A Jacques Cousteau Christmas

The World's Aquarium

According to Jacques Costeau, the Sea of Cortez is "the world's aquarium" teeming with diverse, interesting and only occasionally homicidal sea creatures.  Paddling, snorkeling and cavorting in its depths has been on Michael's bucket list for years.   Me, not so much (see multiple phobias).  But when I scored really cheap tickets to La Paz in Baja for Christmas it was time for his aquatic wishes to come true.  I bought these tickets in March.  By December, La Paz had gone from being one of the most peaceful areas of Mexico to scoring 15 homicides in a single week.  It's not a big town.  But we got a deal on the tickets and had rented a house so.... as soon as I had embroidered the candy canes and Christmas trees on our bullet proof vests we were off with our two sons on the latest adventure.

On Christmas Eve we drove out to Balandra Beach & El Tecolote Beach where we witnessed the stark scenery of Baja California Sur.

Balandra Beach is ideal for small children, as it is extremely shallow.

In the parking lot we saw RV's from Europe.

At El Tecolote Beach all of the beach side bars had solar panels on the top of the palapa.

These were some of the many brown pelicans we saw, as opposed to the white pelicans we have on Lake Chapala.

The sunset view that evening from the mirador of the house we rented was spectacular.

Our house was half a block from the Malecon (boardwalk in American) and really nice.  However, when we drove up we noticed several very large serious looking men standing in the street staring at our house and, in fact, the entire street.  "Cartel!" my brain screamed.  Well, what are you going to do, right?  We soon discovered, however, that it wasn't a cartel boss but the Governor of the state of Baja Sur who was our neighbor.  But, as our taxi driver pointed out, he could be both Governor and cartel boss. That's the way it rolls in Mexico. Over time, the surly guards softened up and greeted us effusively.  I got used to having them stare at me as I did my jigsaw puzzle in my pajamas at the breakfast table.

We saw this colorful iguana hanging out in our backyard one day.

Alex manned the grill...

while Deirdre and Justin eagerly waited for lunch.

It is interesting to view the graffiti and murals in the different places we visit.

Due to its location, sea life is an important theme in La Paz.

The desert nature of Baja Sur is also a theme.

However the Dia de Los Muertos theme is prevalent throughout Mexico...

even if it gets dressed up for Christmas.

The malecon and its environs were decorated with interesting sculptures.

All of the Mexican cities and towns have adopted colorful letters spelling out their name.

This sculpture was a testament to the once thriving pearl industry prior to the 1910 Revolution and the depletion of the oyster beds. A 1903 New  York Times article stated that in 1902 the Baja pearl industry produced more than two million dollars worth of pearls.

This building on the malecon was all wrapped up for Christmas.

If It Has Shark in its Name it is Not Good

While I usually flesh out our itineraries, in this case Michael had been busily booking fun activities. His first was swimming with Whale Sharks.  So much fun.  They are really huge (up to 40 feet, 20 tons -- kind of school bus size) but the good news is that they eat like whales -- plankton, not surfers.  You have to swim with them if you want to see their full dimensions -- which I didn't.  While scheduled to go out of the marina at 12:30 PM we actually left port at 4:30 PM due to a new system of restricting the number of boats in the reserve at any one time.  Like most Mexican "systems" it clearly needed some tweaking.  But that was OK.  First in the water were Michael and Alex.  Alex actually KEPT UP with the whale shark and they are fast.  Michael managed only a tail view but did manage to lose his underwater camera.  Justin returned to the boat saying "How can anything that big elude my vision?"  Michael got a second shot at swimming with another whale shark that was more successful.  So, if you want to spend hundreds of dollars to see, or maybe not see, a whale shark that you will swim with for maybe five minutes, this is your gig.

By the time Michael was finally approaching the boat after his last swim, the sky was growing dark. I was frankly nervous because it is at dark when the Giant Squid emerge (new phobia #38).  My pal George, who often sailed the Sea of Cortez, told me tales of Giant Squid ripping swimmers faces off if they ventured into the water after dark.  So some fun Giant (Humboldt) Squid facts:  1)  They can be up to 14 feet; 2) can weigh up to 700 lbs.;  3) have 24,000 razor sharp teeth; 4) one is bad but they hunt in PACKS and 5) they scare the bejesus out of Mexican fishermen and Mexican fishermen are not sissies. There are a number of other horrible things out there ("remember to shuffle your feet so you don't get stung by the Sting Rays") but we survived our sea-based adventures.

A much smaller version of the whale sharks we swam with in the Sea of Cortez. (photo courtesy of Baja VIP Tours).

Our nature guide, skipper, the family and two other members of the tour. (photo courtesy of Baja VIP Tours)

Fortunately we visited the Whale Museum after our adventures at sea, or Deirdre may never have gone on the boats. (Fortunately this creature is no longer extant.)

Next Up:  Snorkeling with Sea Lions

"You will love zem", said Helene in her lovely French accent. "So sweet, little puppies, and they love ze humans."  Yeah, right.  Over and over in my head was the scene from CNN of the little girl in San Francisco being grabbed by the Sea Lion and pulled into the bay.  They played it like a million times.  Not me.  But the boys were up for it so off we went.  Espiritu Santo is a huge marine sanctuary located about 1 and 1/2 panga slamming hours from La Paz.  But well worth the trip.  The landscape (cue pictures) was dramatic and beautiful and we saw amazing birds (brown boobies for instance) and a zillion Sea Lions.

Whereas the Whale Shark lady eschewed any form of safety equipment or rules, Helene was very strict which always annoys the male faction of the family.  So once they were oozed into their wet suits, life vested and snorkeled up in they went.  Not me.  I will say that the Sea Lions behaved admirably and were as adorable as promised.  They go to this one area to have their pups and get them started on Sea Lion skills.  There are about 14 females and 14 or 15 pups to every male.  You would think that ratio would satisfy the males but NO.  While everyone else was being adorable they were heaving themselves around on the beach thumping chests, trying to cage a nip and carrying on loudly.  Both pups and adults swam directly with our group and were clearly curious.  I wonder about that because everyday probably a hundred humanoids show up to swim with them but apparently we never fail to amuse.  After that, off to a beautiful beach ("mind the Mantas"), lunch and a snooze and then back to dry land.

The scenery to and from the visit to the sea lions was quite dramatic.

It was very easy to see the various geologic layers.

Deirdre relaxing at the beach on Espiritu Santo.

The frigate birds...

and the brown pelicans and seagulls were all around.

Deirdre and Alex chose to take a nap, while Justin was still able to get cell service on his phone.

The cacti demonstrated the very dry ecology of the island.

This seal pup figured this young girl was about the right size to play with as it got very close and personal. (photos courtesy of On Board Baja)

While this seal pup decided to take a snooze. (photo courtesy of On Board Baja)

Michael decided to take a spin on the SUP (stand up paddle) board, but the knees did not cooperate for very long. (photo courtesy of On Board Baja)

All Hail the Hatchlings

Finally, a land-based activity.  There is a turtle research station on the Pacific Coast of Baja which releases tiny turtles to meet their fates -- which are often unpleasant.  They are released at dusk (cuts down on bird munchings) so one afternoon we drove and hour and a half over to Todo Santos to catch the action.  Todo Santos is an adorable little town that is like a mini Cabo in that there is no garbage in the streets, everything is painted appropriately and it is expensive.  And filled with tourists. Eventually, in spite of our GPS, we found the beach and scurried over the dunes to observe the release.  I pictured hundreds of plucky little hatchlings struggling against great odds to ensure the survival of their specie.  There was ONE hatchling in a pail surrounded by about fifty gaping tourists.  But the waves and sunset were nice.  Michael, of the pathetic knee, overdid it (deep sand and gimpy knees don't go well together) so Justin had to run back to the car for his hiking poles and we stumbled together through the darkness toward our vehicle.  BUT, the good news is that Michael doesn't need his knee replaced and can just have arthroscopic surgery.  Soon.

The leatherback turtle hatchling is barely visible. Covered in sand it is well camoflauged.

The surf on the Pacific coast was fairly impressive. The little turtles must be really good swimmers to get through this and out to the ocean.

Christmas decorations in La Paz

At the Palacio Gobierno an amazing set of Christmas decorations were set up which required a return trip to capture them in all their nighttime glory.

So there it is.  The end of another year.  Let's all hope 2018 works out a little better.  Good health, happiness and buckets of fun to you all.  The Searles