this one is stay put and enjoy it.
Thanksgiving Day we awoke to be very thankful for being in such a wonderful place for the holiday, but also a little homesick for our families. We
drove to town to send off the first installment of our trip log and to make a couple of phone calls. As we passed our new favorite taco stand we saw
that fortune had once again smiled on us and that the Senora behind the counter was cooking away. As we pulled up we caught the unmistakable aroma of
Carne Asada grilling. We have heard that the Tortas were really good here so Rich opted for the Carne Asada version of one and Janice ordered tacos de
Carne Asada. We did not want to spoil our appetites for the evening Thanksgiving meal so we showed restraint even though the food was so good we could
have sat there and eaten all day.
After lunch it was off to the Isla Mercado where the only phone in town, and the Internet access are. Phone calls are very expensive, so we decided to
make only two calls. Since our son Will is in between places to live, we did not have a current phone number for him. So we called our daughter Tracy
just to check in and tell her that we love her and we wished her a happy holiday. We only spoke for a minute or two, and then Janice tried to call her
mom, but because of the delay in the phone lines, was hung up on. They probably thought it was a prank call. Go figure. We checked our mail and found
a few replies to our original email telling folks that we were here again, and a lot of forwarded jokes and whatnot. We forgot to mention that this
sort of stuff just loads up our in-box with a lot of crap we don't have the time to look at while we are on the road. We just end up deleting
everything that looks like junk, and try to find the "real" mail. Forwarded jokes etc just take time away from trying to communicate. E-chores done we
headed off to see about Thanksgiving dinner.
We had several choices of gringo style Thanksgiving dinners that were being planned at the various restaurants in town but decided that we would save
our money and have something a little less traditional. The day before we had received a couple of very nice Bonita fillets from Marcos the fishing
guide, and that day, he gave us two more. We put two in the freezer for later and Rich put the other two in a teriyaki marinade for our feast later
that day. We spent another relaxing day at the beach, enjoying a traditional margarita before Rich put the fillets on the borrowed Weber over the hot
mesquite coals. The Bonita fillets turned out better than we could have ever hoped for. They were cooked to perfection and incredibly tasty. Along
with rice and green beans, it was a simple dinner that we were most thankful for. It was nice to have the entree provided by the Bahia too. Janice
missed pie the most but we would not trade all the pie in the world for that simple feast in this paradise we find ourselves in.
During that couple of days we watched as the camp filled to capacity with folks on Thanksgiving holiday. There were two separate groups from
California that were here with boats and dive gear. One of the guys in one of the groups staying in a cabana was John, a fisheries biologist from
Humbolt. He and his party went out every day and came back to camp with tales of seeing a variety of sea life, including whales and whale sharks which
we had yet to see this trip. They also came back with a couple of nice Bonita, which they filleted for dinner, leaving some of it for sashimi. A lot
of folks don't like the taste of Bonita (''it tastes like fish"), but we agreed with John, it was good eating if you knew how to prepare it. There was
a group of three young guys from Wisconsin that showed up with touring sea kayaks. They left on Wednesday to spend the holiday on Smith Island, and
returned later to spend one night in camp. There was a couple from British Columbia who had kayaks and mountain bikes strapped to their VW bus. They
were friendly enough, but like us, kept to themselves much of the time. There was another couple with California plates who we hardly saw at all,
except to see them paddling around in their kayak. Another couple showed up riding a really nice BMW touring bike. They stayed one night and we didn't
really interact with them other than saying "hi "'. Nice bike though. Another couple was here to take a boat ride out to a faraway island to attend a
retreat. It sounded cool to us. Finally, there was Rick and Dorothy, from Encinitas. They were on their honeymoon. They were married in August, and
had since been touring around the states. They were now headed down through Baja to catch a ferry to the mainland before heading back to the states
again and to start their new life in Sonora, CA.
We have been aware of the turtle conservation project and the small facility they run here for some time but we have not visited there on previous
trips. As it happens camp Archelon is just a few yards down from the turtle facility. We went by there a few times on various walks down the beach but
it was
always closed when we got there. Yesterday we found it open as we walked up and we were pleased to have the chance to check the place out. We were
greeted by Octavio, a Park Ranger with the Mexican Park Service. He told us the facility collects a donation of 20 pesos per person to tour it. It was
a bargain and we spent a long time watching sea turtles of various sizes and species swim in the large display tanks. There are several species of sea
turtles that occur in Mexican waters. Poaching is the number one problem followed by loss of nesting beaches to development and pollution. Sea turtles
are protected by law here but fisherman still take them because one turtle can bring in six months worth of money when sold on the black market. There
was a class of sixth graders from the local school on a field trip at the same time as we were there. We watched the kids swarming around the tanks
and watched the varied reactions to the captive turtles. Some kids were clearly interested while others were probably just glad to be out of the
classroom for a day. There was one tank that held two large turtles and two smaller ones about twelve inches across. Some of the kids were touching
them even though we don't think they were supposed to. Some of the kids were very gentle when touching the two smaller turtles. Others were rough and
seemed to take pleasure in treating them like mechanical toys. Since it will take the commitment of the people of this country to protect their
natural treasures it was good to see that their youth are being exposed to examples of what they have and maybe there is hope for the future of
creatures like the sea turtles. Rich mentioned that the turtles do bite and the misbehaving kids became less interested in sticking their hands in the
tank.
That night we invited Rick and Dorothy over to our palapa for a dinner party. We shared our coals for a barbecue chicken dinner, and sat around after
dinner where Rick and Rich traded off playing songs for us on guitar. Rick has a more classical and folk style (he actually took his first guitar
lesson from David Lindley!) where Rich is more rock and punk. Even so they found a lot of common ground and the music added to the festive atmosphere
of the dinner party. It was a fun evening, and the first of the trip that we were very social with anyone. We are still focused on spending as much
time together as we can but it was nice to socialize for an evening.
The camp has emptied out for the most part now. This morning saw the majority of visitors heading north, back to "the real world". We said goodbye as
one by one, each group loaded their last bit of gear and with a final look at the Bahia, set out toward the road to town and routes norte. We are
pleased that we have a little time left to spend here and we intend to savor each moment.
To be continued............
Dance like no one is watching.
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Bob H
Elite Nomad
Posts: 5867
Registered: 8-19-2003
Location: San Diego
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Wow, great trip report... looking forward to the "continued" portion(s).
Bob H
The SAME boiling water that softens the potato hardens the egg. It's about what you are made of NOT the circumstance.
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AmoPescar
Senior Nomad
Posts: 835
Registered: 7-15-2006
Location: North San Diego County
Member Is Offline
Mood: Need a Fish Taco and a Pacifico!
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Really enjoying your stories!!!
Looking forward to the next part(s) Sure makes me want to be there again. I'm going to miss camping at Gecko, but Archelon sounds like a great
alternative.
Michael
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Bajaboy
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 4375
Registered: 10-9-2003
Location: Bahia Asuncion, BCS, Mexico
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thanks for sharing, in detail, your adventure. My next planned trip is until next summer although the wife is asking if we can go sooner. After
reading your report, I'm ready to go now.
Zac
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Natalie Ann
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 2819
Registered: 8-22-2003
Location: Berkeley
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I've really been enjoying your trip report, Janice. At first I thought - oh, it's so long. But in reading I quickly fell into that slow easy
attitude that comes with Baja... and here at the end of part 2, I find myself eager for the next installment. Thanks so much for allowing me to enjoy
your vacation.
Be yourself, everyone else is already taken.
.....Oscar Wilde
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Janice
Junior Nomad
Posts: 78
Registered: 10-19-2003
Location: Owens Valley/Alpine - California
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Thanks for reading. As I said, we write the long reports for the folks back home, but also as a reminder to us why we go each year. We read last
year's report before leaving this year, it was amazing how much we had forgotten. It really made us anxious to go again. I'll post the final
installment soon.
Dance like no one is watching.
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DianaT
Select Nomad
Posts: 10020
Registered: 12-17-2004
Member Is Offline
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Enjoy your trip report---thanks. I also appreciate the information about the campground---sounds like a place we will not be able to stay. Our big
dog is so passive but our little one is extremely, and stupidly, confrontational with all other dogs.
We keep them tethered in campgrounds so they don't bother others, but I would not want to take the chance of her getting near the shepards. When we
have been out in the open, or in other parts of Mexico, the street dogs usually don't bother with her, but it sounds like this group are very
protective of their territory, and rightly so.
Thanks for the report and have a great time!
Diane
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David K
Honored Nomad
Posts: 64493
Registered: 8-30-2002
Location: San Diego County
Member Is Offline
Mood: Have Baja Fever
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Good report Janice....
Also nice to hear the 'got baja?' stickers do a good job indentifying amigos or potential amigos!
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