Impressions of Isla Espiritu Santo

This island in Mexico's Sea of Cortez was our oasis. The only sounds we heard were the surf, birds, and Tony our chef singing Mexican ballads as he prepared our meals.

Our tents were placed a few feet from the high tide line. There was a repetitious din at night echoing the strong wind and the surf. Sometimes, I pictured the water rushing through our tents……but, that was just a fantasy.

The sand was white. Since it was a coarse sand made up of particles of shell, the wind did not blow it about. It did not stick….except to wet shoes or feet. Was not at all annoying. Our tents did not have floors. We did not have to be concerned about wiping our feet before entering.

Behind our site….as we climbed up red rocks on the way to the box canyon, we came to a well of brackish water. After a salty day in the sea…on the sea, our guides Jose Juan and Juan Pablo would provide us with a shower. It was almost a ritual as the women walked in a procession across the beach and up the rosy red steep rock formations to the well. In turn, we rinsed, soaped, and rinsed again as the men poured buckets of tepid water over our heads. Must have been soft water as our hair felt soft as baby alpaca afterwards and we felt clean and refreshed.

Baja crew - Our guides were Jose Juan and Juan Pablo. The head chef was Antonio - Tony. We had two panga drivers - one was Eladio. I seemed to be in his panga most of the time. I do not know the name of the other boat man. One thing I found a humerous sign of the times – While we were speeding across the azure waters in our panga, Eladio was text messaging. Later realized that this is how the boatmen communicated and shared news of whale sitings. .

There were two toilets set away from our tents. In four days, you never detected an odor from either of them. Wood chips were used. Paper went in a separate container. Staff kept an eye on the toilets and they were removed before being full. Really remarkable. Always clean. The staff promoted cleanliness as a way to avoid illness. We were instructed to properly wash our hands prior to every meal….etc.

Meals
Fresh fish - Saw a bucket of mackerel being delivered by a local fisherman. That was our lunch for that day. I did not think that I liked mackerel….but, it was very tasty. One day we had fresh shrimp for dinner. Another day a sushi with fish in soy sauce and other seasonings. Do I eat raw fish? No,way! But, I did sample the sushi ….and it was delicious.

We tried goat meat - stewed and also dried like jerky. Our crew had killed and prepared the goat. Tender beef was cooked on grill and cut into small pieces to make up a traditional Mexican dish. For another meal, we had a wonderfully seasoned chicken.

We had salads and avacados at most meals. There were extra vegetable dishes or quesedias made up for vegetarians. If a meal was picante, they would save a portion for me that was not too hot. We had vegetable soups several times. Tortillas were served at each meal. They were very thin not like the ones that I buy at home.

Happy hours - Margaritas, White Russians, Pina Coladas, beer and soda. Guacamole, tostadas, and other delicious appetizers.

We ate well.

I slept well. Dark early. In bed before 9am. Up at around 6am for 7 am tea, coffee, fruit and cereal. The rest of breakfast followed. My favorite breakfast was chillaquiles. Easy to make. Pour a package of corn chips or tortilla chips into a large rectangular pan. Pour salsa on top and then cheese. Bake in oven. Serve with scrambled eggs.