“Traveling- it leaves you speechless, then turns you into a storyteller” -Ibu Battuta
I am my happiest when I’m traveling. There is something so exciting about discovering unknown places, meeting new people, exploring different cultures and enjoying different cuisine.
***Don’t miss out on the Adventures in Baja Sur video which is a compilation of both trips at the bottom of this BLOG post. SPOILER ALERT: There are baby turtles.
We had just returned home from some time on the road when we received an email from Dave’s brother that he would be flying into Cabo and wanted to know if we wanted to join them. Um, YES! We never turn down a chance to see family and to return to Baja Sur. If you haven’t read Baja Sur Part 1 you can do so by clicking here.
Since we had just returned from Cabo, we suggested a different area just north of Cabo on the Sea of Cortez, called East Cape. We had never traveled there and had only heard stories and seen pictures of the area. Dave’s brother and wife would be there for a week, but we decided to drive down earlier so that we could get the lay of the land and explore before they arrived. We decided to stay in the town of Los Barriles (red arrow on map).
It would take 2 days driving to get to Los Barriles so we hit the road with smiles on our faces and excitement in our bodies. We stopped at our favorite hotel in Santa Rosalia that overlooks the Sea of Cortez (about half way). We got to eat at our favorite taco place and take in a performance by The Baja Beat. As always, Pepe, Jim and Darlene put on an amazing show.
After a night of fun, we headed out on the next leg of our trip. We made it to Los Barriles just before dark after an intense 8 hour drive in the rain. The rain caused some rock slides so we had to drive slower than normal and be very cautious.
The house we rented was super close to the ocean and we could walk there in less than 10 minutes. The sand near the house was super white and powdery but just a few miles north the beach was mostly rocky.
We had a “surprise” visitor in our shower. We have learned in our travels that “paradise” comes with creepy critters.
We were excited for warmer weather than our home up north, but had not anticipated that we would arrive during windy season. Although we would have preferred less wind we got to see some amazing kite-surfers in action. Los Barriles is the kitesurfing capital of Baja, it’s geographical location means winds gust here regularly 20-25 knots. It seriously looks like so much fun and I would love to come back and take lessons.
Traveling always relaxes me. I mean who wouldn’t be relaxed with salty air, cool breezes and adventure in my soul. Baja Dreamin’ at its finest.
We saw Mobula Rays leaping from the water today while at the beach. Scientists are still undecided to why they jump. Theories include feeding, courting, communicating and even ridding themselves of parasites. My friend Kim gave me the best explanation in my opinion…she said that they jump because they can and it’s fun.
Sometimes the best adventures happen when you just hop in the car and take a random, narrow and bumpy dirt road. We braved the “Dead Man Curve” to experience these amazing views.
The owner of the house told us before we arrived to be on the lookout for a male cardinal that frequently visits the tree in the front yard. She also had placed a mirror in her backyard that she said the cardinal would come to stare at himself in the mirror and flirt. Mid morning this cardinal would come and either sit in the tree in the front yard or flirt with himself in the mirror. There was also a few females so maybe some new cardinals will be coming soon.
One day as I was walking back from the beach when this Caracara flew overhead. When it was approaching I thought that it was an Osprey. I was happily surprised to capture this Caracara. We have seen them before in Costa Rica, but I have never seen them in Baja before.
If you want to scuba dive or snorkel we were told to go to Cabo Pulmo which is about an hour drive south of Los Barriles. We drove there to check it out but it was super windy that day and they were not taking anyone out because it was too windy. We did enjoy the views of the ocean though.
Dave’s brother Steve and his wife Tracy arrived, we had planned to move to a bigger house than we were currently renting and stay in East Cape for an additional week. Due to issues with AirBnb (long story) we had to scramble to make different arrangements. We decided to stay a few days in Los Barriles and then head to Todos Santos which is north of Cabo on the Pacific side of Baja. This worked out great as they would be able to see the Sea of Cortez and the Pacific Ocean.
While driving across the Baja Peninsula to Todos Santos we stopped at a small town called El Triunfo, which is an old silver mining town established in 1751. We stopped at the church in the town square. I love all old churches and try to stop at all of them to take pictures.
While in Todos Santos we got to explore the town, do some epic souvenir shopping, visit a few beaches and generously feed the local mosquitos and noseeums.
We had heard that turtles were hatching in Todos Santos so I did some research to find out the details. Tortugueros Las Playitas is an organization that protects sea turtles and incubates them in a safe environment until they are ready to hatch. Olive Ridley and Leatherback turtles lay their eggs on the beaches in Todos Santos. We were lucky to be able to witness the release of 50 newly hatched Olive Ridley turtles into the ocean. This has been on my bucket list for some time and it was a very exciting and emotional experience. Below are a few pictures of the baby turtles before we released them. (The video link below will have some video footage of their release).
Steve and Tracy were such great travel buddies and were so easy going and went with the flow after we had to change travel plans. We had a great time exploring Los Barriles and Todos Santos and sharing the areas with our loved ones. It literally was a phenomenal time.
Heading home we saw goats, cows, horses and even donkeys on the highway. Always an adventure driving in Baja.
Traveling is always fun, but as the old saying goes…there is no place like home.
I hope you enjoy the video as much as I had filming and editing it. Make sure to click on full screen mode for best viewing .
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