After 2 weeks, we leave our beautiful bay in Agua Verde with a little sadness, because at some point we have to fill up on water and supplies again. After an overnight stop in Ciudad Constitucion, we take a rutted, sandy track to the Pacific coast and the beach at El Conejo. The surfers are at home here and we position ourselves in the dunes, reasonably sheltered from the wind. Swimming is out of the question due to the surf, but the whales pass by here on their way south. However, they are so far out that, with a bit of effort and luck, you can occasionally see one blowing or spot the tip of its tail. On the other hand, the beach makes for lovely walks and we experience a beautiful full moon.
After three days, we head to the other side to La Paz, the capital of Baja California. We remember the town from our last visit in 2017 and return to the Maranatha campsite, ten kilometers from the town center. From here, it's a comfortable Uber ride into town and we stroll along the beach promenade, go shopping for fish and vegetables at the public market and enjoy a delicious meal. Marion & Max have to get something repaired in a garage and then we look forward to going back to the beach.
A few kilometers north of La Paz is the beach of Tecolote. We are right by the water there with many other overlanders and a few nice beach bars are just a few steps away. The wind is usually very strong here and so we use our windbreak tarpaulin again. Nevertheless, we can't prevent ourselves from being sandblasted and the sand creeping into every crack. But with a few delicious margaritas in the beach bar, it's quite bearable. One day, we take a hike over the mountain and past various bays into a nature reserve. Balandra Beach with its crystal-clear water and snow-white sand attracts countless tourists every day and everyone wants to take photos of the attraction, the mushroom-shaped rock.
After four days, we've had enough of wind and sand. We make a stopover in La Paz and then head back to the Pacific coast to Todos Santos. We stay at a campground near the town for one night and can easily explore the town from there. Todos Santos is geared towards American mass tourism and the prices are correspondingly high. However, the town has plenty of interesting photo opportunities. One of the attractions is the Hotel California, which is said to have been sung about by the Eagles.
The next morning we move to a small campground on the edge of town. It is quieter there and we take a nice walk to the beach in the evening, where freshly hatched turtles are currently released into the sea every day at dusk. A spectacle that attracts many tourists every day. On the way there, we stop for a bite to eat in a Bavarian beer garden with bratwurst and schnitzel on the menu, Ayinger beer on tap and prices just like at home. Later on, we have a rum tasting to help us digest.
A few kilometers further south, we reach the beautiful Jimi Beach. Here we meet many Germans that we have seen somewhere in the last few months. The beach is exactly to our taste and we make ourselves at home. During the day, we watch whales that show us their jumping skills not far from the shore and exchange experiences with the other travelers.
If you walk a few kilometers over the mountain from our bay, you come to a secluded beach that can only be reached on foot. And it belongs to the whales, dozens of which roll around in the surf very close to the beach to rid themselves of parasites that have settled on their skin. An incredible spectacle that we can watch for hours on an empty beach.
The days ripple by and we spend our time adjusting our deckchairs to the position of the sun and in the evening we enjoy delicious fish dishes. Alternatively, we make the occasional trip over the mountain to the whales. After a few days, we are joined by Robert and Janet, with whom we last drove together in Newfoundland and Labrador, and later by Rolli and Colli, with whom we picked up our cars at the harbor in Halifax in April 2024.
After a good week, we run out of food and water and drive to Cabo San Lucas to go shopping, do laundry and fill up on water. The next day we take a stroll through the town of San Jose del Cabo and have a delicious lunch.
We have to deflate before continuing our journey, as we are now heading north along an unpaved and washed-out track along the Gulf of California for almost 100 kilometers. The devastation from the hurricanes of recent years can still be seen everywhere. The beaches look more or less the same and we decide to head for Nine Palms, where the surfers are having fun in the waves. Apart from whale watching and our 30-minute morning exercise routine, which we have been doing every day for some time now, not much is happening. And you already know that we orient our deckchairs towards the sun. After a few days, we drive another 30 km to Cabo Frailes. Here we are also right on the beach, but apart from the whales, there are also local fishermen who supply us with freshly caught fish. So once again we have as much ceviche and fish tacos as we want.
We continue along the beach until we reach Miramar beach. It's exactly to our taste. We take long walks along the beach and watch the whales and manta rays jumping. In the evening, we cook together and enjoy the beautiful sunsets. No wonder we stay at this beautiful place for over a week.
We leave the sea for the time being and continue through the mountains to El Triunfo. There's a pizzeria there that we simply can't drive past. The prices are the same as at home at the posh Italian restaurant, but we have to go through with it. We also get fresh bread and almond croissants of the finest quality and, well fortified, we drive the few kilometers to La Paz.
Hermann & Ritschi are waiting for us at the campground in La Paz, with whom we have already spent many wonderful days in the USA. We replenish our supplies and head off together to Tecolote beach. There are now almost more Germans there than Mexicans and we keep bumping into people we've already seen on the way here from Halifax. Hermann & Ritschi leave us after a few days. Max & Marion join us again, having made a detour into the mountains in the meantime. The sunsets are fantastic and you can hardly avoid a sundowner with so much splendor. Robert & Janet and Dennis & Daniela have also arrived in the meantime and together we celebrate Robert's birthday with three kilos of meat that Max & Dennis skillfully turn into schnitzel. A truly sumptuous meal with plenty of vodka to wash it down.
We stay in Tecolote for most of the time until our flight home. A few days before, we go to the campground in La Paz and prepare the car for the 6-week break. On March 12, we fly from San Jose del Cabo to Germany and look forward to seeing our family, friends and grandchildren. At the end of April we will return to the Baja and from there straight on to the Mexican mainland. Of course we will continue to report. Until then, enjoy reading and looking at the pictures.
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