Can hardly believe that it’s almost Christmas - obviously no
snow, no continuous carols on the radio, very few decorations about and no
scurrying about cleaning, preparing food and buying presents. In a way it is so
much easier, but we definitely miss our family even more over the holidays!
We have been settled at Santispac beach on Bahia Conception
since Dec. 7 and will be here until Christmas day. Life is easy, long,
leisurely coffee watching pelicans, blue-footed boobies and gulls directly in
front of us, fishing for their breakfast, maybe a walk, a kayak paddle most
days and finally off to happy hour! We were lucky to secure a palapa (a palm
frond roof with 4 posts) that we set up with a tarp and wind screens plus
carpet for the sand. It keeps the wind out and provides some shade – Robin was
quick to set up his outdoor kitchen where we do most of the cooking. It faces
the bay and we are about 60 ft from the water. The beach averages 30-35 campers
per night, some here briefly, others here for months. We pay 150 pesos per
night, about $10. There are 2 restaurants right behind the row of RVs and we
get vendors every day selling fish, seafood, veggies & fruit along with blankets,
T-shirts, trinkets, etc. We are
particularly fond of the tamale lady who walks down the beach with her bucket
full of hot chicken tamales for breakfast.
Santispac beach |
full moon |
the view from our chairs |
We arrived on a Tuesday just after the weekly Happy Hour
began at Armandos Restaurant that is the closest to us. We left the RV in the
driveway and finally got it parked several cervesas later, after catching up
with old friends.
We laugh and say that “you know you are at Santispac ‘”when
you hear the “jake” brakes on the semis as they go up and down the big hill
behind us. We have decided that they do this and laugh as they wake us up. The
weather was amazing for the first 10 days or so, lows of 14-18C and his of
24-30C but it has cooled off and gotten windy, even have to wear long pants for
part of the day! (Even Robin a couple of times!)
view of the beach from the water |
We have been out kayaking often, some days the water was
like glass so great visibility for seeing fish. Dolphins come into the bay
regularly; we have been pretty close with the kayak.
more dolphins |
There is a group of
whale sharks that hangs out around the bay but they are hard to spot. They can
swim under the water with nothing visible but if you are lucky the small dorsal
fin and the tail might be spotted moving slowly as they feed. We have spotted
one and raced out with the kayak but failed to find it or unable to get very
close – but one morning our luck changed. Robin had us out on the water before
sunrise – 7:00 because he saw one. I grabbed the camera, but unfortunately it
had the telephoto lens on it (and no time to waste), and off we paddled. This
time it was in no hurry and was busy eating so we were able to get good and
close – too close at one point as we miscalculated it’s direction, the head
went under the kayak but the fin hit the underside of us and gave us quite the
rocking! I got some photos of the tail & fin but nothing of its body as it
was too close! We estimate it was at least 30 ft. long and its head about 3 ft.
across! Quite the experience!
We have tried fishing but only caught a nasty scorpionfish,
not trying too hard as the freezer is full. We are enjoying birdwatching;
finally saw the crests on the cormorants head, lots of pelicans and yellow
crowned night herons.
double crested cormorant |
The closest town is Mulege, 20 minutes away, with about 3000
people, a few small stores, a laundry, the purified water store, 2 gas stations
and the only place that you can get WiFi or cell service. This is a bit of a
pain but we manage. We finally gave up on the US cell phone and switched to a
Mexican Sim card, cheap and fairly reliable – sometimes we have to dial a
number 6 or 7 times before the call actually goes thru! We drove 120 km to
Loreto to make the switch but we were lucky to get someone who spoke excellent
English to get us set up.
We have driven towards the mountains hoping to find
interesting rocks but all we found was a lot of dust, dirt and cacti. Beautiful
drive though.
the cacti grow pretty big here! |
We have several old friends and some new ones that we are
spending our time with, hanging out, happy hours, meals at the restaurant –
Robin has taken a liking to their “deadly” margaritas! Not a good thing on 2
for 1 nights! We know a good place to dig for baby butter clams so we have
shared this with several folks and have enjoyed some delicious clam meals, plus
froze some clams for later on. Robin has been showing off his” bird booze house
“and sharing the Fireball with all the neighbors, quite the hit! Finally got
around to doing some decorating for Christmas – looks pretty festive!
all decked out for Christmas |
We always planned to continue down to Cabo but when we
learned that the main campground closed this year we were a bit worried. The
options were slim to none but we were lucky to catch a cancellation at one spot
so we will spend January there. We plan to spend Christmas Eve with friends,
enjoying a buffet supper at Anna’s restaurant at the end of the beach, then
head south Christmas day.
We would like to send a big Thanks to all who read about our
travels and especially those who are so kind to send us comments – we
appreciate them greatly!
Anna's Resturant |
our friend Serge and Robin's carving of him |
a couple wind chimes I have made |
suncatchers, earrings & bracelets, also made by me |
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all!
From Olav Rinde; Happy new year to you both. Lokks that you have a great time. Realy like the outdoor room. Take care, love from Norway
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