oxxo - 3-29-2008 at 05:20 PM
We attended the Oaxaca Expo last Saturday night at the bandstand on the malecon in La Paz. What terrific free entertainment! There were colorful
costumes, energetic dancers, and enthusiastic singers all representing the culture of Oaxaca state. It was a terrific way to kick off the Easter
weekend. La Paz should be called "the City of Festivals" because they always seem to have something going on in town. I would have included pictures
but I have misplaced/lost my digital camera.
Easter Sunday morning we slipped the lines on ALOHA and headed north from La Paz on a little sea cruise. Our first overnight was at Caleta Partida on
Isla Partida. This is a nice protected anchorage, very peaceful and scenic.
The next day we headed to Bahia San Francisco on Isla San
Francisco. On the way there, we made a detour to Islas Islotes to view the sea lion berthing site. These are protected islands and no one is
permitted to go ashore. A large research boat was there with National Geographic painted on the side with a bunch of people on board and in dinghies.
We didn't see a whole lot of sea lions and so we departed after a short time when oxxa started complaining about the stench coming from the place.
Bahia San Francisco is a beautiful site with an abundance of birdlife, more than I have ever seen in one location. These included pelicans, sea
gulls, boobies, terns, and a number of other species I couldn't identify. I could easily see the sandy bottom in 25 or 30 feet of water. We watched
as schools of fish would pass under the boat. At one point, bait fish started schooling on the surface of the water about 50 feet from where we were
anchored. The birds went nuts! It was pandemonium on the water. We watched the food chain in action with a front row seat! Unfortunately the boat
received a nice spritzing of bird do during the action. We were joined by about 15 other boats in the bay during the day and decided we would leave
the next morning. Around 0200 that night a moderate swell came in through the bay entrance and all the boats started rolling, which made sleep
difficult. So even more reason to get out of Dodge.
The next day we headed to Puerto Los Gatos on the Baja mainland. We made a brief stop at San Evaristo on the way north and made a note that this is a
place with its small village we will return to explore in more detail on a future trip.
Puerto Los Gatos is about 5 miles north of Timbabichi village where "Casa Grande" is locted. There have been threads about Casa Grande on this Forum.
Puerto Los Gatos is just unbelievable! The mountains to the east running down the spine of Baja rise to about 5 or 6 thousand feet and look like a
slice of the Grand Canyon. It is almost due East of Cd. Constitucion. Los Gatos itself consists of three white sand beaches, with 50 foot tall white
sand dunes. The water was clear emerald green, the sky was a bright blue, and the surrounding sandstone cliffs were bright pink, much like Sedona,
AZ. It was a harmonious color blending of sea, sky, and land. There wasn't a soul around. It is unfortunate that more people don't see this place
since it is so unique and beautiful. I think the only way you can see it is by boat since I don't know of any roads into this area.
During the day, Manuel, a fisherman from Timbabichi stopped by in his panga searching for "D" cell batteries to trade for lobster. Since it was my
birthday, I wasn't going to look a gift horse in the mouth! I tore the boat apart looking for "D" cell batteries, but the best I could do was "C"
cell. This did not suit Manuel, so the deal was off. Well I wasn't about to give up and asked him if I could buy a lobster. He said yes, but he
would have to go diving the next morning to bring me a fresh one. I said that wouldn't work for me since I was leaving very early the next morning
for the voyage back to La Paz. I told him that I would be returning in May and I would collect my lobster then. As he putt-putted away in his panga
he yelled back, "necesito baterias grandes!" I got the message.
Wednesday morning we headed back south to La Paz which was now about 10 hours and 80 miles south. Around noon we saw all kinds of stuff floating in
the water up ahead. We couldn't figure out what it was until we got closer. We found ourselves in a school of about 100 Manta Rays, some of the 8 to
10 feet across. What a thrill! Jacques Cousteau was right. The Sea of Cortez is "the World's Aquarium."
It was a memorable Easter and birthday. On our way back we made plans for future explorations of this wonderful area. The more places we visit, the
more places we want to visit in the future.
Such a wonderful land, we are fortunate to be able to share it.