#20 Baja California

Our second attempt to cross the border into Mexico was a success, you can imagine we were sweating bullets that day, especially when having to turn around, walk the path of no man’s land and hand over our parole cards to one of those, dressed in blue officials! But it all went smoothly and because we didn’t ask for that TIP (Temporary Import Permit) this time round, we were able to get away quickly.

Our research told us that getting the TIP could be quite problematic. There appears to be some weight restrictions on cars in general and we seem to exceed it! And as we are registered as a truck and not an RV we were quite happy to get as far away as possible from the American/Mexican border, after all we didn’t need such paperwork for the Baja, and it’s something we could always deal with later.

Having said that, however, the feeling of being stuck on the peninsula was looming over us. What would happen to our Silverskin if the permit was to be denied in La Paz? There would be no turning back!

But for now…why not switch off and enjoy a few cocktails at Victors RV Park in San Felipe? There was a lot to take in and our new motto was to take things one day at a time.

San Felipe is a well established fishing town and well known for its shrimp. We had our fair share during our four day stay here and even some wrapped in bacon!

Its beach is huge and it hosts the world’s third largest tides with fluctuations of 6-7 meters. That made for excellent shell and crab collection. Funnily enough though, these rapid tidal changes are not caused by the moon, but rather the Pacific Ocean pushing water into the sea of Cortez and sucking it out again.

Talking of which, did you know that the sea of Cortez provides about 70% of all fish consumed in Mexico? For such a tiny amount of water, that’s a heck load of fish! We realized immediately that our culinary journey was about to change. Camarons, ceviche and fish tacos here we come!

Recuperated and ready to roll again, our first attraction was to hit the dusty trails through ‘The Valle de Los Gigantes’. We thought we’d seen big cacti in Arizona, but these guys here, called the ‘Cardon’, although similar to their Suguaro cousins, were almost twice as tall. They were enormous!

We soon learned that a 4×4 vehicle is a little more than just ‘nice to have’ on the Baja California. There is basically only one main road, the MEX 1, that goes from north to south. And almost every turn off you take is either gravel, sand or river bed.

We stopped for a night in Puertecitos, and enjoyed a soak in their hot springs. Located in between the rocks directly on the beach, and when mixed with the right amount of sea water, it makes for a rather pleasant experience.

Whilst there, we bumped into Mark, an American kayaking the islands of the sea of Cortez solo, pretty wild stuff! He was a real nice chap. We kept in touch and learned in a follow up email that he is a former congressman and was very shocked to hear about what had happened to us at the border, it had disturbed him greatly!

Next stop and a highlight of our trip through the Baja was Bahia Los Angeles. Although the town itself is very small, the area along the coast here is very scenic. There are many islands to go and explore and boat tours are on offer. We didn’t do any this time round but enjoyed fishing with locals at La Gringa beach and mingling with fellow travellers. Exciting for us because we hadn’t seen any for so long! Borders into the US have been closed and it appears the Baja is where they’ve all been hiding. It was so refreshing to meet a couple from Switzerland travelling with their one year old son.

Our campsite ‘Campo Archelon’ was the perfect place to spend Zoe’s second birthday. The atmosphere was booming and we were able to share her strawberry birthday shortcake (made in our Dutch oven) with all our new friends!

Whale watching season was about to end so we wanted to catch a glimpse before the grey whales headed back to Alaska. We initially wanted to do this in Guerrero Negro but upon a recommendation, decided to go to San Ignacio instead.

Guerrero Negro, though not much to write home about, did serve as a good hub to stock up on supplies, do laundry and even get Richie a haircut. And our camp spot for the night did not disappoint! Our first wild camp on the Baja, we camped by a lighthouse and within walking distance to a sea lion colony.

San Ignacio…Sleepy little oasis with an old mission church in its centre. We camped on a very lush campground just a short walk from town and enjoyed our little stroll around the plaza. It was here where we booked our whale watching tour (Kuyima) and indulged in some of our own meat tacos. The evening spent amongst the tropical palm trees was lovely…if it wasn’t for the sandflies though…it appears that they thought so too!

Our whale watching tour the following day was definitely up there on our highlights of Baja. We have been on many across the globe, but none of which compare to the experience we had in the Laguna de San Ignacio!

Words cannot describe how we felt getting up close and personal with the friendly grey whales and their kin, but perhaps our video can. Watching them perform to us from our tiny little boat and being able to greet them with a scratching of their heads was truly memorable. Click here to watch the fun! It’ll give you goosebumps!

Our next couple of hundred kilometers were in 4-low. On the rough roads heading south to San Juanico in Scorpion Bay and over the peninsula to Bahia de Concepcion.

We were on our way to Mulege and couldn’t resist to wild camp on the white sands and turquoise waters of the Bay of Conception. We saw dolphins, pilot whales, stingrays and many starfish. Richie even added his own starfish to the collection. Unfortunately though by crashing his drone into the waters! What a day of mourning that was!

The Bay of Concepcion though is a must! It hosts some of the most stunning beaches we have ever seen. We thoroughly enjoyed meeting more travellers and also bumping into familiar faces. Nearby Mulege (another oasis) was also fun to explore. Despite it becoming a growing expat community it still holds its small town atmosphere and playing with the many local children was a treat for Zoe.

At this point in time friends from Switzerland had given word that they would be flying over from Cancun to La Paz in about a week’s time. They were to spend 10 days with us, exploring some of the peninsula. Excitement was in the air! We were quick to hit the road again and headed towards Loreto.

Loreto is another quaint colonial town, founded in 1697 by Juan Maria Salvatierra, and before a devastating hurricane struck in 1829, it served as the administrative capital of the peninsula. Today, the plaza has now given over to craft shops and galleries but the old mission church (Misión de Nuestra Señora de Loretode Conchó), and its tree-lined avenue doesn’t stop one feeling as if they’ve stepped back into a Spanish town in the 18th century.

We enjoyed being tourists and made sure we bought the obligatory sombrero. Our walk back to the campsite was a little unnerving however, with aggressive dogs on the prowl. I guess there is a reason why it is advised to limit sightseeing and driving in Mexico to only daylight hours.

We made arrangements to meet our Swiss friends in La Ventana, and found a great campsite on El Sargento beach. The area is a popular destination for the local La Pazians and attracts hundreds of kite surfers in the winter months. And we can see why…on calm days the waters twinkle and shine in a light jamboree making it a perfect swimming and snorkeling location…this can easily change in an instant, with high winds usually picking up in the afternoon. The kite surfers would come out in their masses and a rainbow of parachutes would form, it was very fun to watch!

Michi, Daniela with their two children Robyn and June and their good friend Björn joined us on Easter Sunday. We had actually met them over a year ago on Rutherford Beach in Louisiana. Michi and Daniela with just their then only child, Robyn, were also overlanding in their Land Cruiser. We reunited with them in Florida and have kept in touch ever since.

The 10 days together driving around the cape were spent on pristine beaches, splashing around in the pool, fishing and sharing good food together.

When we reached Cabo San Lucas, we treated ourselves to a glass-bottomed boat ride and explored the rugged rocks of Land‘s End. Feeding the colourful Nemos of the waters and eyeballing the secluded beaches of Playa del Amor (where the two oceans meet and sometimes even kiss, hence its name ‘Lovers Beach’) and Playa Divorco. In fact the latter gets its name from the fierce riptides of the Pacific Ocean pushing its way in. Definitely only for looking!

We caught a glimpse of the sealions on El Arco and in the very moment our guide pitched his idea to take us on a follow up whale watching tour, a humpback whale sprung into the air! Guess this fellow saved us another $40.

Cabo San Lucas is probably the most touristy location on the Baja. Armies of beach vendors will greet you on the waterfront, trying to sell you everything from sombreros to handbags, and dresses to massages. The loud pumping music that surrounds leaves one feeling that this is the Majorca of the Americas. But the party vibe is happy and the restaurants were exceptional! After filling ourselves with Pulpo, hearty burgers and all you can eat meat at the ‘Outpost’ we stumbled into bed…we as Overlanders at Tabasco Beach for a humble $10 and our friends at the more luxurious hotel in the marina.

Jokes aside, they did have to rough it up in their tents most of the time. But I’m sure it was worth it…we did enjoy a Swiss cheese fondue over the campfire after all!

Our final day together was spent in La Paz, the Baja’s capital. We enjoyed taking in the atmosphere of the Malecon, eating more yummy food and playing at the many cool playgrounds the promenade has to offer.

We were able to spend our last night in the car park of their B&B and say goodbye the next morning. Thank you so much Michi, Daniela, Björn, Robyn and June for coming, to what seemed like the other end of the earth, to see us! We were very touched! Until we meat again.

There was one more thing we had to do in La Paz before continuing our journey, and that was to get Zoe’s immunizations up to date! As it so happened, Richie had stepped on a rusty nail two weeks prior, so killing two birds with one stone and getting his tetanus done as well seemed to be a good idea.

We were very fortunate to have met a lovely family in La Ventana who worked in the medical profession. Our doctor friends had recommended a clinic which coincidentally was located just a few blocks away from the B&B we were parked at. How wonderful! Zoe and Richie got the deed done and at absolutely no cost at all. Thank you Carla and Junco for your connections!

Loop number two…

We enjoyed the southern cape so much, we wanted to do it again! We made our way to La Ventana, this time wild camping on a beach north of El Sargento. This place was truly magical, not just for its pristine beauty, the palapas and unique hot waters bubbling underneath us, but for the many many locals we met during our stay! We enjoyed it so much we spent an entire week there and until our supplies ran out.

Richie still can’t catch a fish!

Talking of fish, Richie was not going to give up…we returned to ‘Martin Verduga’s’ campground in Los Barilles in the hope of some catch of the day. We bumped into long term snowbirds Joe and Cathy, and Joe graciously took Richie out deep sea fishing early one morning. The boat ride at sunrise was spectacular! Manta Rays, giant turtles and even a whale were to be seen, if only the fish joined the party too!

Oh well there’s always Cabo Pulmo!

Cabo Pulmo National Marine Park is a protected area known for its coral reef and excellent snorkeling and diving opportunities. We traversed the rough and rocky dirt roads of the east cape, camping at another free beach, ‘Miramar’.

And drum roll please….Richie caught his first fish! A ‘Whitey’! He was ecstatic. We could move on…perhaps explore some of those bigger fish, unfortunately though, the beach we had set our eyes on was fully booked. It was a Saturday and there was no place at the Inn for us!

We continued further south and had to let go of the dream of swimming with those tropical friends.

We drove on to San José del Cabo and made our way back to Todos Santos. No cheese fondue this time but a good week chilling at the famous surfers beach, catching up on work and waiting for our updated vehicle registration form to arrive.

Yes, we were planning to get that TIP sorted for that ferry crossing to Mainland.

The letter we had arranged to be delivered was taking its time. Things were getting a little tense and we decided to go back to La Paz and wait there. After all we had made new friends in whom we had promised to visit. And what a good distraction that was! We spent two weeks on what we call our home of La Paz, ‘Campestre Maranatha’! Not only did we hook up with our good friends on a number of occasions but we met new ones too! The campsite was a hub for travellers. Zoe got to play with kids from America and Canada and many Swiss and German travellers stopped by too. Great contacts to have when you are longing for some German sausages again…Mmmm! Well, it wasn’t just all about the sausages…we spent many an evening sharing good food and whisky with them.

And what about the TIP you may ask? Well, Richie did drive back to Todos Santos to pick up the vehicle registration, but unfortunately the tension was still looming above us. The word ‘Commercial’ was still written on the registration slip, and we’d heard that along with the weight restrictions, was going to be a problem for our vehicle.

We would simply have to turn up at the Ferry Terminal, be ourselves and ask. Would it be granted to us? Would we be stuck in La Paz? Well, that wouldn’t be a bad idea! It is a city we have fallen in love with. It may be big and urban, but its low key and relaxed vibe suits us indeed. We have established good friendships and we could imagine living there. As we could anywhere on this beautiful and very special peninsula!

Ferry Terminal off we go…

Thanks for reading and we’ll meat you guys around the world!