The Jungle Blog

So. It´s day 11. A week and a half since we left home. Not ready to come back yet...

Today we spent the day in Loreto, but I´ll get to that in a second. YESTERDAY, we woke up after one of the biggest storms I think we´ll experience on this trip, unless we encounter a hurricane, which I think this nearly compared to. When you are sleeping in a yurt with a tent-like roof, you really notice it too. Cold, and windy with a capital WINDY. Palms roaring every which was, and it was chilly enough that we had the heater aimed at our faces with the sheets pulled over our heads all night. Not the most pleasant of evenings.

After a delicious morning at the San Ignacio Springs, we had plans to go to the bus stop to purchase our ticket to Loreto. However, just as we were clearing up our bill with Gary the owner, John (sorry if it´s not John, I´m much better with faces!) and Gwen, a lovely Canadian couple from Sault St. Marie who we had gotten to know over the last couple of days offered to drive us to Mulege so we would save a few dollars on the bus. We accepted their considerate offer and we all jumped into their van, our seats in the back being two appropriately placed lawn chairs (fun!).

The four of us proceeded to stop in Santa Rosalia, where they boast French style wooden buildings, an Eiffel Church, and one of Baja´s best bakeries. At the bakery we ordered a couple of Pan Dulces, which are sweetbreads shaped like cinnamon buns. Muy delicioso! After an hour or so of site-seeing we continued on to Mulege.

The drive from Santa Rosalia to Mulege is absolutely breathtaking. Right before the lesser townsite the scenery changes from cacti and desert to the Sea of Cortez, which must be one of the most beautiful seas, there are islands in the distance and the coast is rocky in some areas and soft and sandy in others, and pelicans coast and dive across all fronts. Shades of blue and grey coast from far off distances keep you absolutely captivated. I was quite content to sit in the vehicle and marvel for the hour and a half before we reached Mulege.

Upon reaching Mulege we originally planned to stay the evening in the same motel as our new friends, but had an attack of conscience and decided that it wouldn´t be fair to have them feel obligated to continue driving us around, so we parted ways and got on the 4 o clock bus to Loreto, where we watched a spanish-dubbed "The Craft" and fell asleep. In Loreto we went to the number one listed motel in the Let´s Go guide we´re using, got the best suite in the place at 260 pesos, and immediately realized that the place had slid quite a ways downhill since the guide was written in 2005. How far? Let me count the ways:

1. The guide mentioned well equipped kitchenettes. Well, there was a sink, and a hood fan where a stove used to be, but nothing else.
2. A bed that squeaks like a mouse on speed and sinks half a foot in the middle is not the best sleep, not to mention sheets that are too small for the bed.
3. Are shower heads supposed to fall out of the wall?
4. Although I don´t mind taking a shower under a hose-like spray, I always thought a hot shower meant hot, not just above freezing.
5. I thought doors were an old innovation. It was a novel experience having a shower curtain divide the bathroom from the bedroom.
6. I´m not sure if bugs are supposed to crawl out of sink handles.

I guess it wasn´t all bad. They had a colour tv, the location was decent and the woman who maintained the place was very nice. However, don´t be too surprised but we checked out this morning.

We found a new place right on the main stretch. The Hotel Junipero, it´s slighty more expensive at 350 pesos but infinately nicer and in a better location. Today we had a very pleasant day walking up and down the clean beautiful streets, checking out artisan shops and strolling alongside the beach. A black lab with a slight touch of mange adopted us for a couple of hours, Jay had his first Donkey burrito (three, actually), and Dad, if you want nice oceanfront lots this is the place to get it. The beach is no Cancun, but stunning views, pelicans EVERYWHERE, the town is lovely, safe, and the prices for property are quite decent, not to mention there is an airport right nearby. We saw a sunset tonight so we hope the morning will be nice, we´re going to have breakfast at the taco stand McLulu´s before catching the 12:05 bus to La Paz, a journey that will take approx. 5 hours. Hasta Luego!

By the way, don´t forget to check out http://www.flickr.com/photos/tessarex for more pictures

Love Tess