AmyPNW
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Trip north from CSL
Great trip! Thanks to all of you for your suggestions and encouragement. I am trying a picture to see how it goes and I will tell you more about the
trip.
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AmyPNW
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Well, looks like I need to learn what works for posting pics.
Week 1:
We spent the first week at the resort in CSL. It was perfect, thank you hubby. I had worked about 50 hours the week before we left, working 12 hours
the day before we took off. Sitting around being waited on hand and foot was just the unwind I needed. I have seen some talk on this forum about
timeshares but I was thrilled with Pueblo Bonito Sunset Beach. The staff and the facility were wonderful. We sat on our balcony and watched the
boats and whales, laid by the pool, walked on the beach, ate and rested up from the rat race.
Never having been to the area before, it was a little confusing getting off the plane and leaving the airport. I kept looking for signs for where to
go but there were all these people trying to get my attention for a taxi or whatever instead. Since hubby just kept walking I followed him.
After a brief talk with the car rental people we decided to bus it and walked the block or two to the green Baja bus. I kept an eye on traffic,
hoping to learn a thing or two for when we would be driving. The driver finally dropped us off in downtown CSL, telling a taxi driver to take us
"gringos" the rest of the way to our lodging.
We came to downtown CSL a time or two. I kept seeing these white school buses. It took me a while to figure out that they were the public
transportation and even longer to figure out that if you could read the white shoe polish writing on the front you knew where the bus might take you.
We rode them a couple of times and found the drivers to be quite helpful.
One of our trips to town was a water taxi out to Lover's Beach and the southern point of CSL and Baja. Kinda felt like we had to do that at least
once. I imagine that sea lion on the rock at the very tip does well if people really do pay to get fish to feed to him.
Got some great pictures and rested up for the remainder of our trip.
[Edited on 2-26-2012 by AmyPNW]
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AmyPNW
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February 14, day 8:
Decided to make a run for it and see how far we get. The plan is to go north as fast as possible. We are due in San Ignacio tomorrow night for the 4
day whale watching trip.
We asked about the quickest route. Our spirits were a little dampened after we saw all the construction on Highway 19 from CSL to Todos Santos.
However the road was paved after Todos Santos and we added only about half an hour extra to our trip by going that way.
The Cuidad Constitucion and Cuidad Insurgentes areas provided some welcome relief from the desert with their large fields of farming activity. We
rolled through town at the speed limit, forewarned is forearmed. I noticed that traffic was amazingly well behaved compared to CSL.
Hubby, having been raised in SoCal, was delighted to see a Thrifty ice cream store. He was shocked that I had never heard of it. Tried a cone to
please him. As far as food goes, I am not ready to try out a diner that looks like it is someone's screened in front porch just yet. I am thoroughly
amazed by these diners.
We made it a little north of Loreto, not too bad for a day's driving work. Both hubby and I had read up on driving in Mexico and didn't really have
much problem. We put our minds as much as possible in the place of the Mexican driver and watched out for the law and dangerous situations. But the
weapons that the Federalis like to carry were just a touch intimidating. I took their picture on the sly as we were waiting to be searched. Got one
of those big guns in my camera.
We wanted to check out Buenaventura and stopped there to talk with Mark and Olivia. Imagine my surprise to read Mark's post after we had settled in
for the evening. Mark had posted to the forum after we left for our trip initially and I hadn't been on the computer. Since the people with the guns
were supposedly in custody we settled in for our Valentine's night with the gentle sound of waves lapping outside our deck door and heavy trucks
pounding the highway behind us.
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AmyPNW
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February 15, day 9:
Left Buenaventura at dawn and stopped at the top of the hill to watch the sunrise over Bahia Concepcion. Wow! As you all know, this section of the
trip is especially beautiful. What a treat.
The plan is to stop in San Ignacio, secure a room for the night, and head up to Guerrero Negro for the afternoon. Hubby has read a lot about Ojo de
Liebre and would like to see the whales there if possible. We need to be back in San Ignacio for the night since our van to the San Ignacio Lagoon
leaves at 8 am tomorrow.
We get to San Ignacio by 9-10am. I already know that San Ignacio Springs is booked since I have been trying to get reservations but we check with
Terry anyway. She makes some suggestions and we secure a room at the Oasis on the highway. Off to GN we go. These two days are the biggest push of
our trip and getting the miles out of the way will give us a lot of freedom for the rest of the time.
The drive through the salt flats to Ojo de Liebre is not what I expected. That's some big hunks of salt! We use Bahia Sal at home and one of those
chunks could fill a shaker for quite a while.
Once we get to the lagoon we head out at low tide and end up in a boat with a group that has come on a tour. There are several whales, maybe 6-8
adults and 4-5 babies, that stay fairly close around the boat for a long time. We can feel, see and hear their presence all around the boat. It was
an amazing experience to be with these whales and see so many more everywhere. The guide for the group tells us that the sloughs keep the whales in a
more limited area during low tide so the whales that were with us may have been hanging around for that reason.
Back to our basic room in San Ignacio. The shower is hot and we are ready for our adventure to the lagoon in the morning.
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David K
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Location: San Diego County
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Mood: Have Baja Fever
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Great (so far)!!!
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AmyPNW
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February 16-19, day 10-13, Kuyima
Awake early and off the the main plaza in San Ignacio to meet the van driver for the trip. We eat at the food cart that is the only one open this
early with a young man from Denmark that will be doing a day trip today with Kuyima. Our driver is Marcos, says he has never had an accident and that
someone else is driving "his" van. Turns out he has helped with the paving of the road as far as the pavement goes and knows every turn of the road.
He helps me with my Spanish as we go and I help him with his English which is remarkably good. I am feeling pretty good about leaving the car in San
Ignacio by the time we get to the end of the road.
Our time whale watching at the bay was nothing short of amazing. Words cannot describe the sense of awe and wonder I felt as we interacted with the
enormous gentle animals. I was worried that we might be too early to spend much time close to the babies and their mothers but it did not seem to be
a problem. Whales interacted with us over and over in multiple ways. Whales were under the boats, beside the boats, bringing themselves up to see us
closely enough to be touched, rolling, pushing the boat in circles. All the time the bay was full of whales spouting, diving and breaching. It was
awesome.
I also received a lesson in upping my game in conservation and living with the environment, courtesy of Kuyima. The side trips were well worth the
time. Friends were made and we parted feeling totally sure that this had been the place to be on our planet.
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DianaT
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| Quote: | Originally posted by AmyPNW
February 16-19, day 10-13, Kuyima
......
I also received a lesson in upping my game in conservation and living with the environment, courtesy of Kuyima. The side trips were well worth the
time. Friends were made and we parted feeling totally sure that this had been the place to be on our planet. |
Enjoying your report and it sounds like you are having a fantastic time!
Kuyima is doing such a great job and we agree that it is "the place to be on our planet. " San Ignacio Lagoon is such a beautiful place.
Hope to see some photos of your journey!
Thanks for sharing
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AmyPNW
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Here is one mother and baby that played with our boat and another boat for over an hour:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LIVmuMwg2Cc
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kLu9OKD4Rj4
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_FDV29sfYZA&feature=chann...
I am in the rose colored parka and my hubby is the the yellow parka.
[Edited on 2-27-2012 by AmyPNW]
[Edited on 2-27-2012 by AmyPNW]
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AmyPNW
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February 19, day 13
We were no less relieved that someone other than us was driving back to San Ignacio. When a spot along the drive gets too rough, the road seems to
sprout another (hopefully smoother) lane. At one point we had a two lane dirt/washboard road that lasted for at least half a mile so I had to get a
picture of this "two lane road."
We arrived back at Ignacio Springs B&B, left our bags and went to explore the town. It was a joy to relax in the plaza with the huge trees. It
was great to just sit and watch all the life that occurred in the square. We visited Juanita at Casa Leree and marveled at the photos of the little
tiny Indian laurel saplings that these huge trees had grown from. What an amazing history and photo collection Juanita has! We chatted with her for
a bit and toured her garden.
We ran into some buddies at Renee's that we had stayed with at Kuyima so we stopped and spent some time sipping a sparkling water (agua con gas) and
reliving the past few days.
We went back to play with the kayaks at Ignacio Springs and continued to marvel at the oasis in the middle of the desert. Palms, birds and water
abounded. Terry and her staff made a fabulous dinner and we and the other guests stretched out along a long table. The yurt was great and we needed
the extra blankets for the night. Everyone was commenting on the cold snap we seemed to be having. Seemed ok to us.
San Ignacio was truly a peaceful stop for us.
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BajaBlanca
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great descriptions !!! sounds like it was an amazing trip .....
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captkw
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Mood: new dog/missing the old 1
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CABO
HOLA,,,,was trying to figure,,where the hell is csl,,,it has alway's and probly will always be called CABO,,just a thought,,,,the first that I've
had in a week....K&T
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Bajamatic
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sounds like a fun trip
yuletide
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Natalie Ann
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I sure am enjoying this trip. Thank you.
nena
Be yourself, everyone else is already taken.
.....Oscar Wilde
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DianaT
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Your u-tubes are great---enjoyed them with my morning coffee!
Thanks
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