Mexico

Hola,

So right now we're in San Ignacio, right in the middle of the baja. You'd think it would ridiculously warm here but for reason today just got chilly and windy. Not a cloud in the sky and super hot in the sun but without that sun...yikes, a winter jacket might have helped. Aside from the cold nights, this place has been amazing. The Yurts that we're staying in are soo cool and cozy and we definitely recommend then to the parents. We'll bring back pictures of the interior. I'd post them right now but Tess has taken it upon herself to unpack everything from her bag and place it on every available flat space...floor included

So after our amazing whale watching/petting experience in Guerrero Negro we figured that it would probably be a while until our next really cool experience...we were wrong. At breakfast yesterday we happened to have met a mother and daughter who were travelling the baja as well. They are originally from Germany but have since moved to Mexico City because the husband/father is a journalist. They had rented a vehicle and were heading to see the cave paintings which were about a two hour drive through the desert backcountry roads around the Sierra de SanFransico (mountains). Chad...were bringing your Jeep down here sometime in the near future, you can figure out why. A couple of spare tires may come in handy though Anyways, after having an absolutely huge breasfast together they invited Tess and I to come with them. Sooo nice. The drive was awesome and the hour hike up the mountain was even cooler. It wouldn't have been the same without the 6'0" tall 100 pound Mexican cowboy as a guide, haha. Anywhooo, we ended up seeing cave paintings that were over 4000 years old and nearly 30 feet high. Unbelievable sight! The kicker to the trek was the crazy Cactus that jumped out of nowhere and chased me down the hill, haha. On the way down I lost my footing for a second and swung my hand out right onto a cactus, those suckers hurt and the needles were in deep enough that when I pulled my hand away, and entire cactus head came right along with me. Fun times We also had a giant supper last night. But after finding out that costed us $15 each we are settling for Bologne sandwiches tonight.

So after the journey yesterday, we just decided to relax by the river today. We suntanned, played cards, and fished!!! Both Tess and I caught fish. Catch and release of course Don't let the picture of me and the fish fool you. That was the smallest one. Both of us caught some biggies!

Tomorrow...on too......havent decided yet. Maybe Melege, maybe Loreto. We'll sleep on it.

Pictures should be posted within the next couple of days.

Until next time,

Jay

So, we haven't been able to get a hold of a computer in the last few days, which explains our recent poor track record of written wisdom. But, I'll recap:

We bussed it out of Tijuana (aka 'the slums') and booked it to Ensenada as soon as we found a place to exchange our Canadian coins, which we unwisely thought would be an easy thing to do. No such doing. By the hand of G-d we turned a corner (after being rejected from several moneylenders and 3 major banks) and discovered a ScotiaBank, smack dab in the middle of a busy Tijuana road. Salvation! We exchanged at a semi decent rate at 8.73 pesos to the dollar, which compared to the measly 6.5 we were offered by the only other canadian moneychanger was like striking gold. Then faster than you can say "Tiju-what?" we were outta there.

We stayed with another couchsurfer in Ensenada. Her name is Gloria, and she was a hilarious (and very short) filipino woman with 2 adorable cocker spanials. In the morning we took a local bus (converted short school bus) to the downtown area. We asked an English speaking man on the bus where the best fish tacos were (since we hear that's the Ensenada specialty) and he had us get off at a stop nearby the downtown core and pointed to a roadside stand before welcoming us and parting on his way. We crossed the street and with my meager handling of Spanish ordered "dos tacos pescados". 2 dollars later, we did indeed have absolutely delicious deep-fried golden battered fish tacos wrapped in a corn shell. Jay needed another and some water, and we continued to the port.

Ensenada has a few nice roads and many not so nice roads, however we were grateful that we weren´t in Tijuana so it wasn't a big deal. The main tourist stretch definately reminded me of Mom, there were so many nice furniture stores and silver shops. It definately catered to rich gringos off the cruise ships, rather than the crap offered to the boisterous college students that'd frequent Tijuana. We walked along red brick sidewalks and admired things we could definately not afford ourselves.

Another point, this is definately not tourist season. There was maybe 1 other non Spanish Family in the whole city (that we saw, at least). Walking along the empty port boardwalk, we felt a little lucky that we had a chance to feel relaxed while here, instead of constantly forced to follow with a crowd and be on a rigid schedule. I mean, we ARE on some sort of schedule, but it´s self-induced.

After a pleasant boat tour of Todos Santos Bay (where we saw the ship where "Titanic" was filmed and many boats and sea lions), we bought our tickets to Guerrero Negro and went back to Gloria´s place to pack.

Yesterday, (the next day), we got to the bus station, boarded, and proceeded to spend the next 8 1/2 hours riding down Baja towards Guerrero Negro. 8 1/2 stomach turning hours. The roads are poorly maintained and dipped up and down, up and down. Jay, feeling even more sick than I, had to keep sleeping so he wouldn't upchuck. I felt 'slightly' better, and was able to watch the amazing scenery which graced the countryside. Cacti of all shapes and sizes, and some of the most beautiful hills, ravines and canyons that I may ever see. Next time we'll drive it though, and take our time. It was a Loooooong trip.

We are staying in a motel called Las Dunas, and initially we were nervous because it's the cheapest place in town and wasn't listed on the books. However, it's plenty fine, with tiled floors and a private bathroom with hot water. Clean, and they give complimentary bottled water too. For $20, you can't complain.

This morning we had a scare, in which we couldn't find Marios restaurant to hop on board for our whalewatching tour. Things turned out ok in the end, for they showed up at their office which was right beside our hotel. And boy o boy, was THAT worth the price of admission.

Have you ever touched a wild grey whale? Jay and I have... they are so curious, and they stare at you from under the water and their massive bodies glide out from under the boat and disappear and reappear from nothing. And they are SO large and so beautiful, for three hours you stand, queasy, ripping from boatside to boatside for the chance to see them spout and raise up out of the water, barnacles gripping over the bodies and scratches on their tails. Absolutely one of the most awe-inspiring experiences of my life. They call them the friendly ones here, although I'd rename them the Teases, they were always getting SO close to the boat and as soon as you reached out to touch them they'd flip away. We got lucky, as there was only one other man on our boat (another canadian by coincidence), and the other boat on the water didn't get a chance to touch the whales. In my case, a tail almost whipped me in the face and I reached out my hands and ran it on the tip before it realized it got too close. Imagine a soft, wet rubber tire.

The rest of the day has been chilling, doing laundry, and feeling content that we may have just had the experience of a lifetime.

Love Tess..

San Diego was sweet....Tijuana, umm not so sweet. Yesterday we spent the morning and early afternoon at the zoo. There was soo much to see and it was all amazing. There were about a dozen giant tortises each over 80 years old and weighting over 700 pounds. The Orangutangs were funny, they tried hiding themselves under broken palm leaves. It was kinda like a 2 year old covering there eyes in hopes that you can't see them becuase they can't see you. It was awesome. And then we saw a giant 350 pound Silverback Gorilla backhand the glass where a guy was taking pictures of it, as if to say "get the hell outta here while i'm still in a good mood"

After the zoo we walked all the way to downtown, had a great dinner, walked through an open-air mall (they get no rain here so everything is open-air, even the schools), and then went to a wicked Reggae concert that we managed to get free tickets too from a Hostelling International guy. Pictures and a small video will be posted some time soon. It was a perfect weekend to start the trip...and were under budget!!!

So now were in Tijuana...grrrrr. We've been here for about 2 hours now and I would have been happy leaving after 10 minutes. Tess did manage to bargain her way down half price for a shirt. That was fairly exciting. The street pedlers that bombard you every 15 seconds to buy cheap jewelery, $1.00 beers or something called a "Scooby-doo". (I definitely didn't wanna find out what that was) has lost its luster. It's interesting when McDonalds is the only establishment you trust...haha. Anyways, we are now heading to catch a bus to Ensenada. A much more lovely Mexican town I hear.

Until next time,

Jay

ps.

Check out http://www.flickr.com/photos/tessarex/ for more of the photos that we've taken and will be taking.