AstroGypsies

Light fascinates me, drags me from my warm bed to capture it’s ever changing colours and patterns. I could not think of a more beautiful place to do this than Baja. The mix of mountains, water and sky are create a beautiful mix to choose from:) The sunrises come so so quickly, and the sunsets fade away….

It was time for a change. I can only take so many months in Ensenada before the pollution/burning garbage starts to play havoc with my asthma. I needed some fresh air and a few miles inland in Valle de la Guadalupe it was clean as can be. It is always hard to leave this spot though. No more walks to the beach with The traveling Mewberries, I felt they needed their own page finally, just for the silly fun of it, although Groot seems to think some cat treat company might want him as a spokescat, ha! For Rocket, he has spent a 1/4 of his life here, he just turned 9 months old…:(

Instead of the Pacific Coast we’ll be traveling inland from now on, until we reach the Gulf of Mexico in Texas! We’ll need to look for some sand dunes aka giant kitty litter to play in, between now and then!

We have often driven past this spot on our way South to Ensenada. Nestled among the palm trees it is quite close to the road but below it. It is run by the Rancho Sordo Mundo, the deaf school across the road. The back in spots along the back row facing the vineyards are full hook up, 50 amp (gasp!), water and sewer, all for 300 pesos, or about $18.00 a night. A bargain with orange and lemon trees around you! The back in spots are certainly quieter than the spaces facing the road. A few jake brakes but the sound died down as the night went on. Well worth a stop to explore wine country.

We did try the tasting menu at Encuentro Guadalupe the day we arrived but were left disappointed. While not bad, it was not memorable in anyway. The fact they only had one type of red wine available by the glass was somewhat shocking due to their location and the tasting room below the restaurant. They also have an annoying habit of adding an 18% tip to your bill…be careful not to tip twice, the writing is small and the first bill was not re-presented with the credit card one, I had to ask. Found that slightly unethical, we won’t go back. Quail and Rabbit seemed to be closed..sad face… so stick to the tacos at Tacos de Valle behind the Pemex for a quick meal or our favourite Laja, if you want an extraordinary meal…nuff said:)

Our trip North back into the US was uneventful. It is a beautiful drive to Tecate. The new wall at the border was as hideous as we’d seen pictures of but little of life along the wall has changed. You can still buy churros and tortillas and Mexicans go about their life as they have. It is just a sad reminder of the current policies in place. Our Customs agent was friendly and courteous. He had a quick look in the trailer and I guess they have to ask: “Are you transporting any people in the trailer?”…ah, no….and just like that, back into a strange and different world. The courtesy is the first thing you notice that abruptly disappears…especially in traffic..sigh, we will need to get used to this, but somehow we never do. Is it the narcissistic population that feels so entitled to go and do whatever they want, when they want, will little regard for others? This part of the world has lost that common courtesy called manners, being polite as a human. It is sad but a reality we live with in many places, it is just so obvious after spending a few months in Baja. How truly sad it is this loss. Suddenly Mike goes back to swearing in German at the the less than considerate drivers, muttering “When in Rome, do as the Romans do;) Yes, there are good people who do nice things but you are constantly reminded of those that just don’t give a sh@t…extremely noticeable when you are driving a big rig! In the meantime, we will try to be nice, let people merge, pull over and let people by…we will try to be as Canadian as we can;) HA! and we’ll be dreaming in 6 months about mouth watering tacos and friendly smiles. Hasta la vista Baja…te veo pronto!