Whales, Missions and Mistakes

We grew increasingly doubtful about seeing the much anticipated grey whales at Ojo de Liebre, as we drove down the rough road through salt flats towards a thick bank of fog.



Luckily, the sun came out after lunch and we hired a panga and boatman to take us out onto the lagoon where we saw lots of whales and their calves. Some were so close that they nudged the boat as they swam underneath.

Moving slowly down the Baja, we stayed on sandy beaches along the Bahia Conception, bordered by the beautiful desert mountains. Everyone enjoyed sleeping just yards from the sea, despite the unusually damp weather. This didn't hold Francesca back from swimming, although her first experience of the Sea of Cortez resulted in a jelly fish sting.










After a night in Loreto (where we found an English bookshop to replenish stocks for the children), we were all set to go to La Paz until a neighbour made friends with the girls and suggested we take to the hills and visit San Javier Mission. She reassured us that the long dirt road was passable, despite our guide book's warnings. Francesca and Liberty were both very excited until they found that a mission wasn't a secret adventure, just another boring old church. They cheered up when they found a playpark close by and an adjacent restaurant where we lunched on burritos.





Along the road back there were a number of shallow fords and at one of these we met a jeep, which kindly allowed us through first - by reversing straight over the culvert into the ditch! Unfortunately it was balanced on the axles, leaving all wheels in the air. Fortunately it was a rental car and our mild sense of guilt was allayed when we took the couple back to town. Enroute, he explained that his car back home has mirrors that rotate down to assist with reversing. This would never have happened in California!