"We travel, not to escape life, but for life not to escape us."
-Anonymous
It's finally happened! I'm now waking each morning, completely oblivious to where I am. And no, it's not due to the margaritas the night before!

The mornings are still dark, that is if I wake before the seagulls, roosters, or pack of roaming dogs, and I peek out the window to remind myself of where we parked La Tortuga, our 27' RV, the night before.

Ahh...beach-side again...nice!

As the cobwebs slowly creep away, I can now hear the sounds of the waves crashing onto the shore at El Playa Tecolote, our oceanfront accommodations for the next several days. What a way to celebrate a New Year! Soon we'll be boarding a ferry to mainland Mexico and our time in Baja will be just a memory. But a New Year deserves new adventures, and it's time to continue south.

Along with this New Year also restores our appreciation for what we are doing here...living in our RV, with our son, across the cities of Mexico, waking each morning to new sights, new adventures...a new pack of dogs...and a renewed meaning to this crazy zoo of life.

We are truly living our best lives!

In 2020, and every year from this point forward, we hope that no matter where you wake up, you're finding yourself exactly where you want to be and living the life you've always dreamed of!

Read on for some updates on where we've been lately.
Holidays on the Road

Holidays on the road come with mixed emotions. There is the magic of celebrating in a country different than your own. And then there is the heaviness that comes with being far from the comforts of home, your family, and your own holiday traditions.

With so many beautiful places to choose from, we (or I should say Noah) decided we should celebrate Christmas and New Years, proceeded by my birthday, in La Ventana, Baja Sur. I think the choice may have had something to do with WIFI.
La Ventana (the window) is a little fishing village on the Eastern side of the Baja Peninsula, just south of La Paz. It is known primarily for its consistent North winds, drawing windsurfers and kiters from all over the globe, primarily the Pacific Northwest. In fact, it's been nicknamed "Hood River South" by the part-time residents as the majority of kiters here spend their winters in La Ventana and summers in Hood River, Oregon. Hmm...I think I've heard of that place!

They are all camped along the Playa Central and have created their own community, consisting of huge motor homes, RV's, pull-behind campers, trucks, vans and converted Unimogs.
Seeing the excitement from these wind-enthusiasts makes you want to give the sport a try for yourself. But with lessons in the $1000 range and a travel budget to consider, we've opted to stick to paddle boarding for now. We can always pick the sport up in the next 10-20 years if we decide to give it a go. The majority of kiters we've met here are over 60 and killing it!
Even though we opted out of kiteboarding lessons, we still found reasons to stay in La Ventana, specifically at Tango Azul RV Resort on three seperate occasions. Maybe it was the WIFI as previously mentioned; or the gorgeous outside kitchen that served up complimentary fresh breads and coffee each morning; or possibly the pool, beautiful bathrooms, and shower facilities. It's true! We were "glamping" in Mexico!

But the real reason we stayed was for the friends we met while we were there. Just as we found at the start of our trip, the hardest part of traveling is leaving when you find a place you've come to love.
Let's backtrack a bit...
Loreto

The last time we checked in with you, we were on our way to the town of Loreto, which meant leaving our beach-side accommodations in the Bahía Concepción and opting for a bit of "city-life."

Loreto is a little colonial town located in Baja Sur along the Sea of Cortez, so yes, it is still ocean-side and filled with oodles of opportunities for fishing, water sports and best of all, whale-watching. But the history of Loreto, with it's old missions, Spanish-style decor, and back drop of the Sierra de la Giganta (Giganta Mountain Range), was what drew us here.

The town plaza is a cobblestone square and gathering place for locals and tourists alike, bustling with activity. Restaurants of all kinds line the perimeter, promising the "best margaritas in Mexico" and amazing selections of tacos, while candy carts roll through the square, offering a taste of Mexican-style sweetness.
On the street corner benches, you'll find little old men chatting away the mornings, discussing life and answering questions from many of the curious tourists, like myself, taking the opportunity to practive my Spanish.

We snuck into a little RV park, only steps from the plaza, by venturing down the cobblestone road clearly marked "no vehiculos" (no vehicles), leaving us wondering if our guide book was mis -guiding us. But after some pretty tight turns down the pedestrian-only streets, La Tortuga pulled into Malorino's RV Park and we set up camp for almost a week.
We probably would have left earlier had it not been for running into three separate groups of friends we had met on our travels up North. We were happy to spend a little more time with them, sharing our travel stories over some of those "best margaritas in Mexico" mentioned above.

Our arrival into Loreto came during "Culture Week," which brought local music, dancing, singing and delicious foods to the square, a celebration of San Francisco Javier , the patron saint of the  San Francisco Javier de Vigge Biaundo Mission . Each year hundreds of pilgrims make the 20-mile journey to the town of San Javier and the mission, on foot, to renew their faith and celebrate with one another. It left me feeling a little guilty about my inability to make it to church on Sundays...by car!

The Towns of Southern Baja

We left Loreto and made our way to the far south of Baja, hitting up all the small towns between the Eastern Cape and Pacific coast, and avoiding the cities of Cabo San Lucas and San Jose del Cabo. These bigger cities are perfect for many vacationers who come for a short stay as they offer everything in the way of tours and nightlife, giving you a full range of experiences. For us, again in our 27' land yacht, the big towns mean fast traffic, hard-to-navigate roads and expensive foods and services. Plus, RV camps are pretty much non-existent here.

Todos Santos
I could easily waste a month away in Todos Santos alone. The town is a perfect mix of local art, music, foods and culture. It is also home to the infamous Hotel California, which serves a high-end menu of food and drinks and, of course, has a store filled with every imaginable trinket tagged with their name. As the other 2/3 of my traveling party aren't fans of roaming around small streets to "just look," I set off for a day alone to explore. I now have over 200 photos to sift through and edit. See you again soon Todos Santos!

Pescadero and Cerritos Beach
As Todos Santos doesn't offer much in the way of camping, we made our way to the town of Pescadero, about a 10-minute drive south. We camped at Pescadero Surf Camp , expecting beach-side accommodations where we could wake up and learn to surf. Instead, we found it inland a few miles but loved it regardless, and spent 10 days. Oh, I should mention, it had a pool, outside kitchen and decent WIFI. Noah loved it! Well, except for the mosquitos that enjoyed his sweet young blood...like a lot!

We spent a few days playing on Cerritos Beach, a famous surfing destination for its sandy break and long stretch of beach, perfect for all surfing abilities. So, with our newly purchased Costco surf board in hand, I quickly hit the waves, ready to become the rad surf chick I was always meant to be. Instead I was quickly reminded that I'm a middle-aged mom with tight hips and an aversion to face plants and being tossed around in a washing machine of salt water. Noah was the only one to master the art of standing up, but still prefers to boogie-board and duck the waves. Of well, the board makes a perfect camp table now!
Cabo Pulmo
Cabo Pulmo is a national marine park along the Eastern Cape of the Baja Peninsula and a bit of a challenge to get to. But it came so highly recommended by other travelers and locals that we decided to check it out, assured that our RV could make it with no problems.

The dirt road into Cabo Pulmo is a mix between washboards, sand, deep dips and the occasional lake you have no choice but to navigate, unless you're a fan of backing up for several miles. The hour-long trek caused all of our canned goods to fall from the cupboards, and shot avacados out of their fruit hammock onto the floor, making guacamole. After what felt like hours, we made it to a spot back off a rocky beach, a short walk from the tiny town.

The following day we went on a snorkeling tour, ready to show Noah what a real reef looks like. Unfortunately, the conditions were a bit rough and cold, and although the fish were plentiful, the required life jackets made it hard for Noah to keep his face in the water, so the experience wasn't quite what we had hoped for. That is until we got word about a humpback whale sighting a short distance away, and the end of our tour was highlighted by the memories of humpback calves learning to breach all around our boat. Another bucket list item checked!

With the clouds darkening and rain threatening to roll in, we opted to make Cabo Pulmo a one-night stand & headed back to La Ventana. This cool little town is definitely worth another visit in the future...maybe in one of those Unimogs!
La Paz

During our time down south, we made our way in and out of La Paz, the Mexican capital city of the state of Baja California Sur. I love this town so much I could easily write an entire post on La Paz alone (and I most likely will...it's that great!) but I will try and stick to the highlights for now.

La Paz , or "The Peace," is an attractive town in Baja Sur with an easy, yet active vibe. The beautiful La Paz Malecón , or waterfront walkway, is always buzzing with locals out biking, running or roller-blading along the water, day and night, weaving in and out of tourists with their cameras and shopping bags. The Malecón is a welcoming place for all.

About five years prior, we flew into Baja with Noah and explored the town of La Paz and it's beautiful beaches and back roads by car, a much easier task than maneuvering around in La Tortuga. We also hired a boat for a day trip to swim with whale sharks and sea lions, and even spotted a blue whale a short distance away, a rare site for everyone on board.

La Paz may be best known for its beautiful beaches, plentiful restaurants, and adventure tours, but for the weary travelers coming from the North, it is known mostly for one important thing: Walmart! After traveling through so many small towns with even smaller offerings of groceries and supplies, Walmart is a beacon of light to us all.

It is also the town from which we will ferry to Mainland Mexico.

Yes, after over three months traveling down the peninsula, we are finally leaving Baja!

See ya on the other side!
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