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Udo
Elite Nomad
Posts: 6364
Registered: 4-26-2008
Location: Black Hills, SD/Ensenada/San Felipe
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Mood: TEQUILA!
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A couple of years ago I joined part of the whale tour in progress by the DISCOVER BAJA club. Nothing really special about their part of the tour
(Caravan from San Diego to San Ignacio), but the unbelievable experience was staying at the lagoon's entrance point. You stay in sort
of like the yurts in Ignacio Springs, a fancy tent, and sleep in cots and you supply the sleeping bags & pillows. Listening to the chanting whales
all night can be likened to a once-in-a-lifetime experience. The tour spends the day watching the whales, boats you to the point, showers in solar
showers, they then feed you dinner, and the next day you watch the whales again on the return trip.
Ignacio Springs is kinda cool. You stay next to the river and part of your stay includes the use of free kayaks.
I highly recommend (as other Nomads have) staying at Casa Leree (reading house). Juanita is San Ignacio's town historian and you will blow your mind
with all the information she has to offer. Her library alone is worth staying at her place. The building of her B&B is very very old, and there is
a creek that runs through the courtyard. Reservations are hard to come by because there are only three rooms available. You may call at
01152-615-154-0158, or you can contact her at janebames@prodigy.net or http://www.prodigyweb.net.mx/janebames. In her informational handout, there is a photo of her B&B, and if it looks familiar, it's because the
Punta Banda owner's association newsletter uses that same photo as the header of their newsletter.
By the way, kayaks are not allowed in San Igncio lagoon during whaling season.
If you want to drive to San Ignacio, drive to the lagoon, go in on a panga for the watching, and stay at Casa Leree or Ignacio Springs, gas, food and
some etc. you can make it for less than $500.00US for a family of five.
ENJOY!
Udo
Youth is wasted on the young!
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Ken Bondy
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 3326
Registered: 12-13-2002
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Mood: Mellow
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udowinkler, I couldn't agree more about the Baja Discovery trips, they are fabulous. Their location at Punta Piedra is awesome, right in front of all
the action. You hear whales blowing all night long (if you want to  ), and during
the day you stand on the shore and see them spyhopping and blowing constantly (see one of each in the photo below). BTW when I took this picture,
about ten years ago, they were using Kuyima pangas:
carpe diem!
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Udo
Elite Nomad
Posts: 6364
Registered: 4-26-2008
Location: Black Hills, SD/Ensenada/San Felipe
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Mood: TEQUILA!
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SEE! This is what this site should be about...members helping other members in their informational needs.
Udo
Youth is wasted on the young!
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DianaT
Select Nomad
Posts: 10020
Registered: 12-17-2004
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| Quote: | Originally posted by Debra
I disagree Diane, I always stay at Rice and Beans and enjoy it, food and all (I love their scallops and shrimp, yum YUM!)
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I know some people like that place---everyone has different tastes. We have tried it more than once over the years, and everytime we were very
disappointed.
But, like lots of places, it is worth everyone trying it because they might just like it. 
We always just drive out there and have never had a problem. I too, am curious about all the damage to Bajabounds SUV???
While others have been very recommended to us, we end up at Kuyima because it is a better place for us to park with our dogs---more places to have the
sun in the right place, etc. They even let us park in the employee area when we asked.
Anyway you go, have fun. Oh, be sure to take plastic bags and towels etc. for your cameras. It can get rough going out and back and WET.
Diane
On edit. I still highly suggest that everyone do the whale watching also at Mag Bay and Ojo de Liebre. We do not think one is better than the
other, but they are just different experiences-----
[Edited on 10-11-2008 by jdtrotter]
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Udo
Elite Nomad
Posts: 6364
Registered: 4-26-2008
Location: Black Hills, SD/Ensenada/San Felipe
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Mood: TEQUILA!
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I agree with JDT. Different experiences!
Mag Bay & Ojo Libre the whales are right there, but the whales get much closer @ San Ignacio. Ojo Libre and Mag Bay are more vehicle friendly
since the dirt roads are MUCH smoother. The panga ride costs the same in all places since the viewing is controlled by the State Park System. Ojo
Libre is close to Guerrero Negro and there are lots of hotels there and chances of finding a room during the season are excellent, even without
reservations.
All three places offer bus rides to the lagoons.
Udo
Youth is wasted on the young!
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Cypress
Elite Nomad
Posts: 7641
Registered: 3-12-2006
Location: on the bayou
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Mood: undecided
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udowinkler, Thanks for all your San Ignacio info. Casa Leree is sort-of-a
mystical place. The owner/lady is in a class all of her own.
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Crusoe
Senior Nomad
Posts: 731
Registered: 10-14-2006
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Many Whales Ago.....Until very recently most whale experts/ marine bioligists,scientists,and anthropoligists knew that indigienous hunter/gather human
populations of indians and eskimos inhabiting the Pacific Coast (Baja) and Arctic regions used whale parts in many of their daily routines going back
about 2000 years. It was always assumed they just gleaned what they needed off dead whales that had been found beached.However a team of
paleontoligists from the University of Alaska have unearthed a site at the northeastern tip of the Chukchi Pen. in Russias North Eastern most tip and
found an intricately carved walrus tusk depicting a scene of early hunters harpooning whales in a sealskin boats. These were multi passanger vessels
called umiaks. The tusk bears two scenes with lines connecected to sealskin floats connecting to the vessles to the whales. In addition they uncovered
sharpened whale bones and lance blades suitable for harpooning whales and other large animals, all dating back 3000 years.The carving leaves little
room for doub that the communities were indeed whaling, and not simply just scavaging bones from washed up leviathans. ++C++
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BajaVida
Senior Nomad
Posts: 541
Registered: 9-1-2003
Location: Motown, Califas
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Mood: muy cool
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Antonio's is the best
about a dozen of us went out a couple of years ago
we ordered a dozen combination plates before we left
the yummy meals were ready for us when we got back
No se apure y dure.
Don\'t hurry and you\'ll last longer.
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wilderone
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 3881
Registered: 2-9-2004
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"early hunters harpooning whales in a sealskin boats"
So what kind of boats did the Baja CA indigenous use?
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Crusoe
Senior Nomad
Posts: 731
Registered: 10-14-2006
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Wilderone....In 1963 a group of friends (4) and myself took a three week kayack trip in the north east section of the Sea of Cortes. We launced in San
Carlos paddeled north around Isla Tiburon and back to San Carlos. We came across many Mexican fisherman. Some were of Indian decent that had never
cross breeded with the Mexicans. A Beautiful race. Maybe Seri? Just cannot recall. At that time they were still sailing and paddeling reed boats of
their own construction. We were unable to communicate with them as they were very shy. Later we were told that they often ventured west and as far off
as accross the sea to the San Filpe area and points south. We also saw many mexican fisherman in the old style pangas that were a fiberglass copy of
an old english Whitehall type of design that were originaly built of wood and used around that section of coast. These had a small wine glass transom.
Today there are still a few of these examples still in use. Interesting stuff. It seems as every indigenes people adapted to what they had available
to use in their specific locale. Her in the P.N.W. the big red cedar canoe was very standard and had to be very seaworthy to withstand the boistrus
waters of Alaska and Brtish Columbia. Also burned out large mahogony tree log boats were widely used in Central America as well as reed boats from
Ecuador. Remnants of these vessels have been found and dated all over the Pacific Rim Basin, from the Mexican Coast to the Hawaian Ilands and west to
French Polenisia. Sea People have been voyageing for centurys and centurys. ++C++
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wilderone
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 3881
Registered: 2-9-2004
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Yeah, the boats would have to have been made out of local materials, and I didn't recall any history that related to boats and gulf travel, although
it must have been accomplished. There is evidence in a cave on Todos Santos island (off Ensenada) of human habitation there. I sure would like to
see those Seri reed boats. On a recent backpack to San Miguel, I learned of the Chumash tomols (Channel Islands) which have been dated to 8,000+
years. The wood they used came from California redwood forests, which floated down the coast and washed up on the Channel Island beaches. Burned out
tree log boats are still used in in Chiapas and Yucatan - I was at Laguna Miramar once when a couple boatloads came ashore. 12 men, standing, in one
boat. I found a nice little hand carved paddle in the beach debris near Tulum.
[Edited on 10-16-2008 by wilderone]
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