The Beauty of the Night in Baja

It's amazing to come home at night to a stunning Baja sunset. In Todos Santos, it's a bit cooler here than in other places in part due to the fact that the town is on the coast.  At night, the breezes make it all the more amazing.

Sunset view in Todos Santos. From this vantage, you can see the Pacific Ocean. 

Recently, two of my colleagues came home one night and saw a flower blooming on one of the cacti in the compound where we're staying. Given that I have a thing for native plants, they called over and asked about it. I knew the cactus was pitaya agria, but wasn't completely familiar with it and its blooming cycle. After consulting the internet and my trusty Baja California Plant Field Guide, I found more information: it blooms from July to September. It blooms only at night and each bloom lasts only for one night.

Pitaya agria. It only blooms at night. 

There are other blooms at this time of year. Chain-link cholla - also known as cholla pelona (rough translation: bald cholla) - also blooms at this time of year with a nice pink flower.

Chain-link cholla has beautiful pink blooms. It gets its name from the chain link appearance of its stems.  

The yuca vine - or yellow morning glory - is a vine that blooms mightily around this time of year and you can spot it easily along the highway; in fact, it blooms everywhere. It's hard to miss! Like any good vine, it can cover a cactus or other plant without much effort but who cares when the blooms are so bright and cheery? I have my own photo, but it doesn't do the bloom justice. The Arizona-Sonoran Desert Digital Library has a beautiful photo of the vine in bloom.

This photo doesn't do the yuca vine any justice. 

As I look around at much of the formal landscaping I'm seeing here, I am concerned that Baja will go the way of many urban areas in the United States which have cast away their natives for the ease of non-natives. Not only are these plants beautiful, but they support wildlife. The non-natives don't necessarily do that.

For a strong argument in defense of natives, read Doug Tallamy's book Bringing Nature Home. A professor of entomology (the study of insects) and wildlife ecology at the University of Delaware, he looks at study after study and reminds us that native plants support native wildlife. If we remove these native landscapes, we also remove the much of the wildlife. And there are other repercussions.

But enough of my native plant zealotry for one posting. Enjoy the photos and the beauty of the Baja Peninsula.

A swim in the Bay of Dreams

Yesterday, I went with friends to the other side of the peninsula to visit another gem of  a swimming spot along the east cost of the Baja Peninsula: Bahia de los Suenos.  A friend and colleague has been serving as host to friends from Italy and she wanted them to see another slice of Baja. On Saturday we visited Los Cerritos Beach, just south of Todos Santos, so it seemed only fair to try something on "the other side."

I have swum in the coves and bays of the Sea of Cortez twice so far and both - near the Isla de Santo Espiritu and in the Bahia de Concepcion - were wonder-filled experiences for different reasons. I expected this one to be no different.

Bahia de los Suenos (Bay of Dreams) is also known as Bahia de los Muertos (Bay of the Dead). No one seems quite sure how it got that name, but it was confirmed when a 19th century Chinese ship was turned away at La Paz, an hour north. Its crew later died of yellow fever and were buried near the bay, further cementing its name. I can't tell you how it got its current, more light-hearted name, but I'm sure one or two of my more persistent friends will find the answer online.

We arrived to 97 degree weather with - thankfully - an overcast sky, but the water looked amazing. In we went.  No waves, just relatively calm water that allowed us to swim, float and talk with each other.

Looking south towards the Gran Sueno resort.

Looking north towards the entrance to the beach and bay. 

I took a walk down the beach to look at vacation homes I saw from afar. Tucked away in a corner of the bay, they appear to be part of the Gran Sueno Resort, a swanky getaway, to say the least. The resort includes a golf course and equestrian center. I've read that up to 600 homes are eventually planned in the area, too. Given the beauty of the bay and surrounding area, it does not surprise me.

South, closer to Gran Sueno Resort. The walk looked short, but it wasn't. Still, it was definitely worth the time and effort. 

Another amazing view looking north.

We arrived around 10:30 am and there were only about 10-15 other people on the beach. By the time we left around 2:00 pm, there were maybe 30 at most. I'm sure that, in the height of the travel season (think late fall, winter and spring) there would be more visitors, but I can't imagine it being crowded.

We returned to our car and drove home, passing through the nearby mountain range to get home. We drove through the town of El Triunfo once again, a small village that was once home to the largest population in Baja in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.  It is a quaint town and hosts the Museo de la Musica, a piano museum, a remnant of its heyday. I kid you not.