Just a Few Interesting Items

First, it has been raining off and on for 2 days. Wednesday night we had thunder and lightning and just a little rain until around 4 am when it poured for 15-20 minutes. Thursday it was cloudy with some drizzle. It stayed cloudy all night and rained a bit until Friday morning around dawn when it rained in earnest. It is still drizzling now in the mid-afternoon.

This is unusual. We do normally get some rain in the two week period of Christmas/New Years but I can’t recall rain at the end of November. Viewing the radar and infrared loops for the East Pacific at NOAA you can see that it won’t be ending any time soon.

The new music salon (Leo’s) on the other side of town, el otro lado, is having a grand opening on Saturday, December 1. The music will go until 2 am, so this will be the litmus test for those living nearby. It could be very loud but at least the building has a real roof, unlike the Mutualista music hall in bario San Vicente.

Lastly, Brad Baer sent out an email yesterday informing all that the reggae band KL will be playing at the Sandbar every Friday night until further notice. KL is a group of young people from La Paz. The have a lot more energy than Acero Caliente, the usual reggae band around here who hail from Los Cabos.

I have been so busy, it seems I may never get this blog caught up. But I will keep trying.

Full Moon Reggae at Sandbar

Tomorrow night, November 24, Brad Baer is once again promoting reggae music under the full moon at the Sandbar in Pescadero. The band will be K-L from La Paz. You might recall seeing them at one of the February Baja Reggae Festivals. They are young, energetic and a welcome departure from Acero Caliente, the usual reggae band.

I’ll be there, will you?

Happy Thanksgiving and Highway 1 to Cabo San Lucas

I hope everyone who reads this blog had a wonderful Thanksgiving. I didn’t even come into the office yesterday, so there were no blog postings. Today I made a last minute run to Cabo San Lucas and only now am I able to wish you all well.

BTW, the road to Cabo San Lucas is being upgraded to 4 lanes from 2 lanes. Construction makes the drive take 15-30 minutes longer depending on how unlucky you are. Also, Sam’s Club and Wal Mart have opened in Cabo San Lucas and the traffic they are currently causing can cost you 15-20 minutes when driving to Cabo from San Jose del Cabo or other points along the corridor, e.g. Costco and Home Depot. What a mess!

Todos Santos 2008 Art Festival Dates Changed

The dates of the 2008 Todos Santos Art Festival have changed. The new dates are February 4 – 10. The problem is due to local and state elections being held on Sunday, February 3. The Festival had been scheduled to begin on February 2. For more info check here: Todos Santos Art Festival

Fiestas Tradicionales – October 12 – Fishing Tourney

The day after the coronation of the queen, the festival featured an all day fishing contest. Pangas went out from Punta Lobos in the early morning and had to be back by 4 pm for their catch to be eligible. Several boats returned late and the potentially winning fish were not counted. The youth category fished from the shore and rocks. A lot of money was involved. The kids’ awards were up to at least 3,000 pesos ($300 US) for at least two categories. The adults were competing for up to 25,000 pesos ($2500 US) in at least three categories.

The governor, his wife, the mayor of La Paz and other important folk were in attendance. A lot of beer was consumed. A lot of people were there. A lot of cars got stuck in the sand.

This turned into an incredible mess of cars stuck in the sand. The police eventually refused to allow none 4 wheel drive vehicles into the area.

The band stopped playing right as I arrived. Note the tuba!

Great photo opps for the politicos. Almost as good as kissing infants!

That is one happy winner!

The Corona/Pacifico girls were present in very skimpy bikinis!

Mid-November 2007 El Calendario On Line Today

I just finished posting the mid-November 2007 El Calendario de Todos Santos on line. You can read the entire issue here:

El Calendario de Todos Santos

Baja Mil (1000)

The 40th Anniversary Baja 1000 will pass just north of Todos Santos, 1/2 km from where I live, beginning in the wee hours of Wednesday morning. I expect the noise will wake me up before the sun rises. The race will turn into the desert before reaching town and end in Cabo San Lucas. The races covers 1296.39 miles and has a 53 hour time limit.

I’ll be out early taking photos. People expect the cars and bikes to continue arriving all day long. It will be a bit of a party.

2007 Fiesta Tradicionales – October 11

Finally we arrive at the town’s blowout fiesta. This year it was held October 10-14 and the coronation of the queen was October 11. Some photos…

The throne setup for Queen Doraly the first.

The crowed waits…note the emply table and chairs for the dignitaries.

Acoustic trio from La Paz.

Dancing girls also from La Paz.

You’ve seen these guys before, mayor of La Paz, governor of BCS, and the gov’s wife.

Some local boys from Las Playitas – trying to make music and look bad at the same time.

Modern dance group, also from La Paz.

More dancers from La Paz. A lot of dancing this night.

The coronation of Queen Doraly I.

Princesa Belen receives her crown. Belen works part time at the small store next door to my photo gallery in Todos Santos.

Each year it gets harder and harder to get a clear shot of the Queen and her court.

The Queen and the Gov doing the coronation dance.

The rest of the court dancing away.

The court of Queen Doraly I.

Finally, my friend Rubin and his wife. Notice the 2 liter plastic ballena. Pacifico introduced them this year at the fiesta. That’s a lot of beer to drink before it gets warm.

Turtle Release – October 5

Slowly but surely, I am trying to get the blog back to the present. On October 5, I went out to the turtle nursery around sunset to see if there would be a hatchling release. It all depends on whether any babies hatched and are ready for release. This day they were. Here’s some photos…

Counting the eggs to know how many hatched – it’s easier than counting the turtles who are constantly moving around.

They are not very large, with bodies maybe 4-5 inches long.

To give you an idea of scale, the hand belongs to my 12 year old daughter.

The crowd, anxiously waiting for release time.

Sadly, it won’t be like this forever. All that empty space.

Drowning at La Poza Lagoon

I was told yesterday that there has been yet another drowning near the outlet to the lagoon at La Poza. Last year a male tourist drowned when the dune dam to the lagoon opened under high waves. I don’t have any more info on this event.

The Pacific Ocean is anything but pacific. It’s a dangerous place to swim. You need to be constantly aware of your surroundings when near the ocean. It only takes one rogue wave to pull a person out to sea. The safer swimming spots in our area are Los Cerritos and Playa San Pedro (Palm Beach) but both of those can also be dangerous at times.  They both have rip tides and under tows.

Have fun but be aware and take precautions.