By DAVE GJESTSON
San Jose del Cabo is located near Cabo San Lucas in western Mexico.
(The Gulf of California is also called the Sea of Cortes)
Traveling to Mexico in 2021 during the Covid 19 period required some safeguards including double masking, insuring the airplane’s filtered air was blowing across our face, and using hand sanitizer frequently. The United States also requires virus testing within three days of returning flights. Testing positive would mean being quarantined for 10 days!
I will spare you the detailed travel hassle we experienced as our original flight through Dallas was cancelled, our re-scheduled flight to Los Angeles caused a missed connective flight to San Jose del Cabo forcing, and overnight in L.A., and simply say that we finally got there a day late!
San Jose del Cabo is a delightful tourist destination and is a
seaside town of 136,000 located 20 miles northeast of Cabo San Lucas
San Jose del Cabo is located on the southern tip of the Baja California Sur and is the second smallest state by population of 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is not to be confused with the more popular tourist destination of Cabo San Lucas located 20 miles southwest of this city of 93,000.
Our friends (and neighbors in Arizona) met us at the airport and drove an hour and a half north along the coast of the Sea of Cortes to just above the village of Los Barrilles where we would spend the week enjoying the tranquil sea, partaking in delightful Mexican cuisine and doing a little sight seeing. Nothing to strenuous.
As we drove north toward our destination, a southward peak reveals
the spider of the Sea of Cortes
A back drop of 27-million year old volcanic rock was in our camp view shed
We passed through the Tropic of Cancer on the way to Los Barriles (note the red line)
The map gives an overview of the coastal trip terminating just north of Playa la Gaviota
Our arrival at our friend’s casita (Mexican for small home) was a surprise in that the casa appeared quite large. We soon learned that the appearance was an illusion because the two-section garage was two-thirds of the house. A quick tour followed through the main living quarters, a lounging area, and our roof-top bedroom!
Our friend’s casita was just five minutes north of Los Barriles and we got a peek at the coastal location from a nearby mountain (someone conveniently started a smoky fire to help us locate the casita just to the right of the smoke!)
The “casita” (Mexican for small house) appeared unusually large until
I realized 2/3 of it was garage! (Note our soon-to-be bedroom on the roof top!)
Coming in the front door, we see the sitting area and master bedroom! Compact!
Looking left is the kitchen! That’s it! That’s the extent of the living area!
On the veranda, the lounge area became a favorite hang out.
Our bedroom in the sky with a view of the sea beyond
The yard area was impeccable in the short walk to the sea
The “beach” and it surf pounded rocks was a surprise!
A cleared path on the right enables easy swimming access.
Our friends have been feeding mangoes to a lizard
who established a home on their beach.
This very colorful lizard was a foot and a half long
and showed up one morning but was never seen again.
Ah, but the best was yet to come over the week as we enjoyed the Sea of Cortes, imbibed in a few margaritas, sampled several Mexican restaurants, shopped in Cabo Saint Lucas, and learned why many Americans and Canadians lived in the area. There is a large Gringo population retired along this western coast where living is easy and the crime rate almost nonexistent.
The coastal road was a dug out of sand and rocks but offered
great views of the rugged coast line.
Colorful Gringo homes showed up along the coastal road
(most in the $500,000 to one million range!)
The Sea of Cortes was calm our entire stay but strangely few birds were seen.
Perhaps the hurricane brewing southeast had something to do with it?
Our roadside view of Barriles shows a large bay not detectable on maps
because of the large scale needed to display the entire Baja coast (about 800 miles)
Numerous restaurants in Barriles offered unlimited choices for cuisine
(note the tree in the middle!)
Lots of time was spent lounging by the sea
Kayaking was easy on calm seas and the clear waters offered
visibility to depths of 20 feet and more.
What better fun than enjoying margaritas with new friends
(followed by a fresh lobster lunch!)
Sunrise by the sea is always spectacular!
. . . and sunsets never disappoint!
Ahhhhh . . . Mexico.
