Whew, that was a bit different! But the world has returned to normal patterns. Iran blames the US and Britain for her civil unrest. North Korea threatens Hawaii. And Hurricane Andres disintegrated before our eyes. No wind. No rain. Nada.
It is good to know that some things still operate they way they did in years before. We normally don’t see hurricanes coming this way until end of July or first week of August at the earliest. We will see if this holds true in 2009.
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Unbelievable as it may seem, the first tropical storm of the season is aiming for Baja Sur. Predicted to be a category 1 hurricane later today, Andres is heading directly to the tip of Baja Sur at this moment. Of course it could change directions and either head west out to sea, east into the mainland or up into the Sea of Cortez.
At the very least, we should get rain here in the Todos Santos area and some mild winds. I can’t recall a storm threatening Todos Santos this early in the season. Even wackier, our weather has been delightful – this morning is was 60F and foggy with a very chill wind blowing from the north. It really makes no sense but that’s the new norm – la clima loca.
You can check out the latest at wunderground.com
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Yep, it’s true! Officially beginning on May 15th, I believe, the hurricane season is under way. We have already had 3 disturbed areas with potential for tropical development (known as “invests”) and the third one became a tropical depression today. It would be amazingly unusual for it to come as far north as Todos Santos, but it is certain to change our weather and possibly bring early rain. Normally these storms pass way south of us, either flying out the west or barreling east into the Mexican mainland. This one looks to do the latter.
However, they do change our weather. Our temps usually rise about 5 – 10 F while they are south of us and then stay 5 F higher after they pass. This continues with each storm until we have reached our summer plateau of nightly lows around 80F. So yesterday, our day got warmer and last night was humid and the warmest yet. The pattern that these storms bring seems to be on track. It was very cloudy this morning, enough to make people wonder if it might actually rain. But by mid afternoon it cleared and the sun was very hot.
The latest on Tropical Depression One-E from wunderground.com is here:
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I just finished posting the Summer 2009 issue of El Calendario de Todos Santos on the web. The print issue should be out on the streets by Tuesday, June 9. We have changed our printing schedule slightly to accommodate the horrendous slowdown in tourism here. We will not print an October issue this year but will begin printing again in November. Hopefully by then, tourism will be increasing. Click on the image below to go to the El Calendario website where you can view the summer issue in its entirety.
El Calendario de Todos Santos - Summer 2009 Cover
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Highway 19, the road from Todos Santos to Highway 1 which goes on to La Paz, has been under construction for years now. The improvements are much needed and appreciated. In the past, many people have died on that highway. It was a narrow two lane road with no shoulders and no bridges. Cows and other livestock frequently wandered on to the tarmac. Rain in the mountains could fill an arroyo quickly and maybe even wash out the road.
There are now at least 3 bridges completed and 3 more under construction. The highway is 4 lanes with varying width shoulders all the way from La Paz to within 10 miles of Todos Santos. The last sections are being upgraded now and the entire trip should be 4 lanes before much longer. It’s hard work. They are blasting and digging through hills in order to make the road safer. The newest parts are a pleasure to drive on, smooth, well marked and even being fenced so that livestock can’t enter the highway area. What a change from even 5 years ago!
Old Highway 19 Near Entrance to Todos Santos Baja
Current Highway 19 Construction Zone, Lots of Dust
Beautiful New Section of 4 Lane Highway 19 to La Paz
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I read in a new southern Baja publication (called Baja Citizen) that there was a confirmed case of swine flu in San Jose del Cabo on May 14. The woman was treated and recovered without incident. I have no way to confirm this information and to the best of my knowledge there has still be no swine flu in Todos Santos.
One of the local carnitas stands put up a poster explaining to people that you can’t catch swine flu by eating pork. Guess their business was down since the outbreak.
The Red Cross recently put posters on many telephone poles explaining what to do to avoid catching the flu (you know the routine, avoid large groups of people, wash your hands, etc.) and what to do if you think you did catch it. Don’t self medicate was the one bit of advice that caught my eye.
We are getting more tourists in town now. Not nearly enough but much better than 2 weeks ago. Cruise ships are docking in Cabo San Lucas again but my friends at the Hotel California inform me that they are not coming for day trips to Todos Santos as they frequently did before the flu scare. Businesses are still struggling. It could be hard for some to survive until next tourist season begins. Already there are a lot of empty office and shop locations in the center of town with more vacancies expected soon. Todos Santos might look a lot different next time you come to visit.
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There has been a rumor running around Todos Santos for the last 2 days that there is a confirmed case of swine flu in Los Cabos. I can’t find any verification from Mexican national or international news sources.
I can say that there has been no notification of any flu here in Todos Santos.
The tourist season has been severely damaged. It was already in terrible shape due to the world wide “economic” crisis. Mexico is beginning to feel the full bite of the crisis and the flu scare has just about killed tourism for this season. We will have to wait and see how the upcoming season is affected but I think it will also be adversely impacted.
My friends in the construction business are all suffering too. One contractor who is always in demand, normally with a one year waiting list for his services, has nothing in the pipeline after his current project ends. Two other contractor friends of mine are in the same position. It’s a great time to build, with the weak peso and so many available builders to choose from.
The real estate business has felt the pain too, and many houses and lots have been marked down meaningful amounts. Now is a great time to buy if you have the cash.
Todos Santos is very empty, almost like late summer, but in spring. Such a shame. As they say here, “ni modo.”
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This is great news! Erick is loved by nearly everyone and finally the Palapa Society has a Mexican president. Erick and the society did a great job on this year’s Dia del Tambo, trashcan painting day. I’ll post photos soon, really. I now have more time to devote to the blog so I will get more stuff uploaded for you all to enjoy, including the almost finished saga of building my new home in Las Tunas.
Erick Ochoa, President Palapa Society of Todos Santos
And here is a statement from Erick:
I would like to thank the Board of Directors of the Palapa Society of Todos Santos for their trust in electing me as their President. I look forward to an amazing new year and to the growth of our existing programs and to the creation of new ones. To coincide with our growth it is imperative that we enlist new committed members to the board as well as volunteers to help us reach our goals. The future of Todos Santos is in the hands of its children. It is my commitment to the Palapa Society to do everything possible to help educate and enlighten the future leaders of our town. We can not vary that course. All of us at the Palapa Society of Todos Santos invite you to come and see for yourselves how you can help make a difference in the lives of our children, because that is what it’s all about.
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I just finished posting the May 2009 edition of El Calendario de Todos Santos on the web. The print issue has been delayed due to the business shutdown in Mexico City, where they are printed. We hope to have them on May 11. You can find the issue by clicking on the cover image below.
El Calendario de Todos Santos May 2009 Cover
I learned yesterday, that the May 9 wedding I referred to in a previous post has indeed been postponed but hopefully not canceled. Things were somewhat slow in Todos Santos before the flu scare. With cruise ships not stopping in Cabo San Lucas and event cancellations like the wedding and poetry workshop, we are definitely feeling the pinch. Let’s all hope the effects don’t linger for a long time.
For those of you still curious or worried about the “flu” situation in Todos Santos, we have no incidents at all (to the best of my knowledge.) Except for the holiday weekend, it is business as usual in Todos Santos. Galleries, hotels, vacations rentals and restaurants welcome your visit.
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Nope, no swine flu here. At least not yet.
Kids are all out of school through May 6, this after just having 2 weeks off for Semana Santa (Easter.) I was in Cabo San Lucas on Monday and the roads were not empty but way short of normal traffic patterns. I visited 3 big box stores, Home Depot, Costco and Walmart and there was a noticeable lack of people in the first two. Walmart had more traffic but seemed tranquil all the same. Some people were wearing masks both in San Lucas and La Paz, more so in San Lucas. But it really wasn’t many people. Businesses were open.
My construction workers showed up today (they drive in from La Paz daily) wearing masks. This was very funny since the only people they were in contact with were other workers, their friends. None of them were sick or coughing or sneezing but they wore the masks nonetheless. One or two workers wore the masks all day as they worked with no social contact at all.
Construction Workers Wearing Masks To Fight Swine Flu In Todos Santos
Today, Shut Up Frank’s bar was closed. Was it because of the flu scare? Quien sabe? People are starting to get cancellations on their rental units. There is a wedding scheduled in town on May 9. The organizer told me today that he was a little concerned about potential cancellations although he confirmed that the bride and groom were coming.
We are a little concerned about the May edition of El Calendario de Todos Santos, since they are printed in Mexico City. So far we have not been informed of any problems due to the situation in DF but time will tell. The issue will be late since the last issue was a week late due to printing problems. We currently expect to have copies on the street by May 11.
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