Up Close With The Gentle Giants in Baja California

The starting conversation among my travel buddies often liked: So where are you going next?  Now that most of the low hanging fruits were gone, finding an interesting place to go may be quite a task.  I paid attention to what people said on the internet, scanned books to get new ideas, couch surfing travel magazines.  I do own a National Geo book of Journey of a Lifetime; there are 500 destinations listed in the book, after scanning them, only one easy target was found: Baja California and the Sea of Cortez. Actually Baja has been in my mind for years, the main hazard that stopped me was CAMPING!  The target area is a desert and reserve, with no facilities. Camp next to the beach for days could be the ideal vacation for many, not me.  While I am very curious about the clear and turquoise water, to access the water by kayak was another hazard, because I can't swim.

Riding the encouragement from dog sledding experience, I decided camping three days should not kill me.  I booked the trip with Baja Outdoor Activities, the operator listed in the Lifetime book; four days of sea kayaking and camping, plus two days of whale watching in the west coast of the prime Gray Whale nursing area.  Anything more than the swimming suits were either provided in the package or we simply rented from the company. How easy could that be?

Started from La Paz in Baja California, Mexico, our group of 13 left the big luggage in the hotel, took only the necessities.  First stop was to pick up our gear of wet suits, snorkeling gear, and kayaks, then boarded the boat, with two guides, a skipper, and a cook.  The Espiritu Santo Island is not far from La Paz, just became a Marine National Park in 2008.  Other than the fisherman already fishing the water most of their life and their shed, no development is allow.  Some of our camping supply was already there, for the season.  All the food supply was brought in, and taken away when we leave. 

Two things were explained/practiced in greater detail after arriving at our first camp site: What to do when our kayak was flipped, and the protocol and etiquette of using portable toilet.  I was glad to find we did have a toilet to sit on, and toilet paper was provided.  Later I found out they actually emptied the toilet to the sea, while brought the garbage back to the mainland. 

We kayaked along the coast line, watching brown pelicans dive fishing, went on shore for a hike and had lunch, and snorkeled. By the end of the day, we explored the shore line, enjoyed good dinner with cocktail drinks. One afternoon, our skipper fishing not far from the shore, caught many, and we got to have great fish tacos and ceviche (diced fish and seafood marinated in lime juice) for dinner. The most unforgettable snorkeling experience was the third day at a seal rock island, where many birds and seals gathered.  There were there for a reason: plenty of fish under the small island.  One curious seal pup even came checked us out. Underwater I saw a school of sardine formed a ball, not as big as the size we saw on TV, but it's still a school, and seeing it with my own eyes made all the difference. Wow!!!  Yes, I still can't swim, but I put on the life jacket on top of my wet suit, so I can float nicely and didn't have to worry about sinking.  It was awkward, but totally worth it. (Three years later, I don't exactly remember the awkwardness, but the school of sardine was still with me.)

The verdict of 3 day camping is: Not that bad.  With good food and smooth, well prepared service, I really had no complaint.  The only thing that cause a bit uncomfortable was my skin felt sticky after the sea water, and not much of clear water was available to wash it off.  

Hiked up the hill, still seeing brown pelicans fishing.

Seal rock.

Seal rock. With the hole in the middle, we snorkeled circle half  the rock.

A typical Baja sunset.

The most common scene everyday, pelicans dove for fish.

After the kayaking, we headed to Lopez Mateos, at the Pacific side of the Baja, searching for the Gray Whales.  They nursing their young In a lagoon (or inlet) on February.   With two boat rides, we saw many pairs of mother and calf, some of them came very closed to our boats. Well, not so close to touch like some of the photos I've seen, but that's totally depended on the willingness of the whale, not at the control of human being.  In any case,  I was thrilled to be so close to the magnificent creature, seeing the blow hole, the scars, and the barnacles on their skin.  We human beings would not get too close to the wild animal, but a gray whale is much bigger than an elephant, and we did not even give a second thought about safety. That tells a lot about the whale's character, and the thought of we human being once hunted these gentle giant to near distinction made me full of shame. 

(link: see our tour operator here)

Seeing frigate bird 軍艦鳥 for the first time.  Male on the left, juvi on the right. 

Juvi frigate bird.