Asuncion to Comondu...Magical Mystery Tour

WARNING; what started out to be a little trip report sort of turned into a detailed account of a most enchanting sojourn into a mystical canyon…I wanted to do justice to this captivating area that so moved me…so crack a beer or get a coffee before you read this. Hard to believe we fit it all in in 3 days! I'll present this in 4 parts...first part is to San Juanico.

Part 1

Juan and I decided to take a few days off for a little sojourn up into the sierra for some R&R. First, we wanted to check up on Mike & Don Kay who had headed towards San Ignacio Lagoon. We found him there in the first camp after he’d had a difficult day keeping Don Kay on his feet. As usual, they are a bit hit with the kids.




After a short visit to drop off some supplies and to chat with some of Juan’s old amigos, we set out on the coast road through the salt flats towards San Juanico.

I highly recommend NOT taking this long, poor road. The flats aren’t too bad but the road from El Batequi, Cadeje and then down to San Juanico was terrible…very very long, rough and rocky.

We arrived in San Juanico at sunset. The town beach is beautiful but the place wasn’t at all like I’d imagined it. For some reason, I thought it was a kind of surf camp with some gringo houses. I was not prepared for the sight of so MANY real fancy big homes. It was kinda neat to drive around and gawk at all the different designs, colours and unique structures. The big spreads in town had walls around them and were not photographicable...is that a word? In the earl evening it was like a ghost town…nobody on the streets, most houses closed up, no little Mexican restaurant to eat in.


We stayed in the 7 Puntas Hotel for 300 pesos a night which was a clean, small square room with a bed, table and chair…absolutely no charm of any kind and NO dogs. Luckily our mutt Café is good at sleeping outside the door or in the truck. There is only 12 volt power there.

We ate at a gringo style restaurant El Burro which had a really aggravatingly loud generator running all day and night that permeated the walls of the hotel as well. It was a trendy place with lots of neat plants and nick knacks to look at and the food was fine.



I loved these chairs and bench design of cow hide...gonna see if some rancher can make me some too.



At dawn, to escape the rumble of that generator, we drove out to investigate all the points and more fancy houses. Thankfully, there were some surf camp type places out that way too. Here are some of the surf shacks on the point.







We found a wonderful campfire burning brightly which we adopted until the sun rose and warmed the coast.




I really wanted to look up Ola Dulce and wondered which place might be hers and where Mike & Don Kay would shack up…but we were anxious to head up into the Sierras.



TO BE CONTINUED LATER

[Edited on 1-20-2011 by shari]

PART II

Again we chose the wrong road and ended up taking another rough road up to La Purisima.....saw some neat places though like Cadeje.



La Purisima is pretty spectacular....there sure is alot of visual pollution with all the political banners splattered everywhere. We talked to locals about pressuring politicians to clean up their mess after the election.









We drove up to San Ysidro and marveled at the water canal system and beautiful fertile valleys full of huertas.











We continued further up to Cambuchi where we saw people making petates. We stopped to enquire about them and enjoyed meeting the family. As is the custom, the petates weren’t for sale…the ones already made were encargos…ordered by someone else. We chatted for a good while about la gripa, los politicos, economicos, perros etc. and I commented on the colour of all their eyes and that they looked like Arce’s and they laughed and told me they were all Arce’s!!! Well MAYBE they might be able to sell a couple petates and they sent a boy to get his uncle. After more chatting, he agreed to sell a couple to us for 150 pesos each.We gave him 200 each and he was very very happy and promised to somehow send them up a puppy as their dog had just got run over…so anyone going that way, please take a puppy to them!! So we loaded them aboard the Toyota…Café was happy to have some shade and lay down inside the rolled up petates.





We asked directions and about road conditions to Comondu and they told us to make sure to buy some of their homemade wine there that was famous and we were on our way once again.

Oh great!!

PART III Comondu area



Winding our way up a palm lined arroyo in a very narrow copper coloured canyon, we finally arrived at Comondu and drove out to the mission just as the bells were ringing for the misa.








The whole canyon is an enchanting, mystical place of overwhelming peace & tranquility…gardens and orchards bursting with colourful fruit and vegetables. The fair skinned, blue and green eyed people were soft spoken and gentle… reflecting their place.





That wonderful quiet was what I had been seeking and we looked around for a place to sleep…no generator there! As usual the first people we asked said there were no cuartos for rent there….maybe in San Jose del Comondu where we had just come from. Maybe we could bunk down in this old jail house?



this village had so many interesting doors.

Then I spotted some rustic palm trunk chairs and planters outside a house and asked Juan to stop there. The carver wasn’t home but I found out that he did sell his pieces and would be home in a bit.





I was determined to buy some of them so asked another woman about a room. Maybe La Negrita might rent one so I set out to find her. I timidly knocked on a weathered old door calling out buenos tardes and heard movement followed by a woman peeking out her curtain. Sure enough she had a nice little block room with a bed, table and chair and bathroom but no hot water for 150 pesos. I was ecstatic and unpacked, opened the curtain so I could take in the view of the ruins, horses and mules, ancient casas surrounded by steep ochre canyon walls. I couldn’t have been happier. It is the yellow cuarto behind the mules.



Dona Negrita invited me into her old adobe casa and as is the custom, we had a long chat about where we came from and who our relatives were. Being married to an Arce certainly has it’s advantages in the sierra!

When I asked her about the local wine, she disappeared into her cocina and returned with a little glass of vino anejo de granada, aged pomogranate wine that her son makes who was taught by his father who inherited the recipe from his ancestors. It was 3 years old and was incredibly rich. It appears that most people make wine there from grapes and tuna cactus fruit too. We ended up doing a rancho style wine tasting tour there as everyone we talked to made their own wine and of course we ended up buying several bottles by the time we left. The prices were all 100 pesos a bottle or 400 for a gallon.

The woman all made nice macramé things like hanging planters, tables and chairs as well as baskets. I ended up also buying a chair and a rustic lamp of cactus wood and macramé lampshade from our hostess as well as a gallon of pomegranate wine.



While Juan took a much needed siesta, I wandered around the village at sunset absorbed in the ruins, my imagination running wild with visions of how beautiful it must have been at one time. There was so much history here…so many stories and incredible images to photograph. I had only begun to scratch the surface of this mysterious paradise but the feel, smell and beauty of it penetrated my soul.









I stopped to chat with some ancianos sitting on the curb and learned more about the history of the place as they admired my dog. Everyone was keen to engage in long conversation…they had the time and rarely got a chance to talk to outsiders. Everyone seemed sad that the village was in ruins and talked about how it was in times past and how it is now forgotten by the politicians who don’t bother to fix the roads or help restore the historical buildings.









For dinner, we went to the lady’s home across from the little store and sat at her dining room table where she served local machaca with beans and cheese she made….delicious! and she prepared me a special herbal tea for my gripa which calmed my cough.

The political candidates of the area had just finished eating there as well and after taking their leave, the talk turned to how the politicians always made so many empty promises. I was fascinated by all the ruins in the pueblo and the cook’s brother told us all about how they were made and which roof designs lasted longer. I learned a lot and went back in the morning to photograph what he had taught me. He explained how the buildings here were so unique having 3 different arch designs which was unusual.







The palm carver lived a couple doors down from our room so I sauntered over to visit him after dinner. He told us some of the pieces were available and showed us the beautiful chairs he was making for someone who ordered them and he hoped he would come soon to pick them up. He was happy to sell us some planters and a chair and he ended up giving us the first piece he ever made! I promised him I would send him more customers so he’d better get busy and make more. The planters ranged from 100-300 pesos and the chairs were 250-350 pesos depending on the size and design. He also made wine which seemed to sell more than his furniture!




These folks have very little income and the pueblo has been largely forgotten. There is no form of communication except radio but they do have 110 electricity and inexhaustible amount of fresh water. There is a telephone in the next village in case of an emergency. They grow all their own fruit and vegetables but are so far from market, they cant sell their goods. They comment on how sometimes 2 or 3 vehicles a week will drive past to see the mission…some wave but rarely stop.

Upon hearing that, my mind began to form a plan to help them. If I could somehow get the word out to get people to stop, then like we did, visitors would certainly stay the night, eat, sleep and buy their handmade goods and produce. In 24 hours, we spent over 2,000 pesos there spread among various families. This place has moved me. I envision what could be done here…a restored historical village…revitalization could provide a healthy future for the inhabitants who don’t want to leave their place in search of work. Many young folks who left to study couldn’t cope with the busy cities, the noise, traffic and loneliness for lack of family so returned home to barely survive on their gardens, goats and things they make with their hands to sell to the odd passerby.

Upon returning home, our hostess offered a nightcap of another glass of wine and we stood in the twilight discussing whatever came to mind. Vlademir offered to show us the cave painting the next morning and finally I had to excuse myself exhausted from the day’s journey. We said our good nights and I took a last breath of silence before entering our room…a silence so deep and penetrating…only broken by the sound of a braying burro which brought a smile to my face. The night was totally silent…not a car passed, nor music blared, not even a dog barked…only the occasional neighing of our neighboring horses, mules and burros…I slept deeply with a slight grin on my face…dreaming of adobe houses.

[Edited on 1-20-2011 by shari]

PART 4 Cave Paintings

The next morning, I took coffee at the restaurant casa where the beans had been freshly roasted and ground and fresh goat milk added to the best cup of coffee I’d ever had.
We drove to where we would climb up to a large rock face which held dozens of figures. Sadly, most have deteriorated as they are exposed to the elements but still worth seeing. My favorite was a whale with what looked like dolphins following it and a strange rotund figure with horns. I picked a mandarin off a heavily laden tree on the trail next to the stream that was the sweetest, most succulent fruit I had ever tasted. I couldn’t resist stealing a few more!















We said our goodbyes to our hosts with a promise to send them more guests and some suggestions on how they could increase their income by simply painting…room for rent on the wall and making sure to offer their visitors wine, showing them their macrames and offering to guide them to the cave paintings. I explained if they stay the night, most people will be enchanted with the place and buy something there.

On our way out of town, we stopped at a Tecate deposito and ended up in another long winded conversation about the past and future and were shown the good that that family produces as well and tasted and bought more wine. This family was preparing for tourism and would also rent rooms and palapa with catres which are like cots and had hot showers and would provide meals as well. They also had horses and burros for hire and told us of another secret cave painting site.



There is so much more to these little pueblos than first meets the eye to visitors who just drive through them. San Miguel de Comondu captured my heart and imagination and I will return to drink in the delicious silence of that enchanting canyon.

The hardest part was leaving that paradise and returning to the hustle and bustle of the highway and cities with all the noise and commotion….I long to be back smiling at the braying of the burro.

Did you want maps???

2007 AAA:

Big View:



Closer:



2003 topo:



1962:



1941:



Before the Transpeninsular Highway was built, Comondu was on the main road to La Paz. In 1972, it was bi-passed when the route was changed to go through Loreto.

1930:

shari, Thanks for the report. Made the trip once from Mulege south to San Blas to La Purisima to Comondu to San Javier to Loreto and back to Mulege. Spent the night at the first farm on the west side of Comondu. Good times.

Quote:

Originally posted by Cypress shari, Thanks for the report. Made the trip once from Mulege south to San Blas to La Purisima to Comondu to San Javier to Loreto and back to Mulege. Spent the night at the first farm on the west side of Comondu. Good times.

As you can imagine, there is a lot of history in San Jose Comondu and San Miguel, next door.

They started out as visitas (mission visiting stations)... San Miguel was a visita of San Javier. Today's San Jose Comondu site was first called 'San Ignacio' and was a visita of Comondu. The mission of San Jose de Comodu was founded in 1708, over 20 miles away, at the site now called Comondu Viejo between Rancho San Juan and La Presa.

In 1737, the mission was moved to San Miguel briefly and then finally to Vistita 'San Ignacio', at which point the name was changed to that of the mission's 'San Jose de Comondu'.

The mission grew to be the largest in all the California's... it was magnificient with arches, pillars, something special in the 1750's.

When the Franciscans replaced the Jesuits in 1768, they 'stripped' San Jose de Comondu of much, and used it to adorn their new missions in Alta California... San Diego being the major benefactor.

By the early 1900's the mission was in poor condition and in 1936 it was torn down to build a school. The priest's quarters was left standing and that is what is now is shown as the mission, having been converted to a church. The school that replaced the mission has since been torn down...

The two close by mission era sites of San Miguel and San Jose de Comondu were re-populated by Mexicans from the mainland as well as any natives that survived by joining with Spanish soldiers (Arce's, etc.)... The names adjusted a bit to San Miguel Comondu and San Jose Comondu and had a combined population of 720 in 1960... split about equally between them.

When Highway 1 was re-routed through Loreto, the lack of communication, loss of travelers, and other factors have nearly doomed these oasis villages.

In 1906:

I concur. A fantastic report. Thank you.

Michelle and I were last through the Comondus over 10 years ago. Came through there from San Javier.

Always enjoy the area of La Purisima. Seems like the people here might be a little too isolated though. Just my own personal observations and experience.

Nice picures. I have also done this loop (Semana Santa 3-4 years ago). Used to be a Gringo lived full-time in La Purisima but alas he passed on a couple of years ago. While some bemoan the remoteness of these towns, I would ate to see them take on atmosphere of San Juanico.



Another view



some parts of the road not bad

[Edited on 1-20-2011 by rts551]

[Edited on 1-20-2011 by rts551]


[Edited on 1-20-2011 by rts551]

[Edited on 1-21-2011 by BajaNomad]

Hi Shari, nice trip report and photos. (God willing and the creeks don't rise too much we will be seeing you in about 3 weeks).

Just as you describe, I was enchanted with that box canyon filled with palm trees and both Comondu' villages. Lots of water, beautiful flower gardens, big vegetable gardens, domestic pigs tied to trees with ropes, folks making brown sugar, etc. etc. When the sun is either just rising of just about to set, the colors on the rocks of that canyon can be stunning.

We took about a week and drove atv's from Mulege to Rancho Ballena (where Mike and Don-Kay are tonight according to David K's post), down to Cadeje, to San Juanico to La Purisma to San Isidro to San Jose de Comondu' and San Miguel de Comondu' then back over the peninsula over to San Nicolas on the SOC.

I will try to add just a a few photos of my own.

Here is the cemetery on top of the box canyon as we came down into San Jose de Comondu' from San Isidro. Parts of the cemetary were ancient.



Here is a donkey powered grinding wheel:


The new town sign:


Stayed at this nice little casita for $7 a night U.S.




Poster on the Mission to celebrate its 300th:


The outside of the Mission getting the entrance steps refurbished for the 300th Birthday bash:



The step workers who were very nice:


Inside the Mission....I thought the the old lava rock masonary work at 300 years old was just WOW:




Some arches like you saw (these were in San Miguel de Comondu):




And finially, the very friendly folks were making brown sugar the day we left:


I have lots more, especially inside the Mission, but this gives you an idea. The little road between the two towns was being redone with new cement when we were there as well. We were also able to convince a very nice lady in town to fix our meals and let us eat with her family in her house. Very accommodating. b1

Perhaps the late Jim Dandy (where Mision the burro lived after Graham's 1000 mile walk)?




Photo from http://grahammackintosh.com

b1, Thanks for your contribution. That's a mystical area. Any pictures of the jail in La Purisima? Those old sugar-making mills/cookers/molds are a bit of living history.

BUMP...

Quote:

Originally posted by shari PART II Again we chose the wrong road and ended up taking another rough road up to La Purisima.....saw some neat places though like Cadeje. La Purisima is pretty spectacular....there sure is alot of visual pollution with all the political banners splattered everywhere. We talked to locals about pressuring politicians to clean up their mess after the election. We drove up to San Ysidro and marveled at the water canal system and beautiful fertile valleys full of huertas. We continued further up to Cambuchi where we saw people making petates. We stopped to enquire about them and enjoyed meeting the family. As is the custom, the petates weren’t for sale…the ones already made were encargos…ordered by someone else. We chatted for a good while about la gripa, los politicos, economicos, perros etc. and I commented on the colour of all their eyes and that they looked like Arce’s and they laughed and told me they were all Arce’s!!! Well MAYBE they might be able to sell a couple petates and they sent a boy to get his uncle. After more chatting, he agreed to sell a couple to us for 150 pesos each.We gave him 200 each and he was very very happy and promised to somehow send them up a puppy as their dog had just got run over…so anyone going that way, please take a puppy to them!! So we loaded them aboard the Toyota…Café was happy to have some shade and lay down inside the rolled up petates. We asked directions and about road conditions to Comondu and they told us to make sure to buy some of their homemade wine there that was famous and we were on our way once again.

Some of my impressions of Los Commondus:

The road in from where the pavement ends...










































The road north out of town to La Purisima:












and the bad part...








Ride report and pics for La Purisima and Commondus areas:

from:

http://www.advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=666961&page=6


to....

http://www.advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=666961&page=7

HOLA SHARI y Juan....


GREAT TRIP REPORT and BEAUTIFUL PHOTOS!!

Not sure why I missed this before, but thanks so much for taking the time to write it and post the pics. You were so lucky to have such a cool Baja adventure. Glad we got to go along!

Miguelamo

Thanks for writeing and posting pics,really enjoyed

So............this is a prime reason I'm scheming another moto trip through Baja.....San Juanico to Francisco Villa to SM Comondu and SJ Comondu...piece of cake but then SJComondu to Ramono Viejo to Loreto was very tough going....but starkly beautiful......sometimes I had to ask why all the boulders were considered a road.......



From Loreto back to San Javier then west to Highway 1..........another long stretch of wonderful sights and smells........yes, the advantage of the moto....smells have a huge impact....



This was the route south.....but when we returned northward, we rode through La Purisima then San Isidro and out to the east through El Crucerito and north to Mulege....can I get the bigger bikes through that stretch this year.........? I'm scheming still........



If I think I can......even with some extra Mmmmmm's and Aaaaa's.....then of course I can........

[Edited on 12-18-2011 by Sweetwater]

[Edited on 1-21-2013 by BajaNomad]

COMONDU

Quote:

Originally posted by David K COMONDU

Ah! Shari...

Mileages on the maps below on most of the roads mentioned:



Here's a bigger area view:

There is a new paved road to San Juanico (Scorpion Bay) now that starts at Las Barrancas and goes north over the La Purisima River merging with the older road from La Purisima... Not shown on this map:



But added to this one:

Nice and friendly accommodation in La Purisima is Posada del Angel...

Located on north side of main road going through town....behind this place on a corner:













The kind owner....he used to be a teacher in town for decades....was now retired... (forget names....and he is wearing a hat ):




There is a rough road going south from La Purisima to Los Commondus...need to have 4-w drive or a bike for one section of about 300 feet in middle of route....otherwise good road:

Some of the good road:




The bad bit in middle of route:









A link to more pics and info:
http://www.advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=666961&page=7

[Edited on 2-5-2012 by motoged]

[Edited on 2-5-2012 by motoged]

[Edited on 1-21-2013 by BajaNomad]

Remember.... BAD roads bring GOOD people! Get a Toyota (or other good 4WD) and enjoy Baja the way it used to be, today!

I rode that route last March of 2011 on an XR650R and it was a very tough ride. We chose that route because we had been informed the road north out of Comondu to La Purisima was in bad shape. When you leave Comondu, you climb several pitches that are simply talus slopes. It almost becomes single track in several spots. And there are multiple spots to make significant mistakes that would strand you. We did not see any other vehicles on that road and it took a long time to navigate to the junction with San Javier. It looks pretty similar to motogeds photos. From that junction, the road is great in both directions.

SW,
Thanks for your road pics between Comondus and San Javier...

Just that one rough section???

Looks like your back tire has been having fun...