Sponsored by [insert favorite Mexican beer here]

Perhaps I'm obsessed with signage. You may have noted in one of my earlier posts that I found some of the highway signs fairly amusing, my favorite sign being the one that said "Obey the signs!."


Or maybe I'm obsessed with symbolism. I have a fascination with the things that dot our landscape, like buildings, signs, trash - you name it, because, in some ways, they define who we are. And our landscape tells us something about us, too. When we travel to other places, we look to them to understand the people who live there.

I say this because traveling through Baja has been a unique experience. As much as I should have read more about Baja California and Baja California Sur before I left, I didn't. I'm lazy, I'll admit.

In a way, it may have been blessing. It gave me the chance to see the peninsula through the eyes of a naive Baja traveler. It certainly made me aware of the misconceptions and, certainly, biases that I brought with me.

At the very least, I knew little about the flora here. I had some ideas (desert, cacti) based on Baja native plants I had seen in Los Angeles. Before I left, my friends and colleagues at the Theodore Payne Foundation for Wild Flowers and Native Plants in Los Angeles gave me Baja California Plant Field Guide as a going away gift. I've been something of a native plant zealot for ten years, so it made sense that I would want to get to know the natives here. (By zealot, I mean that I throw seeds, not stones.)

Driving down from L.A. with a colleague gave me a chance to see the length of Baja close up. It's amazing what plants you can identify driving at speeds ranging from 40 to 70 miles per hour.

In northern areas of Baja, I saw several native plants that are familiar to me in Los Angeles: monkey flower, matilija poppy, mexican elderberry, etc. Sadly, I also saw familiar plants that have the potential to destroy the natural environment here and in California: invaders like castor bean, mustard, etc.

While parts of the northern most areas reminded me of home,  the deserts were a wholly unexpected visual experience. Jaw-dropping beautiful. I had preconceptions of Baja and one of them was that the peninsula was flat. Wrong. Completely wrong. Mountains, mesas, desert, cacti and much more. My colleague, Chris, and I cursed in exclamation every time we rounded a bend and found ourselves looking out at stunning mountains and mesas, miles of cactus and the Sea of Cortez. 

The cacti most common to Baja and the ones that can be seen in the links I included above is the Cardon. It is the ultimate symbol of "the Baja" as many people call the peninsula and the two states (Baja California and Baja California Sur) the cover it. Some are believed to be up to 200 years old and weigh up to 10 tons.

There are other cacti and plants that inhabit the deserts here, some with interesing names: chain link cholla, pipe organ cactus, old man cactus, teddy bear cholla, candelabra cactus, prickly pear cactus and more.

These and other beautiful native plants, cacti, succulents and otherwise, have come to symbolize the beauty of Baja and its uniqueness.

Of course, there are other symbols that stood out on our way south: beer signs. Perhaps the best signage to be found, outside of more commercial areas in the bigger towns and cities (think Walmart, banks, etc.) are the signs that promote various Mexican beers, including Tecate and Pacifico, among others. If I didn't know any better, I'd swear that Baja California is a sponsored by Mexican beer manufacturers. Or Coca Cola.

While these human made signs have made an impression on me and my understanding of Baja, nothing can override the emotional impact of seeing Baja's desert landscape and the Sea of Cortez. In my mind this is how I see Baja now.

The Baja is more than Tijuana, more than Ensenada. It is beyond the misconceptions of border violence and the twisted paternalistic view we often take with our Mexican neighbors. It is an understanding rooted in its stunning landscape and what Baja is and can be if we protect it. 

Baja California: Sponsored by Old Man Cactus.

Obey the Signs

Driving through Baja and experiencing the landscape has been an experience of a life time. I cannot adequately describe the beauty of this place, especially the desert areas.

I'm still a Baja novice, but I'm fairly certain that these photos are from the Central Desert of Baja. 

These rock formations and others in the Baja desert reminded me of the landscape  in  and  near  Joshua  Tree National  Monument.

While this photo does not do justice to the landscape, my colleague  and I found ourselves rounding  the bend to see jaw-dropping, expletive scenes of beauty. 

Again, these photos do not do justice to the beauty of the desert and the  mountain ranges and mesas.

Driving through Baja and experiencing the roads is another matter. I'm not complaining about the roads. By and large, they're fine and decently paved in most places. Sometimes, you need to be careful while they perform road upgrades. Clearly, we're not on a freeway in Southern California.

That said, driving here can be a little quirky. For example, take their signs.

My colleague, Chris, and I have been making our way down the Baja peninsula since last Tuesday. First Tijuana, then Ensenada and last night Santa Rosalia. Like any trip, it's the signs that guide us, remind us and, when necessary, command us. Maps help, but a good sign can do wonders.

The signs we've encountered have made us smile. Sometimes, they don't translate well into English. Other times, I'm not so sure that they do well in Spanish.

Public service signs are dotted along the roads down here. They are white and in the shape of a long thin rectangle, enough to accommodate a simple sentence.

First and foremost among these public service signs are the ones that periodically remind Chris and me that we should "Obey the Signs" or "Obedezca los senales." (In your imagination, insert a tilde above the n in senales.)  Given the brevity of this particular sign and the fact that we see them on lonely stretches of highway in the midst of some jaw-dropping scenery, I have to wonder if a higher source is issuing them. Considering our surroundings, I think it's possible.

Others tell us to "Reduce your speed," "Better late than never" or, my favorite, "Don't mistreat the signs." I remarked to Chris that they're like the fortunes we find when we crack open fortune cookies, except in this case, they're opened and posted along the roadside for all to enjoy.

I assume that we'll see more of them and I'm hoping to see some variations, especially "Obey or die." I think it works better in Spanish: "Obedezca or muera."

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Tonight, we're staying in Loreto at an amazing little hotel that we found by chance when we turned a corner tonight. It's called Hotel Posada del Cortes and it is has nicely appointed accommodations for the price. I highly recommend it.

Our stay here caps an amazing day. We left the central desert yesterday as we ventured towards the east coast of Baja and the Sea of Cortez. It's not as a hot here as the central desert, but it's definitely humid, but not as much as Florida. Tonight, we dined in a local restaurant and the balmy weather was perfect.

We finally stopped by the side of the road to take photos of the  Sea of Cortez, also known as the Gulf of California. 

We started the day by visiting Punta Chivato, about 20 miles off Highway 1. Specifically, we were visiting El Hotelito Punta Chivato to meet the owner. While he was not there, we had a great breakfast and looked around at the hotel a bit. To get there, we passed through a small neighborhood near the highway and onto a  dirt road (nicely maintained, I might add) . Some very nice homes line the shore of Punta Chivato for about a mile or so and there's a small airstrip there, too. There's also a small golf course among the native foliage. Despite the development that exists, it has an isolated and laid back feeling.

We made our way south to Loreto, a city of 14,000 that originally served as the capital of Alta and Baja California for nearly 100 years in the 18th century. We had lunch at Mediterraneo, a restaurant with a front row seat on the Sea of Cortes and a good view of the Isla de Ramona. I had fish fajitas, black beans and great homemade lemonade - made me a happy guy.

After lunch, the siren call of the sea lured us back north to the amazing coves along the Bahia Concepcion (Conception Bay) that we passed an hour or two before. (Just follow the link I've embedded for the Bahia and you will get a glimpse of how beautiful the east coast of Baja is.)

Somewhere in Bahia Concepcion we found this amazing cove.  If you  look to the left on the mountain side, you can see  what appears to be a whale. 

The same cove as above, looking to the left of where the above photo was  taken.  Beautiful views, calm water and nothin' but quiet. 

We have been in the car so much over the past few days and we needed a chance to relax and swim. The water was warm and we could walk out 30-50 meters from the beach with our heads still above water.  Maybe 20 people at most were at the cove and, altogether, it was very relaxed.  Pelicans were diving for food nearby and a few seagulls were flying about, including one long-legged bird I have yet to identify.

The water, coupled with the gorgeous views of the surrounding mountains and shoreline, made my day, if not my year.

Eating my way through Baja

I would like to think that I am a complicated man, one who is known for his deep thoughts and sophisticated ways. But when it comes down to it, I like food and a good laugh. Wait. Delete those last words. I like food.

No complex formulas are required to make me content. Just feed me.

Since we started our trip to Tijuana, food has been on my mind. Because of my allergies, I'm always a little apprehensive about what I will encounter. In fact, I was worried more about my food options than the [mis]perception that violence would greet me at some point on my journey. Enough of what I have read and experienced has dispelled what I thought about the latter, but not the former.

I've been reading about the increasing recognition of the Baja culinary offerings, including wines. Once I knew that I was Baja bound, I set up Google search bots and they have been feeding me information about all things Baja, including food.

For example, in a Food and Wine article that popped up this week in my search talked about Chicago chef Rick Bayless' PBS show Mexico - One Plate at a Time and the fact that he devotes the entire next season to Baja California. Apparently, Bayless came to Baja and was blown away by what he found.

I've had several culinary experiences since I arrived two days ago. The first night my colleague and his friend took me to a taco stand in Tijuana for some great carne asada tacos. In my haste to eat, I overrode my aversion to allergic reactions and ate the corn tortillas that held carne asada, salsa and guacamole. Delicious. Minor reactions the next day, but well worth it.

Rick Bayless confirms the availability of good tacos in Tijuana. In the aforementioned article, he says,  "I used to think Mexico City had the best tacos, but Tijuana blows it away."
The next night we visited Ceibo Parrilla, a restaurant comparable to any of the good restaurants we find nowadays in Los Angeles. Lots of appetizers, including hummus, chorizo, steak and more. Although I was not able to partake, my friends raved about the Nebbiola wine they drank from one of the Baja wineries. I'm fairly certain that the winery was award-winning L.A. Cetto.

Today, we continued our journey south to Rosarita and, later, Ensenada where we met with officials from the Economic Development Commission. They took us to a seafood spot frequented by mostly locals: El Primo Nava. Located in what was a former roller skating rink, it's a large restaurant with a vibrant feel to it. And the food ain't bad, either. I had the shrimp and scallops cocktail (camarones y callos coctel) and, later, shrimp and rice with a large glass of jamaica. Needless to say, I was a cochino - my eyes were bigger than my stomach.

It's dinner time and I'm not hungry, but who knows what may happen in the next few hours. The siren call of the lobster beckons me.

Crossing the border in slow motion

They say that Angelenos like to measure their trips in terms of time rather than distance. "Oh, it will take you about 20 minutes to get there." "It's about three hours north of here." I don't really know why we do it, we just do.

That said, my trip to the border - and crossing it - was interminable. What should have been a relatively short trip from L.A. to Tijuana doubled for any number of reasons, including L.A. traffic, Orange County traffic, San Diego traffic and a side trip to a FedEx Office to get business cards (very cool ones, by the way).

I don't mean to sound whiny. I'm not. It wasn't bad so much as sloooooow. And our moment in Mexican customs was fairly surreal. Not bad, just slow and surreal as any bureaucratic border crossing can be.

My friends continue to express their heartfelt wishes that my trip goes well and that I will succeed in my endeavors. They also share their fears about the violence we hear about in the media.

The more read about Baja, the more I believe that the media coverage about the violence is distorted and over-generalizes its impact. Much of the violence occurs in select border towns and under specific circumstances.

A friend of my colleague Chris shared with me a funny video this morning that addresses the misperceptions of violence and safety here. Enjoy.


The city of La Paz on the southern end of Baja just launched a public relations campaign touting their city as one of the safest in the world. The headline of their news release declared that La Paz "declared peace on the United States."

I don't have anything else to share at the moment. Things are just...slow. And I'm okay with that. As things move along, slowly or not, I'll let you know.

Update: A good friend and neighbor shared with me a February 2011 report from the Trans-Border Institute at the University of California about drug violence in Mexico between 2008 and 2010. One interesting item in the summary:  56% of all homicides from organized crime in 2010 occurred in just four of Mexico’s 32 states (Chihuahua, Sinaloa, Tamaulipas, and Guerrero). Most others have had much lower levels of violence, and several states have been virtually untouched by violence (Baja California Sur, Campeche, Querétaro, Tlaxcala, and Yucatán)

Pack mule: Another pre-flight-from-L.A. check list

Packing is an artform and it is clear that I am not artist of this sort. While my packing ability has evolved over the years, I still find myself wondering if I could somehow do it better. I have resigned myself to knowing that I could have been squeezed more clothing into my suitcases and to the very likely scenario that I have left some crucial item in wardrobe behind in Montecito Heights, my cozy hill outside downtown Los Angeles.

I have slowly assembled items randomly across my bedroom floor over the last two days. To the outsider observer, I'm sure it wouldn't make much sense. It hasn't to me. Only in the past few hours have I achieved any critical mass when it comes to assembling my wardrobe.

Do I take the blue Hawai'i towel or the one that looks like a rainbow? Which is it, gay or Hawaiian? How much underwear to take? A delicate subject, for sure, to raise here but a critical one for any lengthy stay abroad. My best friend thinks the more, the better, when it comes to undergarments; a clean undergarment inspires confidence and avoids humiliating washing episodes over hotel sinks. I settle for a two-week supply.

I've also packed food. Those who know me well also know my allergies: no wheat, potatoes, corn and milk products. There's more, but these stand out. It's not easy living without these foods, but I make do. Like many others with gluten and other allergies, I have persevered and found ways to eat around my allergies, like a gastronomic work-around. For this trip, I am bringing along all things rice: rice milk, brown rice pasta, brown rice tortillas and rice cakes. It would seem a little sad at first glance, but I am perfectly happy with my choices. and the snacks that accompany them. I don't foresee myself having many instances where food is unacceptable, but fortune favors those with rice cakes and almond butter as a backup meal.

I'm think I'm ready to go. One last review of my packing list.

Alternative food options? Check. Clothing?  Almost a check. A few items are still rolling around in the dryer. Toiletries? Yup. Vitamins and youth-enhancing supplements? Of course. Vanity intact? Check. DVDs? Check: I'm bringing Slings and Arrows, Strangers with Candy, Young Frankenstein, among other TV series and movies.  Books? Check: one sci fi and a David Sedaris book. Have I forgotten something that I will recall as soon as we cross the border? Check.

Holy cow, what have I done?

If you had told me last year - much less four months ago - that I would be going to Baja to work for a month or more, I doubt I would have believed you. I would have assigned you to that group of friends that I love dearly but strongly believe are orbiting the planet at a height where little oxygen is getting to your brain.

On Wednesday, I'll be leaving for Baja California Sur with my newly acquired colleague Chris and a friend of his. With the assistance of Google maps, I've figured we'll have ourselves a 1,000-mile road trip over the course of several days, meeting with travel and tourism-related businesses along the way. We'll be working for Baja.com, the most trafficked website about Baja California. It gets more visitors than the government's Baja tourism site.

It was through a series of coincidences that I found this opportunity. My best friend, Maggie, called to find a vacation rental in Todos Santos (translation: All Saints), in the southern tip of Baja. In the process, she met Jim, the owner of Calycanto Casitas, eco-friendly rentals. Take a look. I think you'll be impressed.

Some have described Todos Santos as the Taos, New Mexico of Baja. The village is located one hour north of Cabo San Lucas, the Waikiki of Baja.

My friends have expressed great enthusiasm about the opportunity and especially the location. Like me, they think it's a great opportunity that comes along once in a blue moon. I'm grateful for the enthusiasm, support and affection they have shown.

I even dreamed about it. A good sign in my book. That said, I'm not a believer in dreams. I rarely remember them, much less attribute significance, metaphysical or otherwise, to them. Still, I had a fairly vivid dream in which I was describing the opportunity to a friend. And she turned to me and said, "This is a good thing. You should do it." I woke up and figured my subconscious had been doing some calculations of its own and I should take the advice.

So, nothin's going to stop me, right?

After expressing their utmost support, my friends express concern about violence. "Be careful," they say. "How's the violence there," they ask in soothing yet supportive tones. "Is it dangerous?" ask the ones who've heard just enough to worry and wonder if the entire country is up in arms.

Their concerns about my safety are appreciated, but some of the concern is misplaced.

Much of the violence is located in border towns. I've checked the U.S. State Department's advisory for Mexico and kept an eye open for reports that provide a reasonable accounting what is and isn't true. In addition, Mexican officials and others have been trying to contain misinformation about travel in the country.

In spite of the perceptions of violence, travel to Mexico is up, according to story by the AFP wire service.

It's important to know what is happening in the country and I've got my Google searchbots running for anything that relates to Baja California and Todo Santos. They are not perfect, but they keep me apprised of the latest news.

Altogether, my research has made me feel very comfortable about Baja and the upcoming trip. And it has reminded me of the way I live my life in Los Angeles:
Stay out of some neighborhoods, be careful after dark, etc.

Like an traveler or resident of a metropolitan area you remind yourself, "Don't be stupid and you'll be fine."

Got it. No stupidity. Enjoy the trip.

I'm stoked.