My September '19 Report Card

Can't believe it has already been a month since my last report card! August was quite the whirlwind of lessons. September has been a month of starting to feel settled into this journey. Baja California has been great to me so far, and I look forward to finishing the month off here. Here is My September '19 Report Card.

September started off by leaving San Diego and heading to the border. A seemingly stressful time in the beginning, but it worked out just as I had hoped it would. This border crossing was not a big deal at all in hindsight. I can hope the rest of them go as smoothly, but only time will tell!

*Note: Are you planning on traveling to Baja California? Check out my favorite places to experience before heading over!

First Stop: Ensenada

Ensenada was a great place to start this journey through Mexico. I'm not into the party scene anymore, and figured Tijuana would be a little more than I am used to at this point in life. Ensenada, on the other hand, was very chill! Just the place I needed to be, especially while getting used to the food here.

Montezuma's Revenge was definitely no joke, but because of this, I have become accustomed to the food (for the most part). There are still things I am nervous to eat. I obviously stay away from raw fish and eggs, but even things like lettuce I will ask for the restaurants to leave out.

From couchsurfing to hostels, Ensenada had very welcoming people. Strangers on the street are happy to answer questions and recommend places. My hostel-mates were from all over the world, and the owners made us feel like we were at home. Roselba would even make us dinner at times! Such a homey place. After feeling better and exploring a good amount of Ensenada, it was time to move on. Six days felt great to be in one space. To be honest, though, I was starting to miss riding the motorcycle!

San Quintin

Thanks to my host, San Quintin was full of experiences! Couchsurfing with locals is always a treat. They know the best places to eat and explore. There is TONS of open space in this town. Fields of seemingly dead plants for acres all over! My host, Rodrigo, told me these fields come to bright life for a month in the summer.

When he showed me pictures, I couldn't believe my eyes!

These flowers are like nothing I have ever seen before. If I ever end up in Baja again, I would love to come when these fields are blooming with life. With great conversation and catching up like old friends, I decided to stay an extra day so we could check out some surfing in the area.

Rodrigo brought me to a really quiet beach, with a few locals, and some great waves. Getting accustomed to the waves on a boogie board was really enjoyable. At least I could get some speed on some kind of board before falling a bunch! A couple good waves on the surfboard, and my excitement for the next time I will surf is overwhelming. From San Quintin Bahia de LA was nice, albeit a little nerve-wracking.

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Bahia de Los Angeles

Nerve-wracking is knowing there are no gas stations between San Quintin and Bahia de Los Angeles, which means probably not much civilization. To top this off? The desert here was almost as hot as Blythe, California. Not something that is enjoyable ever, especially on a motorcycle! I made it to Bahia, thanks to my spare gas can (an orange juice bottle), and arrived at a place totally disconnected from technology.

My September '19 Report Card allows me to reflect on the progress I've made both as a person and on this journey. One of the things I have made progress on? Being more prepared on the motorcycle in terms of water consumption. Sweat evaporates pretty quickly in the desert. Drinking water frequently is a must, sometimes with electrolytes. Nothing 40,000 Volts can't fix! This stuff will put some hair on anyone's chest if you don't dilute it with water, but you truly feel more hydrated after drinking it (seriously though, I made the mistake so you don't have to).

Without Wi-Fi or service at this campsite, it felt truly amazing to unplug and just observe the nature around me. Pelicans gliding over the ocean, looking as if they are about fall in. Coastline leading up to a really cool lighthouse. The sun setting behind the mountains to top off the night. A hot night to camp led me to splurging for an extra 5 dollars at my next spot.

Guerrero Negro

The next day was even hotter than the one in Bahia. For $12, I had a motel room to myself. My host in Park City, Annie, gave me this book. A book that helped me find a cheap motel, and many more things along the road through Baja.

Guerrero Negro is known for its salt flats, and pretty much nothing else! There is a military base I was very close to with some nice statues. My main enjoyment here was relaxing with my thoughts. In places with no one around, and it being too hot to do anything, napping has been a nice complement to my travels. Leaving for Loreto, however, changed that quite a bit!

Loreto

I figured Loreto would be similar to Guerrero Negro, with no one at the hostel. I was quite wrong! People from the US, Canada, France, and even Mexico were at this small hostel. With a car, it was easy for us to get around to some places as a group. Now, keep in mind, this is the offseason for Baja Sur. Typically people come mostly during October and November. This means a lot of restaurants were closed, but the ones that were open were just as good!

A little day trip to La Mision de San Javier ended up bringing some real smiles. Squeezing 5 guys into a small car was an interesting hour long ride through the mountains. This little town, totally secluded, was a really cool place to visit. I mean, being Greek and hearing about a 400 year old olive tree? You know I had to see this place! The scenery was just as amazing as the people here.

My friend, Mareuse, is obsessed with soccer. He heard a soccer game on someone's TV in their home, and knocked on the door to ask if he could watch! The gentleman laughed, and welcomed us to watch a little bit.

From Loreto to La Paz, a group of us ended up staying together in the next hostel.

La Paz

La Paz reminds me a lot of the village in Greece. Very relaxed, beach vibes with plenty of food to go around. The owner of the hostel, Miguel, was just as welcoming as Roselba in Ensenada! I've noticed this to be quite common on the peninsula.

Something cool I've learned here? Similar to Greece's "Καλη Ορεξη" (bon apetit) is the Spanish "Provecho". It is heard pretty commonly around town, even amongst strangers. What I love the most about this month is seeing strangers be much more friendly to each other than I have seen even in parts of the states. There seems to be much more of a community feeling here, something I enjoy observing and being a part of greatly.

Todos Santos

Only an hour from La Paz, Todos Santos was a small town with plenty of sandy dirt roads to practice on! I am more confident on sandy roads than I was back in Ensenada, but still a little nervous. I mean, the bike fully loaded is a lot of weight to try to pick up! I'm sure it will happen eventually, but am glad it isn't in Todos Santos.

Another improvement in this progress report for you? My driving habits. I was a bit of a speed demon from a kid. Having driven so many miles, I have become much calmer and patient on the roads. The dual sport style motorcycle I have is meant to get from A-B. With all the weight, I don't enjoy doing it very quickly either!

Surfing Playa Cerrito was the perfect kind of waves for a beginner like myself. I swear, staring at a wave head on and hoping to catch it can be a total adrenaline rush! I have finally been able to stand up on most waves I catch, and the persistence of learning was totally worth it.

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Los Cabos

I have finished the month of September circling through Los Cabos. Definitely a lot more touristy here, although it is still a sight to see! The hostel I stayed at, Mayan Monkey, was my first TWELVE person dorm. I didn't even see those in college! It's actually a really nice place, with curtains on all the beds for extra privacy.

To be honest, I'm not a huge fan of the real touristy places, but this is a nice change from what I have been experiencing most of this trip. As always, meeting people from different places is very special. My friend, Steve, told me about an orphanage outside of town where he goes to volunteer. Anything from playing with the kids to doing things around the place to help out. We had a group of four of us go play soccer with the kids, something I haven't done since I was a kid in Greece!

Once the kids were getting ready to go to school, we worked on the compost pile. Our friend Memo had done some volunteering up in Canada with composting, and taught us all the most effective way to create one! Learning knew things, meeting new people, and playing with kids? I thought I was out of the classroom!

One of the hostel volunteers, Ricardo, took us to a sunset hike a couple times during my stay here. To date, this is definitely one of my favorite beaches I have been to. Very few people, if any, and the group just connected that much more on the hike!

Final Thoughts

A big thanks to this amazing peninsula. The hostel owners who make their places feel like home. The hostel-mates have become friends I will certainly see in other parts of the world. From top to bottom, Ensenada to Cabo San Lucas, there is such a diversity of things to see here. One would think it is all just beaches that look the same, and similar people who would visit them. Deserts in some spots, beaches in others, oases within it all! Thank you Baja for having all these wonderful things. I can only hope to visit again!

'Til next time,

Pete - A Traveling Teacher

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