Jodi and I are sending this "thank you note" to all the people who helped us plan our Baja trip. Your posts and comments very much helped it make our adventure more spectacular.
We thought that in return we'd offer now some of our thoughts on the trip. (Well, they are really mine, but I'll try to reflect Jodi's, too.)
So, here's what we wound up doing:
We left from Southern California (Orange County) on Dec. 27. I had exchanged some money at a place in Beverly Hills, and we stopped by the border to exchange more. The rates at the border were better. The trick was to find a shop that advertised "no commission." We got 7.435 pesos to the dollar, which was great, considering that the official rate was 7.55. We also noticed many insurance places there. I got full insurance (max. liability, and the works) from a guy in L.A. I think I may have paid too much, though. In order to get complete liability he said we would have to go through a company that offered only a monthly rate, not daily or weekly. So, I paid $220 for this. I'm guessing that I could have shaved about $70 or so off this by shopping around near the border. (And, we never had to use the insurance anyway.)
My car was in good shape, also, as I just got the brakes worked on and transmission service. Also, I bought a jack, just in case. With all the potholes and curves, not to mention certain very remote areas, it's a good feeling to know the car is a happy one.
After crossing the border, we wanted to get our tourist card stamped. The normal immigration area was closed, and we were directed to a trailer in the corner of a parking lot around back (rather tricky to find.) Other people we ran into later couldn't find it-- and did this in Ensenada, where an official wanted upwards of $20 or threatened to send them back. (Nobody in Baja ever asked to look at it.)
We took the toll road (1-D) down to Rosarito Beach. What a beautiful drive on a sunny day! Rosarito looked inviting; so, we stopped for a beer at Papas and Beer, there. Then, we cruised on to Ensenada. We found a nice place for lunch (the name escapes me, but it was close to the port) and did some very quick window shopping. Ensenada seems like quite a large town, with this one tourist area. I wanted to go see La Bufadora (a water blow-hole), but Jodi wasn't into blowing things (I guess a typical guy complaint!), so we moved on. Some other time I'd like to go back to sample the club scene there (Hussongs, I guess).
After some hours we finally got the San Quintin and our first night's stop. We stayed at the Old Mill Motel, which is tricky to find ( it's a bit South of town, and there's a small sign.) It was in a neat area, though. The dirt road to it must have taken about 15 minutes. The place is right on the lagoon. One unusual aspect of the motel is that there were no keys for the room. It's a trust thing. The people there were very friendly, though. Also, the restaurant was really good. However, prepare to awakened early, as a huge number of caged birds awaken the guests with their chatter around 7am.
The next day it was on to Guerrero Negro, passing through Catavina. We decided we would really want to stop in Catavina on the way back. In G.N., we missed the official whale season by a few days. Later, someone told me we could have driven down the road to the lagoon and gotten a boat-- but the official tours hadn't yet begun. Otherwise, nothing too special about the town. We did stay in a nice place, though- El Morro. And, we ate at El Malarimo- which was a good spot-- not a gourmet meal, but real decent food.
Then, it was on to the Sea of Cortez. We stopped in San Ignacio for a look around, and again, we decided to stop there on the way back. At this point we also made reservations for our return hotel stay at La Posada (Sr. Fisher's hotel), which was a very decent place. Oscar's son was very friendly. The town itself is charming, although rather small.
Onwards we drove, stopping next in Santa Rosalia. We checked out the bakery. To tell you the truth, we may be spoiled living in San Francisco. The bread was good, but... The town itself was very cool. We spent only about 1/2 hour walking around, and, in retrospect, I would have liked to have spent about 2 hours there. Apparently, 10,000 people live in the town. Also, there's another El Morro hotel, which looks like a great place to stay nearby.
Then, we got to Mulege. This was now Dec. 30. We tried first the Serenidad Hotel, but it was sold out (and the rooms were around $50.00, but it looked very nice.) Then, we tried for Las Casitas, with no luck. Finally, we got a room at a hotel down the block- the name of which escapes me. It has an active bar--- the rooms were ok. The view from the hill above the mission in the city of all the Palm Trees was great, and we ran into 3 other gringos there and spent the night hanging out with them. Las Casitas has a huge buffet. It seems like every night a different restaurant has a special meal. The next morning we also made a stop at Danny's taco stand, and it was a treat.
We then drove a tad south to Bahia Concepcion. This was one of the highlights of the trip. We spent some time as Santaspac, a beautiful beach and rented a 2-person Kayak, and paddled out and around a bunch of Islands, anchoring ourself to one for a tad. There, we encountered more gringos who offered us some use of their snorkel equipment; Jodi (who does not wear contact lenses) took them up on it, and got a great view of lots of fish. The rental company is called Baja Tropicales and run by Roy and Becky. We dealt with Becky, and she was really nice. They also do a half day tour for $39.00, including lunch. It seemed like a good deal. (You can make reservations for Kayaks or the tour in the US, at (619) 275-4225.
Next, it was time to head back North (sigh). We got back to San Ignacio. There, we ran into a wedding, taking place in the mission/church. The town was small, and I bought a pair of socks for .75!! We had a great experience at a restaurant called Totas. The food was generally good, but the service was incredible. The guys were amazingly friendly. One vegetable was particularly good. It's called "Chayote." I may be spelling it wrong. It's a Mexican fruit, that on the outside looks like a green pear, but has the texture of a cross between a cucumber and squash. Really delicious.
By the way, I should mention that Jodi did a great job supporting the Mexican economy with her beer drinking. I believe she tried every beer made in the country. (I helped out occasionally.) My vote-- Bohemia was the best, Tecate, the worst.
Another side note-- the weather was great. Mostly, I'd say it was in the 70s in the day (80s in Mulege/Bahia Conception) and maybe in the 40s or 50s at night. Virtually no motels have heat (nor ac). So, we wore lots of layers to sleep and used many a blanket. We ran into another couple who said they brought sleeping bags to keep warm. I can imagine that it may be somewhat miserable with the heat in the summer.
The clear weather was also great for driving. There are a huge number of "vados" or dips along the road. Maybe 50 between Ensendada and Mulege. I imagine these could easily fill with water when it's raining, causing huge delays.
Anyway, it was now the 31st and on to Catavina. We had a very special New Years in this, the remotest, of towns we stayed in. We opted for La Pinta, as there really is no other choice but a kinda nasty $10/night joint. The desert there is very beautiful, and a stream lined by Palm Trees makes for great hiking.
Oh, another side note. We were stopped several times on the road by the police/army for inspection. Generally, they just asked us where we were going and if we had any drugs or weapons. Once they briefly searched our car. Another time, the guy wanted to make jokes with us. Overall, they were very polite and almost apologetic.
We drove through Ensenada next (and missed my new Internet friend, Hector, who was partying like crazy for the New Years--- Hector, we tried to call you later, but your telephone was busy!!)
Next it was back to Rosarito Beach. The town was somewhat deserted, as it was the 1st. I was impressed with the interesting clubs- Papas and Beer and Rock 'n Roll Taco, in addition to the new Festival Hotel. Obviously, the place is for gringos, but it's fun. We stayed at the Hotel California, which was a nice place, although someone with a key sneaked into our room and stole Jodi's wallet (fortunately with nothing in it) and an alarm clock.
Then, on the 2nd, we headed back. And, at the noon hour we only had about a 25-minute delay at the border. After, we re-exchanged our pesos, getting now about 7.8 to the dollar.
I think the next time, we'll look into flying into Loreto, renting a car, and driving to Bahia Concepcion/Mulege, in addition to southward points. It seemed like it got nicer the farther south we went.
All in all, it was a great trip. Thanks again to all of you for your suggestions in advance, and we hope our information may be helpful to you in some way on the next trip you take. Feel free to write either of us if you have any questions and comments about our journey.
Bert & Jodi