The Baja, an Amazing Place

The Baja, Baja California and Baja California Sur, is truly an amazing place.  I drove a total of 4,506 km (~2,800 miles) in the Baja, from Mexicali in the north, south to Baja de los Angeles, across to the Pacific coast, then on to Bahia Concepcion, and eventually into Cabo San Lucas at what is the tip of the peninsula.  And then, I drove back up north, back to Mexicali and out of the Baja.  I drove and camped, hiked, biked, paddled, explored, and photographed much of what the Baja has to offer, and I thoroughly enjoyed all of it.  So, get there, visit the Baja, and be sure to spend as much time on the peninsula as possible, from the Gulfo de California, across to the Pacific, from the US border all the way to Cabo, there is a lot to see, and do.  I highly recommend a visit to the Baja, you will not be disappointed.

After you leave a place, especially one like the Baja, it is time to reflect, think about the adventure just completed.  There is the van to clean, and a pile of images and videos to sort though, plus, the time to finish with these last few blog posts.  So, what did I learn?  What advice might I give to someone who is interested in exploring the Baja?  There are tons of travel blogs and web pages out there, with tons of specific information on the Baja, where to go, what to do, camping and hotels, etc.  Instead, I though I would ramble a bit, offer some advice which you might not find in the guide books and travel blogs, or at least some of it.  So you want to go to the Baja?

• First, there is one 'Rule of the Baja' for most travelers like me, and everyone knows it.  Do not drive at night.  Simple rule, one you do not want to break.  There are free-range cattle, and horses, everywhere, plus a few donkeys, and at night, in the dark, on some of those curvy mountain roads, forget it, way too dangerous.  Plus, there are more trucks at night, and the roads are narrow (even Mex 1, the main highway), it gets windy, scary.  And then you throw in the banditos, no way, do not drive after dark, period.  Oh, and I added a second, kind of also well-know 'rule' which definitely needs to be mentioned.  Do not camp alone, especially on a beach.  Unless you have 4WD, and can really get lost back in the desert or something, camping alone is not as safe as camping in a group, I never camped alone.
• Don't drink the water.  This is pretty much a no-brainer anywhere in Latin America (or Asia, Africa, etc.).  Bottled water is everywhere, and even the locals do not drink from the tap.
• Don't expect everyone to speak English, but you will survive fine.  I spent 6 months in South America, Peru, Chile and Argentina, and very few people down there speak English.  I think you find many more people in the Baja who can speak English, especially in the tourist hot spots, and anywhere the Canadians are camped, but don't expect everyone to understand English.  When you travel, get out into smaller villages, or even at campgrounds, most only speak Spanish, but I always got by fine.
• Roads don't totally suck, better than the Carretara Austral in southern Chile, but narrow, lots of potholes, even monstrous ones at times, but at least generally there is not much traffic.  Just watch out for the cows, even during the day.
• Eat tacos, they're the BEST!  Whether fish, shrimp, pork, or beef (not much chicken), with the amazing sauces and salsas, and always, corn tortillas (all home-made that day), totally awesome.
• Eat ceviche, can't have tacos every night.  Had ceviche once with pulpo (octopus), just amazing.  Ceviche in the Baja is not as good as what I had in Peru, but still worth it to try, as often as you can.  There are taquerias everywhere, but not everyone sells ceviche.  I even shared some made by locals when I visited Lovers Beach in Cabo, fresh shrimp and fish ceviche, on the beach, and even cold beer bought from a vendor set up on the beach.  Wonderful. 
• Buy a blanket from some vendor.  Yes, just do it, buy a Mexican blanket, and maybe a hat as well.  Do it quickly, get it over with, so you don't have to feel guilty when you say no to a thousand other vendors you meet during your trip.
• It is windy, and dry, and the water is not warm, even in the Gulfo de California.  The wind blows a lot, on the roads, at the beach, and it is primarily a desert down there, not much water, except the water on both sides of the peninsula.  And, if you plan to spend any time in the water, surfing, snorkeling, or paddling, bring a wet suit, or at least some neoprene.  I have a farmer John wet suit, and a neoprene paddling top (long sleeve from NRS), plus neoprene shorts, so I was fine.
• It is beautiful down there, stop often.  But, do so only at safe pull-offs, as there is soft sand, rocks, everywhere, and the last thing you need is to get stuck along the side of the road in the Baja. 
• The weather for me was great, though windy and not as warm as I thought it would be in March and April, but it was fine.  Warm days (if not too windy), cool nights, and only rained twice, barely (once at night in Guerrero Negro, and the morning I left La Paz starting the trip back north).
• Appreciate the cacti, I did.  There are approximately 130 species of cacti  on the Baja, very cool plants, check 'em out.
• Pacifico (the beer) rules in the south, and it is good, with a slice of lime for sure.  It just tasted better than in the Baja when compared to the Pacifico we get here in the States.
• And finally, military check-points are totally annoying, but unfortunately, they seem to be everywhere.  Between Ensenada and San Felipe on my way back (over the central mountains from the Pacific coast back to the Gulfo de California), I went through 4 check-points (though did not have to stop at the 4th one, as I had just gone through another one barely 2 km back).  They are annoying, sometimes intrusive, and you have to watch them, they will steal from you if they get a chance.  I had one guy who really wanted one of my sleeping bags which I use as blankets, thought he was just going to snatch one and walk away.  I did have one guard steal some pieces of coral that I picked up in Cabo Pulmo, but had more, so no big deal.  They are staffed by solders, mostly young, and never really very friendly.  Just be polite, do what they ask you to do, but keep an eye on them if you can.

I could go on of course, but this is about all I have to offer at this point.  I had a great trip, a wonderful trip, and I do hope to get back there, still places I did not get to visit, and places I want to see again.  Plus, the tacos are great.

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