BAJA CALIFORNIA, MEXICO...ENSENADA

By

Minuet in G

"MinnieG"

(a 1979 Argosy made by Airstream that enjoys the talk and chatter 

of Vannie and Dave after an very successful adventure.)


Mexico has been such a delightful surprise for Vannie and Dave.
They were expecting a much more difficult adventure.
The people were so welcoming, the food was delicious, the scenery was spectacular...
but they totally did not drink the water.

Heading away from San Felipe, they discovered the topography
was beginning to appear greener and greener.
As they neared the Pacific side of the Baja,
the economy was more affluent...more farmland...
vineyards...cheeses...honey...




Vannie said they were concerned about driving in Ensenada.
The big city was a little scary...
but upon arriving, they were highly pleased to find
that Ensenada was not scary at all.
Not one bit...
The drivers were courteous for the most part.
Gas Stations were abundant.
Their GPS was right on track.


Our Lady of Guadalupe Cathedral
Located in the center of the city


Torre Lucerna Hotel
Dave was the man of the hour.
He had found a super deal on hotels.com...
Since it was the off season, they were one of about 5 couples in the hotel.


Vannie said that when they walked into the lobby,
they felt like "country-come-to-town."
Beautiful...


All kinds of fresh baked breads and pastries...


The room was luxurious.


Dave said that the first thing Vannie did
was to kick off her shoes and plop herself in the middle of that big beautiful bed.
I know...the beds are not quite that big and beautiful in me or Gypsy...so this was a treat.


The view out of their window...
Not too shabby...

There she is...

Do you see any more people?

Nope...

It was like they had their own private hotel.

Dave said,  "I'll just relax..."

But that hot tub was calling Vannie's name.

Ahhhh

Back up to the room...another gorgeous scene from their balcony...

Dinnertime...

This dessert was the best.

Red velvet cake...sweetened cream cheese filling...

chocolate dollops on top...with a chocolate/coffee sauce...

Oh, My.!!!

Have I mentioned before that Dave loves girls with accents?

Well, their tour guide for the day was Alegandrina.

She was just the cutest thing, and was very good at her job...

and she had "the accent".

Vannie keeps telling him that she has an accent, too...LOL

The first place Alegandrina took them was to La Bufadora.

It was located on the Punda Banda Peninsula about an hour

outside of Ensenada.  

Thar she blows...

The La Bufadora is a geyser or blowhole.  The spray of sea water is

caused by air trapped in a sea cave exploding skywards.  It can go as high

as 30 feet.  There is also a loud noise when the explosion happens.

There were hundreds of shops leading up to the La Bufadora/

Everything "Mexico" that you may have thought you wanted. 

An exquisite drive back down the peninsula from the La Bufadora.

There were many small quaint fishing villages.

These a "fishing circles", also called "crop circles".

These rings are about 130 feet in diameter.

Hanging 60 feet underwater below each ring is a net.

Each net is the home of a school of North Pacific bluefin tuna.

The word of the day is ..."aquaculture".

"Maricultura" in Spanish...

More beautiful scenery along the Punta Banda Peninsula

Look closely...there is a Carnival Cruise Ship in the harbor.

V and D thoroughly enjoyed their own private city tour...

only $15 an hour...3 hours...so worth it.

Back to the hotel...

A little bit of Relaxing...

Vannie said that before you could say "Jack Robinson",

it was time to eat AGAIN.

Appetizer...Mini Octopus Tacos...

Dave is getting in character...get it...octopus...

Put this man on the stage...and one's leaving in 5 minutes.

Clam Soup in a bread bowl...Delectable and delicious

The octopus eats clams...but this time,

V and D did the dirty work.

Dang...time to check out..

It looks like that giant whale tail was waving "bye-bye". 

Back to the good ole U.S. of A.

Vannie and Dave crossed the border at Tecate, Baya California.

Lots of traffic, but crossing was non-eventful.

Adios, Mexico

hasta que nos encontremos de nuevo

BAJA CALIFORNIA, MEXICO...SAN FELIPE

By

Minute in G

(an 1979 Argosy made by Airstream that was ecstatic
 when Vannie and Dave crossed the border back into the USA)

I totally enjoyed my Spa time while Vannie and Dave were down in the Baja.
My new friends, the old Chevrolet truck and the Mayflower delivery truck, were glad to have some company for a few weeks.  Now, let me share with you V and D's adventure "down into the Baja".

Dave said that passing through the border crossing was a breeze.

There were soldiers with guns, but with their 

passports and tourist papers, V and D passed on through

without a hiccup.  They made sure they had plenty of

water for their 10 days in Mexico.

One of the border guards looked in the back of the truck

and said..."Agua...Agua...and more Agua."

San Felipe was their first stop.
V and D traveled down Highway 5 about 120 miles to San Felipe.
It is a sleepy little town located on the Sea of Cortez.

Dave had joined the online club, "Discover Baja".
It facilitates people going to the Baja.
It has all the information you will need to have a wonderful vacation.
Kiki's RV and Motel Resort was recommended by this club.
The price was right...$380 for 7 days in the motel.


This was a beautiful bougainvillea all trimmed up near their motel.

Vannie and Dave's first sunset in Mexico.

Amazing
Looks like the sun just melts into the ocean.


First day...First adventure
Cowpatty "Hole-in-the-Wall"


A roadside stop with loads of local color...


Belly up to the bar, Dave.
Topo Chico Mineral Water for everyone.
Such a party animal.!!!


...and Vannie said the most delicious hotdog they had ever eaten..


The Cowpatty had lots of cow stuff, but this one stands out.
Can you guess what it was originally?


Dave said that this sign fits some of their "off the beaten path" Baja adventures,
especially down to Puertecitos.


As they rode down the coastline to Puertecitos.


The water is very clear.  There are some hot springs here,
but you have to hit the tide just right to experience them.
V and D missed the hot springs, but the beautiful scenery
and blue clear water was enough to ooo and ahh over.


Like diamonds...


Breathtaking...


Vannie and Dave ALWAYS break for an interesting art gallery.
They discovered this one online...Galeria Olivar Millan.
They were hoping to meet the owner, Ruth Olivar Millan,
but she had broken her leg and was back in the states getting all patched up.

Even without Ruth, the gallery was not a disappointment.

The Beaches...ahhhh

Walking on the beach was a favorite pastime.

This was the off season, so the beaches were not crowded at all.

It was still a little cool to go in the water.

Some of the areas were separated by ancient lava flows.

Exploring different areas was fascinating.

Check out these patterns in the sand

 

More patterns ...

There were very few shells...

until V and D climbed over some of those lava flows...

and "bingo"....shells.

Vannie said you would have thought they had found a gold mine.

Along the malecon...sea wall...boardwalk...

Everybody that was anybody was at the malecon.

If you stopped and asked directions to some place,

the malecon was always a point of reference.

The flavor of San Felipe was here.

There were vendors selling sunglasses, shirts, jewelry, vanilla,

pina coladas, post cards, and more.

...and there were the hot churros...a delicious

fried cinnamon/sugar coated doughnut stick...

Vannie said you could hurt yourself on those.

A restaurant/party place...The Rockadile...
This was the brightest place on the Malecon.


This was Vannie and Dave's walk back to Kiki's from
the malecon...down the beach, past the lighthouse,
past the shrine to the Lady of Guadeloupe...




Back to "their" beach...and the incredible sunset...

Those colors...

A Watercolor Painting

Through a hot tip...they found the best burger in San Felipe.
Coyote Burgers
Owner...J.J.
Delicious, delightful experience


V and D enjoyed  attending Mission San Felipe on Sunday.
It was a friendly church with lots of great music and a good message.
The lady sitting in front of them gave them her email.
If  they needed anything, she wanted to help.


Just look at that pelican...
The king of the roast...
You can almost see the look on his face...


What a delightful first visit to the Baja!
Thank you San Felipe for breaking Vannie and Dave in...
...for being quite and peaceful...
...for being safe...
...for making a couple of  gringo's feel comfortable...

They'll be back.!!!

Next stop Ensenada...on the Pacific side...