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Sunday, July 31, 2011

Todos Santos Yacht Club

On Monday nights, neighbors get together at "The Yacht Club" (aka Elizabeth's house) for a nice meal and conversation. There's mango salsa chicken or yellowfin and chips, fresh salads, flan and margaritas for all.














Picked fresh today from a friend's garden


Cranberry, chocolate and fresh mint




Elizabeth fries the yellowfin and Terry selects the wine

Elizabeth fries the yellowfin, and Terry selects the wine




Slicing the flan



Saturday, July 30, 2011

East Cape Boating

The East Cape of the Baja Peninsula is hot, windy and still wild. Sport fishing here is bodacious, and the warm water is a clear green-blue. The unspoiled islands are a rich habitat for sea lions, countless colorful fishes, seabirds, and bizarre underwater creatures. Snorkeling, diving, and windsurfing draw adventurers from near and far.

I head northeastward from the Pacific, to La Ventana on the Sea of Cortez. Kate is at the wheel, as Elizabeth and I enjoy the scenery of Highway 19. We take a right onto Highway1 (the Tijuana to Cabo San Lucas Transpeninsular Highway) and pass the lovely old silver mining town of El Triunfo, with its rose, sunflower and mango-painted buildings, and Italian hilltown-like cemetery on the hill. We motor through post-rain green hills and veer north to the sea.

Soon we arrive at Elizabeth's brother's waterfront place. The boat waits patiently, anchored just offshore. We grill carne asada and fresh veggies, and sip Pacificos to keep cool in the humid heat.



In the morning we load up the cooler, jump on the boat and head to Cerralvo Island. As the community of La Ventana shrinks behind us, the sandy white shoreline of Cerralvo comes into view. Chris cuts the engine close to shore, we pull on snorkel gear, and in no time at all we're floating over underwater garden eels, like tall grasses waving in the current, poking up through holes in the sandy floor. The water is calm, warm and soothing as we bob around the shallow cove.




Isla Cerralvo ahead











Jackson and Chris






















Elizabeth swims

Kate scrubs


















Next, some wave board and water skiing, and after that a fast run around Punta Arena and Punta Perico to Bahia de los Muertos (or "Suenos," as it's been renamed. "Dreams" sounds better to investors than "Dead Guys") Sandy, salty and sweaty, we grab a table at the restaurant on the bay and recharge.




















Jackson and Chiquita



Bahia de los Suenos

Restaurante Suenos


Home to La Ventana


Friday, July 29, 2011

El Triunfo

The mining town of El Triunfo lies in the hills between Todos Santos on the Pacific, and La Paz on the Sea of Cortez. In 1862 when gold and silver ore was discovered, El Triunfo's population grew to 10,000. The  dance hall and supply store owners got rich. Elegant houses were built and soon El Triunfo became a cultured society.


Today, many of the original buildings are still standing and have been prettied up. Here one can find a piano museum and attend classical music concerts, and enjoy Marco's fine baking at Caffe El Triunfo.










Marc's beautiful setting with Gustav Eiffel-designed smokestack ruins in the background

Marc makes gourmet breads

 
Mining ruins - Gustav Eiffel designed smokestack






Thursday, July 28, 2011

Girls Play in La Paz

La Paz is a wonderful seaside city on the southern Sea of Cortez and in the early 20th Century was the world's largest producer of high quality pearls. Pearl divers grew rich supplying the European well-to-do with fine pearls. Nowadays the tourism industry leads the way, and because the Sea of Cortez is still rich in marine life, sport diving is big.





There is plenty of history and culture in La Paz Centro, but today the girls come to lunch and play.

Tomoko, Elizabeth, Olivia and Janine
 
We start with La Choya coffee


Elizabeth draws designs for her custom BBQ


The metal fabrication shop
Tomoko at her place of employment
 


Pretty view of La Paz from our panga

The boat to El Mogote across the Bahia de La Paz.
They say if you eat the ciruelo (wild plums) that grow here
you'll never leave La Paz.





We sit under the palapa and have a tasty brunch, then return to town and Pichilingue Beach. A big fried huachinango, margaritas, warm salty sea and fun company add up to a perfect afternoon.


Olivia attacks the huachinango

Pichilingue Beach Restaurant



La Paz...