WEEK 1 Feb 05/24. —  Jason, John, Alietha and I collect our rental car at the Los Cabos airport (SJD). + 23 Celsius is a welcome change from Yellowknife's -23 C. The good news is our silver Nissan Versa is an upgrade. The bad news is the trunk is tiny. With considerable effort, we cram 3 suitcases and a duffle bag into the trunk. The interior is equally modest and the remaining carry-on baggage (we are here for a month) is wedged between legs, laps and doors. Alietha is the driver, I'm the co-pilot, Jason and John are silent sardines in the back. We are heading about 100 km north, to a vacation rental in Todos Santos on the Pacific Coast of Baja California Sur (BCS). Our destination is Galeria Victoria, an unofficial bird watching paradise John and Alietha (J&A) discovered in 2017.

The pleasant, at times white-knuckle, drive to Todos Santos takes about an hour and 20 minutes. Locals drive the same 100 km in half that time. Highway #19 is a mostly two-lane highway with narrow shoulders. We take the shorter, inland branch with mountain views and a 114 peso ($9 CAN) toll. The alternative ocean view branch is prettier but longer by 20-30 minutes. Regardless of the route, highway signage is sparse by Canadian standards. Alietha knows this highway. She is an excellent driver but without Google navigation, exit ramps can be confusing. At times it is safer to maintain a steady speed (legally 90 km/h, realistically 110 km/h) and miss a turn-off rather than slow down. Confidence is key, so is daylight.

Upon arrival, we forgo a large grocery shop. Instead we stop at a supermercado (similar to a 7-11) for a few essentials for our first 12 hours — beer, bread, chips, coffee and cream. $$$. Todos Santos has a laid back, frontier feel with its roadside taco stands and free-roam dogs. Dirt roads outnumber paved ones. Intersections are controlled by four-way stops. The Sierra Mountains are to the east, the pounding Pacific ocean to the west. The area, including nearby Pescadero, is an epicentre for surfers and agriculture. But Todos Santos, BSC, (not be to confused with Todos Santos Island further north or Todos Santos in Guatemala) is a gem but far from undiscovered. Locally owned and operated vacation homes are everywhere, as are private estates that have been in people's families for generations. But nothing is cheap. The cheapest campground I could find online was 500 pesos ($40 CAN) a night as of January 2024. That's for a tent space and a hot shower. The cheapest guest house/hostel I could find online was 1300 pesos ($100 CAN)/night. Conversely, luxury beachfront villas can rent for thousands of dollars (US) a night and sell for millions. Two of the locally produced, glossy tourism magazines advertise exclusive golf courses, private chefs, cosmetic dentistry and of course, grinning real estate agents. The amusingly named Gringo Gazette, which focuses on Cabo San Lucas but includes Todos Santos, has an ad for a beer massage.

Our host, Oscar R. and his Portuguese Water dog, Dante, greet us. We raise a Tecate (beer) to Oscar’s beautiful and talented wife, Tori, who passed away in August 2023. By the time the sun sets, John and I have returned with four cheeseburgers, a pouch of onion rings and two beers for 500 pesos ($40 CAN) from the roadside El Burguer (sic) Shack.

We quickly fall into our morning routines. Jason rises with the roosters. I'm typically up by 6:30 am. Our host, Oscar is swimming laps by 8 am. Alietha appears shortly afterwards, about the time a second pot of coffee requires brewing. Meanwhile, John routinely combs the property photographing birds. So far his list includes: Mourning, White Wing, and Common Ground Doves, a California Scrub Jay, Western Tanager, Western Screech Owl, House Finches, Hooded and Scott's Orioles, Gila Woodpeckers, Gilded Flickers, Zone Tail Hawks, California Gnat Catchers, Yellow-Rumped Warblers (AKA Butter Butts), Lincoln's Sparrows and the prehistoric looking Magnificent Frigate Bird. Of particular excitement is the Xantus Hummingbird which is endemic to southwestern Baja. 

On our first morning we have breakfast at La Esquina (The Corner). It's a tradition for J&A. The restaurant is a thatched-roof, open air concept gathering place with friendly staff serving aloof expats and indifferent nationals. Between the four of us, we order a combination of huevos rancheros and scrambled eggs with fresh avocado and beans. I’d be lying if I said a couple of margarita’s were not part of the order.

FOOD — Eating and grocery shopping dominate our days. We shop local and avoid the Super Walmart an hour's drive away in La Paz.  Restaurants in Todos Santos are excellent — plenty of choices (Mexican, sushi, oyster bar, burrito stands, farm to table) at varying price points. The infamous Hotel California is popular with tourists but not us.  In this first week, all dinners are enjoyed at Galeria Victoria (except for Jason and John's trip to Shut Up Franks's for beer and wings on Super Bowl Sunday). Our casita has a full kitchen. Alietha and Jason do the majority of cooking. John and I lean more towards dishwasher and sous chef, respectively. Breakfast varies from mangoes, strawberries and blueberries with cereal to bacon and eggs. On the morning we run out of eggs, we reheat leftover Chicken Alfredo that Alietha made from scratch. So good! Another night Jason makes pan fried cheese and prosciutto quesadillas with fresh tortillas - equally delicious. Another night we pick up Super Burritos that are so super Alietha turns them into breakfast the following morning. Chef Alietha has enough spices to make Reng Dang (a spicy Indonesian beef dish). That's for week 2. 

ACTIVITIES — We spend the first couple of days walking around town, reading by the pool and swimming. Because of the Pacific Ocean's notorious undertow, and because one of our party's near drowning experience as a teenager, we are less interested in the beach and more interested in the desert. J&A are dedicated birders, one of the reasons they started coming to Baja seven years ago. Oscar suggests a hike in Punta Lobos, a 15 minute drive away. En route, via a dusty backroad, J&A chatter like chipmunks as they spot Red Cardinals, Crested Caracaras, Lark Sparrows, Pyrrhuloxias and Phainopeplas. John and Alietha spot birds the way I stain white shirts - effortlessly.  John gets within a few meters of a Turkey Vulture — a foreboding creature with the head of a turkey and the body of a raven. John has photographed these carrion-eating vultures before, but never this close. We eventually find the trailhead beside a former turtle processing plant. We hike an hour to a ridge overlooking a bay with half dozen Gray whales that slowly twist and turn. Through his binoculars, several kilometres out, John spots about 50 Gray Whales starting their migration north ... a good sign as we plan to whale watch by boat next week.