Baja Holiday: The VERY Best!

Jamie & I both love to be in or on the water. Of course we did a Humpback Whale watch, in a large Zodiac (raft-like boat) -- great fast boat so we could get up close & personal. This was on the Pacific side out of Cabo san Lucas. We were very near a momma, nurse momma, and about 5-week-old calf; then close to another momma with a tiny calf, probably only a few days old. Hard to get decent pictures, but I'm happy that I captured all the activity: lots of breaching, slapping of tails & flippers, and spouting. The new baby couldn't get its whole body out of the water, but he was trying.  

A few days later we did a tour out of LaPaz to Los Islotes, where we actually swam with sea lion pups. The tour company was excellent and our guide, Alan, was terrific. We saw lots of unusual things along the way and had a great picnic on a pristine beach.

We had so much fun that we went with the same guide the next day to swim with Whale Shark juveniles -- they're HUGE, about 30' long at this age. Quite the thrill, probably once-in-a-lifetime!
BTW, my camera doesn't like water so the pics of the sea lions and whale sharks are borrowed from public web sites.  Next time we'll have an underwater camera!

This is my last Baja post. What we loved most was LaPaz and the sea-based adventures. And experiencing the childrens' carnival and parade in LaPaz was an unexpected delight. This is what I go to Mexico for (or travel internationally, for that matter).  Adios, magnifico Mexico!

Baja Holiday: LaPaz, hermosa amistoso auténtica!

   We didn't have nearly enough time in LaPaz, a delightful town on the Sea of Cortez -- the perfect blend of authentic Mexican city and tourism accommodations and services.  While we had spectacular sunrises in San Jose del Cabo, we were treated to equally awesome sunsets over the harbor in LaPaz.
   The Malecon here is very long and incredibly beautiful; it is cleaned daily by local workers.  There beautiful statues and even one of Jacques Cousteau, looking out to his 'aquarium of the world'.  Huge pearls and whales are a part of the history.  There's a pristine beach the entire length of the bay.
   We had a very nice and extremely clean (like most MX hotels) room just 1/2 block from the Malecon.

   We were in LaPaz the week after Carnival and were delighted to discover 'children's carnival' happening that weekend -- a family-oriented event with rides & games for the kids and a kiddy parade on Sunday.  The children dressed in costumes honoring their ancestry; even strollers were decorated. . . . and there was lots of muy bueno street food!
 

  

Baja Holiday: la mejor comida!

We chanced upon El Herradero when visiting the historic San Jose del Cabo old town. This was a local eatery which did attract some gringos, but we were certainly in the minority; our waitress got to practice her English and we got to try to speak a little Spanish. . . The Molcajete dishes were 'from our ancestors', otherwise known as 'hot stone dishes'. In our two visits we tried four different dishes. The bowls are my shrimp dinner, before and after! If you go to Cabo or San Jose, treat yourself to a truly unique meal at http://www.elherraderoloscabos.com/en/

Baja Holiday: San Jose del Cabo and Cabo San Lucas

These pics are of our lovely suite at MariaMar Suites in San Jose, views from our patio including the spectacular sunrises, the meeting of the Pacific and Sea of Cortez and the Arch at the tip of the Baja, the Cabo Marina and resort living, and finally one fat lazy seal who is just waiting for his ship to come in.