San Icnacio and The End of Baja

I’m saving the very best part of this trip for last.  Coming back up the Baja we stopped at San Icnacio again so I could make the hour long ride on a washboard, dusty road out to Laguna San Icnacio to see the whales.  I took an eco tour where the camp was right on the beach and had composting toilets and solar showers. This is where the grey whales swim down from Alaska to give birth to their calves.  This Laguna is known for its “friendly whales”.  For some reason the whales seem to like to interact with the tourist boats here, they would swim right up to the boat. 

Mind you, these beautiful creatures were four times the size of the boat I was in, yet they were so gentle there was no fear of them hurting us.  They would swim all around the boat and underneath it, sometimes gently nudging it with their backs.  One mother swam up to us with her baby cradled on her tail.  She looked at us with her huge black eyes for some time.  Then I guess she decided it was OK for her baby to come up and say hello.  The baby swam towards the boat, right up to ME!  I reached down and touched him and I will never be the same again!  Tears still fill my eyes when I think of it. 

It was the most amazing thing I’ve ever done in my life!  It was the perfect ending to a perfect trip!

Beautiful Whale

Closer...

So close!

The baby swimming up to me.

Mama Whale

Mama and her Baby

Up Close and Personal

The perfect ending to a perfect trip!

Playa Santispac and Santa Rosalia

One of the most special times I had during the Baja trip was at Playa Santispac.  Not only did we get to camp right on the water, not only was the water crystal clear, perfect for swimming and kayaking all around the little islands, but one evening we had the pleasure of encountering BOTH a lunar eclipse as well as bioluminescence sparkling at the water’s edge.  Wow, what a spiritual experience to get to see two of natures wonders at the same time! 

Lunar eclipse at Playa Santispac

Linda and Merle kayaking.

Crystal clear waters, as well as a sea treasure.

I have to say that the town of Santa Rosalia is probably the most unusual looking town in the Baja.  It was founded in 1884 by a French company to mine copper.  The houses look like they are straight out of a western movie.  Wooden houses (some whitewashed) with balconies and boardwalks lining the roads, nothing like the typical adobe or block style houses usually found in Mexico.  Another interesting thing about Santa Rosalia is their metallic church.  Story goes that this church was designed by Gustave Eiffel himself and built in 1897 for the World’s Fair in Paris in 1898.  Later it was dismantled and shipped to Santa Rosalia for the Frenchmen to worship in.  Quite a story and quite a town!

Metallic church in Santa Rosalia

 Next, my final post on the Baja (I promise!).