WWAD
Let me tell you about the time my family accidentally trained to be Navy Seals.
Picture this…
La Paz, Mexico.
March, 2021.
We’ve just arrived back in the city after almost three weeks of dry camping (i.e. no hookups which equals no showers, no dumping, etc.). It was AMAZING and we are FILTHY.
Rosie’s insides look like she just emerged from 100 days in the desert, and our outsides didn’t fare much better.
So here we are in the “big city,” catching up on showers and laundry. I’ve achieved a level of clean that I didn’t even remember existed. But honestly, it feels so weird to be back in such a populated place. City noises are kind of jarring after hearing nothing but waves and music for the last few weeks. As I laid in bed last night (in sparkling clean sheets) listening to the sounds of sirens, big trucks, and fighting dogs, I found myself already itching to escape the city luxuries for the gritty beauty of dry camping.
Very quick recap on where we’ve been… after leaving Los Barriles, we headed down to Cabo Pulmo National Park which is the only hard coral reef in North America, and a stunning place to dive and snorkel. We had a couple gorgeous days there with one of our staple travel families, and a new awesome family from Colorado we picked up along the way. One day in particular we spent snorkeling at Playa El Arbolito and lazing on the beach. It was heavenly, but the next day the wind kicked up and we had to hide inside to escape the blowing sand. As you know, the inside of our rig is SMALL and not a great place for five people and two animals to spend extended amounts of time, so we decided it was time to head over to the Pacific side of the peninsula to see if we could escape the wind.
After a quick stop in Cabo San Lucas to hit up the Costco (ah, beloved Costco), we headed straight up to El Pescadero, a tiny surf town just outside of Todos Santos. We use several apps to help find camp spots, as well as recommendations from other travelers and friends. Using iOverlander, we found an amazing spot at the south end of Cerritos Beach, just steps from the ocean where we could park for free with a stunning view. We enjoyed two glorious days there along with a sprinkling of other campers spread out along the coast, until the owner of the land showed up and kindly asked to move our unwelcome asses along. Whoops. Sorry dude! It was fun while it lasted. #ioverlanderfail #unintentionaltrespassing #graciasfornotpressingcharges
Luckily, there is a new campground under construction right at the main entrance to Cerritos Beach, so we moved down there for the next two weeks. “Campground” is probably not a fitting description, “giant dirt/sand parking lot with no rules or structure” seems more accurate. They did have a bathroom which was huge for us as it helped keep our black tank levels down. We went 10 days without having to dump, which is our new record.
When it is finished, this campground is going to be swanky, with a restaurant and showers and all sorts of amenities, but for now we enjoyed the cheap and rustic experience it provided. Armed with new wet suits and boogie boards (thanks Costco!), the boys happily rode waves all day while Olive built sand castles with her friends. I enjoyed a lot of long walks and actually finished a few books while we were there. I loved the slow pace and the energy of the town. There is a huge yoga and spiritual community in Todos Santos, and it felt so good to be around that collective energy for a bit.
It was really hard to leave Todos Santos, it felt so good to be there and I easily could have stayed for another month, but our black tank told us it was time to move on and I guess I have to face the reality that we need to start making our trek back north.
So here we are in La Paz, which to be honest, we really haven’t explored at all. Because of COVID, being in larger towns still feels really uncomfortable, so unfortunately I think we’re going to miss experiencing everything La Paz has to offer this time around. But if we’ve learned anything so far on this trip, it’s that Baja has our hearts and we will for sure be back. Next time, La Paz!
Oh, did I forget something? What about our Navy Seal training, you say? Ah yes, thank you for your patience.
We had planned to do some sort of boat excursion while in La Paz, and my sweet, adventurous friend Abbey took the reins on planning. I trust Abbey in all things, in fact I’m considering getting a WWAD tattoo on my wrist as a reminder to follow her path.
We debated an all-day excursion vs. a shorter trip and decided that with the kids, sticking to 3 hours would be best. Abbey landed on “Snorkeling with Whale Sharks” and with no other investigation on my part, I was all in.
As we puttered out of the harbor at 8:00am on what I considered to be a “moderately windy” day, our guide Hector started giving us the rundown on how we “snorkel” with the sharks.
This is when plans for my tattoo started to fade.
Here is the gist of the process:
Drive the boat around in open water on a windy day with 5 foot swells looking for Whale Sharks.
Spot a whale shark.
Quickly make sure you are geared up in your wetsuit and snorkel and ready for launch.
Sit on the edge of a violently rocking boat, holding on for dear life, listening for the countdown.
Watch your life flash before your eyes as you hear Hector scream “Jump! Now!” and you throw yourself out of a perfectly good boat into the pivotal scene from The Perfect Storm.
Flounder in water as you have a panic attack while trying to clear your foggy goggles and figure out how to breathe through a tube while hyperventilating.
Force your body into action as Hector is yelling “Swim! That way! Look down!”
Look down to see a giant, beautiful beast gliding below you.
Hector grabs your hand and pulls you straight to the head of the Shark so you can swim directly alongside it.
You swim and stare at this magical beast until your lungs give out from the effort of keeping up and you have to stop.
As you pop up to the surface, Hector says, “you stay here, I’m going to follow the shark!” and leaves you in the open water to fend for yourself for the rest of time.
-End scene-
OK, that last one’s not completely true. The boat came back for me, and we all survived.
Needless to say, the children’s experience of the day was a little different than mine or Brent’s (in his words, it was only his “second worst Mexican boat ride”… another story for another time).
Sam jumped in with Brent on the first round, but was struggling so much with his snorkel that he got only a short glimpse of a Shark, and then was so seasick he spent the rest of the time sleeping. Will and Olive alternated between sleeping and vomiting the entire boat ride.
Good clean family fun!
One last note about my sweet friend Abbey who is a total badass and even at 30 weeks pregnant had no qualms about participating in this adventure…
Plans for the tattoo are back on.
Because even though in that moment I questioned everything about my life and my friend’s capacity for decision making… I’m glad I jumped.
I’m so glad I have an Abbey to help push me out of my comfort zone into experiences I never thought possible. Abbey and her family are a huge reason why we are in Mexico in the first place, and she is probably the only person who could convince me to launch myself into Whale Shark infested waters.
So, there you go. Now that our Navy Seal training is complete, we are on to the next adventure!
WWAD,
~lisa
P.S. One note about Whale Sharks. They are indeed sharks, named thus because they are enormous. They are also completely harmless to humans, so no Starks were in serious danger during this excursion… from shark attacks, anyway.
