A year ago, Big Papa and I were preparing for a trip to Baja, Mexico. Our first trip to Mexico and our last trip just-the-two-of-us.
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Shadows from places I’ve been
Keep your face always toward the sunshine
–and shadows will fall behind you.
~Walt Whitman
Yerevan, Armenia
Gyumri, Armenia
Baja Mexico desert
Kelsey Creek Park, Bellevue WashingtonWant more shadows and light? Check out Delicious Baby Photo Friday!
No pear like prickly pear
Prickly Pear farms dotted the horizon as we made our way south into Baja, California. I had never seen a crop so thorny that everyone said could be so delicious.
Nopal cactus or prickly pear is native to Mexico and has served as a staple food and healing plant for thousands of years, perhaps as many as 20,000 years ago with the first man to arrive in Mexico. Native Indians used it as food, mainly during drought years where it became essential to the survival of the people in the region and their cattle and livestock. The juice from the pads of this plant were also used to soothe wounds, stiffen cloth, purify water, waterproof pain, strengthen mortars and as a hedge. And, on top of all this, it’s also great eating! Both the “heart” or red flower (the fruit called the tuna) can be eaten, along with the prickly pad itself.
In Mexico, nopal is eaten in many ways: raw or cooked in salads, in soups and stews, grilled, as a base for ice cream and even as a beverage. We enjoyed ours in the form of a salad, served as an appetizer in Catavina, a little town in Baja.
So tasty–muy bueno. Salud!
Mexican Nopal Salad
- Cilantro
- Onions
- Tomatoes
- Serrano Chili Peppers
- Salt
- Lime
- Nopal
How to: Cut onions, tomatoes and chili peppers into very small pieces and mix together in a large bowl. Add a few drops of lime and water and mix into a sauce. Boil the nopal pads, clean (remove all prickers) and cut into cubes, drain and add to sauce. Serve the salad on the side with your favorite Mexican dishes, like the delicious ceviche we enjoyed!
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Beautiful Baja
My first trip to Mexico was a three day excursion to Baja, California. I was in awe of the rich colors, the desert, the beauty of it all.
Bird takes flight over cactus
Dying flowers against an orange wall
Back-lit gold flowers
Baja sunset
Yellow cactus
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The cave paintings of Catavina
For such a small place Catavina gets a lot of attention! Located on Baja Highway One between El Rosario and the Bay of L.A. junction, travelers have loved Catavina for many reasons over the years, and not just as a place to stop for gas on a long stretch of highway.
Located in the middle of the Desierto Central de Baja California, Catavina is a combination of gigantic granite boulders, unique vegetation and white sand. Hundreds of species of cacti and desert plant, many of which are endemic—like the boojum–seem almost artfully arranged between the boulders along dry river beds.
Another reason to visit Catavina is to see the cave paintings. Reported to be between 8,000 and 10,000 years old, these amazingly intact and vibrant paintings tell the story of indigenous life—both human and animal—that existed in this region.
It was awe-inspiring imagining what might have been in this very spot many, many years ago. The cave paintings are a hidden gem that we were fortunate to see. If you are interested in visiting the caves, inquire at the La Pinta Desert Inn. Our tour company, Andiamo Travels, handled our visit but I heard that guides can be arranged.
How to catch a whale by the tail
“Touch it. Touch it. Touch it!” That’s what the naturalist yelled at me to do, on a boat in the middle of Scammon’s Lagoon near the town of Guerrero Negro in Baja, Mexico.
So that’s exactly what I did. I stuck my hand out over the water, and just at that moment, the whale flipped on her side and headed under our boat. As her fluke flew up into the air, my fingers grasped it. For one brief moment, I held a whale by the tail.
“I’ve got a whale by the tail,” I hollered at my eight comrades aboard our “panga,” a small fishing boat used to observe these giant mammals—literally—at arm’s length. In one’s lifetime, how often do you get to say that and have it be the honest to goodness truth?
Spending half a day surrounded by 2,000 gray whales was the high point of our recent trip to Baja, Mexico. Karla, our Andiamo Travel tour guide, told us that a record 922 babies had been born in the lagoon this year, and they were keeping company with nearly 1,000 adults. Sure enough, just looking out on the horizon—at any given moment—we could count not one, not two, not three….but at least a dozen whale spouts. Unbelievable!
Each fall, gray whales travel 5,000 miles from the Arctic Ocean to the warm lagoons of Baja. They arrive late December in the shallow protected waters to court, mate, give birth and care for their babies. Mothers and calves remain the longest in the lagoons, until April, when they take their young back to feed in the rich, cold, Arctic waters.
During their time in Baja, male whales show off to eligible females by breeching or throwing their entire body into the air while mamas frolic with their babies in the turquoise water. Although the number of human observers is strictly limited, having an opportunity for a close encounter with one of the many “friendlies” is a huge draw for two-legged mammals, like us.
When you consider that our boat was dwarfed by even the baby whales, you would think we’d be scared by the prospect of tour bus-sized whales at play in, around and under our boat. But the truth the only thing any of us felt was sheer excitement to be in such close proximity to these amazing animals.
We spent a few bliss-filled hours watching as the whales breached, spy-hopped, rolled, sprayed, flapped their flukes, and let their curiosity get the better of them…because it was obvious they were just as interested in checking us out as we were them.
Hanging out in Mexico with mamas of the sea and their amazing babies was just the ticket for this northwestern girl. It was an experience I’ll never forget!
It’s the real thing: Mexican Coke in a bottle
Please don’t stand between me and my morning coffee, but you can have my soda. Soda has never done much for me and part of the reason is I don’t like the taste of plastic or metal with my beverage.
On our recent trip to Baja, Mexico I got to sample Mexican Coke and almost changed my tune. It was pretty darn good.
Mexican Coke is Coca-Cola that is made and bottled in Mexico. It comes in a thick glass bottle and apparently has quite the following in the United Sates. Fans say it is more “natural tasting.” I read that this natural taste is partially attributed to the use of refined cane sugar in Mexican Coke, as opposed to high-fructose corn syrup found in soft drinks bottled in the U.S.
There have even been blind taste tests where tasters have commented that Mexican Coke has “a more complex flavor with an ineffable spicy and herbal note” and that it contained something “that hinted at root beer or old-fashioned sarsaparilla candy.” Sounds like chit-chat at a fancy wine tasting, but I have to say I agree on those tasting notes. Mexican coke was decidedly tastier than the acidic, chemical flavor I associate with Coke in the U.S.
And while we’re talking old school, there’s no getting around that bottle, that curvy, elegant—glass—bottle. It even has an enamel label painted on it, instead of the standard tacky U.S. vinyl label.
I sipped and sipped and sipped and then I stopped. I didn’t want to stop. But since I was traveling on a tour bus, a tour bus with one bathroom, one bathroom for forty people, one bathroom that wasn’t working…well, I didn’t want to have to spend much time in there.
We drove off into the Mexican sunset while I waxed prosaically about Mexican Coke. It was good. So good, that it almost made a soda drinker out of me.
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Great minds think alike: Pinot and chocolate
Last night, Big Papa and I returned from a week of relaxation in San Diego and Baja, Mexico. It was just what the doctor ordered. Sunshine (most of the time), time spent with friends, desert vistas, whales and even a few glorious days without internet or cell phone service!
Our trip began on February 14th, Valentine’s Day. When we arrived at Keating House, our B&B for our first three days on the road, Big Papa and I pulled out our Valentine’s gifts for each other and set them on the bed.
Side by side lay two Valentine’s cards, each with a reference to our upcoming whale watching trip, two half-bottles of Pinot Noir wine (Adelsheim and Clos du val) and two boxes of Theo’s Chocolates! In fact, the exact same chocolates: Theo’s limited version Casanova Caramel Sampler with Ginger Rose, Pink Salted, Honey Saffron and Lavender Jalapeno chocolates.
Wine and chocolate–the perfect way to kick off a much-needed vacation. We sat and sipped and daydreamed about the days that lay ahead.
What can I say? Great minds think alike!
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