Tomorrow is the anniversary of the Mexican Revolution of 1910, which ended the 30+ year rule of dictator Porfirio Diaz. Read more about the revolution on Mexonline.com or on Inside-Mexico.com
Here in Todos Santos, the event is celebrated with a parade through town by the school children. The parade begins at the bank and ends at the baseball stadium. Other events happen at the stadium. November 20th is a national holiday and all government offices, banks and many businesses are closed.
Categories: Information
Last night, I spoke with one of the locals who is spearheading the drive to prevent homes from being built on the dunes in the Todos Santos area. He told me that the battle is nearly lost and the government will not step up to protect the fragile eco-system and the part the dunes play in it. He also told me that one building permit has already been granted to Ed Ogden Gutierrez, who some of you may recall once headed a local real estate company and originally sold the dune lots. If this is true, it is indeed very sad.
I was informed that there are building restrictions, including a 20 meter offset from the peak of the dune and a height limitation. But no matter what the limitations are, damage will be done to the dunes if people build near them. Native grasses will be trampled and no one knows how this will effect them and their part in holding the dunes together.
On a happier note, last night was a pot luck going away party for Gretchen and Melch. They are moving to England to enjoy the cold wet winter. It seemed that most of Todos Santos’ ex-pats attended the party. Sorry, no photos.
Categories: Information
Let’s try that photo gallery opening announcement again:
Galería On·cé
Grand Opening – Tuesday, November 21, 5 p.m., wine and hors d’oeuves. New photography gallery on Calle Hidalgo near the corner of Militar, across from Los Adobes. Featuring the photography of Jack Hamilton and Howard Ekman.
Also, late yesterday evening, a large semi-trailer, hauling enormous date palm trees, lost the trees on Highway 19 near Elias Calles and blocked both lanes of traffic for a long time. The people I got the info from, turned around and spent the night in Cabo San Lucas. So remember, Highway 19 is dangerous and not dependable. Imagine if you were on your way to the airport and something like this happened.
Hurricane Sergio is now only a tropical storm and seems about to wander aimlessly while weakening…check wunderground.com for more info.
Categories: Information · News
First of all, that pesky Hurricane Sergio appears to be holding together and continues to head in our direction. Our new photo gallery, Galería On·cé, is having an opening reception on Tuesday November 21 and it seems like it will be a wet party if Sergio continues in his current state and direction. Ni modo!
In a move that only full time residents will truly appreciate, beginning Tuesday, November 21, our local Banorte bank will be extending its hours, closing at 4 pm instead of 2 pm. Now that’s real magic!!!
Finally, on Sunday, November 19, there will be a huge bicycle entourage leaving La Paz and pedaling to Todos Santos. They leave at 8 am and the trip is expected to take 5 hours, mas o menos. Hopefully I can get some photos.
Categories: Information · Musings · News
Two items of amazing note – first there is yet another late season storm inching it’s way north toward Baja. What is going on? More info: National Hurricane Service – Sergio
And yes, Virginia, there really is electricity in some homes in Las Tunas. Not all, not yet. But this is a start.
The problems of mainland Mexcio seem far away from us here on the frontier, in Baja. But all is not well in the southern Mexican states. Worthwhile reading from Reuters by way of Yahoo:
Categories: Information
Today on the street, a friend commented that I should explain what happened with Sueno Tropical. So, quoted from the October 2006 issue of El Calendario:
Also missing in action is Sueño Tropical. Ross and Claudia have retired to enjoy the good life after many years of hard work “down on the farm.” The palo de arco shack that served as their tienda in Pescadero has been torn down and there are no known plans for a new one. Autumn, winter and spring just won’t be the same without all those fresh fruits, herbs and veggies that we all took for granted.
There are rumors that someone really wants to open an organic market here in town, but so far nothing.
Pizza My Heart pizzaria closed before it ever opened. Apparently the owner got in over his head. However, supposedly other pizza options are still in the works. We do have a new restaurant on Highway 19 at the south end of town, Los Almuerzos. It’s in the building that Carmen Priede Schubert owns, the same one that once sported signage reading “Vegitarian Real Estate.”
Finally, the emergency phone number that we have been publishing in El Calendario for over a year goes unanswered when called. This was the one number to call to reach police, fire and medical help. Another friend says she was told to use the 066 number (like 911 in the US) but this connects you to emergency assistance in La Paz. Seems like there should be a number here in Todos Santos. When we find it, we will be sure to let you know what it is.
The weather has warmed up over the last few days. Nights are still below 70 but not as cool as they were and the days are hot in the sun. Sadly, the ocean has been mostly flat lately too. Except at Los Cerritos. Where are those northwest swells?
Categories: Information · Musings
This is the tropical weather year that doesn’t want to end. Global warming anyone? It’s November 9, and there is a new storm south of Baja. Most likely she won’t last the weekend but still…
More info here: National Hurricane Center
Categories: Information
First, yesterday November 3, there was a terrible accident on Highway 19, the road between Cabo San Lucas and Todos Santos. A few miles north of Cabo, a semi-trailer that was hauling a bulldozer collided with a garbage truck. Apparently the garbage truck was completely totaled and the wreckage blocked both lanes of the highway for over 4 hours. I am told that it took 2 hours for the police and the ambulances to arrive. Remember, drive cautiously, take care and arrive safely. These old style 2 lane highways are very dangerous.
Your intrepid blog host is slowing getting ready to build a house in Las Tunas. Today we poured a slab that will be used for my camper/trailer while the house is being built. It was quite an adventure. The original 1 ton estimate of cement usage ballooned to nearly 2 tons and right in the middle of the pour (done the “almost” old-fashioned way without cement trucks even though you can now order cement trucks from La Paz or Cabo) the municipal water shut off and the contractor had to run back to his house and bring his truck loaded with a huge 700 gallon water tank in order to finish the job. Here’s a few photos, just for kicks.
Pouring a slab by hand, well almost, in past times they would not have even had the cement mixer.
More manual, and I mean, manual labor.
Waiting for the water to come back on…a well deserved rest break.
The water arrived, and the work continued.
They finished the slab by 11 am and my job was to water it late in the afternoon. Of course there was no municipal water when I came to water it. It’s Baja – you gotta go with the flow or go somewhere else.
Here’s a disturbing tidbit from the BBC: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/6108414.stm
According to this story, if current trends continue, the oceans will be fished out by the mid-21st century.
The Cafe Santa Fe has reopened. Last night, Nov 1, was the grand date and as usual, the restaurant was full of locals and tourists wanting to eat at Todos Santos’ most famous restaurant.
Categories: Information · News
RSS Feed
