From Cancun a half hour ferry delivers you to Isla Mujeres — the Island of Women.
Friends had raved about a beach paradise there. But that was decades ago. I was sure it was long since ruined.
I was surprised how laid back was my reception. Not a single taxi driver or hotel tout approached me on arrival.
I went directly to Pac Na, billed as the Club Med of Mexican hostels. This is their ocean front beach volleyball bar.
Tents are pitched in quiet sandy courtyards.
I wedged my Hubba under a coconut palm.
The best of many good coffee shops was just down the street.
Hurricane Wilma did a fair bit of damage to the island. Here the sea wall is being reinforced in advance of the next big blow.
The main draw of Isla Mujeres for me was snorkeling.
This was the best snorkelling area from town. About 2 blocks walk from the hostel.
Under the docks fish congregate, protected from diving sea birds.
The water was superb even in February. Warm and crystal clear. No wetsuit needed, I thought, though many did wear one.
Graveyard.
I had not seen this particular angel pose before.
Many are disappointed by the modest main plaza. And the remarkably simple cathedral.
I quite liked the plaza. Colourful, clean, simple. I ate tacos there in the evening from street venders.
Look at the pipes on that playground trestle.
The Hemmingway bar is a classic. He was not there when I popped in.
I booked a bike tour through the hostel. Excellent and inexpensive.
The highlight was the sea turtle farm.
Eggs are protected, harvested, hatched and the turtles are kept here until almost 3-years-old. When they are released they then stand an excellent chance of survival.
We marvelled at the lovely starburst shell patterns.
The bike tour finished with a sunset visit to the far south point of the island. A sculpture garden is installed there.
A nice setting, I thought.
This is the furthest east point of land in Mexico. It sees the sun first.
The day before departing for Mexico, Rob announced he was leaving his job of 20-years. For one thing, he & partner Yvonne want more flexibility in vacationing.
Randy’s condo vista at the Inn at Mazatlan. He hosted us for the week there.
I love the west facing view.
This 2-week holiday was a rare chance for the whole McCharles nuclear family to get together. Randy (left) does not have much free holiday time.
Dad is no sunbather. But he loves the fishing in Mexico.
Boarding for the excellent “jungle tour”.
Our most memorable restaurant was the Canadian managed “Casa Country”.
Mom checking the unique ponds at Costa Bonita.
Dad’s coffee station. I worked on that Kaluha bottle for 2 weeks.
Twice we went out for ribs. Very good in Maz.
A rare sighting of Eric McCharles in a swimming pool. (The chemicals tend to irritate his skin.)
Mom loves to walk. The long beaches here are perfect for her.
I’ve always loved walking south down the coast towards the city centre.
Yvonne too walks a lot. She delivers the mail.
Loading up in a “pulmonia” taxi, a VW Beetle rigged like a golf cart.
When I say crappy, I mean crappy for ME — a gringo traveller.
This phrase — Mexico is a crappy country — started to ring true after I was overcharged US$20 by an otherwise lovely hotel manager. Then duped by an otherwise friendly taxi driver into taking 2 cabs instead of the one large vehicle I had requested.
Now I write this after spending 4-days on a pristine island paradise here. This land has great potential. But it is woefully underdeveloped for the most part. It is astonishing how far it lags behind big neighbour, the USA.
Seems to me Mexico has most of the worst attributes of the first and the third worlds. It’s expensive — but there is no recourse available to the customer when wronged. (Except to blog the culprits.)
A (bad) muffin cost more here than in Canada — and the bakery salesgirl systematically shortchanges you. Yeesh.
Wages are perhaps 15% of those in Canada. Yet prices are the same for most things. Where is the money going? Not to pay Mexican taxes, that’s certain.
A woman I met on a kayak tour was suffering buyer’s remorse. She recently retired. Her husband died last year. The sharks met her arriving at the Cabo airport. She bought an expensive condo from that first salesman.
In Mexico you are vulnerable if you are recently arrived, elderly, if you don’t speak Spanish.
It ticks me off.
I’m one of the few who feels that the best thing happening in Mexico is the inevitable domination of McDonalds, Wal-Mart, Applebee’s and the ilk. Efficient companies with fixed prices & quality control.
Mexico is a crappy country for the long-term traveller.
Most jet straight to raucous Cabo when they come to Baja. I am much happier in mellow La Paz.
From Mazatlan I caught the ferry.
The (expensive) trip was supposed to take 14-16 hours but it was closer to 22 hours for me. I watched 5 family movies. Have you seen Freaky Friday?
Last millennium I stayed at Pension California. They haven’t updated it since. El Cheapo = US$15 / night.
Every morning I waltzed down to Exquisito for excellent cofee & free wireless internet. I was “working” — doing a website for a client.
La Paz (the Peace) is one of the best liked cities (165,000) in Mexico. The main entertainment is strolling the waterfront Malecón.
Most of my photos are — as usual — statues.
I like this statue best. About 1/3 the entire world population of sea mammals live in the waters of Baja.
I bussed out to Tecolote beach.
From here you COULD paddle 4.5 miles to the island in the distance. I thought that was a bit dangerous. So instead of renting a kayak, I signed on with a guided kayak tour.
Sunset with rum and raison ice cream in a giant hand-made waffle cone.
Twice before I tried & failed to get to this idyllic island.
Finally made it Feb. 1-4th, 2006. 🙂
I was a client with the BOA company out of La Paz. 14 clients, 2 guides, 2 boat captain/cooks setting off on a 4-day kayak tour to Isla Espiritu Santo from La Paz, Baja, California.
The boat trip to the north end of the island was my least favourite leg. It can be noisy & choppy. Sit in the back for the most comfortable possible ride.
I was surprised to see that high cliffs surround most of the island. This face they call the “Cathedral”.
You could kayak 4.5mi from the mainland (in the distance) across the San Lorenzo channel to the island >> but it can be dangerous if the wind kicks up when you are half way across. Crosses like this one have been erected by fishermen in many of the bays.
We needed 2 boats to transport the 18 people, food & gear. One skiff we kept. The other headed back to the mainland.
Manuel grew up in the Baja, one of the top kayak guides in the region. He dreams of kayaking 800mi or more >> the length of the Sea of Cortes.
Ah! Los Islotes. These are tiny islands off the north tip. We started with the highlight of the entire tour >> snorkeling with sea lions! It was awesome.
Juveniles like to play with snorkelers. One even hugged some of our group & “kissed” them on the mask. Amazing! They are prone to nipping at the divers too, playfully in almost every case. Big bulls & older females can be aggressive. You cannot get too close to the islets.
Most snorkelers wear wet suits as the waters are still a bit chilly in winter.
The food on the BOA tour was super. Our chef “Big Al” had been with the company for over 10-years.
Cook stove.
First night we camped at Ensenada beach. I immediately took off down the Ensenada Grande hiking trail, 6km return to cross the island. VERY RUGGED. I ran out of daylight.
The harsh desert is beautiful & intimidating.
Wild fig trees were my favourite plant. They grow in cracks cold enough to generate some drops of moisture.
Every kayak tour paddles a mangrove swamp >> a fascinating, under-appreciated ecosystem.
White sand. Bright kayaks & tents. Beautiful.
The Park guards checked in with us twice. They looked to be doing a good job protecting the island.
Day 2 – setting out in typical, perfect weather. Mornings are calm. Afternoons usually bring north winds during the winter.
Permanent camp of Mar Y Aventuras (Sea and Adventures) – KayakBaja.com – the main competitor for BOA. Both companies seem to do an excellent job, offering similar itineraries.
Our BOA camp on the other side of the same beach.
This view gives you a good perspective on beach life. Foreground is a big tarp >> providing essential shade.
Happy Hour! We had Pina Colada or Margaritas every night. Non-stop beer & wine too. Whoo Hoo!
The biggest concern for many kayakers are the toilet facilities. This is the ladies pee tent. Men need “scan for whales” below the tide line.
The second toilet is marked by the blue bag: toilet paper & disinfectant alcohol gel. If the bag is visible >> the toilet is vacant.
Here is the loo for #2. It worked quite well, actually. All human waste is carried off the island. It was declared a Nature Conservancy in 2003.
Off on the skiff for another session of snorkelling. Typically we took the boat to the nearest good coral.
At each beach I took a hike into the hills. There are few trails, however. And plenty of loose scree.
There are a couple of sources of fresh water on the islands including this well at Candelero beach. Do not count on it, however! Carry enough water to get you through.
Gorgeous desert colours late in the day.
Seems the bizarre rock formations are carved by wind, not water.
On this hike we saw bats starting their evening feed.
Another amazing Baja sunset.
Isla Espiritu Santo is wonderful.
Millions of oyster shells are heaped in middens on these islands. The Spanish enslaved pearl divers for decades >> until European disease killed them.
Gear provided by BOA was excellent & up-to-date.
The most popular walks take you atop coastal cliffs for magnificient sea views.
Sea turtle rock painting.
Wear long pants when hiking in Baja. Almost everything tries to stick you!
This is the life. 🙂
Leah from Vancouver, our second guide. She learned the kayak “eskimo roll” during our tour!
The company provides both single & double kayaks for the group to share. If you prefer a single you might want to INSIST and get it in writing in advance of the tour. (We did not have enough singles on our tour.)
I trolled a trout lure from a hand reel behind my kayak. Nada! Not even a bite.
It’s essential to stay hydrated in your kayak. Safety first.
The water is incredibly clear. But in the heat of summer it is clearer yet. The best months for scuba divers are July & August.
Our hand washing station. Fresh water, pump-operated, is in the bucket.
Life is good under the big tarp.
Our cooks caught some fish. The rest was delivered by local fishermen: mackerel & bonita.
Rocky beaches are infested with a “sea cockroach” (isopod). They do not bother humans & keep the rocks spotless.
Tidal lagoon.
Cliff vista.
Our guides coming in from another session of eskimo rolling.
I will never forget the Baja sunsets.
Of the 14 clients in our group, everyone left the tour happy. One even decided to sign-up for a second BOA tour: 7-days circumnavigating the entire island.
Hope you can make it to Baja … SOON.
Our last day kayaking we had a second encounter with dolphins. One kayak got quite close.
The highlight of my 4-day trip was snorkeling with sea lions at Los Islotes. They hugged & kissed us. Wow!
I wasn’t too worried when one took a love bite at my knee cap. (Rangers told us they have only had to evacuate one bleeding tourist back to La Paz, so far.)
White sand beach camps, desert canyons adorned with hanging fig trees, snorkelling with tropical fish, towering rock cliffs, sea caves, ringtail cats, leaping manta rays. That’s what I’m talking about.
Mazatlán became uncool with travellers over the years, usurped by upstart PV (Puerto Vallarta).
One thing I like about Maz is that it is a real city, with an economy outside tourism. It is a major port, a fishing centre, an agricultural centre.
For our last night in Mazatlan we moved out of the beach resorts (seen in the distance) to the “old town”. Many gringo tourists never see “el centro”.
The original harbour & townsite was built here. El Faro (the lighthouse) on the rocky point is one of the highest in the world.
Years ago I visited the gymnastics club downtown. The space was vacant in 2006.
Bar atop the Posada Freeman hotel with a great sea view.
The gates of Hell? The sign says “Devil”.
We speculated (wildly) that ice for fish may have once been stored deep in the mountain.
The shoreline promenade for tourists provides a series of statue photo-ops.
Dolphins cavorting.
The Inn at Mazatlan must have adopted this statue as their logo.
Parked outside a local college.
The old town is brightly painted. Old Maz reminds me of places in Europe.
Artists, especially bohemian gringo artists, have reclaimed the downtown in a big way.
Cathedral in the main plaza.
I booked a small B&B called El Meson de Cynthia. WARNING – get a quote in writing before making a reservation. The otherwise kindly manager added US$10 / room AFTER we checked in.
Music is the main focus of Plazuela Muchado. We had an outdoor dinner there on a Saturday night. The famous Angela Peralta theatre was not open that night.
The $10 cot at El Meson de Cynthia was useless. Randy slept on the floor instead.
A famous actor-statue.
Dancers on the central plaza.
I rolled my ugly dog up to the Belmar, the BEST hotel in Mazatlan. (In 1922.) It fell out of favour after the State Governor was shot dead at a fiesta there.
It was rundown but very good, I thought. They are starting to think about remodelling on advice from regular guests like Jack Kerouac.
Many travel to Mexico to get dental work done. They walk around reeking faintly of clove.
I had fillings done a number of years ago, very happy with the cost as is almost every tourist getting work done here.
This time my needs were more complex: root canals, post, crowns.
There are now so many dentists in Mazatlán catering to gringo teeth that I had trouble deciding which to visit. The Inn at Mazatlán concierge recommended English speaking Dr. Gilberto Cardenas Saucedo.
He did 2 root canals over 3 appointments. Saucedo’s work seems good to me. But ultimately I was disappointed.
As is so often the case in Mexico, there was confusion over the cost. I thought I was getting a post & crown as well. Later he informed me I was getting the root canals only. I paid about US$210 each for the root canal. A post & crown would cost about another US$300. This cost is not much less than I would pay in Canada. And you have absolutely no recourse in Mexico if the job goes wrong.
My mistake was not getting a stronger referral before choosing a dentist. My mistake was not getting a quote in writing before starting the job.
I still believe in Mexican Dental Vacationing. But next time I will do more homework first.
UPDATE: This price for a root canal turned out to be quite competitive. But other dentists are much more up front with total costs for their work than Dr. Gilberto Cardenas Saucedo.
When I say crappy, I mean crappy for ME — a gringo traveller.
Rick McCharles 