Mexico – Kayaking in Baja California

Do you remember the first time you realized that the job you had would pay you to go on vacation? For me, it was 1997. I worked at a local university, and it was my first “real” job. Around June of that year, I looked at my first paystub and saw my vacation balance for the first time. How amazing is that? This employer will pay me not to work! I began planning my first vacation as an adult. 

Anyone from the Seattle area knows about REI. They had just opened their flagship store in the Cascade area of Seattle (OK, it’s right off the Denny Way exit from I-5). I spent hours there each weekend not spending money but playing with all the cool gear. It was there that I learned that REI had a travel agency and provided tours all over the world. 

After scouring the catalog (yes, this was before the internet, so I had a catalog mailed to me), I decided I could afford only the cheapest week-long vacation – a kayak tour in Baja California. So for the next few months, I planned and planned. I wasn’t really planning anything because it was all done for me, but I looked at maps wondering where we’d go, who I’d be traveling with, and whether I’d have a good time. 

My trip was planned for mid-December and I couldn’t wait. To me, it seemed like a free vacation since I was going to be paid for working when, in reality, I’d be in Mexico. However, shortly before my trip, I learned that my grandfather passed away. I was never really close to him because he lived in California while we lived in Washington, but I have nothing but fond memories. We’d see him every few years and it was always a joy to be with him. He was intelligent, witty, and charming. And, he loved egging us on against our parents or my stepgrandmother. 

What was I to do? His memorial service was planned for the same weekend I was scheduled to leave for Mexico. As I thought about it and talked with my parents, we all strongly felt that my grandfather would be so much happier to hear that I went on my first vacation rather than being stuck at his memorial service. I think back to that decision today and have no doubts in my mind that it’s exactly what he would have wanted me to do.

Saturday, December 13

And so, on Saturday, December 13, I flew to Los Angeles on Reno Air. I wandered through Tom Bradley Terminal in LAX for a couple of hours between flights. During that time, I spotted several other people wearing the same t-shirt I was (provided by REI). We all got on an Aero Mexico flight to Loreto and started chatting while waiting to be processed through immigration and meeting up with our guides. The trip had started.

The first night, we stayed in a little hotel on the beach in Loreto. That evening, we went to dinner at a local restaurant. Our guides provided us with details of how the trip would evolve for the next 7 days during dinner. The trip participants were mostly couples from other parts of the country and a few people traveling alone like myself. I was paired up with another lady whose name I can’t remember. We would bunk together at the hotel, share a tent, and most importantly, share a kayak. 

On the way back from dinner, we asked to stop at a store to purchase “supplies”. That really meant water and candy. The guides stopped by a little store and the 12 of us all funneled into the store while the guides stayed in the vehicles. We grabbed lots of random items from the shelves, including aqua. The cashier looked at us funny but we just figured it was because we were a bunch of crazy Americans purchasing random items from the store. We returned to the vehicles with lots of bags and the guides took us back to the hotel. 

Immediately, one of the ladies decided she was thirsty, filled her water bottle with aqua, and took a huge swig of her drink. Much to our surprise, she immediately spat it out on the veranda in front of everyone. We stared at her while she sniffed her bottle. We started to ask what was happening, and she exclaimed “This is tequila!” Our guides started laughing and asked to see what we purchased at the store. Their laughing moved to hysterical laughs as they looked at the 4 ½ gallon bottles we bought of AquaRiva, a brand of tequila. We didn’t think twice about buying a clear liquid that was labeled Aqua. Needless to say, we didn’t have much more of that. The guides were kind enough to return three of the bottles to the store.

Sunday, December 14

The next day, we started early. We met our three guides for breakfast. Since most of the group had little experience with kayaking, we spent three hours at Port Escondido (“Hidden Port”) learning basic skills like paddling, packing, loading, unloading, getting in/out of the kayaks, and traveling as a group. We also learned how to get out of the kayak in the middle of the water so we could pee! It was harder getting back in the kayak. The biggest trick that I learned (and still use today) is to sip water rather than gulp. You won’t have to pee as much. 

After paddling around the harbor practicing, we set out on our first day of kayaking. 30 minutes later, we arrived at Punta Coyote (“Coyote Point”). Not a long kayak, but I think the guides were testing us out and making sure we were up for longer paddles.

Punta Coyote was a small, rocky beach that was surrounded on three sides by cliffs. The fourth side was water. Pelicans were everywhere. Before this trip, I never realized they dove headfirst into the water to catch their food. The pelicans were watching the larger fish chase their prey. When the fish did so, the prey would mass together. The pelicans would then dive into the group of smaller fish to get their food. This tactic led to 15-20 pelicans all diving in the same place at the same time. We set up tents and camped on the beach that night. 

Monday, December 15

The sun rose about 6 am but, with the cliffs surrounding our beach to the north and west, the sun didn’t reach our camp until 8 am.

The wind had picked up overnight. Our guides spent about an hour trying to decide if we would travel to our next destination, Isla Danzante, or not. They made the decision that we’d stay put for the day. We needed to cross a strait and we didn’t have sufficient strength in our inexperienced bodies to get us there safely.

We headed out on a practice paddle. I think it was for the practice but also to give us something to do. The beach at Punta Coyote was quite small so there were only so many places to explore. Staying there all day with nothing to do was tough. For our practice paddle, we returned to Puerto Escondido and explored the port for three hours.

During that time, I figured out that my paddling partner was quite weak. I was able to hold my own as the powerhouse in the back of the kayak, but I struggled to make up for her lack of kayaking skills as well. I did find one of the other single travelers was strong. After talking with the guides, we swapped partners so I was able to enjoy kayaking more because I was paired with a stronger partner.

Tuesday, December 16

After spending two nights on the small and rocky beach, we were up early and eager to kayak to a new camp. We were ready to pack our kayaks by 8 am but the guides said the wind was still too strong to paddle across the channel.

Our guides walked to the end of the beach, where they could look at the channel to decide whether we should go or not. At this point, they still saw white caps in the water so we were forced to wait. 

And we waited. Most of us were unaccustomed to so much sun so our guides set up a shady area. All 12 of us huddled under the tiny shade to keep from getting sunburned.

At noon, a panga (support boat) arrived. Our guides had requested one so that if anyone felt weak along the way, the panga would be ready to help. The panga followed us across the channel but we all made it without any issues to our new home, Isla Danzante.

Isla Danzante offered a much longer beach so we were able to explore much more than at Punta Coyote. The beach was, for the most part, sand and easy to walk. We were able to walk about 2 miles in each direction from our camp. After setting up, our guides gave us a walking tour of the beach. They described different aspects of the island along the way, such as pointing out a fault line or pointing out a flower species that is only on this island. As we walked, we reached a rockier part of the beach. 

At one point, I was about to take a step when one of the rocks moved in front of me. Jumping back, I screeched when I realized it wasn’t a rock but a spider, a big hairy spider, hiding between two rocks. One of the guides came over and pointed out that I was about to step on a tarantula. After taking a quick photo, I took a wide berth around the monstrous creature.

Wednesday, December 17

We had a lazy day. Some people in the group decided to take the kayaks out, while others stayed on the beach and relaxed and explored. I was part of the latter group to stay back and wander along the beach. This time, I was more careful with each step. 

Thursday, December 18

This morning, we woke and broke camp. As Susan and I broke down our tent, I picked up the tarp under our tent. As I shook it out, little white bugs flew all over the place. After a bit of screeching, one of the guides came over to see what was going on. She picked up one of the “bugs” and took a close look. She then walked over to where our tarp had been. She then proceeded to tell us that all the white “bugs” were baby scorpions. We had apparently slept over the momma scorpion the past two nights.

Everyone came over to look at the creatures while Susan and I cowered on the side, thinking about where we had slept the past two nights.

It took a few hours to paddle to our next destination, Puerto Cinto (Little Port). As we paddled up to this beach, it looked small. So small that we were wondering where we’d even put our tents. However, once we were out of our kayaks, we found the steep beach with several flat layers providing plenty of room.

The beach was at the end of a long canyon so there were hills on both sides of the beach. We spent the afternoon exploring the different beach levels and working our way around the point at the end of the hill on the east. 

The evening meal was uneventful and we all went to bed when it got dark. In the middle of the night, we heard someone screaming. We all peered out of our tents to find that the wind was howling and one of the tents was tumbling down the beach to the water… with someone in it! Susan had apparently not tied down her tent sufficiently, so the wind picked it up and tossed her around. Our guides caught her tent quickly and resettled her. I’m not sure she slept much after that though.

Friday, December 19

This was our last day of kayaking. We packed up our kayaks for the last time and headed to our pickup point, Ensenada Blanca. While we were en route, the weather started turning. The wind increased and there was rain to the north. We didn’t have far to travel so we stopped to take pictures of the rainbows forming. 

Ensenada Blanca is a small fishing village. The small school and the church are the heart of the town. Arriving here, the water was extremely shallow so we got out of our kayaks early and walked them the last few hundred feet to the beach. As we walked, we had to shuffle our feet to ensure we didn’t step on any stingrays. We were fascinated to watch the pelicans diving into the water than was no more than a foot deep.

Once we got settled on the beach, our guides radioed their headquarters. Someone was supposed to meet us at Ensenada Blanca, but there was no one there when we arrived. So our guides found the highest point and radioed their office. This beach was soft with sand so we wandered around exploring this new beach. We found a car that was covered in sand up to its windows. One of our guides guessed that the car was buried in the sand during the last windstorm – only a week earlier.

While we waited, we stored our kayaks in a shelter. Another group would use this beach as a starting point for their trip the next day.

After waiting for another couple of hours, our transportation finally arrived and we drove back to Loreto. We had a farewell dinner in Loreto, listening to local musicians. Our guides knew a couple of the musicians and asked them to play for us for dinner. The first song they played was “La Bamba”. We let our guides request all of the songs after that.

Saturday, December 20

The final morning we had breakfast and headed to the airport. We chatted amongst ourselves on the flight to LA and split up to our different destinations in the airport. I was eager to get home but my Reno Air flight wasn’t for another 5 hours, so I went over to the Alaska Airlines ticket counter and purchased a first-class ticket (for $200) to get home a few hours earlier.

As I sat on the airplane from LA to Seattle, I reflected on the trip and the amazing experience. At that point, I decided that I would always use my vacation time to the fullest and find a new adventure each year. As I write this 20 years later, I think back to the 40 countries I’ve visited since that first trip. Each trip has been just as unique and eventful as this first one. I hope to continue traveling for as long as my mind, body, and budget will allow and will continue sharing stories of my experiences.