MULEGE MIRROR - "Remember When?"

Valle de Mulege cornucopia

I'd like to share this typical Baja experience with you.

The following is merely a reminder of How much is Still so Good about Baja



Just before driving my motorhome north on a recent round-trip to San Diego from Mulege, the electric step malfunctioned..again.



This has happened too many times lately.. ...as the photo above shows on yet another Baja Road Trip many months ago. A good, but unfortunately, ...temporary fix.



This time, a few days ago....I phoned my old friend, Marcos Canet, master auto-electrician of Mulege, and explained the problem and it's history, plus the size of the motorhome...35ft...which creates a hassle parking anywhere in Mulege, let alone getting into his tight workplace.

Believe me, I know his downtown shop very well, having had Marcos work on a large collection of my boats, trailers, and vehicles over the last four decades.





He said no problem, as he'd make another house call for me. That is another great feature of small-town Baja Sur...house calls. He arrived in short order with a young apprentice, whose name I believe is Antonio. It's a genuine joy to see Marcos at any time..we go way, way back.

I demonstrated the motorshome's step defect and they quickly checked the master switch, the door sensor, all the wiring, and then the motor itself.

Yup..the motor's celenoid was no bueno, Marcos said. But, he would have to take it back to his shop to fix it properly....once and for all.

I also mentioned a bothersome problem inside the coach...the refridgerator light did not come on when the door was opened.

A real hassle for me when scrounging around the unknown dark depths of the reefer while on some road trip. (Unable to see them, I've grabbed things that grab back..)

Marcos gave it a quick check, said the door/light switch needed some of his wizardry....and took it, along with the step motor, back to the shop in Mulege.






The apprentice, Antonio, returned about 1 hour later with a fixed step motor, installed that very quickly, then put the new switch in the fridge.

Both checked out perfectly.

I'm now a happy camper.






Excellent & friendly work provided at a very good price.


Note: On the electric step problem, I had several estimates from RV repair places along my route from Up North to San Diego.

None would go to the trouble of repairing the electric motor like Marcos.

All said the whole step assembly would have to be replaced.

Thier rates ranged from $450 to $600 USD. Naturally, I passed....(or if I'd been so clueless as to pay such a ridiculous rate...I would have passed out.)

Marcos total bill for repairing the step AND and the fridge light was 250 pesos. About $20 USD.

I would never insult an old friend by overpaying that bill, but I tipped Antonio enough to feel okay with it.

Just another reason I love small town-Baja Sur, especially it's people.



Marcos Canett - "Autopartes y Servicio Canett" .... 153-0661 & 153-0020. His shop is just past the Equipales Cafe on the one-way street headed back to the highway from downtown. He can order any part you need.

I highly recommend Marcos Canet of Mulege for any auto-electric and other auto problems you have. If he cant' fix it, he'll direct to another Mulege wizard who CAN-DO. We have a bunch of wizards here!

Ken, I haven't yet fixed that camera in question, my Nikon D40. So I bought a replacement D40 on Craigslist San Diego... used for one month in a camera class. I believe her. It's in excellent condition..as in NEW. $200. It helped that she was a fox.

Oddly, $200 is the same amount that a camera repair shope in SD quoted me ...to look inside and 'maybe' repair my old one.

A no-brainer...like me.

p.s. When I can find the time, I will tackle that repair again..

[Edited on 12-10-2011 by Pompano]

Quote:

Originally posted by Pompano Quote: Originally posted by tripledigitken How did u resolve the Nikon problem? Ken, I haven't yet fixed that camera in question, my Nikon D40. So I bought a replacement D40 on Craigslist San Diego... used for one month in a camera class. I believe her. It's in excellent condition..as in NEW. $200. It helped that she was a fox. Oddly, $200 is the same amount that a camera repair shope in SD quoted me ...to look inside and 'maybe' repair my old one. A no-brainer...like me. p.s. When I can find the time, I will tackle that repair again.. [Edited on 12-10-2011 by Pompano]

A no-brainer indeed! Was she a student or the teacher? I like to take classes from time to time.

Merry Christmas!!!

Just super pictures .... thanks for sharing all your time in Baja and other parts of the world...

Really liked Marcos's ... shop bench.. with his "parts inventory" close at hand..

Always liked how folks SOB could "make it work" ... as they had to ...

Hi Roger,

Cool that you were able to get everything fixed by Marcos!

Like Wesson...I've always loved how the mechanics and plain old folks in Baja can fix just about anything...and do it so well...and with so little!

Thanks for sharing Marcos story and info with us. It's great info to file away and remember!


Take care and Season's greetings to you!!


Santa YES YES

Hola absinvestor...Yes, I think Marcos could help you, also a few other guys and gals in Mulege. Maybe C. Cuesta who has the Sky sat tv and computer store next to the old Hacienda Hotel...Hugo at the internet cafe, El Gecko....and probably a couple video store techies.

Remember... just like the USA, our youngsters know all about cd's and players. Say hi to one on the sidewalk...and I'll he/she would have that cd out in a second.



Amopescar...thanks, my friend. I love the small town goodness of Baja Sur, too..reminds me a lot of my other home in North Dakota...hence, I never get homesick!

And a very Merry Christmas to you, too...

...and to whoever else is reading this.

Mulege's Historic Las Casitas - Motel & Garden Cafe

Great ambiance, interesting history, finest food, c-cktails, music, and conversation..all within a very short walk from your room. What could be better?





CONTACT INFORMATION


LAS CASITAS MOTEL AND RESTAURANT
LAS CASITAS
Madero No. 50
Tel: (115) 30019
Fax: (115) 30190
www.bajaquest.com/mulege/casitas.htm


Location Col. Centro

Phone 615/152-3023 Fax 615/153-0190



ABOUT THE PLACE:

Room Information 8 units Prices $30 double; $35 triple year-round

Credit Cards MC, Visa

In Room Amenities A/C, TV, Wi-Fi

Parking Limited street parking


This long-standing favorite welcomes many repeat visitors.

Popular with the local literati -- A historic Hotel in Mulege. The Poet and Composer Alan Goroseve was born in this building in 1917. Javier himself is an accomplished guitarist, pianist, and gifted with great intellect ...Introduce yourself and relax, you will have a memorable conversation.





Rooms are in a courtyard just behind (and adjacent to) the Las Casitas restaurant, one of Mulegé's most popular and pleasant cafes.

The basic room accommodations have high ceilings, tile bathrooms, and rustic decor.

Plants fill a small central patio for guests' use, but the more socially inclined gravitate to the restaurant and bar, which is open daily from 7am to 10pm.

The place is especially lively on weekends -- on Friday evenings there's often a Mexican fiesta.




The inn and restaurant are on the main east-west street in Mulegé, 1 block from the central plaza. An ideal motel/cafe to headquarter ....and walk Mulege. Get the 'feel' of this quaint village of friendly folks.

http://www.baja-web.com/mulege/casitas.htm

http://www.tripadvisor.com.mx/Hotel_Review-g153974-d156753-R...

Best Margaritas and tropical drinks in town!


Further location info: At the second town square ...across from the Fire Department..and next to Casa Yee store.



I've been eating in that wonderfully scenic & serene atrium café section since the earth cooled...or longer. I can swear to you from my heart and stomach, Javier is one great, masterful chef. His kitchen is the cleanest one in Mulege..spotless.




Many years ago, Dusty and I used to fly him burlap bags full of black and yellow abalones from Asuncion and Abrejos.

Ahh..Those dinners he made us and our gals! We really do owe Javier a lot for those times.

His specials are truly amazing!! Behold!














About the rooms: I have always been able to get home…in my truck or laid to rest in Nacho Taxi 11…, so I’ve never personally stayed in the motel part.

However, the many dozens of folks I have recommended Las Casitas to over the last couple decades, have always let me know later that their rooms were excellent.

Knowing Javier, I would not expect them to be anything less then Top Shelf....and...YOU CANNOT BEAT THE PRICE!

The outdoor courtyard/restuarant is very, very comfortable and well decorated with lots of bourganvilla everywhere plus a couple of resident exotic birds. The on-site restuarant is one of the best in Mulege. Certainly the best anywhere near the square.

Las Casitas has a few rooms (around 10) facing a really lovely patio which is literally filled with plants, and flowers, a fountain, parakeets. The rooms have white walls, decorated with local crafts...

Heck, at only $25 or less, I should reserve one....just in case Nacho Taxi 11 is off duty.

p.s. I'll get downtown Mulege manana and take a few pics of Las Casitas interior. You're gonna like 'em.

...done deal. And here they are:

















Las Casitas also offers a quality clothing, gift, and novelty shop.
















Hey, it's time for some desayuno and cup of java. Give Javier's Las Casitas a try and tell him Rogelio said, 'You owe me another Pacifico, my friend...

...y Feliz Navidad."








[Edited on 12-19-2011 by Pompano]

That's a great deal ... and the food looks outstanding... it really sounds good, say isn't there fishing around there too WOW ... keep it coming

red dog in the pic

HOLA, amigo's starting to cold up here in monterey ca..does anyone know how I can track down any info about that redesh/ornge dog on the 1st page of this post,,I got a rescue dog from mulege last season and is a exact dulpekit of that dog and must be the family line..when asked what breed my dog is ? I reply a baja pure breed...LOL any names of the people would be great,,heading down 1st of the year for 34th season !! (I THINK)

Quote:

Originally posted by captkw HOLA, amigo's starting to cold up here in monterey ca..does anyone know how I can track down any info about that redesh/ornge dog on the 1st page of this post,,I got a rescue dog from mulege last season and is a exact dulpekit of that dog and must be the family line..when asked what breed my dog is ? I reply a baja pure breed...LOL any names of the people would be great,,heading down 1st of the year for 34th season !! (I THINK)

Ciro Cuesta - Sky TV Provider/Installer - Muy bueno!

TITLE: TELEVISION: CHEWING GUM FOR THE EYES.


“I find television very educating. Every time somebody turns on the set, I go into the other room and read a book.”… Groucho Marx



Okay, I’ve decided to take a little camping/fishing jaunt around Lower Baja Sur…or would it be more correct to say.. Baja Baja Sur?

Anyway, I’m addicted to TV…HOOKED for life! It’s the menace that nobody seems to be able to live without.

“My name is Roger …and I am a news junkie.“

The very thought of being without my favorite news-twisters makes me shake, and it hurts the way your tongue hurts after you accidentally staple it to the wall.

So, as you can see, I’m faced with a dilema. I need to go test some waters and renew my soul in the boondocks of Baja again.

But….I cannot be in a situation where I won’t be able to piously snicker at the Wolf Blitzer-dwarf or guffaw out loud at you-know-who O’Reilly on ‘Fair & Balanced’…. or see...ugh... Fat Eddy looking like Jabba the Hut. Hey, it’s my only TV entertainment since Seinfeld signed off.

I do have an excellent sat dish reception In the good old USA TV-LAND, and there is NO problem with getting a strong signal anywhere.

TV now covers the States like it was a colony of E. coli and the nation was room-temperature Canadian beef.


But…down here in southern Baja, my DirecTV signal strength is far too weak for smaller dishes, plus.. what I got yesterday, I will probably not get tomorrow.

So hey, what to do? I figured why not give Sky TV a try?…works good at the Coyote House. So I called Ciro Cuesta, our local Sky TV provider and installer.

(Note: Ciro is the son of Alfonso, senior member of the large Cuesta family in Mulege. You can’t throw a chicken down the street without hitting a Cuesta. I’ve smacked my old compadre, Manuel Cuesta, many, many times. Probably why he sells pollo so cheap.)



Television has changed a child from an irresistible force to an immovable object.


Back on track, Ciro showed up the very next day…or early evening. Hey, who cares what time it was?…It’s Baja, Baby! “Hasta noche!”…has a nice ring to it, no?

I tell Ciro what I want and he gets to it post haste...which is a leetle like ‘muy pronto.’ I tell him about the existing rooftop dish and he decides to use the co-ax cable already hooked to my system. Makes perfect sense to me.

He climbs up on the roof and looks things over..and appears to have assessed the install to be quite easy. But..he needs a certain tool to start. “Rogelio, got a 11/16th wrench to throw me?”

“Sure, no problem…I’ll get one from my toolbox…jus a sec.”

I find a wrench, back up a bit to where I can see him better…and expertly fire the wrench to Ciro…hitting him squarely in the cajones. I winch as he doubles over grabbing his groin, groaning something under his breath. “What’s that, Ciro…P-ncher?..you need some kind of a ‘P-ncher’, too?? No? “


“Well, okay… what else can I help with? What?.. I threw you a 1/2”?? Sorry. Okay, here’s the right one…catch it this time.”

I was throwing a tad low, so I corrected.

Hmmm….Jeez, you’d think a young Mexican guy like Ciro, who MUST have played at least SOME baseball …could catch a wrench before it hit his forehead. Am I right or what?”

Not needing my help with tools anymore, Ciro climbs down and gets his own bag, then goes back up and in no time at all gets the whole thing down pat in a jiffy…and his forehead lump went down fast, too.






Television is like the American toaster, you push the button and the same thing pops up everytime.



Television is an anesthetic for the pain of the modern world.



Today, watching television often means fighting, violence and foul language - and that's just deciding who gets to hold the remote control.



Television is like the invention of indoor plumbing. It didn't change people's habits. It just kept them inside the house.



Ninety-eight percent of American homes have TV sets, which means the people in the other 2% have to generate their own sex and violence.



Do you realize if it weren't for Edison we'd be watching TV by candlelight?



I highly recommend Ciro for any TV install..satellite or otherwise.

His price for all this work to hook me up: …a whopping $350 Pesos.

I threw in a couple Ace bandages and some ice.

Give Ciro a call at 615-106-2259 in Mulege. To see him in person, just ask anyone on the street with a chicken.

Need anything welded? Even Aluminum?

MOBILE WELDER RAMON – SOLDADURA – SOUTH OF MULEGE

A couple weeks ago I somehow did 'some damage' to my motorhome roof access ladder.

In this case, 'some damage' means totally destroyed.





The ladder is aluminum, the most difficult alloy to weld, and requires special skills and equipment.

From previous experience I knew a repair shop a few miles south of Mulege that welds aluminum. I stopped by one day coming into Mulege from Coyote Bay to check with them.

Theisnoticable 'taller' is located on the west side of the highway just before the microwave tower hill overlooking the entrance to Conception Bay. Easy to find ...it's the only building in the area...with lots of working room, but I opted for mobile service.

Lately, I’ve been leaving my Southwind motorhome at the Cuesta Real RV Park in Mulege…but it's a real hassle to move it and also a pain to re-connect all the hook-ups.

So I asked if they could come to town, look over the repair work, and give me an estimate..and if accepted…do the work at the RV park. Ramon, the jefe, said No Problemo…and that afternoon came to give a repair estimate.

I thought Ramon's estimate was very reasonable at 2000 pesos or about $150 USD, as I know that stateside, the bill would be from $700 to $1000, which is just plain gross.

Still, I hesitated to take anyone's first bid without some traditional..and fun...haggling. So I showed Ramon my rear cargo box, which had gotten bent somehow. "Include fixing that, amigo..and we have a deal."




We shook hands on the deal….and at 8:00 A.M. the next day, Ramon and a helper showed up right on time and immediately went to work on the ladder. Traits I admire... reliability and promptness..especially in Baja Sur.


















Ramon straightening the rear cargo box. How that happened will forever be a mystery.


What do you think? Ladder and cargo box repairs. Okay for 150 bucks?

BEFORE


AFTER


Here's how to reach Ramon:




Tell him Rogelio sent you.

Felipe Fontes - A great mechanic in Mulege

My '99 Dodge 2500 has almost 400,000 miles on it and, like me, things are starting to show some small signs of wear.


So, starting from the bottom and working my way up, I found that the upper and lower ball joints needed replacing. I was SD bound and bought the parts for my year & model at an El Cajon auto parts store. (I'll be stopping in to see them in a couple weeks...)


Anyway, I knew from the get-go that I would have the labor done in Baja..and most likely in my home village of Mulege. But even here in Mulege, competition has widened the field a bit for getting the best bang for your bankroll.



The work:

The bids are for installation (labor only) of 2 upper ball joints and 2 lower ball joints on a 3/4 ton 4X4 diesel pickup. Easy access, a straight-forward and fairly quick job.....mas o menos.


The bids:


I had only 3 stops in mind for my mechanic...and already had made my choice of those.


But, being a success at.. whatever I did .. in that other life, you do your homework.


- First, I went to Marcos under the bridge, who is a good brake, drive train, and mechanical genius...but nobody home..nada personas. I know him and his work..great stuff.


- Next I went to Oscar on the ice-plant road and showed him the parts and the job. I have known him since he started his business, and have given him many jobs over the years. I have no major complaints. Everything worked and nothing fell off...not right away, anyway.


Oscar looks under the pickup and bids $1,600 pesos. ...or about $120.


I told him I'd think it over and left...wondering, "Hmm..that's a wee bit higher than I thought it would be locally...but not out of sight, and if that's Oscar's bid, so be it."


- Felipe on the north edge of town's highway. I drove north up the highway about one hundred yards and talked to Felipe Fontez, a mechanic who learned his trade under his father, Chuey, who passed away a couple years ago from cancer.




I had a personal reason to see Felipe and knew I'd be doing business with him...again.


Here's why: Good repetive business in not just about production, timeline, and price...it's about ethics and trust, too.



---A slight 'anecdotal detour' with free popcorn... to explain:


His father, Chuey, had done me a huge favor many years ago...in 1991. My CJ-5 Jeep had a busted transmission, and I talked with the very few mechanics in Mulege who could do the replacement work at that time. Chuey impressed me the most... and so I went to San Diego to bring one back for him to install per his bid..a fairly 'substantial' bid, but acceptable and okay by me.





A few days later I returned from San Diego with the tranny and delivered the whole shooting match to Chuey. Felipa was an apprentice helping out at that time...learning from his father. Chuey said the Jeep would be ready in 2 or 3 days. We shook hands and I said 'Fine with me'..and drove away in my pickup.


The very next day Chuey shows up at mi casa in Coyote Bay. He is sad to tell me that while the Jeep was sitting overnight in the yard by his shop, some burro stole my radio/tape deck from the dash.


Chuey is very stern/serious and said my transmission would be installed free of charge. I knew enough about Chuey not to insult him by insisting on paying, but still offered my help in finding the perp ...and together we could cut his cajones off. Chuey grinned and we had a cold Pacifico to seal the deal.


From that day on, I busted things more often than usual..and took them all to Chuey to fix. We had become good amigos.... plus he loved the biscotti my wife, Felipa, made for him.)



And today, his son, Felipe, shows there's proof to the old saying.. "The seed does not fall far from the tree."




Back to the ball joint bids:


Having left Oscar's, I look up Felipe at his garage on the highway's north edge of Mulege and show him the same ball joints job. He says..Drive it in here...aqui..and points to his garage pit. I did and he gets busy underneath..banging away. He comes topside, looks over my San Diego parts..and all business, says.. "$800 pesos, Rogelio, but some of these parts will not work. The upper ones are okay, but the lower ones are not right."





$800 pesos = $60 USD


Pleased with the amount, but NOT so pleased with O'Reilly Auto Parts in El Cajon, I said, "Sounds like a good price, Felipe, but now... where do we find the right ball joints? They're almost impossible to find here in Mulege."

Felipe is a serious kind of guy, MOST of the time. Now he says this with a faint smile, "Mulege has joined the world these days, Rogelio..Marcos has them."


Ay Carumba! Mi amigo, Marcos, has them right here in Mulege!!?? And part of the reason I drove 1400 miles to San Diego and back...was to get them?...Arrghh. (Well, okay..some doctor-types wanted to prod me, too..but still, those ball joints were high on my list!...Go figure, huh?)



The rest of the ball joint account:


After a couple 'take out and try em' parts attempts, Felipa finds the exact balls I needed ...for the lower joints. All of us involved.... Felipe, Marcos, Marcos' wife, Maria, and yours truly..all had a good-natured time finding those ball joints. Actually, it was a Hoot!


The job is finished.


Now that we finally had the correct parts, Felipe dropped me off at home...saying the pickup would be ready manana..and drove it out the very next morning.

I got to test-drive it for 20 miles before paying Felipe his $800 peso bid. No add-ons.

I could not get him to accept any more dinero for all the extra trouble he had went to getting the right parts. I did get him to accept a couple of Xmas presents for his family, which is something else again. (His wife makes a great cake!)





And that's all..folks. If you need a good, honest, and very fair-priced mechanic...put Felipe in your mechanics book as an expert..and ethical..mechanic.

Felipe Fontes did a lot for me...un-asked... and with no concern for any extra payment, other than his honor remaining intact. I can assure you, Felipe...it's intact.

Just like his father's. RIP Chuey.





[Edited on 4-11-2014 by Pompano]

Great story Roger! Actually the quote you got in CA was a little high. Flat rate for ball joints on a Dodge 2500 or 3500 4x4 is about 8 hours, or $640.00, at $80.00 per hour.

Now, the part in the picture shown is a tie rod end, did you replace those or the ball joints. Much tougher job as you need to remove the hub and bearing, axle and knuckle assembly to press the old ball joints out and the new ones in.

I owned a brake and front end shop in CA for a long time. I would never consider that line of work in Baja, they work way too cheap.

Quote:

Originally posted by bajabass Great story Roger! Actually the quote you got in CA was a little high. Flat rate for ball joints on a Dodge 2500 or 3500 4x4 is about 8 hours, or $640.00, at $80.00 per hour. Now, the part in the picture shown is a tie rod end, did you replace those or the ball joints. Much tougher job as you need to remove the hub and bearing, axle and knuckle assembly to press the old ball joints out and the new ones in. I owned a brake and front end shop in CA for a long time. I would never consider that line of work in Baja, they work way too cheap.

RV PARTS AND BUS SHIPMENTS

BAJA SUR
- FINDING RV PARTS
- SHIPPING BY BUS

I needed an RV part…and needed it sooner than my next scheduled trip to San Diego, so I began checking on Baja Sur Craigslist and Baja Nomads.

Sure enough, Nomads provided the answer for me right away. Kudos, Nomads, always the best.

Wahoo RV was recommended in San Jose del Cabo…..Hmm??..sounds kinda familiar…aha…

The memory lights sputtered to life and I remembered Wahoo RV owner, Chuck Schmuck, from many years ago. (Not a name one can easily forget.) He had picked up a busted gas fridge at mi Coyote casa, took it to Wahoo RV in SJC, and returned it a couple weeks later ... ready to make our Pacificos chilly cold.


I was a little ahead of the ‘repair game’ this time, however, as another amigo was on hand to tell me what parts were needed… in advance of any technician’s visit. T'was non other than ‘Fast Eddy’, a perennial camper who rents a Burros Beach palapa and who owns a RV dealership and service center in Alberta.


HEY! NEWS FLASH! Eddy also heads up and plays drums in a funky-good band known close and narrow as ‘Fast Eddy & The Slow Learners’ and plays at some Baja hot spots like Ana’s.







We return you now to RV Parts and Shipping by Bus:


My RV trouble was the motorhome's john-head-water closet –TOILET. Somehow somebody had put way, way too many hard pounds of pressure on the John’s water and flush foot levers…and they went SPRONG! KAPUTZO! It was a real macymess if I ever saw one. Oddly, that’s the first time that has happened to any RV I have ever owned.




Well, back to the repair: Fast Eddy told me what I needed…’the whole base’, which he said would run about $200 US clams…mas o menos. His estimate seemed in line, but I sure hated the thought of waiting for one to be shipped from the States.

That’s where I thought of doing the online ‘search’ in Baja…and NOMADS. Viola…Chuck Schmuck and Wahoo RV comes through for me. I sent Chuck some mails to let him known what I needed, model ID and number, etc..



He checked his stock and as luck would have it..he had one... ready to go. Done deal, I asked how much and made arrangements to deposit the amount to his bank via our local branch office…Bancomer. A very easy, secure transaction ... a fox of a teller to boot…

Chuck packaged it & sent it C/O my name via Aguila Bus Lines from San Jose to Mulege on a Wednesday…and said to let him know if it did not get to me by Saturday afternoon.


The Mulege Bus Station for Aguila and a couple other bus companies are located…almost at the ‘Y’. Very Easy to find if you are a local. If you miss it, just ask the nearsest street sweeper or merchant near the Mulege Monument.


(Now, I gotta tell you..Info about RV parts and Shipping by Bus are as boring as watching paint dry...just normal, everyday events about Baja...so, I promise to throw some hate, biased reporting, and headless cadavers inot the next Mulege Mirror.)






Up these stairs and you are there.



The Yellow Llantera sign is a good landmark, too.





Make sure you have your tracking number, ID, and whatever…you will be signing for it.



The current schedule…subject to change. Naturally…after all, it’s Baja.


Hey, Chuck…great job on easy to read label and secure packaging. Never got a scratch or crunch, gracias.


And that, Nomads, is how to find those RV parts and get 'em sent to ya. Done deal.





[Edited on 1-21-2012 by Pompano]

Interesting.

There is absolutely NO identification or sign on that bus station building but "everybody" knows where it is.

(Right next to the yellow llantera!)

The Plumber of Mulege

“The Plumber of Mulege”

So, amigos…to continue with the last thread.

As you can see below, the RV commode repair parts have arrived from Wahoo RV by way of Baja Pack Express onboard Aguila Bus.

Tip: Here's the info on shipping things by bus in Baja.

Baja Pack Express
Servicio de Mensajeria y Paqueteria
Blvd Lazero Card##as No. 15751 Chapultepec Alamar
Tijuana, BC CP 22110
Info: AL 01-800-7329507





It is too windy to go fishing, so I was really looking forward to filling in some of my shore-leave by installing these toilet parts myself. So I went to the Mulege biblioteca and asked the librarian,……“Where’s the self-help section?”

She said if she told me, it would defeat the purpose.



“Okay…that hurt”, I muttered. “But … I can support the local economy much better by subcontracting this job.”

Now…? Who to call to get toilet repairs done in a motorhome…. hmmm?

Eureka!….a plumber? You betcha! And…I just happen to know one.

Arturo has performed mucho magic with my casa’s plumbing …since that eruption years ago ….that sent my water heater up over the palms .. spewing steam like SCUD missile…and thru a neighbor’s roof four houses away. Carumba… what a ruckus. Why, you’d have thought I had intentionally aimed that sucker at HIS house.

Here they are installing water heater number 3 ..or 4. Who’s counting?



Ah…plumbing and broken toilets! What could possibly be a better thread topic to go with your lunch?

Read on…and Buen Apetito!


The Subject:


Arturo’s son, Salim, carries my broken biffy outside the motorhome.

Salim says, “Biffy?…What the heck is a ‘biffy’?”


Arturo and apprentice #1 inspecting the RV biffy…er…commode’s...grr…TOILET’S!... replacement parts.


Salim and fellow worker inspecting my tool kit. One small hammer and one BIG hammer. All I need. I don’t fix things..I threaten them.







Senor Rogelio, I’m going to need more paper for this bill.




Worker….Arturo…and Son.

Naturally, I was joking on the bill.

Total bill from Arturo The Plumber of Mulege : (2 jobsite visits) 500 pesos …
…which is SO reasonable that I’m hiring them to pry the last water heater out of the neighbor's roof before his return. His blood pressure is way too high the way it is.

“ESSA REFRIGERACION”
Arturo Gutierrez Verdugo Cel 615-15-59655 Tel 15-30158
Son: Salim Gutierrez Cel 615-15-93262
Repairs to:
Wash machine –dryers-refrigerators-a/c-electric motors-water pumps ---and imbedded water heater removals.

Sales include mini-splits.

Give em a try, folks…what the heck, the worst that can happen is a hole in your neighbor’s roof.

Sure hoping for pic's of that water heater removal....

Here are the photos of the 2012 Mulege Yellowtail Tournament.




It was a great days of fishing and the catching was extraordinary...fish, fish, fish...FISH ON!


North end of Ille del Fonso was the hotspot yestreday.... and today..Tuesay, Jan 31st. Lots of boats from Loreto joined many Mulege area derby fishermen. Everyone was pulling fish. Not only yellows, but limits of red snapper, cabrilla, and grouper.

I talked to a few fishermen who reported 15 -20 hookups...little was said if these were ever boated!!??


I have feeling that heavier lines would have helped a few.



Above...hmm...the youngest fisherman, 5 yr old Dillon is usually grinning from ear to ear...must be camera shy?



Naw....He prefers fish to pose with for these photo ops.



Bill adds a nice yellow to the board...not the biggest, but worthy of recogntion. Huzzah...and Here-here!





Looks like another HUZZAH! to me.




"...just give me a chance and ...zoooom..those bait tanks are MINE!"







Patty, first mate of 'Strange Lady' with a nice 'tail.


I managed to get this shot...1st and 2nd place winners



left: John - 1st place with 33.3 lb yellowtail

far right: Scott - 2nd place with 28.5 lb yellowtail

And that's the best I could do, folks. I am going home and get ready to go to sea manana...unless those Brazilian gals come back.

Ramon - Creator of the Famed "Saturday Carnitas of Mulege"

"Ramon" - truly El Maestro de Carnitas - rest in peace, my friend.






Then:


Now:




The family tradition continues:


CARNITAS!! I can't wait for Saturday to come....so I go see Antonio Y Lorena every day!

A possible new face may have been added to the Mulege taxi fleet...as I noticed right away the other day while doing some important business at the town square. (okay..it was a Demos taco-craving-event)





And a very fair face it was. I did not get the opportunity at the time to test her skills at driving, customer-care, etc..but that option will surely present itself in the very near future. I will report back with all the pertinent info you might neeed...later, muchachos, later.

"Ignacio, Ignacio--Taxi 11...where forth art thou?"

Dontcha just love places like Mulege??

CURRENT BOC BEACHES AND SCENES

Welcome to The Bay of Conception, Baja's Best!




Just what Conception Bay needs...an island bar! I know 3 or 4 perfect locations. This is a great project for that motivated Baja-investor out there!




An island beach and camp...muy privado!




Thar She Blows! Down south by Pta. Teresa on a recent fishing day. Always exciting things happening out there!



Coyote Bay Beach homes:


Posada hilltop homes overlooking Conception Bay:


Santispac camping is wide open for more: Come on down!


Calm waters on the Bay beneath the Shrine of the Bay.



The new look for 2012 at the Shrine. All dressed up and nicely, done, guys and gals. Salud!


As always, the Bay is thee best place in Baja to kayak.




And here's our little buddy, Dany, who was so kind as to leave us his signature on the Highway. Please come back, my little painting amigo... so we can show you our appreciation with our spray cans.




Waterski, anyone??



And up comes a new spring..?? Well, maybe not exactly that...but, hey, it's Baja!



Can;t have a beach photo-spread without Baja's most famous..Coyote Camping Beach:






[Edited on 2-22-2012 by Pompano]

[Edited on 4-11-2014 by Pompano]

Mulege's dock is getting bigger.

One thing about boat ramps…there always seems to a chance of a mishap or miscalculation...and lots of fun watching!


Last week the Mulege river dock at the ramp looked like this…adequate and handy most of the time...except for those low tide times that make a hassle for boats having a deeper draft.


The finished dock extension as of yesterday:


THE WORK BEGINS:
Hmmm….what’s all this about?




THE SIDEWALK SUPERS:


EVEN A CURIOUS FLY- BY…













GREAT JOB…WELL DONE, MULEGE FISHERMEN!


Those white poles with reflectors will make great guide-posts for backing up in the dark of the early mornings.

Nice launch!

Lazy stop at El Patron - La Almeja (Mulege's beach bar)

There was no great reason in mind yesterday to go to this beach bar...just a place to put my feet up and watch the seabirds do thier thing over the water. Mentally guess when the first dorado will be taken...?

Recommended: Popping a couple Pacifico caps adds to the ambiance. Quaffing an icy cold 'michelada con Pacifico' in the warm Baja sun makes it magical.

"May your time be filled with relaxing sunsets, cool drinks and sand between your toes."













Flashback photo of a previous dinner night at Almeja's.
The almeja appetizers are very popular..muy sabroso y vigoroso...and brings a smiles to the faces of the most descriminating connoisseurs.

¡Larga vida a las almejas deliciosas!

You can find 'El Patron' and/or 'La Almeja' cantina on the beach at the end of the north river road in Mulege...right out there by the lighthouse and harbor captain's old office (now vacant).

Say Hola! to Tim y Yolanda..tell them Rogelio sent you...and reduce my bar bill a bit, okay?


[Edited on 4-10-2012 by Pompano]

Mulege Main Streets

This is just a boring photo tour through Mulege's Main Streets.

No murders, beheadings, or road rage here.

Just the ordinary life in Mulege, like these candid pics from the other day:






I stopped to clear this little mess out of the way. Did I earn my good deed badge of the day?
























Hope you enjoyed this little ride around Mulege...see you for the next trip.



[Edited on 4-11-2014 by Pompano]

A MULEGE DRIVE-BY SHOOTING

Hola Amigos! Want to go on a quick Drive-By in April, 2012 Mulege?

C'mon along, then....you might recognize something….or someone.







Kindergarten school



Jorge’s water store


Downtown Pemex

Main street stop sign



Next Water Store





ATM AND BANK (BANCOMER)




Corner Curio Tienda

Sweet Baker Shoppe and Deep Tissue Massage in Rear.




Cellphones are now quite everyday things…what a change in the last few years, no?


Kids are kids…wherever they live…and a pony is a pony.

Yup…kids and ponies?
Am I right..or am I right?

The New North River Road – post hurricanes.









Views from atop Loma Azul (Macey Man's adobe)



Sam’s old digs… (Sam’s Pizza)




Pancho Villas Cafe


El Patron Beach cafe

Amigos hang out together on the riverfront..




END OF THE TRAIL FOR TODAY…GLAD YOU CAME ALONG FOR THE RIDE. HASTA PRONTO!




[Edited on 4-17-2012 by Pompano]

As always, a pleasure.

Video Games & Gill Nets

Ah..Video Games! Kids all over the world love 'em...and Mulege's are no exception.

Good or Bad...it's nice to see the wonderment & smiles.



Gill Net loaded in panga headed for?...a very small chance of success these days, I'm sorry to say.

Jayne Mansfield Weds In Mulege

Mulege has always attracted some rather famous…and also infamous… people. They come from all walks of life, but especially from the entertainment industry. Movie stars, directors, Hollywood types, and shadowy film figures all loved to fly or boat here in the 50’s, 60’s, and early 70’s.

Here’s a tale of one such celebrity…..Jayne Mansfield…One of the Blonde Bombshells of Hollywood.



It’s doubtful, but some readers may not know about this woman….So….Some here’s some juicy factoids about Jayne Mansfield.

She decided early in life she wanted to be an actress…an entertainer…A Movie Star! She realized that she might need something..special… other than her already humungous contributions to mankind’s imagination. The following was a major life-changer for Jayne. Sizing up the competition she decided to be…..Blonde

A natural brunette, Mansfield had her hair bleached and colored platinum blonde when she moved to Los Angeles, and became one of the early "blonde bombshells" (along with Marilyn Monroe, Betty Grable and Mamie Van Doren). In 1958, she also had her eyebrows dyed platinum. (eyebrows only?) Following Jean Harlow (who started the trend with her film “Bombshell”), Monroe, Mansfield, Van Doren and Diana Dors helped establish the stereotype typified by a combination of curvaceous physique, very light-colored hair and a perceived lack of intelligence. The Blonde Bombshell stereotype. A review of English-language tabloids shows it to be one of the most persistent blonde stereotypes—along with busty blonde, and blonde babe.

Because of her striking figure, newspapers in the 1950s routinely published her body measurements, which once led to evangelist Billy Graham exclaiming, "This country knows more about Jayne Mansfield's statistics than the Second Commandment." Atta boy, Billy, you know the congregation perks up when Mansfield is mentioned. Indeed, Mansfield claimed a 41-inch bust line and a 22-inch waist when she made her Broadway debut in 1955, though some scholars dispute those figures.[ She was known as the Cleavage Queen and the Queen of Sex and Bosom.

Not very dumb blonde, she also knew how to work the paparazzi of the day…and dressed for them at every opportunity.


I get a kick out of the look Sophia Loren is giving while glancing at Jayne’s cleavage…hoo boy and Mama Mia.


Mansfield was married three times, divorced twice, and had five children. She also reportedly had affairs and sexual encounters with numerous individuals, including Claude Terrail (owner of the Paris restaurant Tour d'Argent), Robert F. Kennedy, John F. Kennedy, Brazilian billionaire Jorge Guinle, her attorney Samuel S. Brody, Las Vegas entertainer Nelson Sardelli, producer Enrico Bomba, and Anton LaVey. She met John F. Kennedy through his brother-in-law Peter Lawford at Palm Springs, California in 1960, before he had his affair with Marilyn Monroe, but the "affair" did not last long.



The Mulege Wedding

Mansfield became involved with her third husband Matt Cimber, an Italian-born film director, when he directed her in a well-reviewed stage production of ‘Bus Stop’ in Yonkers, New York and coincidentally co-starring her second husband Mickey Hargitay. I’m sure that started some tongues wagging..

Jayne married Cimber on September 24, 1964 in Mulegé, Baja California Sur, Mexico.

The ceremony took place at the old now-defunct Club Aero aka Rancho Loma Linda built by Lou Federico of Punta Chivato fame. (Old-time Baja flyers will remember that rough Club Aero airstrip. Full of holes, that ‘pista’ was responsible for many crashes back in the day.)




I read this rather foreboding recounting of the wedding in the book, “One Helluva Ride”, by Lou Federico

“Jayne Mansfield in a sad, sad travesty of a wedding ceremony” at Rcho Loma Linda aka Club Aero, Mulege



And then it all ended in trajedy,

HER DEATH IN A CAR/TRUCK ACCIDENT

On June 29, 1967, at approximately 2:25am, on a major highway near Buloxi, Mississippi, her car crashed into the rear of a tractor-trailer that had slowed for a truck that was spraying mosquito fogger. The car struck the rear of the trailer and went under it. The three adults in the front seat were killed instantly; the children, in the rear, survived with minor injuries.

The Mansfield Bar Invention

Reports that Mansfield was decapitated are untrue, although she suffered severe head trauma. The urban legend was spawned by the appearance in police photographs of a crashed car with its top virtually sheared off, and what resembled a blonde-haired head tangled in the car's smashed windshield. However, this was probably either a wig Mansfield was wearing or her actual hair and scalp. The death certificate stated that the immediate cause of Mansfield's death was a "crushed skull with avulsion of cranium and brain". After her death, the NHTSA began requiring an underride guard (a strong bar made of steel tubing) on all tractor-trailers. This bar is known as a Mansfield bar, or an ICC bar…which we see on semis to this day.





One would like to think that many lives have been saved because of the attention given to the facts of that fatal crash ...Rest in Peace, Jayne Mansfield.


Well, that’s what happened to Jayne in Mulege.

And now you know a little bit more about the village and it’s stories. But… also remember that ‘you and your story are safe’.…cuz...

"What Happens in Mulege Stays in Mulege".

Unless you tell it to Maude...who will then blab it all over on the Mulege Mirror.


[Edited on 12-10-2013 by Pompano]

I well remember the 'Jayne Mansfield 18 hour bra' commercials, as a kid...

Thanks Roger!

Olivia Benson was 3 years old in the back seat that early morning in June of '67.

You bet your taildragger, Vince...that strip was more suited to a 4X4 race track.

I bounced onto it with my father in a Stinson station wagon back in the day...we renamed it a 'Stumbling' station wagon afterwards.

[Edited on 12-10-2013 by Pompano]

Quote:

Originally posted by David K I well remember the 'Jayne Mansfield 18 hour bra' commercials, as a kid... Thanks Roger!

"Got a map of that there terrain, David?", funny lady!!!

When we had our place at San Nicolas' ONJ had a palapa there which if I remember correctly was mostly a nice bathroom. We moved the apostrophe and always called it Olivia Newton's john.

Obviously, the Baja would work better printed on men's underwear, but "the" Google gives us this of the terrain of the earth's poles.

[Edited on 12-10-2013 by vgabndo]

Quote:

Originally posted by Pompano Quote: Originally posted by Vince Great story, Roger. Indeed, the hotel on the hill had that reputation of a dangerous landing strip. I was glad Serenidad opened and I didn't have to land at the other hotel when I started flying to Mulege in 1973. You bet your taildragger, Vince...that strip was more suited to a 4X4 race track. I bounced onto it with my father in a Stinson station wagon back in the day...we renamed it a 'Stumbling' station wagon afterwards. [Edited on 12-10-2013 by Pompano]

Quote:

Originally posted by Ken Bondy Quote: Originally posted by Pompano Quote: Originally posted by Vince Great story, Roger. Indeed, the hotel on the hill had that reputation of a dangerous landing strip. I was glad Serenidad opened and I didn't have to land at the other hotel when I started flying to Mulege in 1973. You bet your taildragger, Vince...that strip was more suited to a 4X4 race track. I bounced onto it with my father in a Stinson station wagon back in the day...we renamed it a 'Stumbling' station wagon afterwards. [Edited on 12-10-2013 by Pompano] That strip was my first Baja landing (in a Cessna 177RG) in 1974. About 200 Baja landings followed.

That strip was a real killer for pilots who had heard the warnings..and did not heed them.

Here's a toast to any who didn't make it..there or anywhere in Baja:


In days gone by, I’ve proved my worth
By zooming low across the earth.

I’ve buzzed the valleys and the mountain ridges,
I’ve dove my craft beneath the bridges.

I’ve looped and spun and rolled my wings,
I’ve sung the songs that pilots sing.

I’ve tried most stunts, it must be said,
Yet never learnt to use my head.

So here’s a toast - To you and me!
But you drink both, I’m dead...you see.




Between the goalposts.

[Edited on 12-11-2013 by Pompano]

Quote:

Originally posted by David K I well remember the 'Jayne Mansfield 18 hour bra' commercials, as a kid... Thanks Roger!

Jane Russel MIGHT have come to Mulege.

For sure she SHOULD have come to Mulege.

(Jayne or Jane, Igor?)





Jane Russel...ah, the stuff of WWII G.I. dreams...and famous quotes:

Bob Hope once introduced her as “the two and only Jane Russell,” and on another occasion defined high culture as “the ability to describe Jane Russell without using your hands.”

She had that trademark smirk...beautiful & a real thinking woman. Wesley Pruden of the Washington Post had interviewed her many times, and wrote this at the time of her death in 2011, aged 89. "She was one of the last grown-ups in Hollywood, from a time when celebrating love of country was not a felony and a conservative Republican was not an endangered California species."

Thinking back, I am 'almost sure' that Russel visited Mulege.

Roger, you may be right.

Culture: being able to describe Jane Russell without using your hands! Classic.

A River Runs Through It

RIO DE SANTA ROSALIA…. in MULEGE. This has bugged me for ages…Why doesn’t the city change the river’s name to Rio Mulege? Or perhaps, like this thread, it just isn't relevant anymore...

The Great Floods of Mulegé………..”Cry Me a River”


Our Baja town has been hammered repeatedly by the escalating tempo of flooding from tropical storms. 3 were devastating.

Hurricane John in 2006
Tropical Storm Julio in 2008
Hurricane Jimena in 2009

(Oddly, the three worst floods all started with the letter 'J' — John, Julio and Jimena.)

“Every user of the river down here understands that a healthy river is absolutely vital for a healthy economy and a healthy tourism industry.”

Here’s a look back on the last of the worst…

2009 - HURRICANE JIMENA

Although a drop in wind speed reduced it to a Category 1 as it made landfall in Baja (media interest also fizzled as a result), it arrived with massive rainfall. Out of the 3,200 inhabitants, nearly half suffered property damage, and many lost everything they owned.

The Mulegé area receives rain from summertime storms in contrast to the Vizcaíno Desert, which is in a meteorological shadow. Backed by a broad range of mountains, the Sierra de la Giganta, rain falls into 16 watersheds that ultimately converge into the Mulegé River. When a hurricane hits, imagine opening 16 faucets at full capacity into a small sink.

Memories of past floods were forgotten.

Before 1982, there had been two floods on record, the floods of 1914 and 1955. Then since 2006, we had three floods — almost one every year. Many residents are tired of rebuilding. Some gave up after two rebuilds and left. The greatest damage occurred in the narrowest part of the valley, which is spanned by the highway bridge. The water level came as high as the bridge, which hard to fathom for most. Floodwaters completely engulfed houses and knocked down hundreds of palm trees. For months after, many houses still lay abandoned, in complete disrepair.

Why the frequency of floods now after so many quiet years? Some think it's global warming, others shrugg and say, "It's happened before."

How can we deal with the prospect of more floods in a warmer world? In Mulegé, the government is currently relocating many households & community buildings to higher ground. Seems like a logical step, but some residents wonder if that is a realistic solution. Comments are like this, "If we currently live by the river, do we have to abandon our homes? Plus, that's where the tourists want to go, that's where business is."

The group wants a long-term solution for the community; they propose flood control measures such as check dams to slow the deluge of water in the tributaries leading into the Mulegé river. The town petitioned the federal government. Flood diversion construction is underway now in the mountains.


Usually a very peaceful place…these photos are of the river and palm forest valley west of the highway bridge…inland towards the mountains.






The river valley looked like this in 1974.





Yours truly overlooking the river valley 40 years ago. My lab, Gypsy, used to love racing down the river far below and retrieve the decoy I’d chucked down there. Good times.


Between floods, the river was a great place to picnic or take a lazy kayak paddle.


..looking to the east from the Mission…white bldg. on left is the old penitentiary. Wedding, anyone?



MUCH LATER, after some channelization and access roads had been done.
From the bridge looking towards the sea…around 2007.



…and then Looking back at the bridge.





A couple enjoying an outing.


The following are post-flood photos of Jimena.
The Mulege lighthouse (faro) scene.

The estuary and Mulege lighthouse just after the flood….note the lighthouse is cut off from town.




This is on the river’s south side..from the Orchard area and shows some of the destruction from Jimena.


Jorge’s Park…sadly, like so many others, it was devastated by Hurricane Jimena.


The road to the Mission and showing just a few of the thousands of downed date palms.


South River road entry from Highway 1 showing the bridge.


In the photo below, the top two photos show the bridge..before and then immediately after the flood. Just imagine this…the water crested at about 4 feet over the top of that bridge!
In the lower half of the photo collage, local businessmen Manuel Cuesta and Saul Davis point to high water marks in their respective stores in downtown Mulege, an area that is normally considered safe.




Several RVs were either tucked into treetops or carried to sea…some washed ashore miles away…or merely sank to the bottom of the Cortez.


Unfortunately so many folks lost their homes along the river...completely destroyed. This collage shows the mayhem on the south side of the river.



One very small benefit from all the destruction. Storm debris on Playa Santispac made for some good firewood for beach fires.




October, 2008. Although listed as one of the most expensive storms ever to hit the peninsula, Hurricane Norbert was a fizzle in the Mulege area compared to Jimena. During ‘Norberto’, our lunch on the patio was in no danger of being blown away.




And that's the river of Mulege.


Let’s all hope that the new flood diversion project under construction in the mountains will mean the end of any more floods in Mulege. I'm done...enough is enough.



[Edited on 4-17-2014 by Pompano]

Welcome to Saul's Tienda, Mulege

One of my favorite stores in Mulege.

For many years Saul Davis and family has been supplying groceries to the people of Mulege. (been shopping there since 1974)

I guess the great part about Saul's is the variety of stateside staples he can get for you from his border suppliers. If you want a special item, he'll most llkely get it for you on his next delivery truck. The trucks run weekly from Mulege to the border cites and are large enough to haul most anything you need.



I once mentioned a California king bed mattress...Saul surprised me and it was delivered the next week. Other values from the North...French vanilla coffee creamer, good scotch, Grey Goose vodka, real sourdough bread, good yeast & flours, better butter, jelly beans, chocolate licorice, prime ribeyes, and a hundred other items we always miss after a few months. The kind of things that are a real treat when they finally arrive.




A few other stores are following Saul's example, but the economy has really tanked at the moment, so his tienda is still about the best place to explore for those items expats miss the most.

STREET VIEW OF SAUL’S MARKET





SAUL AND RAY





Anybody remember Ray & Slyvia? Oldtime Cal. surfer dude. Used to live at Villas de Mulege in the Bay. Did lots of woodwork.



THIS ‘AD WINDOW’ is one of the most viewed adboards in Mulege. If you’ve got something to sell or trade, this is the place.






ICE CREAM …a real treat for the trip home.





COOLER VIEW…check here when looked for fresh milk, sour cream, butter, coffee creamer, limburger & head cheese, rulepolse, lutefisk, etc.




BIMBO….shelf life of 200 years or more. It never goes away and can double as floor tile.



Lots of aisles to explore….squeeze some veggies and fruit, meet people, find your dog or cat.




Saul can direct you to whatever is needed.






Trade your home garden produce, or just pay for your groceries, and if needed exchange dollars for pesos at a reasonable rate.










[Edited on 6-10-2015 by Pompano]

Quote:

Originally posted by Skipjack Joe Quote: Originally posted by David K I well remember the 'Jayne Mansfield 18 hour bra' commercials, as a kid... Thanks Roger! It was Jane Russell. Bringing back your memories: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CdbG1NFGiNM

Absolutely correct. Mansfield not only did an ad for a bra but she never even wore them.

Mulege's Dark Side of Adjectives

This is as true as any fishing report.


It was a dark, but not so stormy night long ago in the steamy dark underbelly of Mulege.

Being maliciously misdirected as to the whereabouts of my car when leaving my water-hole/cantina, I was making fair progress while furtively navigating a winding course down a very dark alley. Suddenly I heard a faint rasping sound..a chilly Shiiiing-Shiiiing ...of metal on metal...I ponder what that omnious sound could possibly be?

The eerie rasping-zinging gets louder and louder.....until I rounded a corner and came upon a scene utterly foreign to my civiliized senses.

An apparition regards me with a deadpan diabolic stare...making me think of demonic images buried way back in the darkest graveyards of my memory.

Could this be...? My mind races to find some understanding..what IS this? It seems my mind is somewhat discombobalated by a bad liter of rum, but finally the light bulb... it must be...

...THE BLADEMAN OF MULEGE...

A visceral apprehention lances through my soul ....and I know I will remember this macabre and hypnotic scene in my dreams...the stuff of nightmares.




And I did dream later that night...vividly...of Billy Bob Thorton playing the role of a deranged Karl in 'Sling Blade'.

Remember, this is as factual as any fishing report. Thank you, Mulege. You never fail to fascinate.

Picnic At Domingo Beach

We had killed a fine yellowtail, and just that one fish will be great eating for us and many friends. We are satisfied to call it a day on angling and head for a great beach just inside the entrance to Bahia de Concepcion. Time for some beachcombing and a picnic on a warm sandy beach...wanna join us?


PLAYA DOMINGO

Rounding the lighttower point at BOC's entrance we see our beach ahead...



..as you pass by this old fish camp that is used periodically by our local pangeros. Lots of gillnet laying around.




Co-pilot and I carry shore gear to this lovely secluded beach...






We have a wonderful lunch of chicken, spinach salad, and Macadonia fruit for desert..yummm.

Yawn...sleepy times this time of day...tick-tock, tick-tock, tick-tock




This is a superb beachcombing beach..full of seashells...
.... and objects d'art. Co-pilot has her mesh bag and goes collecting for her next project.





I do some needed boat duties and also set up a photo op with our yellowtail....and then take a much needed nap..the warm sand is so inviting...perhaps a little siesta..

...tick-tock...tick-tock..


...noticing Co-pilot way, way down the beach....hmm...pretty far away..oh well, not to worry so much, she's okay...it's fine.


...tick-tock...tick-tock...

I was kept busy for quite some time..and looked up to see how Co-pilot was doing with her beachcombing. Hmmm...not in sight. Nothing except those birds on the beach. Now where did she go...??




Suddenly I had sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach....! GOOD GOD!.. you don't suppose she fell, hit her head on a conch shell..and was now being eaten alive by all those damn BUZZARDS AND GHASTLY GULLS!!



I race down the beach..yelling and waving my arms towards the mess of scavengers...pant, pant, pant...huff, huff, huff...thud, thud, thud....yelling my lungs out!!

Now birds are coming in from all directions...cawing and screeching..the damn feathered beasts!

I am almost there..but fear I am way too late....the soft sand is slowing me down....I am sinking....can barely move my feet....poor, poor Co-pilot. You were such a good fisherman, too.


Then I heard her pleasing laugh. "Whatever are you doing, tesoro? Wake up! Qual è il problema? Sei impazzito?"



Well...it just goes to show that an overactive imagination, fueled with chicken & cold chablis, then a beach nap.. will generate a really wild dream....sigh.



We packed up and headed home into the Bay. Maybe the next trip will be more exciting. (I'll bring some merlot!)




[Edited on 6-18-2015 by Pompano]

Quote: Originally posted by 4Cata

Though I've only been to Mulege once, back in the late 80's. I fondly remember La Hacienda and El Candil and a wonderful, laid back week. The rest of this has been a delightful trip down memory lane and I must return. Possibly in an rv, though you've warned that the narrow streets would be difficult and I'd miss the friendly neighborhood. Won't be towing but might bring a scooter. Maybe Maribel's rv park, if it's still operating. I think you mentioned that there is a taxi now? I remember the first time I found a Mulege website and thought, dang, they'll discover it now. Guess they have--who'd have thunk a Chili Cookoff in Mulege...

Yes, Mulege has definetely been discovered, 4Cata. You'll have to visit again soon. There are Chili Cookoffs, Pig Races, Off-Road Races, and a host of other events.

There have been many chili contests...since the first Mulege one at the Serinadad around 1990.






Before that we were chili fans down in the Bay, too, and any excuse for a party was welcome, so I had a Coyote Bay chili cookoff in 1989, which was a lot of fun.... not as well organized..but what can you expect from beach dwellers?

Casa Coyote Chili Cookoff - 1989






More recently, Mulege Chili Cookoff in the plaza in 2011.






Taxis?

Not a problem. You will find many, especially at the square.

Meet mi amigo, Ignacio, tasi driver (taxi No. 11, I think) Catch him at the plaza taxi parking zone. Seen in this photo to the left..adjacent to the city plaza.



A very reliable driver and has a great sense of humor, too. He got me home safe and sound a couple times.




Driving the motorhome around Mulege is possible, just not advised on a regular basis. I have driven my 36' motorhome downtown and around the city, but I am well aware of the one-way streets, what corners to take, and where to park, etc. Extreme caution is advised. My old 27' Minnie Winnie was far easier to navigate. I would advise parking near the town entrance mouument and taking a walking tour ( or your scooter) to see the town before driving further.

There are many more RV parks these days..and you might check them all out with your scooter before making your decision. Just ask around or get yourself a current Mulege business map.

Those old memories. The Hacienda Hotel and Cantina is a thing of legend in Mulege. Some raucous celebrations...some stately weddings...some somber celebrations of the departed (the un-sober)...it all happened here sooner or later. Here are a few memories of that place. I'll take a little walk down Memory Lane here.....





The flowering tree makes welcome shade in the hot months.



I love that the old water well with the dump buckets was left. This is from the times long ago when cattle were brought here for auction from miles around.





A truly gifted flamenco guitarist playing in the Hacienda courtyard. He was undergoing a series of throat cancer treatments in TJ at the time and would return to Mulege for his R & R. Such a great attitude of life he expressed, even though he knew the future was dire. He blessed us all with a performance in Coyote at mi casa. Maestro, you gave us some great moments with your talent and charisma.



Here's another great Hacienda regular back in the day...Adolfo. Sadly, he also has been gone from the scene for a few years.



Many years later, Adolfo sitting at the old 'Donna Moes' Pizza Shop.



Jean-Pierre(white hat) and neice, Chantelle (front left) leased and ran the Hacienda in the early 90's and made the place rock! Here they join a crew for a fiesta at mi Coyote casa. Jean-Pierre was priceless when it came to entertainment and fine food.



Jean-Pierre was known locally as 'Pica de Oro' for a good reason. Here giving yet another senorita riding lessons along the river in Mulege.


And Pierre received lots of help from our good amigo, Mateo. A wealthy Welshman homebuilder, sailor.... and was quite an artist. Among many other creations, he carved the Hacienda's sign and many other store signs in town, including the Candil cafe and Sauls. He helped other café owners to get their business's going and prosperous.

Mateo-Matt Matthews. In additon to all these carvings below and more, Mateo was the man responsible for completely restoring the Candil Restaurant to what it is today. He spent about $75,000 USD of his own on the redo with the original owners...the Martinez family, I believe. I asked him why restore this old bar with such lavishness...and he said.."I've always wanted to walk into a nice place and have a free beer." He used his artistic ability to think out and make all the creations there today. Inlaid bartops, paintings, wall decor, furniture, new bar and kitchen equipment, café supplies, etc. He was quite a philantropist and helped so many folks in Mulege.

He operated the cantina himself until making a deal with the next operator, Pierce, later on. Among many other expert dishes, I fondly remember his Black Cuban Beans with a killer hamburger.




Matt was at the Bay of Pigs fiasco in Cuba and had quite a few stories to tell. He and wife, Cher, were also neighbors at Coyote Bay and an expert sailors on his sailboat, 'Gale', teaching a lot of us 'Sunday Sailors' how to hold regattas and sail 'wing on wing', etc. Damn...Both Mateo and Cher have joined the list of MIA's that is growing so fast these days. Oh well, they were lively folks and truly lived their lives. Indeed, Mateo lived the life he wanted until that final summer day when he fell overboard from a heart attack and drifted into my seawall. Say hello to some Irish for me, Mateo...sorry I wasn't there to help you up.



Some other artworks of Mateo's around Mulege..

Hacienda Hotel sign



Matt carved this walking stick for Co-ilot, which remains a prized and well-used item today.



Saul's market sign and portrait




Killer Caine was also a regular and we had some pretty good times together.



He was quite a dresser... even loaned me his parasol.



..and recorded many videos of our times - mostly trials and errors in date-making.





Occasionally 'Fingers', would try his luck at the bar, but usually was 86'ed, because nobody could be counted on to give him CPR and mouth-to-mouth.



The 2nd cantina within the Hacienda..facing the town square. It went thru a couple of changes of managers back then...Alfonso, Aaron, Jean-Pierre, Pierce & Co., and so on...

Here's the time when 'Pierce & Val'. leased the place and called it "The Pelicano."







After that, 'Jean-Pierre' leased it and called it "Casablanca". During Jean-Pierre's time is when the Hacienda really rocked. It was the To Go place in Mulege at the time. I recall I loaned him a framed photo of the entire Casablance film crew and their autographs to hang on his cantina wall. It was a gift from a Hollywood director who lived at Posada. Hmm..has anybody seen that photo since?

Some entertainment was always possible.

Renya, a local guitarist/SINGER! would wander in and play for you....and as loud as you could possibly want...whew.



Sitting at the bar and just watching someone washing glasses was worthwhile.



Pacifico was the most served brew.



With a rum&coke the most served c-cktail.


Some more great times were watching the glass-washing.






You didn't need a lot of things to keep you happy...could just be watching the glass-washing.




[Edited on 6-18-2015 by Pompano]

[Edited on 6-19-2015 by Pompano]

Quote: Originally posted by Robertofox

Pompano. I always enjoy your stories. Keep em' coming. I haven't been on that beach in years. That's over on the point, east of Mulege right?

Sorry I missed your question, Roberto. You are exactly right..Domingo Beach is next to the old fish camp at the entrance to Conception Bay. Always a great place to come ashore and relax. Like Shell Beach at Pta. Chivato, it's also good for beachcombing.

(moved here from an irrevelant political thread. )

The piñata party.

Mulege estuary





El Patron - La Almeja


Probably the best café ocean view in Mulege..where you can dig your toes into the sand...or cast for a dorado. An old times beach café that sends you back a few decades.

'El Patron' right on the water...and sometimes IN it.



We have always enjoyed a great dinner there. Baked clams with all the fixings were a real treat...La Almeja time.

Quote: Originally posted by desertcpl

Roger can you do some thing on the Jungle

I have nothing up to date right now. Lots of pics, etc. from a couple years ago and more. Am confined to Up North stuff for a few more months, but will try to do just that next winter. Always a great place to gather.

Here's an oldie that shows the sign ..

My first time at La Jungla was in December 1995, Jim and Dimas were the CIC, and I was camped at Marybell's. I found it an extremely easy stroll from the park to the bar, but only one-way..... going back the other, I kept stepping on my fingers.......

SOME JUNGLE HISTORY



As I recall it, first operators at the cantina now called 'Jungle/Jungla/Jungle Jims' were a lively couple named Paco and Rosie (Rosita). They started in the cantina business by building a very small bar on the side of the highway next to the turn-off for the Serinadad Hotel. It went well, but kind of interferred with traffic out to the Hotel, so it went away...

They resurfaced in the business in the old delapitated building which would become La Jungla later on, but was known back in the day as simply 'Paco and Rosie's'. This was around the mid-70's or so...I think. It's damn hard to remember anything so fuzzy and I won't try.

Paco and Rosie were involved in social events, too...like the first town chili cook-off at the Serinadad..where I took this photo.



Paco & Rosie's sat next to a half-dozen little rooms in a row. I really don't know, but I think those rooms might have belonged to a corn farmer for storage, because they were called 'cribs'.



After Paco and Rosie moved on, the next business at that site went to a fellow named Spencer. He had operated a thriving cafe in California before coming to Baja, (that Ca. cafe was Mama's Royal Cafe which gained some fame in it's day.) He ran the Mulege place for a couple years and then moved on to Cabo where he opened a restaurant in the Mar de Cortez Hotel named 'Spencers' turning the Mulege cantina over to his son, Steve, and daughter-in-law, Alma. Last time I was there, 'Spencers' in Cabo was undergoing a major change.





Steve and Alma kept it alive for a while, then decided to open a roadside cafe under the bridge on the old Mission Road. Along with that, they offered plants, trees, etc from a small nursery. I planted quite few at mi Coyote casa. Steve and Alma eventually joined Spencer in Cabo and opened a busy and very popular cafe there, Mama's Royal Cafe...like following in father's footsteps.




Then comes times closer to the present and the start of the fun Jungla and it's colorful cast of characters...and you know the rest of the story.



Explanation of any inaccuracies.....This is about 6 million brain cells ago...around 2010. (Rest in peace, Bart.)





[Edited on 7-13-2015 by Pompano]

Remember When?

Most folks will remember when this cantina was part of the Hacienda Hotel in downtown Mulege...



But how many remember when it was a different cantina name? When the then new manager couldn't think of a good name, so he simply called it the The No Name Restaurant?

Quote: Originally posted by chuckie

The Pelicano was run by a series of Characters under several different names...One of whom was the guy that once owned Buena Ventura, then by Scotty, at one point was managed by my son Carlos who now has the racing bar, on the river...I spent Y2k nite there with a madwoman from Irvine......film at 10....

HACIENDA HOTEL & CANTINA MANAGERS OVER THE YEARS..


These are the operators of this hotel and cantina in order of time...as best I can remember.


Alphonso..(the present owner of the hotel...for many years.)

Alphonso was running the place when we first stayed there in 1972. A room then was $4 USD, and in fact, we had Rm 4. Thereafter, we have needed a room from time to time, depending on...conditions. I have always enjoyed visiting with this old gentleman.







Aaron Funk (note: for reasons known only to him and the demons in his head, he painted over all the old-time autographs on the walls in the photo above...hundreds of names, many quite famous..John Wayne, Lee Marvin, Burt Reynolds, Lisa Minnelli, director John Sturges and many more Hollywood types. My buddy and I signed ours on the hotel barroom wall under Wayne's signature in 1972...gone too.)

Aaron Funk





Franc y Jean Pierre (probably the most popular of all managements. Franc left the scene after a short stay. Jean Pierre was a masterful chef and host of many great parties, plus being a successful ladies man.)



Jean Pierre and Chantelle at mi casa. (Second and third from left in this pic)



Jean Pierre on horseback with a date





Pierce y Val (Scotty worked for them as chef before they all moved over to the Candil after mi amigo Matt had completely renovated it.) Pierce left after a year or so and Scotty took over the management.






Mateo - Matt (a nice fellow and benefactor to many in Mulege and The Bay) Rest in peace, old friend.









Carlos ( A great host...we all loved his sidewalk tables for breakfast,lunch, and dinner..so we could watch Zulema walk across the square.)

I have a photos of Carlos behind the bar and at the sidewalk tables, sorry but cannot find them right now.

The hotel and cantina have shown us all lots of entertainment over the years...and I wish it many more of the same.

Pompano