Baja

January 3, 2012

Five Fabulous Family Multi-Sport Adventures

Surf's Up!

When we talk about Multi Sport Adventures we mean something active with plenty of variety. This helps kids – and parents and grandparents too – to try new activities, learn new skills – and maybe discover a new passion to pursue. What have our kids loved best for lots of action to compliment the cultural and wildlife opportunities? In alphabetical order….

1) Baja. A true adventurer’s paradise, Baja is ideal for hiking, horseback riding, surfing, snorkeling, kayaking. Get out there with our expert instructors for some exciting action, then replace those calories with some awesome Mexican food.

2) Belize. Mayan ruins for climbing, river caves for tubing (sometimes scary for the younger set!), barrier reef for snorkeling and diving. Paradise!

3) Costa Rica. Not boring! Rainforest, beaches, volcanoes and monkeys. Rafting, zip lines, kayaking, canyoning, SUP (know what that is??), surfing.  You can try just about everything here, and meet some of the nicest people ever.

4) Galapagos. Between the highlands of mainland Ecuador and the volcanic Galapagos Islands your family can try horseback riding, hiking, kayaking, biking, snorkeling – and real camping for a couple of nights too! Seeing that Southern hemisphere sky from your beach front campsite is about as awe-inspiring as it gets.

5) Panama. The canal, of course, and the great story that goes with it. But also a fascinating native culture to learn about. Then rafting, zip lines, awesome snorkeling and pristine beaches, birds and wildlife galore, biking … and the thrill of going someplace not many have been before. Come discover Panama!!



December 12, 2011

The Grey Whales of Baja

Families love the curious grey whales migrating through Baja

Oh, to pat a young grey whale!

Whether you spell it grey or gray, these whales are mighty interesting.

Descended from filter feeding whales that developed over 30 million years ago (30 MILLION!!), grey whales consume ocean worms and crustaceans from the ocean floor and filtered through their baleen.

Growing to 50+  feet long, and weighing as much as 80,000 pounds they are certainly formidable. But curious and friendly too as you can see. Grey whales can  live up to 50 years or more, and every year they perform the longest known migration of any other mammal. Their summer feeding grounds are in the icy Arctic waters of the Bering Sea, and in winter they move to their breeding grounds, the warmer waters off the coast of California and Mexico. All along the Pacific coast you can watch their glorious journey.

Thus, thousands of grey whales arrive each year in Baja California. The warm temperature, shallow depth, and limited access to the open sea make the lagoons the ideal places for these marine mammals to mate and to give birth. This environment protects them from the Orcas who use speed when hunting –  and speed is hard to obtain in these conditions.  A perfect safe haven for the grey whales and their young!

The gestation period for grey whales is 11 – 13 months. The dimply, shortened face is typical of young grey whales, and up close you can see the facial hair on the babies.   They can be so curious, they will leap from the water to get a closer look at you – and yes, move in for contact too. A February vacation week is the ideal time to catch this migration in Baja, when the moms and babies are plentiful.

There is someting about the mystery,  magic, and curiosity of these giant beings that just makes me want to hug them. How about you?



March 18, 2011

What happens at a Farewell Dinner?

Luckily on our Baja Family Adventure we had Emily along. Energetic and creative, she was happy to take on the art supplies and give life to the special awards we had been discussing throughout the week. You know, who excelled at what. It did seem that each of us had a special skill or contribution to the trip. Emily really knew how to put it into writing.

So at our farewell dinner, amongst the excellent appetizers and dinner, the fresh squeezed limonada and local cervesas (and yes, I did enjoy a jalapeno margarita) Emily made a great presentation of our awards. Hers was for horseback riding – galloping on the beach was her favorite moment of the trip – but maybe we should have given her something special for creativity, eh?

Our family adventure would not have been complete without each person who was a part of our awesome group. Thank you Emily, and thanks to everyone for a great time! (See below for the full list)

Best Surfer : Tripp

Best Soccer – Owen

Most humorous – David

“Look mom I can Gallop” – Emily

Best photographer – Heather

Best Protector of All – Peggy

Best Hiker (and finder of cactus!) - Mauricio

Pied Piper – Sergio

Best videographer – Moo

Best Travel Companion – Mira



March 18, 2011

Back at the Ranch…

So after the kayaking and soccer, then a sleepy drive back to Todos Santos we slipped back in to our lovely casitas and enjoyed the pool and sunset on our last night



March 18, 2011

Killer Kayaking @ Beautiful Balandra Bay

Thursday: (Sorry I am out of date – just too much to do here to spend time on the computer!)

Balandra Bay is a thing of beauty. Clear blue water, and shallow enough to walk forever (thankfully our guides told us how to shuffle our feet so we would not be stung by  sting rays; others were not so lucky) Kayaking here is easy on the smooth water, and the kayaks are steady. Though if you fell out you’d just stand up and climb back in. I think the boys did that a couple of times. We took off for a nice paddle around the bay and down into narrow lanes of mangroves – such awesome and peaceful beauty with egrets and herons gracing the shoreline. Our lunch spot was on top of a steep dune (can you guess how many times the kids ran and rolled up and down it??) overlooking the bay. We could see the tide going out – and in fact ended up having to pull rather than paddle the kayaks for the last 20 feet to ‘shore’. In no time the bay became the perfect field for an impromptu game of soccer….. then the ride back to Todos Santos became the perfect opportunity for a bit of a snooze!



March 16, 2011

Cliff Walk + Awesome Views = Full Heart

Yesterday I think I forgot, that if you are going to walk along the top of a cliff to enjoy amazing views, you first have to climb to get there. I am relatively NOT in great shape, as has been proven in the last few days. My legs are feeling, well, more alive, and it has been worth every muscle I had to wake up. The dogs came along too which was a blast, and we all remembered to drink lots of water. In Baja they say “the sun is our enemy….”



March 15, 2011

Walking in a desert canyon

This is tagged as a WATERFALL desert canyon hike, but right now there are no waterfalls. Baja California Sur usually gets about 4 inches of rain a year, but recently it’s only been 2 inches. Two inches of rain in a year! Now that is dry.

But no lack of this different kind of desert beauty. The rock, the granite and basalt, the turkey vultures, the cactus, the sand, the endless blue sky with glaring sun – and those refreshing pockets of shade where one can retreat to a remarkably cooler temperature.

So what did we do this day?



March 12, 2011

Welcome to Adventure Paradise

This is a tree monkey - get it?

Today we had an excellent breakfast of scrambled eggs covered in ranchero sauce. After wandering through town we experimented with relaxing by the pool where we discovered just how important towel folding is in Cabo. Note our friend, the Tree Monkey.

It was nice to have a day to ourselves but mostly we were just ready to get the adventure started. We have not been disappointed!

Everyone met up in time for a bite to eat and a dip in the pool before loading up the 2 big vans for the journey to Todos Santos. We were humming along the “federal highway’ (narrow two lane road) discussing everything from whales to cactus to where the cattle graze, when with a sudden raparaparapa WHOOSH… we lost a tire.  What this means in Baja is the outer tread gets whipped clean off the tire and flies away (and hopefully does not hit the guy behind you.)

Sergio was not to be flustered. He most cheerfully hopped out of the vehicle to change the tire, giving us all a useful lesson in how to loosen the lug nuts before jacking up the car (stay tuned for video). We were back on the road in a jiffy, only to discover that flapping hose we saw when the tire was off was in fact the water hose and not the a/c line.

And guess what, NO EXTRA CHARGE for all this spontaneous adventure!

Now we pile the bags and most of the people into our remaining, working van. Mira stayed behind with Sergio partly to be a mascot but mostly because we did not have a seat for her. Help was on the way, or so they said…. the rest of us whisked away and left them in a cloud of dust.

Look where I am now – in Paradise! Hurry, Mira, the sun is setting into the ocean and it is gorgeous…

This must be paradise

Welcome to paradise!



March 11, 2011

We’ve hijacked the blog: Welcome to Baja!

Last minute call to the bank to let them know we're traveling out of the country

Traveling with our children is always a wonder. I haven’t been on an adventure alone with my daughter Mira since we went to China in 2005. She was 15 then, now she is turning 21.

Today I kissed my boys goodbye, and hugged Jessie too. We’ve flown from Boston to Dallas, then to San Jose del Cabo. We had a family beg to cut in line at check in because they were late, but found them on our flight anyway because they missed their earlier one (don’t go to airport late!)

We laughed heartily while waiting to board when Mira got an email from the passport office saying they had finished processing her application and would mail the passport to her (she had spent the whole day Thursday at the office in New Hampshire making them do it THEN.) Do you know all about the rules?

We stepped into the gloriously warm air of Mexico this evening, and are settled into a sweet hotel in San Jose. We went to the restaurant for ceviche and shrimp quesadilla (ok, maybe we had a local beer too). It’s Friday night – there was quite a crowd, and live music. Three local boys, doing really quite good renditions of American favorites such as Hotel California. It felt a bit — touristy? But still, a rousing good time.

We’ll explore this little town tomorrow, then meet up with the group for the journey to Todos Santos. But first, sleep.



March 9, 2011

Travel Excitement. Or is it Anxiety?

Suitcase in Process

I am getting ready to travel to Baja California on Friday. I am excited because it is a Thomson Family Adventure, and we well know how much fun that is. I am excited because I get to travel with some of our families, and I love meeting new people. I get to re-visit Mexico, where I haven’t been in a long time! I am thrilled because my daughter Mira is coming with me, and it will be her 21st birthday next week. But oh, does it drive me crazy getting ready to leave town….

I begin to think about finally getting my life in order – I don’t mean Final Plans, but things like getting those clothes to GoodWill, or cleaning out the closets. Reorganizing the basement and garage. Finishing some of those art projects. Getting the house spotless, once and for all. Can I get ALL the laundry done and put away, just for once?

Does anyone know what I am referring to??

And I go bonkers at work too… what about those new ideas I’ve been meaning to implement, or the file drawer the mice took over last year that I have never quite reclaimed? Maybe now I can finally tackle it. Know what I mean?

But no, it is just anxiety that follows me around. I never manage to become more productive or to discover more hours in the day. In between worrying about the dog and getting clean sheets on the bed I somehow manage to pack my suitcase and find my passport . But the bathroom could still use a good scrubbing, and you can be sure the children I am leaving behind won’t get to that while I’m gone. So I guess I’ll just have to surrender to the reality of a full and often chaotic life, and remember I can love it just the way it is.

But I have about 45 hours ’til flight time – how much more do you think I can get done? What would you be up to?