A Brief Hiatus

We disembarked the ferry in Mazatlan around 10 in the morning and were met by Dan and Caroline Tarney. Dan is the brother of one of Brad's best friends and one of an entire family of teachers.  He and his wife are retired and spend their winters in Mazatlan, volunteering a large piece of their 'winter vacation' to a variety of local causes.  They had just arrived for the winter and were swamped with chores (all of the necessities to open their house and prepare for the coming months) so we really appreciated their gift of hospitality   So nice to see familiar faces on the mainland of Mexico!

Dan and Caroline on the Malecon in Mazatlan

They showed us around their adopted city and winter home, which is in Old Mazatlan or Centro. After a great visit filled with helpful hints on life in Mexico, a tour around the old quarter of Mazatlan, and a lovely brunch, we continued the journey south.

After about a five hour drive down the toll road 15D, we broke off onto a secondary highway winding through very lush and overgrown trees that formed arches over the road. Quite a change from The Baja!

Welcome to the jungle

Our first night on the mainland was spent at a small hotel in San Blas. Brad thinks that the name may be Spanish for 'sand flea' as we were absolutely chewed up on the beach having supper.  I still had red spots for 10 days after! Overall our night in San Blas was forgettable: a hotel hidden in a secret corner of the small town, extra charges over the booking, and a room that was at best 'nothing special'.  The highlight of the hotel seems to have been a pool that we never even had the time to swim in.  C'est la vie.

Sunset at Lo de Marcos beach.

Onwards to Lo de Marcos, a small village north of Puerto Vallarta which we had visited six years ago, staying at a staying at a large villa on the beach with Brad's entire extended family, over 20 in-laws and outlaws. We liked the town and were looking forward to visiting the area again. It is the last of 3 beautiful fishing villages, all quickly morphing into surf towns.  The first was Sayulita, busy then and frantic now.  Next down the coast was San Pancho, sleepy then and busy now.  Lastly, Lo de Marcos was pastoral 6 years ago and is still clinging to its rural character.

We had been introduced on that first visit to the parents of Scott Oberg, a friend of Brad's brother Jeff.  Ross and Iris have been spending winters in LoD for well over a decade and, together with their children, have bought a large lot in the center of town.  Their plan is to develop 4 homes on the land and try to place it with like minded Canadians. It doesn't take a lot of imagination to see what a beautiful complex they will be able to create in the heart of lovely LoD.

Our plan was to stay a week so we booked into the very laid back "El Pequeno Paraiso" RV and condo complex, right on the beach and a 10 minute walk from the center of town. We stayed in a third floor apartment with a large deck and outdoor kitchen that felt like it was buried in the jungle.
The surf was much calmer than it had been when visited six years ago and we were able to go swimming comfortably every day.  It was easy to slip into the local routine of meeting for Happy Hour on the beach each day at 3-4:00, sip a cold drink, watch the surfers, and go for a swim whenever you got too hot.

Las Huertas Golf Club

For a change of pace we played a round of golf with Iris and Ross at Las Huertas, a gorgeous little 9-hole track in San Pancho.  Until recently it had been a private course owned by a Canadian couple who had bought the land, which had previously been a type of horticultural park or research station having fallen into disuse. They have recently opened the course to public play and, while not a long layout or a prestigeous venue, it was a challenge and an absolute joy to expereience.

A 'tunnel' from the tee box

After golf Ross suggested we could catch the last few innings of a baseball game between rival towns in the local Senior baseball league.  Being fans of the game we were all in.  Off to Sayulita where we were lucky to find standing room on the 3rd base line and a close game in the 4th inning.  It was 90C in the shade, 50 cent pony Pacifico beer was vended in buckets of ice, and chilled ceviche was sold in solo cups: Heaven!

At his pace I probably only had 3 or 4 innings in me before the heat and the beer took over.  Sayulita tied the game in the 6th.  Stranded runners in the 8th and 9th inning but no runs.  Tied after 10, after 11... this was getting critical. 

There was still 1 maybe 2 innings of light left and the most unexpected thing happened: the team managers decided that folks should go home for Sunday dinner and that they would finish the game prior to next weeekend's match between the same teams.  It seemed like the first rational thing I had seen since crossing the border and, strangely enough, you probably would never see such civility north of the border. 

After the game we took leave of the notion of civility and went for dinner at Ross and Iris' favourite spot in Sayulita.  This little gem featured great seafood and free tequila. Really!   There was a bottle of decent tequila on every table and you were free to help yourself.  What a country!

The next morning there was this very large and unusual vehicle parked in the RV spots near our condo.  It was a huge 4-wheel drive military transport by Mercedes Benz and it appeared to have either of a emergency medical response laboratory, an armoured tactical personnel carrier, or an RV mounted on the deck.  Turns out it was the latter and it led us to meet the most interesting couple from Germany who have been travelling for over 3 years through South and Central America. Their adventures are captured on their blog http://www.die-ausreiser.de/english which they have kindly allowed us to share. Now this is a REAL blog! Check it out.

on the left: Manfred & Karin, the Germans with The RV
on the right: a lovely Canadian couple, Larry and Maria

One of the most unique events we witnessed and participated in was releasing baby turtles into the ocean on the beach at Lo de Marcos. Every day through the season a group of local volunteers supervises the hatching of baby turtles at protected nests just on the outskirts of town. Each evening at dusk they guard the day's hatchlings as they make there way to relative safety in the surf at Lo de Marcos,

Here I am holding two little baby turtles that are straining like crazy to get moving towards the water!

There were probably around fifty of the little guys crawling their way down to the water.

Next we transit through a favourite Mexican resort of San Patricio Malaque on our way to the favourite Gringo resort towns of Ixtapa and Zihuatanejo

A Friend Indeed

La Paz was a beautiful spot to land for a few days and stay with a colleague I had worked with for over 10 years.  I had heard about the wonderful home that Linda and her husband Brent had built in a gated community just minutes outside the city of La Paz, a major center near the southern tip of Baja peninsula.

We stayed in their lovely casita right next to their pool and hot tub.

Linda and Brent's place was beautiful! A large main house, a 2 bedroom casita, a pool with hot tub, a large garage /workshop.  The highlight of the entire gated complex however was a rooftop veranda above the main house, fitted out spectacularly for happy hours and barbeques.

Living the dream 

From the veranda they are able to enjoy magnificent Baja sunsets in one direction and cool sea breezes coming off La Paz's picturesque bay, which is only a few hundred feet in the other direction.

The sunsets were spectacular! 

During the stay we were introduced to the community of expats who were clearly loving life in the area. Most were snowbirds who had navigated the waters of buying property and building in the area.  They were a rich source of information on local amenities, attractions and customs as well as a source of much amusement in their own right.

Cordon Cactus

As most of you know, I am a big fan of flowers and gardening. We were amazed by the odd cactuses all down the Baja and finally learned a little bit about them from Linda. She has a Cordon cactus, a relative of the Saguaro, in her yard that is estimated to be 1,700 years old. The southern Baja is full of them, many much larger and, I would assume, older.

After a great couple of days we were booked to sail across the sea of Cortez to the Mexico mainland on an overnight ferry from La Paz to Mazatlan.  

Linda and I heading to golf in La Paz.

On our last day in La Paz we joined Linda and Brent for a round of golf at CostaBaja, a Troon managed course on the bay just north of the city of La Paz.

CostaBaja was a beautiful track laid out through a desert canyon with magnificent views of the rugged shoreline sheltering La Paz from the open sea.

A panoramic view from the clubhouse at the Costa Baja golf course.

 In most ways CostaBaja was much like the courses in the mountains of Arizona and at least as well maintained.  It was a great way to close out our tour of the Baja and a great send-off from the warmth and hospitality of our wonderful hosts in La Paz.

Brad, Brent and I on an elevated tee box overlooking the Sea of Cortes.

After a sad goodbye we were ready to head to the ferry terminal, where we were scheduled to set sail at 8 PM.  Being Mexico however, nothing is certain, so we wanted to arrive 2 hours ahead to confirm our passage (which we bought online) and pay for the cabin we had reserved several days beforehand. Boarding was a process that involved immigration and security checks, as well as the process of loading the vehicle itself.

Overall it seemed quite expensive as you pay for your vehicle, yourselves and, if you want somewhere to sleep, a cabin. Looking back it was a bargain at about $300 CAD.

Upon arriving at the ferry terminal, we had to show we had the temporary import paperwork for our vehicle..... remember the border! All was good, but our vehicle had to be weighed, a fee charged and the typical runaround for stamps and tickets ensued. We were then informed that we had to separate at this point. He would drive the vehicle on board and I had to go with the pedestrians.  We had to find each other on board. OMG!

With some trepidation, I left him and followed the signs and waving personnel. We passed through a security check and were herded onto a small van. After waiting for about 10 minutes, they drove us to the ferry where we followed a yellow line aboard.... up 3 flights of stairs.... and there was Brad. Yah!

A view of our cabin, small but comfortable.

When they led us to our cabin, we were pleasantly surprised! Although they were twin beds, the cabin was scrupulously clean with a small bathroom and a shower. We were able to plug in our phones and we settled in for the evening. We would be leaving port in about a half hour. All in all, quite efficient.




The trip over was calm and very comfortable, an exceptionally pleasant crossing on a very clean and well maintained ship.  I occasionally heard the waves hitting the bow and there was a very subtle roll all night, but no seasickness.

On the ferry's aft deck, the lights of La Paz in the background
 Goodbye Baja!

Hasta proxima:  B&L

Loreto and Beyond

Once in Loreto, a cozy town on the shore of the Sea of Cortez about half way up the eastern Baja coastline, we settled into the Bugambilias Hotel and Suites, a beautiful new establishment only a block from the town square and coastal boardwalk (the Malecon).  We wanted to explore the town so we strolled down the pedestrian walkway to the centro where a lot of families were enjoying the evening air and the many restaurants.

As we walked by the Catholic Cathedral on the main plaza we noticed a lot of what appeared to be TV production equipment. We asked around and learned that for the last week they have been filming a very popular Mexican soap opera, known in Mexico as a 'novella'. They were waiting for the church to clear out to film a night shoot.

In the early 2000s  Brad's Dad had wanted them to invest together in a development near Loreto called Loreto Bay. Later we were glad that we had not taken the step as it went belly up after the downturn in 2007. A few years ago Carlos Slim decided to buy the development and follow up on the original plan.  Today it is through the first and second phase with a very nice golf course and a range of housing options. Being a 'heavy-hitter' he also influenced Westjet to redirect their flights from La Paz to Loreto and made many enemies in the expat community at La Paz.  All in all, we liked the vibe in Loreto, a very friendly community with lots of recreation and social opportunities.

The next leg of our adventure turned out well, but didn't start out well.  Brad had chosen the next hotel in Todos Santos, a very artsy town with great beaches for the surfers. Rather than staying in town he opted for a palapa style surfers hangout at Cerritos beach, about 10 miles out of town. When we finally got there we found ourselves driving down a very rough dirt track through the desert for well over a mile at dusk. By this point I was hangry (hungry and very, very angry).

The whole plan was looking very dicey to me.  However,  after arriving at the Villas de Cerritos, putting a drink and and a bag of Chitos in my hand, I realised that it wasn't a rat infested hovel in the sand dunes crawling with cockroaches.

I settled down and we had a pleasant day and a half there. The air conditioned bedrooms and bathrooms were spacious, clean and comfortable.

The kitchen was part of an extended outdoor living space that leant itself to beautiful outdoor relaxation under a palapa, coffee in the mornings and evening happy hours.  We put a day on the beach in between the two and had a great time.

Cerritos beach was beautiful, the water was clear with a sand bottom and the surfers loved the large waves. Apparently it is the very best (if not the only safe) swimming beach in the whole west coast of the lower Baja.

This was a beautiful hacienda on the hill overlooking the beach. 

We drove into Todos Santos, famous for the Eagles' Hotel California album cover. It's a nice, artsy little Mexican town with a unique vibe but overtly commercial aspirations.  

The hotel has since been renamed to cash in on its notoriety.

Looking over the extensive selection of restaurants in town it was apparent that there was something for everyone in Todos Santos. We had some great fish tacos at reasonable price in a little restaurant near the center but overall we found the shops a little pushy and the prices a little high.

We thought the next day we should check out Cabo San Lucas while were here, even though there wasn't too much we were interested in.   We drove through on our way to La Paz the next morning and activated Brad's Mexican cell. It did not make sense to continue with the AT&T plan when a CAD $15/ month Telcel plan covered all of North America for unlimited talk and text as well as 1.5 Gb of data. Makes Telus/Rogers/Bell look like opportunistic monopolies pillaging trusting Canadian customers. Oh yeah, they are.

We didn't give Cabo a fair shot but it just seemed to be a big American city with lots of construction and expensive appetites. We headed to La Paz to connect with a friend and coworker who had had a home there for many years and a wealth of information on the city.  The plan was to spend a couple of days with her and her husband, then board the ferry to Mazatlan where we could continue down the Mexican mainland.

More about La Paz and our ferry trip to come. Hasta mas tarde:  B&L

Don't Drive at Night!

This is good advice! Unfortunatey we found ourselves doing just that heading into Loreto. Here's how it happened;

As some of you know, we are not really early morning people. We had a leisurely breakfast in El Rosario with a nice couple from Burnaby and being the social couple that we are, we did not get onto the road until after 9 AM. Google calculated that this would be a 5 and a 1/2 hour trip. After 2 hours and only 140 km, we realised that we were not going to get there in that time frame. One reason being that although the highways are paved, they are unbelievably narrow with absolutely NO shoulder. I'm pretty sure I peed myself a couple of times coming around a sharp corner to be met by a double semi over the middle line! I'm glad Brad was driving as we would be down one of the cliffs otherwise.

Another reason was the road construction. I don't think this picture captures the horrendous detour that you are forced to drive on with all the dust and all the while meeting huge semis coming towards you! 

I have to comment on the geography during our drive. I envisioned the Baja as a fairly flat and arrid peninsula and although it is arrid, it is defininely not flat! Our first leg took us through the Valley of the Cirios. These are Dr Seuss-like cacti that are sometimes over ten feet tall with a little tuft of 'hair' on top.

The scenery then included very large seguaro-like cacti called Cordon with many arms, different than the ones we have seen in Arizona. These cacti are  very old, this one could be 1,200 to 1,500 years old.

North of Guerrero Negro we passed through a massive boulder field aptly named the Valley of the Boulders.

After reaching Guerrero Negro, we were subjected to the Plano de Viscaino. Now, this was what I was expecting!

Upon reaching, after 500 km, the Baja's only true oasis at San Ignacio, our plans to stop for lunch were dashed when we realised we still had 250 km to go to Loreto.  Just enough time for gas and a few snacks and on the road again.

Another 100 km in and we were met with this beautiful view of the Sea of Cortez.

We pushed on through mountain roads across the Sierra de Agua Verde as darkness closed in. Beautiful...but.... 

A little grainy because it was dusk and we still had an hour to drive! We made it to Loreto after about 40 minutes of terror as  we passed a horse that blended in so well with it's surroundings that we only noticed it on the way by, but all was well.  Lessons learned cheaply, this time. 

Next is Loreto, a wonderful town on the Baja that has kept its Mexican charm despite an influx of foreigners and big investments from Mexico's richest-man-in-the-world figure (really, he is) Carlos Slim.

Hasta Luego, B&L

Border Stress and Success

Border crossings are stressful for me.  Brad can usually talk himself out of any situation as he did when he crossed into the USA with his daughter's passport! Me, my heart starts pounding and I start to sweat! Preparing to cross into Mexico was stressful because of the temporary importation required for our Nissan. The advice was to walk across first, get your paperwork in order and then drive through with your vehicle.

So here's the funny part. We walked back through the American border to get our vehicle and then drove through the Mexican border with our new sticker firmly affixed to the window. A green light came on, we drifted slowly into Tecate and no one even looked at us, our car,  and least of all our sticker!  

Driving through the many small towns on our way to our first stop at El Rosario, a small town on the west coast of the Baja about a third of the way down was also the same as the many road trips we have taken to Whitefish from Calgary. Beautiful scenery with the risk of hitting wildlife. In the case of Montana, this would be deer. In Mexico, this would be vaca (cows). 

I really loved the first sight of the ocean near Ensenada! The breakers coming in were so wild you could see the mist for miles! 

We arrived in El Rosario in the late afternoon and were delighted with the BajaCactus Motel. It was a beautiful rustic building with stone and timber. It had an old world charm. The rooms were clean and large with a huge four poster bed and stone shower.

That's all for now. We will post more soon!

Hasta pronto:  Brad and Leona

Prep, prep and more prep. Let's get on with it!

Welcome to our blog! This will be a work in progress and I hope you will all find it interesting and informative.

A six month driving trip to Mexico and Central America requires a lot of preparation. Brad and I have been working on this exclusively for over six months now. We chose to buy a 2015 Nissan Xterra for the clearance and the four wheel drive.  An older model may have cost less to insure but we hope the savings will come with less repair costs.

We researched quite extensively for car insurance that we could purchase prior to our trip. This involved online research and recommendations from other seasoned travelers to Mexico. We found that after leaving the USA, we have to purchase insurance separately for most countries. Mexico and Costa Rica, like British Columbia, have legislated that only domestic coverage is available.  So far, we have only purchased Mexican coverage and will need to deal with other countries as needed.

To avoid harassment by local police or at the border crossings, there are a few items you need to have in your vehicle not usually required in Canada. This included safety triangles, a first aid kit and a fire extinguisher. Another security issue that we needed to look closely at was getting through the reputedly treacherous northern border region of Mexico. With a plan to go down the Baja, we've decided to cross early in the morning at a smaller border crossing. We will post how that went later.

With a six month trip ahead of us and limited space, we have had to walk a fine line between what we think we need versus what we might like to have along.

I can't say that at times we haven't had a lot of trepidation and angst over the thought of being away for this long, but I know that we are both very ready to begin this adventure. Adventure in the dictionary is defined as "an unusual and exciting, typically hazardous, experience or activity"

We shall see!

Brad and Leona