The Baja Story
Back from Baja!
All safe and almost sound (more about that later).
Mexico is v. poor and , in some instance , a lot like the S.A. I remember ie: the constant Army patrols and car searches, in the poor areas, the same shacks and lack of interest in beautifying the surroundings...on the good side, guavas, pretty shells, lovely beaches, few people.
We did more driving than we had anticipated but still only got approx. half way down the peninsular due in part to poor roads, lack of time and some setbacks.
Started off in San Filipe on the Sea of Cortez, HOT HOT HOT the sea like bathwater at a lovely RV site.
But ...instead of staying there we were enchanted and wanted to move on and explore....
WE went to Punta Banda area on the Pacific side. The sea and weather is much cooler on this side (to Norbert's relief), visited La Bufadora,down to La Pebellon(another lovely site right on the beach) We did quite a bit of paddle skiing in the sea here. Not much in the shops though so we really got into our collection of tins...thank goodness, anyway, given the state of our tummies.
Took a long drive over the central mountains to the sea of Cortz side again to Bahia de Los Angeles,
lovely views and beaches, But HOT and all the RV places were closed as all the locals go away to escape the heat. Had to book in overnight at the only Hotel in town, Villa Vite, where the air conditioning was turned off at midnight and electricity at 10. I had some really nice fish there.
The place was mainly full of fishermen. my Dad would have loved Baja.
Back to La Pebellon, where as we were sitting on the beach a lovely golden seal beached itself to die.
It took all afternoon to die and all people who passed it were
very distressed and tried ineffectually to help it (including us) by stroking it, or pushing it back toward the sea...but it
just came back. It had received a huge slash across the throat at
some stage but that looked pretty well healed though no one
really probed it to see how recent it was... perhaps that caused
some other internal wound too. Finally it died and was carried
out to sea by the tide that eve., thank goodness or the seagulls
would have attacked. Fishermen would leave their boats on the
dunes all day and go out night fishing...I haven't seen such
starry skies in a long time and we saw tons of dolphins swimming
very close to us. the Missus of the camp made us chicken tacos
(Karl suffered agonies because of our speech (or lack of it) and
pantomimes but was too shy to do the talking for us, though
capable...afterwards we would get these lectures on words and
pronunciation in the camper) 
Anyway Kevin suffered psychologically as
he watched her make the tacos. Cooked Chicken from a shady,
covered bowl (but not refrigerated), put in a soft taco then fried
in a pan thick with old grease (one of the old school who do not
believe in washing between fry ups) one or two more tablespoons of
thick white lard for good measure, local lettuce, tomato and
avocado pear...delicious but with the inevitable result.
Back to San Filipe across the mountains,
through an amazing hail storm like the sometimes have in the afternoons in Johannesburg, stones so big and a wind of such velocity it felt like the windscreen would smash. The bad roads and storm must have loosened the roof rack screws cos a little later we stopped to check something and Norbert discovered the entire roof rack had torn off and everything was gone and we had not heard a thing or felt it or seen anything!!!
Our lovely paddle ski and paddle, the table chair set , the
BBQ,the brand new spare tire and casing... we turned around at
once and retraced our steps for Two hours but could find not a
trace, we thought things would have broken and splintered around
but nothing. I can only think it fell on to a sandy patch (and it
is mainly v. sandy and dune like on the roadside with no tarmac
shoulder) and was pretty much in one piece and someone thought it
was their lucky day and took it . San Filipe 
was lovely, lots of
Sand dollars in the sea, lots of jumping fish all around one,
just feet away, lots of birds ,sandpipers, gulls and pelicans,
lots of thick, smooth shells.
Back home now, still with gyp tummies...