We know we’re now getting close to where some of the best beaches in baja are after 20 mins south of Santa rosalia we find a campground at santispac and think we have died and gone to heaven. It’s surrounded by headlands so the water is calm and it’s 200 pesos a night including a palapa and bucket toilets (yes eeew).
There are quite a few people here from overlanders to snowbirds with big rigs arriving for the winter. We get setup and our paddleboards inflated and Alex and I take a paddle which is gorgeous and the water is azure crystal clear and like bath water. We’re paddling into wind on the way back but it’s still pretty calm.
We cook dinner and realise the water is sparkling and is bioluminescent. We are fascinated by its magic walking jumping and splashing and watching fish jumping with a blue glow. The glow intensifies as more people turn out their lights for the night. Lifting our hand out of the water it is covered in sparkles - magic! We even see the Milky Way clearly above us and decide we’ll stay another night or 2 and to have an early morning paddle.
Alex and I have an early morning paddle and a little bit of fishing just round the headland from the campsite. We have a couple of nibbles but no fish.
The wind picks up so I tow Alex home on his board and we have tacos and beer for lunch . We pass the rest of the day in hammocks reading, swimming, snorkelling and blogging. Alex loves snorkelling and watching the fish here. We have some more tacos and margaritas for tea at the second of the 2 little restaurants on the beach. They try to rip us off and fail so we decide not to go back to this one and stick to the other place with better food.
Another restful evening falling asleep to the sound of the sea. We are however rudely awoken by vendors at about 6am one even came knocking on our door at 6 trying to sell us tamales as our door was open - the only down side to paradise!
Alex and I set out on another morning paddle across the deep water this time he’s doing so well and we get further round the rocky headland. We watch little stripy black and yellow fish and some larger silver fish. Alex is transfixed by mr pelican, mr cormorant, mr egret, and mr blue footed booby all
Close by to our boards. We even see a sea turtle like up his head and then dive back under the water. We stop at a little beach and have a snorkel before we have to head back before the wind picks up too much and we’re in need of breakfast.
We’re a little more exposed beyond the shelter of the bay and the wind picks up quickly. Alex has a little panic and wobble but soon calms himself and manages to paddle really well into the wind. I end up towing him into a head-wind which was a bit of struggle but we’re rewarded with a yummy breakfast and I’m proud of my little water baby. Alex has 2 peanut butter sarnies and then we pack up and head south to Loreto town as we need drinking water and our tank filing as we’re out as well as food supplies and santispac is in the middle of nowhere!
We finally figure out what a garrafone is (big plastic water holder)and get one filled and fill Stella’s tank with 3 of them. We stock up on propane, food and cash and have a potter in Loreto where we have a lovely lunch and the best tuna burger we’ve ever tasted - it must be today’s fish. I try aguachile which is like a cold soup with ceviche prawns yum.
We try to find a camp near Loreto and this is tricky as we don’t want to go too far south as the wind is picking up due to the hurricane nearing land. We try 3 places and fail but finally find juncalito beach down a wibbly dirt road we’re grateful for our chunky tyres again. It’s not a patch on santispac but still pretty.
We have a chilled night and we have heard about hurricane Norma heading for La Paz just south of us and where we intend to catch a ferry to mainland Mexico. There are warnings about Norma and we can see the clouds in the sky so we decide based on local advice not to head south as we don’t want to get caught in the storm nor try to navigate flooded roads which often get washed out in storms in this area making travel difficult.
We wake up on juncalito and Alex and I do a beach clean as there’s so much rubbish here which makes us sad and Alex finds a little bracelet as sea treasure. We fill out van tank with more water for 13 pesos for 20l of filtered water so put 2 into tank. We also pick up orange liquor the last on the ingredients we need to make our own margaritas woo and have another amazing tuna burger. We head back to santispac and see maybe 40-50 national gaurd and electric repair trucks heading south - obviously preparing for the hurricane we are hiding from. We also see more than 25 empty trucks heading south so the logistics prep is in full swing too. We get back to our santispac slot and relax with beer and homemade margaritas.
After a delicious lie in Alex and I go for long paddle and spot fish he does so well paddling and messing about in the water. We chat to a fisherman and negotiate for a boat fishing trip for Alex. We get out on the water and realise when we are about to start fishing the just has no fishing gear - oops! So we get a free 40 min boat trip and the hope we can try again tomorrow. The weather we can feel is changing as we’re right on the edge of the storm system and we watch all the fishermen take all of the boats out of the water as a safety precaution. The upside is some epic sunsets!
We’re in the most sheltered place we can be but they have obviously learned the hard way to be prepared.
We’ve been chatting over a couple of days to the lovely chap next to us and realise his dog has become trapped upside down in a small dog tent and is obviously distressed so we try to helpfully. We get the tent the right way round and try to let him out, we think he is ok and calming down but I reach out to sooth him and he bites me ouch! Totally my fault as he was distressed and a dog we didn’t know but I was trying to help. My hand is a bit purple and very sore and I’m a little in shock. We find Jason to tell him about his poor dog and he is so lovely and apologetic. We try to book some ferry crossings from La Paz to mazatlan on the mainland of Mexico (they’ve been cancelled thus far due to the storm and still no bookings available) so we head to the bar instead. Jason is a sweetie and buys me a few cocktails as he feels bad I got bitten. He is a lovely chap and we learn the poor dog is a rescue who has had a very tough life so far and is quite unpredictable so I feel a bit better that I wasn’t a complete muppet!
We awake with a post cocktail glow and the fisherman with no fishing gear appears! We lend our paddleboards to a nice young German couple we met and head out on the boat to fish. We catch a couple of silver fishies and a weird looking thing we later learn is a member of the pufferfish family called morte morte because if you eat it you’re dead… lucky escape with that one! I have a snorkel over a ship wreck whilst the boys carry on fishing and we watch giant frigate birds cruising round the santispac islands.
When we get back happy with the catch we have to give away due to no outdoor stove as the cadac imploded and we have a rule not to cook fish in the van we meet up with the Germans who borrowed our boards and some lovely Austrians and share cheese, stories, spirits and increasingly badly made margaritas!
The next morning it’s our last day and we’re sad to leave but happy to make a move towards the south of Baja and the mainland which has been delayed due to the hurricane.
We pack up and head to loreto to spend a couple of days on the way to La Paz and give the authorities chance to recover from the storm and hope we can book a ferry to mazatlan.
Emma
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