A ship is safe in the Harbor, but it was built to sail the seas.
Quoted by a lovely Irish lady
10/21: Dinner in the Palapa (a palm covered , shade providing open hut) , warm evenings at the sandy beach and some soothing waves …. yes we have reached the Sea of Cortez in Bahia de Los Angeles . And it’s all we had imagined Baja to be.
It has been only 4 days in Mexico and the multitude of impressions are hard to digest. The rough pacific coast with the same rugged beauty as big sur, the dusty villages along Highway 1 and the vast desert between the 2 coasts.
South of Ensenada the remoteness of this peninsula became obvious . Just a few dirt roads of Hwy 1 to the pacific ocean , mostly if there are agricultural villages to get to. We found an expats place named CoyoteCal , at Punta Cabras , nicely perched above the roaring waves.
Before arriving in Bahia de LA , we had spent a night on Punta Baja, a small fishing village with picturesque beaches ,but also strong winds. Bundled up in our warm jackets we cooked dinner inside Esmeralda and hoped the roof does not blow away.
Bento, a local fishermen allowed us to park our rig for 50 pesos on his property.
The next day we made sure to fill up in Rosar
io, the last gas station for 200 km and made our way through the dessert and mountains across the peninsula.
Then the drive down from the mountains to the blue waters and bare islands of the Bahia de Los Angeles and the Gulf of California.
Sitting in the Palapa for dinner, I am not just digesting the dinner I cooked , but also the many impressions taken in for the last few days.
10/22 Getting up early when the water is calm . One of the neighbors in the next Palapa told us about Whale sharks hanging out in the Bay. We hired a boat together and left early to see the abundant wildlife. At the dive shop we all climb in the boat, including the captain, and pulled by the truck driven by another dive shop employee , drive through town to the boat launch and straight into the waters. Very efficient…
Out in the Bay we see a small pod of bottlenose Dolphins. Many Pelikans , Frigatte birds, Egrets and naturally Seagulls are entertaining us. Then we scan the calmer waters at the end of the Bay for a while . Until we see the first dorsal fin of a whale shark . These majestic animals, up to 35 feet long, eat like whales , but are not mammal’s , they breath like fish. We put the snorkel ,mask and fins on and jump in the water between them .
Now back at the Palapa writing this , I look out at
the ocean and see fish jumping in the air . What a magical place nature provides!