Baja Blast
I have a hard time staying in one place for too long. I start to feel an acute, almost manic wanderlust. I need new scenery, the sound of a different language, and a break from the mundane suburban routines.
Summer is nearly over. The boy will soon be back in school, bringing a return to homework and sports. My work will pick up as the year goes on and my project enters its critical phases. The days will fly by, and before you know it, the winter holidays will arrive in all their hyper-commercialized glory. And thus, another year will pass.
So, I’m getting out of here! It’s only for five days, but it needs to happen.
I considered heading up to the mountains in Colorado, but I don’t have the time to acclimate to the altitude. I’m a sea-level guy, and Breckenridge would have me laid out for a couple of days. I also considered the usual suspects in the Caribbean, but nothing really struck me.
Then, as I was considering just throwing a dart at a map and going for it, I noticed the skinny peninsula south of San Diego. And at its end: Baja California Sur.
I Googled it and knew I had found the winner. High desert scenes crashing into beautiful blue waters. Dark and majestic on the Pacific side, clear and calm on the Sea of Cortez. Small Mexican towns full of color, art, and great food. It seems like exactly my kind of place.
I’ve heard of Cabo San Lucas before, of course, but I have no interest in tourist resorts. So, I put together a rough plan, bought the tickets, and booked some of the stays. I still have a bit more to do, but here’s the tentative itinerary:
Day 1: Land at SJD and grab a Cactus car rental. Drive to Cabo Pulmo, check in, and have a chill beach day.
Day 2: Enjoy a lazy beach morning, then hit the road to El Triunfo. Spend the afternoon looking around and eating some good food before driving to Todos Santos.
Day 3 & 4: Explore the town; check out Playa Cerritos and El Pescadero. Maybe a light hike, some farm-to-table restaurants, and whatever other events or excursions we happen to stumble upon.
Day 5: Get up early for one last hurrah — whether it’s a café breakfast and some beach time, or something else entirely. Then, head back to SJD to drop off the car and return to reality.
As with all travel, this is subject to change. I don’t like to be too rigid with my planning. Spontaneity is one of the best parts of traveling; you never know what you’ll come across. Sometimes you just have to shrug and say, “What the hell? Let’s do it,” even if it throws off the whole "plan."
Just having the tickets purchased and the passports ready puts me in a better mood. Time to brush up on my Spanish.