Behind Heart Shaped Sunglasses

Have I mentioned the difficulty navigating the roads in Mexico. I knew there would be challenges with this type of travel. I never thought that the roads, both quality of the infrastructure and rules of the road would be one of the bigger challenges. Coming off the main highway through Baja (Mex 1) we arrive at the oldest town in Baja. Loreto was founded in 1697. I wasn’t really sure what to expect. The reviews are half people love it and the other half don’t. We missed the exit off the highway…well…because it was a dirt road and wasn’t signed, as are many roads in Baja. We made the all familiar u turn and we were back on track, for now. We had a RV campground picked out from Ioverlander in the heart of the city, walking distance to the Malecon. Google maps had taken us down a one way, pedestrian walking path. We ended up going on foot to find our campground, checked in and parked. We haven’t had any issues just pulling in and having a place, but as we head further south I think that might not be the case, especially on a weekend. $350 pesos for modest dry camping, flush toilets and Mexico hot showers(meaning not very).

We enjoyed our next two days wandering the streets and stocking back up to head back out onto the beaches of Baja. Loreto has an up and coming bohemian tourist vibe. The beach front has many clean looking hotels and I’m sure delicious places to eat. What is missing is the large resorts. Further back from the Malecon are quaint and artsy vacation rentals that are well manicured.

In the center of the town is the plaza with a church(whose bell still chimes), an art museum and a beautiful old hotel (Hotel Posada de las Flores). The streets are lined with shops and the trees touch overhead to give the feeling of walking through a tunnel. At night the whole plaza and the walking paths are light up and vibrant. 

We were foruntate to experience a little night life, with a downtown market and buskers. A 2 man band was playing blues music at a local brewery where Olive and I danced into the night. We dined on pizza and craft beers.

In the morning I joined a 7am gentle morning yoga class outside, behind a cafe with some friends. My first formal yoga in a while, its was great! The walk through those same tree lined streets was absolute magic, a post yoga glow for sure.

The distance between Loreto and La Paz is around 4 hours and farther than we care to drive in a day. Quidad Constitucion is more in land but a good half way point. Winding and climbing in elevation over the mountain range we drop into the agricultural space between coasts. This small town has again a very different feeling than the coastal centers.

It seems as if less tourists stop here. Everyone seems less “tourist tired”. We were greeted with smiles and a very helpful disposition. Both local men and women are very interested in Olive. They always stop to approach us and ask her questions, and they are so impressed when she can answer in Spanish…even if it’s a few words. We (of course) get lost trying to find our way to the campsite. We arrive to find a gem of a campsite. $350 pesos and we get a pool and playground all to our selves. Showers and flush toilets are also included.

We get our first wild camping experience just North of La Paz. Ioverlander takes us to a sand peninsula with sand dunes separating the road from the Sea. The water was much to fierce for us to go in. Instead we walk the beach looking for sea treasures and running in the waves. Something to note if you plan to drive in Mexico, topes are speed bumps of varying size. Some are little blips and some with send you sailing. Also there are 3 types of topes: the tope that has a sign indicating so, the tope that has a sign but no actual speed bump, or the tope that is not marked. So keep your whits about ya.

We only stayed in this wild camp for one night. With La Paz so close and our friends(Rocky and Steph) camped just past it. We decided to join them.

Playa el Tecolote is a well known wild camping beach for many adventure travelers. It is just outside La Paz and is often a stopping place for people who are waiting to take the ferry to mainland Mexico, likely continuing on to South America and usually trying to complete the Pan American highway trip. We met with our friends and enjoyed 4 nights here. Baja winters are known for strong winds and our first 2 nights and a good part of the days were very windy. When you basically live outside high winds can be pretty draining. Good company and a beautiful beach convinced us to stay longer and we managed to really embrace the beauty of this little playa.

A short walk down the beach are a few restaurants serving the travelers. The top left picture is a truck shipped from Germany. Not sure why but we have seen many and they are almost always German. This couple was continuing on the Pan American highway. They are ridiculously massive!

Rocky, Steph, us and some friends enjoyed our last night at Playa el Tecolote with a communal fire a few drinks and stories of our experiences. We parted ways for a while in the morning. We headed back to La Paz to find a warm shower and restock some supplies.

Driving into La Paz from the overlook of the highway we see the sprall of the largest city in Baja. The Malecon lines the waterfront and the streets extend up into the hills behind. It is far more polished and wealthy than any other of the places we have been thus far. This can only mean 2 things for us…easier navigation and a city vibe with in which we don’t want to stay too long.

We park up at a campground just off the Malecon for one night at $500 pesos(our most expensive yet). But we want to experience the touristy area of La Paz for one day. Up until now we actually haven’t eaten out that much. Prices are comparable to Canada, its not likely to leave a restaurant without paying around $90-$100 for a few drinks and a meal each. We enjoy some delicious shrimp tacos and Paul has the fish tacos. We spend the rest of the afternoon walking the Malecon, playing in a park and walking through the streets. Well….I expected for it to happen. Both Olive and I got violently sick that night…likely the shrimp as Paul didn’t have any. Thank goodness we had a flush toilet very close by and no one else in the campground. It was a whole new experience of managing in our tight quarters. It was almost comically violent food poisoning. We awoke the next day feeling pretty drained from all the evacuating the day before.

I was a lump for the whole day. Paul went out to do the laundry and get some groceries on foot while Olive and I laid in bed. We moved to another campground just outside of La Paz. Barking dogs all night are a common thing in Baja, especially in big centers.

Maranatha Campground was just the oasis we were looking for to continue to heal before traveling further. $350 pesos/night for a pool, a hot tub, a great playground, and pristine bathrooms with hot showers. We will be back for sure.

My brother and his wife are flying in mid February for a week and we want to reserve a comfy place for all of us to stay. We will spend the next few days scouting around Todos Santos and Play Los Cerritos.