California Dreaming Baja Sur Mexico
El Arco
“Let your feet wander, your eyes marvel and your soul ignite” - unknown
At the southern tip of North America lies Mexico’s Baja Sur California peninsula. Having lived in Southern California most of my life I find it amazing that I’ve visited far away destinations but never made it to this beautiful part of the continent until now.
Interestingly most of the locals here consider themselves North Americans before they consider themselves Mexicans and for all intents and purposes you feel like you’re vacationing in the USA. American dollars are the currency and English is the most common language spoken.
It was a family wedding that brought me here and while most of my time was spent in the luxury resort where the wedding was to take place I managed to sneak out and spend some time wandering to catch a flavor of what this part of the world is all about.
The town square in San Jose is dominated by the Mission of San Jose del Cabo Anuiti, the southernmost of the Jesuit missions established during Mexico’s colonial period in Baja California. The original mission dated back to April 8, 1730. Unfortunately, nothing remains of this thanks to native uprisings and fire. The current version was rebuilt in 1940.
Having just come from Israel and walking the Via Dolorosa I was intrigued to see that the walls are decorated with the stations of the cross.
The other building of note in the main square in San Jose is the Palacio Municipal which was established in 1730. The Spanish explorer Hernan Cortez came to California in search of the fabled land of the Amazons full of women, gold and pearls. Los Cabos was originally settled by these early Spaniards because of fresh water and proximity to the pearl beds of La Paz.
Now Los Cabos is a tourist town full of resorts and hotels.
Most of the beaches interestingly enough are not safe for swimming due to the way the ocean shelf drops steeply and the water tides of the Pacific Ocean. The safe beaches are along the Sea of Cortez also sometimes known as the Gulf of Mexico.
This is one of the more popular beaches near the Los Cabos Marina that can only be approached from the water.
The water in the Sea of Cortez is so clear that you can see the fish swimming close to the surface. Of course, the boat crews also throw pieces of tortilla into the water to encourage the fish to swarm close to their boat for the tourists to see and photograph.
The rock formations along this short 2-hour cruise have been eroded by a combination of water and wind and form interesting shapes. The famous arch or El Arco which connects the Pacific to the Sea of Cortez is one of the landmarks of the coast.
Further erosion may someday completely destroy this formation but for now it’s the place to photograph and be photographed.
The Window to the Pacific is an arch that is in the process of being formed. You can see the water foaming as the water from the Pacific Ocean mingles with the water from the Sea of Cortez.
Lands’ end. The rock formation that marks the end of the North American continent. From this point the Pacific Ocean goes in many directions including Hawaii and Polynesia and potentially even Australia.
At this point the Sea of Cortez meets the Pacific Ocean and our boat sailed around to enter the waters of the Pacific Ocean for a brief time before turning around and making the return journey to the harbor.
A small rock protruding out of the water after the land mass which is the final land marker.
Interesting rock formations and esoteric names is a part of the boat ride.
A determined pelican striving to catch the fish being thrown out from a passing boat.
A day wandering in a Mexican city would be incomplete without tasting Tequila. I did not know that tequila is aged in barrels similar to wine.
A lot of the group that I was with did not chose to taste so we actually got to taste a lot more that the three that we had paid for. What a fun experience learning how to actually sip and savor the different types of tequila.
The tourist harbor near the marina full of restaurants and shops.
An opportunity to rest and rejuvenate at the resort after a day spent wandering before gearing up for the big fat Indian wedding to follow.