BajaNomad - To the End of the Road - PICTURES

To the End of the Road - PICTURES

jeans - 9-25-2003 at 12:30 AM

I didn't take a lot of them, but here they are. Thanks for your interest.

Baja 2003

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I got a later start than I wanted to?I always do. I pulled out of my driveway somewhere around 2:00 on Wednesday the 10th bound for the end of the road?Cabo San Lucas. Fortunately, I was only planning on driving as far as Punta Banda that first night, to visit with a client and friend.

I had no set schedule for myself, only to go straight through in order to visit with my friend Chalyne in CSL before she was scheduled to leave town, then I would take a more leisurely drive home.

Day 2: Got a later start than I wanted (do you see pattern starting already?) Lunch was at the Wet Buzzard and I rejoiced at the sight of the first boojum of the trip south of El Rosario. As it got towards the end of the day I took out my new Baja Almanac to scout out a good camping destination and settled for Santa Rosalillita. I had heard about the harbor going in and the new wide asphalt road so I thought I would check it out.

The setting sun was in my eyes as I flew down a **four-lane-wide** strip of new pavement?but there was a little detail I missed. Santa Rosalillita is 15 KM from the highway, but that new asphalt only goes about 5 Km. And with that danged sun in my eyes, the end came as a shocking surprise. The rest of the road reminded me of the road to Gonzaga.

I finally made it to the village. You can?t call it more than that, even with the oddity of the harbor-in-progress. I crept past the houses going to the south, not knowing if I would find a place to camp, but realizing that I was running out of options. I finally settled on a rocky point a few hundred yards past the last house and set up camp as the sun went down.

I ate a Ceasar salad with chilled Chardonay listening to the surf crash below and mused about how just a short four weeks earlier I had another Ceasar Salad and a glass of vin blanc at a sidewalk caf? in Paris.

Something caused me to look over my shoulder and out of the corner of my eye I thought I saw a fire. I turned around to discover a huge orange full moon rising across the bay that curved around the point. And just when I though it could not get any better! I flipped my chair around and watched the show. Life is good.

The next night was a harbinger of the days to come as it continually got hotter with every mile south and I fought with the bugs. I stopped at Puerto Escondido..Tripui Motel and campground and got a camp space. (Discover Baja discount!) But their RV lot left much to be desired?cramped and breezeless and within 30 seconds out of the truck I was covered with gnats & mosquitoes. I went back to the office and plunked down more money for a room, took a shower, swam in the pool and watch the DVD "Chicago" on the laptop under a blasting AC. Life, again, is good.

I rolled into Cabo San Lucas about 6:00 the next night slightly buzzed from all the miles. My friends live just a few blocks from the main drag so that was my home for three days.

I had not realized that Tuesday was Mexican Independence day (What?it?s not Cinco de Mayo?). They celebrate with festivities on the Eve of the holiday so on Monday I was honored to be taken to a REAL Mexican celebration. I was the only blonde gringa there. The food was good, the entertainment interesting, and the speeches & the cries of VIVA MEXICO were rousing. What was a little unnerving was the fireworks display. I had noticed three towering scaffolds behind the stage and later they came alive with whirling ?pinwheels? and erupting fountains of sparks. A few cut loose and sparks flew out into the audience, but I seemed to be the only one alarmed at this. The fireworks display escalated to the high-flying bursts we all know & love to ?Ooohh & Ahhhh? over, but they were set off only about 25 yards away and the sparks showered the crowd for about 15 minutes. Incredible.

My language skills are improving...I even got my first ?joke??a play on words, actually. I was trying to make small talk with a friend of my hosts. He had told me that he moved to CSL because of ?mas dolares? When I asked if it was true, he said (laughing) ?No, mas dolores? Ha! I get it!

I spent a couple of hours at the Santiago Zoo, my first visit since the original one that got me started on my involvement with helping them. I got there about 30 minutes before Chalyne did. It was probably over 100 degrees and very humid. Despite the heat, there were many people there as it was Tuesday, the holiday. The animals were very listless with this heat. Leo?s injury, which I have spoken about in the past seems to be healing on its own as much as it can. The doctors from Denver we had tried to get down there to work on him have continued to postpone and disappoint. Chalyne is working on another option. I told Leo he had a lot of friends out there on the discussion boards. He didn?t even lift his head. Same with the tiger & the bear. Then Chalyne arrived.

Within minutes she had a crowd of children following her to see the animals that jumped up to greet her. Leo got up and begged for and received head scratches, the tiger bounded across the enclosure to playfully grab her leg through the bars. The affection the animals have for her, their only champion, is very evident and she is a wonderful teacher for the children about caring for animals. It truly is her calling and was a joy to watch.

The next night was spent in Los Barriles with another friend who first contacted me after the first Leo post last year. It was good to finally meet her. After leaving her place on Wednesday morning I made a stop and locked my keys in the truck! The camper was open so I got out a ?slim jim? that a locksmith once left behind and a community project started as half a dozen men tried their luck with it. Finally one guy showed up, bent it in just the right place and popped it open like he?d done it a thousand times?hmmm, kinda makes you wonder. Later that day I overheard a conversation in Spanish where someone had locked their keys in their Toyota. That useful little tool did double duty that day. Don?t leave home without it! (P.S. I?ve tried the hidden key routine, but always lose them to desert washboard driving)

I spent more time on the drive home. I stopped at every city and every little village & puebla to at least drive around and see what there was to see. My favorite method of sightseeing is of course on foot, but the heat, humidity & bugs made that impossible.

I spent a day in La Paz, drove out to the Ferry landing, had lunch at a little Palapa restaurant right on the water where a photo opportunity presented itself. I got out the laptop and set it up and with the palm fronds hanging down and the water so close I hope I get a picture that will be a postcard for the self-employed traveler.

One note about driving in the cities. I did not see one driver EVER stop at a stop sign unless absolutely necessary to avoid a crash. Most of the time they didn?t even touch the brakes, just flew right through. Yet?I had a feeling that if I drove like they did I would get stopped in a heartbeat, so I never gave them the opportunity.

The ancient towns of San Antonio & Truinfo looked like time?and the rest of the world... had forgotten them. I stayed at a clean little hotel in Ciudad Constitucion called El Arbol (Arbolito? ..on Hildalgo) $20 with a state-of-the-art, whisper quite, remote controlled Samsung air conditioner! (This was a tip from a chance chat with another traveler at a Pemex...now I?m passing it on to you).

The map showed me the possibility of a short side trip, so I drove out to Puerto San Carlos. Here is where the oil tankers come to roost that serve the huge chemical-belching power plant a couple of miles inland. At least there is nobody living down-wind from the thing to breath that crud, unlike Rosarito Beach. The town itself was very quaint?.a little beach community.

I stayed Friday night at Hotel Serinidad in Mulege (Still too hot, muggy & buggy to camp). I was one of two guests they had that night. The other guest was a woman who was a friend of Chalyne?s from CSL. Small world.

In Santa Rosalia, where the majority of the original town is located in a very narrow valley, I found the oldest wooden houses I have ever seen. They reminded me of the deep south. And as for Eiffel?s church?well I preferred his Tower.

Lunch was at Rice & Beans in San Ignacio and I camped in Malarrimo?s RV park in GN. (Discover Baja Discount!). As I pulled in the parking lot I saw someone get out of their car and pull on a sweatshirt?wow..it?s cool here! What a welcome change from the heat.

Along the way, people would express anything from mild surprise to incredulity that I would make the drive alone. I never really gave it a second thought other than common sense strategies that I have learned by reading the boards. Like telling the Pemex guy the demoninations of the bills I gave him so there is no ?misunderstanding?. Always have ?reserves?, so that when you are on fumes and the Pemex is closed, you are not SOL. I used the gas can on the back of my camper in Villa Jesus Maria, when there was no one there, not even independents (and no tamales, either). On the way back the Tamales van was there as well as independents selling gas from a barrel. The Catavina Pemex was open on a Sunday morning.

The only mishap was on the last day. I had camped at Cielito Lindo and after those great Wet Buzzard breakfast burritos, I made a stop just outside San Quentin, and as I walked in the door, I didn?t notice the step down at the threshold. Before I could say ?Buenas Dias?, I fell flat on my face. I sprained my right ankle. I had stops planned in Ensenada, but decided to come straight home before my ankle blew up, (but I did manage to hobble into Nueva York Deli for a pastrami sandwich) and I sit here typing this with an ice pack. (in contrast, shops in Paris commonly had a 2-3 inch step up. I was always stumbling into businesses there as well. I seem to have a problem with entrances)

I had not heard about Marty until I got home and read the boards. There was talk about a new storm when I was at Wet Buzzard, but I had no idea. My forays into the little towns post Ignacio showed a lot of erosion and there were many vados that still had running water in them. It?s very sad to read about how hard they got hit again in this one-two punch that nature had given the area.

But Baja and its people are survivors. They will patch, rebuild and go forward. It's what they do.

[Edited on 9-29-2003 by jeans]

[Edited on 9-29-2003 by jeans]

thanks

Juan - 9-25-2003 at 07:25 AM

Jeans, Thanks for the trip report. Sounds like you had fun and got your work done too. It doesn't get much better than that. Juan

Great report

Keri - 9-25-2003 at 08:20 AM

Hi Jeans, That was a great report ,I was there with you enjoing all the way. I used to drive to Mulege all the time by myself and people thought I was crazy. Glad you had such a wonderful time and that you got to see leo. I hope to stop by the zoo when we are down around Oct 10 or so.. Thanks for sharing,k :spingrin:

BajaNomad - 9-25-2003 at 08:33 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by jeans
I?ve tried the hidden key routine, but always lose them to desert washboard driving

Two words: zip ties

Nice report Jeans... thanks!!!

--
Doug

jeans - 9-25-2003 at 08:55 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Keri
I used to drive to Mulege all the time by myself and people thought I was crazy.

Thanks, Keri. I've always been a rather intrepid traveler since my first trip to Europe with my parents. They sent me to the store across the street to buy a corkscrew, but they didn't have any. I traipsed around Hamburg, Germany for over an hour before I found one. My parents were frantic. I was 10.

Quote:

Originally posted by BajaNomad
Two words: zip ties

Brilliant! I'm gonna do that today! (although you meet the nicest people with a "slim jim")! :wow:

Great post Jeans!

Anonymous - 9-25-2003 at 11:39 AM

Are you going to post some pictures? :bounce:

David K - 9-25-2003 at 12:48 PM

Thanks jeans for posting your trip details. Leo and the other critters in Santiago are sure lucky to have you on their team! Sorry you crashed on your final day, but good you did so where you did, eh? :bounce:

Bob and Susan - 9-25-2003 at 01:35 PM

Pictures pictures pictures.... :lol:

Thanks for the report Jeans.....

Debra - 9-25-2003 at 01:48 PM

It is funny how people think it's weird when women travel alone, I too have gone all over the world alone, most even think I'm more nuts when it's just Brendan and I, (especially in Mexico for some reason) when we all know a woman with a child is probebly safer than at home. I enjoy traveling alone, you are(at least I am) more apt to get to know the locals than when traveling with a spouse or friend. Glad you had a great trip, and I agree with DK, best that your mishap occured at the end of the trip.

Hope you feel better soon. And thanks for the update on Leo, he looked pretty good when Mr & Mrs. H., Brendan and I saw him.

And Doug.....thanks for the "zip-tie" tip, I too have been know to lock in keys.

[Edited on 9-25-2003 by Debra]

jeans - 9-25-2003 at 01:52 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Bob and Susan
Pictures pictures pictures.... :lol:

Ok Ok Ok :lol:

I'll get them developed tomorrow.

Quote:

Originally posted by Debra
I too have I enjoy traveling alone, you are (at least I am) more apt to get to know the locals than when traveling with a spouse or friend.

True, also you can't rely on someone else's language skills. You're on your own and it is a deeper learning experience.

The down side is that...on my previous two week trip, I didn't have to lift that damn cooler once! (or a 20 litre gas can)

[Edited on 9-25-2003 by jeans]

Good points!

Debra - 9-25-2003 at 02:25 PM

especially about the lifting part!!!! I remember Mike H. at GC braging about his self inflating air bed, I said to him "yes, but you paid $100 , mine only cost $15, he says "but, your's, takes you so much time to blow up" "Oh yeah", I say "watch this" and hand it off to whatever guy was standing nearest (guys always have those compressors or some sort of toy) well, it came back to me in about 2mins. , "Ha!" I say, "how about that?" I couldn't hear what he was saying under his breath, but, I did get a kick out of the shaking of his head! LOL! PS: I just bought myself on of those cool toys that works in the cig. lighter of the car, for $15 at WalMart, good thing, as I fear after this post, I'll be needing it!

David K - 9-25-2003 at 03:28 PM

To all you Baja gals traveling in the peninsula: I am always happy to lift an ice box or inflate a mattress :yes:

It's not being totally independent that's important, it's allowing friends to help or join you and be a part of your Baja experience that will be most memorable!

Viva Baja, everybody!

Pictures

Santiago - 9-25-2003 at 07:32 PM

Jeans - no problem if you can't post any pictures - I have a few.........

Great report!

David K - 9-25-2003 at 10:28 PM

Santiago, you're just too funny! :yes:

jeans - 9-28-2003 at 08:39 PM

I didn't take a lot of them, but here they are...thanks for your interest.

Baja 2003

Eli - 9-28-2003 at 10:43 PM

Jeans, Enjoyed your report almost as much as your visit. Just a little perspective on your comment about the guy that knew how to use the slim jim, making you wonder as to how he was so adapt with such a tool. Made me wonder what the folks with the toyota thought when you showed um how easy it's done, hummmmmmmm

Bajabus - 9-29-2003 at 04:46 AM

nice report Jeans thanks. don't feel to bad about locking the keys in the car. I once stole my parents car when I was 16 and locked the keys in the car only I also locked my index finger in the door right up to my knuckle. Very embarasing standing there yelling for help.....turned into a whole production with police, firetruck and eventually my parents.

jeans - 9-29-2003 at 10:27 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Bajabus
nice report Jeans thanks. don't feel to bad about locking the keys in the car. I once stole my parents car when I was 16 and locked the keys in the car only I also locked my index finger in the door right up to my knuckle. Very embarasing standing there yelling for help.....turned into a whole production with police, firetruck and eventually my parents.

Well...you little juvenile deliquent! :cool:

That sounds like you got a dose of payback "CARrma" :biggrin:

jeans - 9-29-2003 at 10:40 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Eli
Made me wonder what the folks with the toyota thought when you showed um how easy it's done, hummmmmmmm

Actually, that was quite funny. I was in a business talking with an employee when the owner, a gringo came rushing in and interupted us, sort of brushing me aside saying he'd help me in a minute but he had something urgent he needed to attend to. He then started speaking rapid Spanish to the person I had just been talking to.

When I began to understand the story he was telling, I spoke up. He turned around to look at me and his jawed dropped. He realized he had been very rude to the person who was now going to bail him out.

I didn't actually "do the deed". I handed it over to the guy's employee and then waited around for an hour until they got the job done. In the meantime, Mr. "In a Hurry" couldn't have been nicer to me. :lol:

Natalie Ann - 9-29-2003 at 11:57 AM

Jeans - great pix and story; thanks

BajaBus - We had similar experiences - mine was a thumb when I was 5 - my mom did the locking in of keys, we both did the screaming... not my most pleasant childhood memory, haha.

Bajabus - 9-29-2003 at 12:26 PM

Natalie, OMG, that is too funny, for over 30 years I thought I was the only one too stupid to have gotten in that predicament. Thank you for the morale boost....I can't wait to tell my Mom.

GeoRock - 9-30-2003 at 08:38 AM

Jean, great post, enjoyed reading every bit of it. I've done a bit of traveling on my own, also, and have found that when you are alone people will approach you. I've had very interesting experiences because of that.

Traveling in Mexico with kids is great, too. Men are very helpful and extremely respectful.

Your tips are great! El Arbol; saying denominations of bills to Pemex guy; gas cans (a given); and zip tie for extra keys. Got it all written down in ongoing notes.

Bajabus: first the finger in a car door, then the foot being dragged by a moving car. What's next??!!

OUCH!

Capt. George - 9-30-2003 at 08:48 AM

The only thing I ever got my finger stuck in was the poor box when I was an altar boy......how's that for a little gutter snipe.
New York, New York, it's a wonderful town!

But, alas, I have grown into a fine human being...........Bajabus, would you like an autographed photo of John Lindsay or perhaps Mario Cuomo, two of my favorites.

Adios mi amigos Capt. Who?