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We had a day at the dock in Puerto Escondido yesterday. The usual routine is that we stop in here in the middle of the night to pick up some water and drop off some trash, but this go around we got to hang out for a few hours in the daytime. It’s just south of the town of Loreto, and it’s their technical port of entry. Really it’s a dock in the middle of no where, but that seems a little harsh since it’s in the middle of some beautiful country.

There’s not a whole lot to do here, but look around at the beauty. That’s alright with me…..

The Cabo marina was the slowest that I have seen in my travels here. The talk of the town is just how slow tourism has been. It’s such a cool place, with tons to do and see. Like I’ve said before, it makes me sad that it’s not booming like it once was.

Go to Cabo!

I recently got to hang out with a couple of friends who have semi-retired from the company I work for and decided to spend the next few months preparing for a trans-pacific voyage in their 42 foot sailboat. I’ve never been all too interested in these particular types of boats, but mostly because I have zero experience with them.
Once I got to talking to my friends, Mark and Michelle Graves, I started to realize that what they live for is very similar to what I do. Getting away from the known, and diving into the unknown. Really, my friend’s trip in a sailboat is not all too different from me driving my van down to Ushuaia. The conditions may be different, but when it comes right down to a long journey you need some key things. A solid performing means of transportation that can get you there, and the ability to make it work no matter what. It must also have the ability to provide shelter, food and water or at least store them in some way. The most important factor is that we have to have fun and get a sense of value out of the trip. Ending up at the end of a continent, or transiting the south Pacific is going to be a life changing event, good or bad.
The one thing that stood out the most in my mind about the Grave’s boat was that it was efficient, yet comfortable. It’s really put a light bulb over my head about my own project and how to give me all of those key elements that make a trip great. The sleeping space was just big enough for two, and had shelves or drawers for their essentials. There was a bathroom that was actually far bigger than I figured it would be the toilet was outside of the shower, which is the usual set up.
The kitchen was a simple two burner propane stove with a cutting board on one side and twelve volt fridge on the other. The living space had some room for storage, a table and seats for eating or relaxing and it even had a computer with wi-fi booster antenna for getting a signal from a distant marina. The Graves had also installed both a vhf radio and an HF ham radio with the later connected to their computer through a TNC so that they could use the popular SailMail software. This gives them the ability to email simple messages over the ham radio to anyone on the net at any time. I was impressed that there was the ability to do this, since this could come in handy if you needed to get ideas on a problem or if there was a major emergency.
The electrical system was very nice as well. A twelve volt system, designed to be charged by the alternator on the engine, solar panels and a wind generator. This way they can charge up the batteries when they are under way with the sails as well. They had no generator.
So how does this fit into my routine and hopes for travels? Well… First off, I am now dreaming a bit about owning a sail boat someday. Not now, but when the kids are grown and I can do it without worries. The lifestyle really isn’t too far off from where I am now. The real thing that I’ve gained from this is seeing how a great deal of people live, and knowing that I can make my dream of living out of the van on an extended road trip completely possible. It’s inspiring to see people living the explorers lifestyle, in any of the many forms that it comes in.

…… The Bahamas. Thanks to the travel program at work, it’s only going to cost $150 for me to fly out to Nassau, so that’s where I’m going! Now on to the details. Any one been to the Bahamas? Know about the Ferry system? Leave a comment!

I got over to the beach for a little bit last night, with the hopes of getting some good time lapse footage. The new intervalometer works well, I am really enjoying using it. Hopefully I’ll be able to find some time here soon to put together a little video using the stills. It an interesting concept, very fun to play with. I’ve been talking to our Video Chronicler on board about it and he’s been giving me some pretty good tips. Especially good tips about shooting stars and nightscapes that I’ll put into motion when I get off the boat here in a couple of weeks.

The weather has been pretty rough lately, very un-Baja. There has been very little sun shining and it’s been pretty windy. I think that we had a grand total of two guests want to go snorkeling yesterday, which is VERY strange. The only comforting thing about it is I know further north folks must be into some very cold and wet weather. If it’s like this down here, it must be pretty good up north!

We found a couple of the largest mammals on the earth yesterday. I didn’t get the prestigious fluke shot, but it sure was cool to see them anyways. It’s really humbling to see an animal moving along side that is so huge. We don’t get to see these very often, so we got a special treat!

I keep saying it, I know. Loreto Marine Park is an amazing place!

Any one out there have information on traveling in Mongolia? It’s starting to look mighty tempting!

I guess it’s time to do some real research on traveling there and see what it looks like.

We have been spending quite a bit of time in and out of La Paz the last couple of weeks, and we will for the next week as well. All of our trips lately have just been in the Sea of Cortez, so we have been starting and stopping in my favorite Baja city.

The people here are pretty funny, really. The whole town is either in rip roaring party mode, or a near catatonic state. Right now, the New Years festivities are still going pretty strong and people are out having a good time. I’m sure in the next two weeks it will go back to it’s normal sleepy state. Just the way I like it.

It’s almost like the weather man didn’t want La Paz to be left out of the holiday spirit. While by no means cold by many peoples standards, it was a chilly 10 degrees Centigrade yesterday. It’s funny, because all the Gringos are wearing shorts and sandals, while all the Mexicans are wearing coats, boots, gloves and I even saw people with baclava’s and beanies! I guess it’s all relative to what you know!

Another curious thing about this time of year here. Many of the business’s close for WEEKS to do a year end inventory. It’s insane to me to think that they can do this, but I hear it’s an old practice. Once again, it’s all relative to what you know. I’ve added this as more of travelers note than anything. If you drive or cruise down to baja at the beginning of the year, don’t expect to easily find parts for your vehicle or boat. This could be a big deal!

One of my big things is communications. I don’t like traveling without being able to talk to my kids and knowing what’s going on is very important to me. I bought a pre-paid cell phone that I was told would work down here in Baja. It doesn’t.

If you were wondering why I haven’t called you lately, this is why. I hope to remedy this soon.