Sharon and Marilyn
Two nights ago I was staying at the Mision Catavina Hotel. A beautiful spot in the middle of the desert. There was internet service of a sort, but I had to pay 30 pesos for an hour and even then it was really poor. I thought charging hotel patrons for internet was passé, but apparently it is still a thing in the hinterlands.
Before dinner as the sun started to set, I decided to drive out into the desert to photograph the sunset. The first place I stopped was an old deteriorating geodesic dome from another era. Pretty soon another car pulled up and a young man asked me in Spanish where the cave paintings were. I had a hard time understanding him so we switched to English. He was traveling with two other young men and two young women.
There were indeed cave paintings very nearby we determined by looking at my guide book and then using his GPS. They were just about a fourth of a mile back down the road. “You should go with us!” they all chimed in. So we all drove to the site and then hiked up a fairly steep, but short trail to the cave. Inside the small cavern were indeed some surprisingly bright paintings on the ceiling. The space was small, so we took turns viewing and photographing. Back out in the fading light, we decided that group photos were in order, so we took turns, trading cameras and phones.
They explain and that they are traveling further south before stopping for the night at Bahia de Los Angeles. When I tell them I am headed there in the morning, they ask where I am staying and when I say “Campo Archelon”, they excitedly say “that is where they are staying!”
So, cool, maybe we will see each other again. They go on their way and I return to my hotel.
Today, I arrived at Campo Archelon about 11 AM, and when I walked into the café that is also the camp office, there are my five new friends having a late breakfast. The conversation begins again and I realize that all five of these young people have different accents, so I ask what their association is. It turns out that they were all part of a foreign studies program in Barcelona six years ago, coming from
France, Germany, Spain, Canada, and they have reunited in Baja where one man in the group lives. Victor is from Montreal and he explains it all to me in perfect English.
Pretty soon I am settled into my palapa on the beach playing ball with Cisco, when they stroll up to my spot. Everybody wants to throw the ball for Cisco and he is obliging. Then it is time for them to drive on down the road, but before they do, they want me to take their photo with Cisco. I give Victor my email address and we agree to exchange photos of the remainder of our Baja journeys.
Sharon and Marilyn
Two nights ago I was staying at the Mision Catavina Hotel. A beautiful spot in the middle of the desert. There was internet service of a sort, but I had to pay 30 pesos for an hour and even then it was really poor. I thought charging hotel patrons for internet was passé, but apparently it is still a thing in the hinterlands.
Before dinner as the sun started to set, I decided to drive out into the desert to photograph the sunset. The first place I stopped was an old deteriorating geodesic dome from another era. Pretty soon another car pulled up and a young man asked me in Spanish where the cave paintings were. I had a hard time understanding him so we switched to English. He was traveling with two other young men and two young women.
There were indeed cave paintings very nearby we determined by looking at my guide book and then using his GPS. They were just about a fourth of a mile back down the road. “You should go with us!” they all chimed in. So we all drove to the site and then hiked up a fairly steep, but short trail to the cave. Inside the small cavern were indeed some surprisingly bright paintings on the ceiling. The space was small, so we took turns viewing and photographing. Back out in the fading light, we decided that group photos were in order, so we took turns, trading cameras and phones.
They explain and that they are traveling further south before stopping for the night at Bahia de Los Angeles. When I tell them I am headed there in the morning, they ask where I am staying and when I say “Campo Archelon”, they excitedly say “that is where they are staying!”
So, cool, maybe we will see each other again. They go on their way and I return to my hotel.
Today, I arrived at Campo Archelon about 11 AM, and when I walked into the café that is also the camp office, there are my five new friends having a late breakfast. The conversation begins again and I realize that all five of these young people have different accents, so I ask what their association is. It turns out that they were all part of a foreign studies program in Barcelona six years ago, coming from
France, Germany, Spain, Canada, and they have reunited in Baja where one man in the group lives. Victor is from Montreal and he explains it all to me in perfect English.
Pretty soon I am settled into my palapa on the beach playing ball with Cisco, when they stroll up to my spot. Everybody wants to throw the ball for Cisco and he is obliging. Then it is time for them to drive on down the road, but before they do, they want me to take their photo with Cisco. I give Victor my email address and we agree to exchange photos of the remainder of our Baja journeys.