I can tell you how to do the cheap Baja vacation; it isn't the most exciting or the most convenient however. I have traveled this style before in
PV/Yelapa and had a great time.
My to-be wife and I bought biggest external frame Kelty backpacks made. I pack the same stuff that I use while backpacking in the Sierras here in No.
Ca: MSR Internationale camp stove that can run on regular gas, one lightweight aluminum pot (about one quart) with lid and pliers-like pot holder,
Metal spoon, small bag full of junk like aluminum foil, rope, salt/pepper, and etc., small North Face 2 person tent, Thermarest mattress, sleeping
bag, Teva sandals, 6X8 tarp, and misc. such as books, kite, cards, mask/snorkle and etc. I fit all that in my backpack. I guess it is quite a bit more
than I take to the mountains, but it all fits. My clothing consists of thin fabric pants with zip-off legs that turn into shorts, plenty of tank tops,
a couple of t-shirts, one fleece coat, and the rest. I carry all that, and my wife carries only her sleeping pad, sleeping bag, clothes, makeup, and
etc. I'd take the ABC bus straight through to Mulege. I'd spring for a night or two at Las Terazas; it's cheap. I like to buy pastries and coffee in
town and take it up to the balcony at the hotel for a nice breakfast with a view for about a buck. While you are hanging around in Mulege, you can
probably arrange for somebody to take you out to Bahia Concepcion, or you can take the bus if need be. Ask to be let off on Mex 1 at Playa La Perla
and hike about a mile in. There is most certain to be a 3 sided, water front palapa available or the very nice palapa cabin in the middle of the
parking lot; if not, you can find a place to camp somewhere until one opens up. You might have to bargain to get a decent price on the palapa. Just
about every day, various Bajacalifornios drive their trucks into the camp with staples for sale at good prices. An egg or two costs about a quarter.
Cabbage and other vegs good for stew is cheap. Sometimes you can buy fish from the pangaros. It is a good idea to bring beads for making jewelry for
the lady who runs the camp; I think her name is Maria. She is a nice lady for sure. At this point, you can probably subsist at this level of comfort
living in a hut next to the sea, eating well on tortillas, eggs, stew, and maybe fish for about 5-10 dollars per person per day. I have met some
Europeans there who take pride in getting it down this cheap. I you can manage to smuggle in a bunch of bottles of Charles Shaw from the states and
buy a few Pacifico Ballenas (Maybe one for each day) in Mulege, you will live in high style no doubt.
For me, the camping gear has been an investment that I'm sure I'll never regret. I have spent some money on some quality gear, but it pays off in the
end.
P.S. There are some people who frown on this style of travel because it doesn't dump enough bucks into the local economy. I, for one, have definitley
paid my dues in the past by blowing wads of money on 1 week vacations. In addition, the little money you do spend on the cheap goes more toward the
independent Mexican families and helps them support their lifestyle rather than disrupt things by dumping money to the people who are already rich
anyway. Also, by learning how to live cheap at easy places such as La Perla, you can later do the same thing at places that would get J.R.'s approval.
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