MEXICO HERE WE COME!
Was that it? We ask ourselves this question, after we drove across the Mexican border in no time and without any issues. One thing we learn right in the beginning: the Mexicans are extremely friendly, even at the customs and there is no wall yet ? Speaking of which: the following T-shirt is probably a must in the country, which is likely to suffer the most under the new American leadership…
We leave the border behind and drive to the sea. We notice that we are in a new country, not only because everyone speaks Spanish and no longer understands English, but also because the streets a little bumpier. There are lots of potholes and as if that alone is not enough, there are the “topes”. These artificial bumps are sometimes better and sometimes not at all signposted and serve to calm traffic. Sometimes it’s just a slight shadow in the distance suggesting a tope, but we learn very quick that it’s always worth slowing down! There are also tons of stop signs along the streets and at every intersection, but apart from us hardly anyone seems to care about them…
FRIENDSHIPS
Our time in Baja California is characterized by the people we spend the time with. Right in the beginning we meet Catherine and Stewart, two Canadians from Calgary. They are traveling with their Dodge Ram with cabin along the Pan-American Highway. We spend the next weeks with them on the dream beaches of the Baja. We also meet Angie and Ken with their little daughter Keela and their dog Cash. They set out from Vancouver Island in their small Delica van and enjoy life. We are full of admiration for how well these four organized themselves in their small home-on-wheels! Also, Pilar and Jorge, two Argentines driving from Canada back home to Buenos Aires in an old, lovingly refurnished Toyota campervan, are part of our overlander community.
ON AN ADVENTUROUS TRIP
Together we travel the endless coastlines of this Mexican peninsula and form convoys. We communicate with walkie-talkies; the leader informs the following cars about big holes in the tracks or loose boulders lying on the lane. In order that the ride on the washboard tracks does not become too bumpy, we again reduce our tire pressure far enough that our teeth do not chatter any more while driving ?
That way we spend many evenings in our wagon fort on one of the countless beaches with campfires, good food, adventure stories, laughter and card games. During the day we are lazy, read our books or we sort the many photos of our trip and finally find time to complete our homepage with the missing blogs… Every now and then this peace is disturbed by whale sharks, dolphins or even humpback whales who swim past our balcony. ? With the drone we manage to take a couple of nice pictures and one time we come across a huge swarm of mobula rays far out in the ocean while searching for whales. Each of these animals has a span of 1 to 2 meters and they swim to the hundreds and thousands in the Sea of Cortez for mating. We would love to have plunged into the water here with mask & snorkel…
SWIMMING GIANTS
Back on the Pacific coast, we take a trip to see some gray whales that give birth to their calves here. In the huge bays, the fresh-born whale calves are safe from the voracious orcas. In addition, the salinity in these lagoons is slightly higher, which helps the mothers to keep their little ones on the surface so that they can breathe. A few times a gray whale mom even sticks her huge head a few feet out of the water as if she were to observe her surroundings. She swims parallel to our small wooden boat and with her pectoral fin she lifts her newborn a little out of the water as if she wants to show us her magnificent child.
ON WE GO…
Overall, we spend almost seven weeks – much longer than planned – on the peninsula and when we leave, we are richer by many impressions and new friends! Excited to discover the rest of Mexico, we board a cargo ship in La Paz to take us across the Sea of Cortez to the mainland during the night. There we meet up again with friends who visit us on our adventure trip along the Pan-American Highway.
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