Sea of Cortez Trip

3/27/04 - 4/5/04

I wasn’t going to write a journal on this trip but then I thought I’d be sorry if I didn’t. So I started keeping very brief notes during the trip and this is a summery of the trip as best I can remember it. Basically we covered the Sea of Cortez from La Paz to Loreto. This was once again a Cheeseman trip. This time Doug was not able to come as he was recovering from back surgery but we were very capably led by Gail and their son Ted.

There were four of us traveling together and we went a day early on Saturday 3/27 so that we could visit the town of La Paz. We left San Jose airport at 11 in the morning and arrived at La Paz at 8 PM (7 PM California time). We stayed at a very nice hotel on the waterfront. We were given a free Marguerita upon arrival so we enjoyed that before we retired for the night. We met some of our fellow travelers who had come a day earlier.

Sunday 3/28 We spent most of the day wandering around the town. Many things were closed because it was Sunday so we didn’t do much in the way of shopping but it was an interesting town to walk around in. Somewhat of a typical south of the border town like I’ve seen before in Central & South America. The waterfront was lovely. The town was a mix of very old and very new. The sidewalks varied between dirt to full of holes to new and smooth - you certainly had to watch your step. A friend had told us to be sure to go to the Polka Dot Tree Ice Cream store which we certainly did. Very good ice cream too. They have a tree out in front that has polka dots painted on it. It seemed to be a town meeting spot. Around noon we met John who is the naturalist on the trip and he took us to the boat and we settled in. Nancy, Pat, and I were sharing one cabin and I was pleasantly surprised to find that it wasn’t unreasonably crowded with 3 of us in there. Lennie was in another cabin with another person who was to arrive in the evening. We then went back to town and had lunch at an interesting place on the harbor. I finally had a fish taco which was very good. They are sold on the street in little stands but I was loath to try one of those places. We continued walking around town looking at the rest of the town - not much to distinguish it from other Central and South American town but interesting to observe the activities. Then we went back to the boat to clean up and rest a bit before we went out to dinner at a near by place which was on the water front - then back to the boat to await the rest of the group who were arriving that night. 5 arrived finally but Gail and Ted did not arrive until very much later. They were held hostage by customs. They finally had to pay an exorbitant amount because they were carrying in so much camera and binocular equipment. The goons were not impressed that they were professionals leading a group of 14 people who would bring tourism dollars to their country. What a welcome - nothing like biting the hand that feeds you.

Monday 3/29 We left port about 7:30 AM after a delicious breakfast - the first of many excellent meals. Soon we were greeted by a Gray Whale, followed by Fin Whales with young, a Humpback Whale, and then Blue Whales - some also with young. We continued on to the island of Los Islotes for some snorkeling with the Sea Lions. This was my first experience with a wet suit since my past snorkeling was in warmer water. Aside from getting the thing on it was helpful and enabled me to stay in the water longer since I didn’t get cold from the cold water. It took me some time getting used to having the Sea Lions swimming around me - mostly below. Just when I got used to seeing them under me one came up rapidly swimming towards my face and turned aside only at the last minute. I barely had time to get scared. I later found out that one had nipped Rich, glad I didn’t know that before I went in. Anyway it was a wonderful view of all the fish and invertebrates - just like swimming in an aquarium. After this we continued on to a bay near the Islands of San Francisquito and San Jose. Before dinner we were treated to Margueritas, the first of some exotic cocktails each night. I didn’t keep track of the menus but each dinner was so elegant and delicious. Later when I was talking with the chef, Enrique I found out that last year he work at Cafe Celan here in Menlo Park! He lived with a friend in East Palo Alto. He would like to bring his family to California for the schools but found it so expensive.

Tuesday 3/30 We left after breakfast for a panga (a small boat) ride through the mangrove forests on isla San Jose. It was lovely and we saw several birds and fish up very close. We stopped along one beach and went for a walk looking at the tide pools. It was very interesting. The hurricane of last fall had really changed the whole area and things were only now beginning to come back. We then continued on to San Diego and Santa Cruz islands to find a cove for the night. Along the way we saw about 15 Blue Whales some with babies. One swam under the boat. It was fascinating to watch the whales. You can tell each individual whale apart by their dorsal fins. They were close enough that we could hear them breathing. You can tell the difference between species of whales by their spouts - blues are high and longer lasting. Some of them would dive deep and show their flukes - that always brought some excitement along with the effort to photograph them. I tried to photograph them too because whenever I talked to Sophia about my trip she always said: “Take lots of pictures of the whales Gramma” so I was determined not to disappoint her. Fortunately Ted gave me some of his wonderful photos so I will be able to show her the whales I saw. Tonight we were served Pina Colatas - something new each night!

Wednesday 3/31 We landed on San Jose Island and took a four hour hike in the Arroyo where I saw my only new bird of the trip: the endemic Xantus’ Hummingbird - a beautiful little bird. We went back for lunch and then cruised around looking for whales and we sure found them. Lots of Blue Whales and some with young with “typical” Mother behavior trying to keep the young in check. One whale even breached and that was impressive. Seeing a Blue Whale when compared with the other whales you can really see what it means to be the largest mammal ever on earth. In addition we saw at least a thousand Common Dolphins - a feeding frenzy, jumping, slapping tails on the water, swimming with and under the boat. I just love being on a lower deck of the boat and leaning over watching the dolphins bow ride. Sometimes they turn sideways and seem to make eye contact, what a special connection that is with one of nature’s special creatures. This night we had White Russians for our cocktails - another new drink for me.

Thursday 4/1 The boat left at 4 AM headed for Santa Catalana but it was too rough to land so instead we went to Santa Marta peninsula and landed at an area owned by the owner of Baja Expeditions. I should mention our landings and getting on and off the pangas. They were not all easy and sometimes a jump was required to avoid ending up with wet shoes. The crew was great and those two boat drivers, Luis and Felix were so strong - they just lifted us up as we struggled into or out of the boat. They were such good sports too. We walked on this island for about 3 hours seeing lots of birds plus interesting vegetation and lizards. On the way back some of us were lucky enough to see 2 Red Diamond Rattlesnakes courting and mating! They were in the brush when someone spotted them. They were vertical and hissing at each other and sometimes swaying back and forth and sometimes entwined around each other. It was amazing and I would guess not something seen by many people. Being out in nature never disappoints - some new experience is always in store for you. Back to the boat and the Isla Monserrat where we had lunch then on to the Aqua Verde Peninsula where we again walked around. On the way we saw a Minke whale. You can certainly tell how big the Blue is when you compare it with the Minke. We also once again saw some Bottlenosed Dolphins by the hundreds - several jumping way out of the water - they are so thrilling to watch. We headed for a cove at Santa Catalana Island where we had banana daiquiris and then our usual delicious dinner. ( I gained 3 pounds on this trip despite all the hard work of whale watching and hiking for birds!)

Friday 4/2 We hiked on Santa Catalana for about 3 hours enjoying the wide expanses of cactuses both barrel and cordon. We saw our usual birds , woodpeckers especially. Then we went back to the boat - this was probably our hardest landing as the rocks were very slippery to get into and off the panga and the water choppy but we all made it with strong hands to help. Some went snorkeling but I didn’t. We again watched the dolphins bow riding, playing, jumping way out of the water - what fun. We anchored at Isla Danzante for the night, had pineapple daiquiris and then another delicious dinner. I forgot to mention that many nights we had a talk about some information by Ted and he often showed us some of his wonderful photos - either of the day or other things to learn. I enjoyed learning more about the fish and their names as I eventually was able to identify some of them when I saw them. But it seems that there are so many to see in a small area - it is hard to keep them straight.

Saturday 4/3 We walked in the morning on Danzante Island and then came back to snorkel. For various reasons I didn’t go snorkeling so Carol said “why don’t you go kayaking with my husband”. So I went with Gary and that turned out to be a wonderful experience. I never had kayaked before so I sat in front of the two person kayak and Gary taught me what to do. The water was extremely calm (good for a beginner) and very clear. We covered the cove and saw so many fish and invertebrates - everything that could be seen. It was so easy, quiet, and peaceful. For me it was very symbolic of the current process of reinventing my life - doing something new and different. Once we quietly drifted towards an egret who allowed us to get so very close until suddenly a hidden heron flew out and away. I love the quiet, peaceful, and calm contact with nature that we so seldom have. It was a special time for me. After this we had lunch and then headed for Loreto enjoying the dolphins and whales along the way. We certainly saw a lot of Blue Whales and so very close and very active. We arrived at Loreto in the afternoon - unloaded and waited for our rides to take us to our hotel. We four checked into a hotel outside of town. It was located right on the beach - white sands with palm trees outside our window. We unpacked and rested a bit and then went back into town (a three dollar taxi ride) and met the rest of the group. We went out of town to bird in an area near where we docked - pretty much the same birds we had seen before. Then back to the hotel where we had our farewell dinner. We bid goodbye to the group as they were all leaving on the Sunday flight. Then we headed back to our hotel for the night.

Sunday 4/4 We had a good breakfast in the hotel - the best pancakes I’ve eaten in a long while. Then we waited for a tour leader who was supposed to pick us up at 8:00. He was about 45 minutes late because there was a problem with the bus so we had a smaller van than expected for the four of us plus 5 more people who asked to join our tour. We drove 2-3 hours to the Mission of San Javier which is in the high mountains. Along the way we stopped for some scenic view and for the birds we saw. Although the guide, Linda was not any kind of birder, the driver, Ramon had excellent eyes and found many birds for us. The mission is in a small town of 300 people - a very clean and pretty place with cobble stone streets. The mission was built in 1699 and has been restored. It was very interesting. We also walked around a farm/ranch that was near the mission. Then we had lunch in town - a very good meal of burritos. It was interesting to see how carefully the town had constructed water ditches to collect all the water that was available. We finished our visit in town and drove back to Loreto arriving about 4:00. We rested for a bit and then went into town for a bit of shopping and dinner. We didn’t buy much in the way of souvenirs because not much was of interest and several stores were closed. We went to a Mexican restaurant (Mexico Lindo y Que Rico) that had been recommended to us and had a wonderful dinner. Then back to our hotel for a good night’s sleep.

Monday 4/5 Up for breakfast and then into town for a look at a few more things - the church in town and some other shops then back to the hotel to pack up and go to the airport. We thought a taxi had already been ordered for us but after waiting for half a hour we ordered one. Drove to the airport and checked in - security opened our suitcases and gave them a cursory look and then we were checked in and told where to wait. So we sat and waited. Suddenly we noticed that we were the only people in the lobby and we saw a plane far out on the tarmac with people walking towards it. So we asked where to go - they opened a door for us - we went through two check points and walked out to the plane. We were the last people to board and they took off before I even fastened my seat built! There was no announcement about boarding the plane or last call or anything. You clearly have to watch out for yourself at this airport. There is only the one flight out a day so if we had missed it we would have had to stay until Tuesday! But we made it and had a rather uneventful trip home.

It was a good trip with a great crew and good traveling companions. I enjoyed it very much.

Penelope Bowen 4/10/04