Feeling a little on the dirty side, I was having myself a warm shower at the side of the car in my underwear when a man came up to the car saying, “Buenos dias, amigo.” (Good morning, friend). Thankfully, Dan was outside and so started talking to him while I hid in the car wrapped in my towel. From what I understood of the conversation, he was telling us we had to pay for parking overnight and that he liked Cleo. After trying to tell him we were going to “vamos”, Dan negotiated price. He started out at $10 but Dan talked him down to $5 because the parking we’d passed earlier yesterday was only $3. Whatever, we didn’t mind too much, he was happy for the money and even happier when we emptied our beer bottles into his bin. He collected them from us so he could get the small refund for them.
Another choice camp, we had no interest in sticking around to see all the tourists flood in so head out. The stalls were still empty, obviously too early in the morning for anyone to be off a cruise ship yet. I was driving since Dan had such a crappy night’s sleep. He’d had some energy drink late in the day that had mucked him up. Completely unbeknownst to me, he’d been in and out of bed all night, having a few beers, listening to an audiobook and all sorts. My first drive in the Cabana (Spanish word for shack, the new name for Air Force One and The Presidential Lounge) and Dan’s first experience being a passenger. We drove back out the way we came, through the sleepy villages that hadn’t quite woken up yet since there weren’t enough tourists around. We even came across a bunch of goats crossing the road at their leisure.
We were heading back into Ensenada because we’d found out qualifying for the Baja 500 was on in the morning and Dan had scouted out the start/finish line. We were hoping to get a first glimpse of the trophy trucks, quads and motorbikes in action. Once we’d driven through the hustle and bustle of the big city, we went right past the start/finish straight only to discover it was still being set up for the party that night. Qualifying was obviously being held elsewhere. Both hungry, we put our search for motorsport on hold while we sought out desayuno (breakfast).
I parked the Cabana and we walked the streets. We found ourselves on the touristy strip, made obvious by the clean streets and gringos all over the place. I stopped us at a breakfast place that had sheltered outdoor seating. I was underdressed in the ever-persistent fog and we wanted a place we could sit with Cleo. The restaurateurs were very welcoming, sitting us down and showing us the English menu. I was on for a big brekkie so ordered one of the specials and Dan did the same. The plates were massive and the piles of food the same. I was satisfied with the Mexican-ness of my food, the spices very much to my liking.
We lingered here for about an hour, talking to the waitor in English and watching the tourists walking by get enticed by the restaurateurs to eat at their place. As we left and walked the streets, we were consistently asked by vendors if we would like what they were selling. We mostly ignored them, but when a guy asked cheerily if we would be interested in a boot shining, we laughed. He knew and we knew he was joking since we were wearing sandals.
Down to the marina, we watched a water display for a while, a bunch of fountains playing to the music and restarted our search for trophy trucks. Dan was thinking the race went along the dry river bed that ran through the city. The more we walked, the more we thought he was wrong, but after doing a loop through the convention centre, which looked like it used to be an old rich residence, we found a section of river bed that had been groomed into a dirt road. We’d found the circuit!
Despite the fresh tracks on the groomed piece of road, there was no action abounds, we would have to wait until race day on Saturday. Keen to get out of the city, we finished our wandering and head back to the Cabana. We sat on the bed and had a planning session, trying to figure out how we could kill a couple of days so we could stick around to watch some racing. As we perused the map and the Moon book, I was astounded to see sunlight shining through the windows. After two straight days of fog, blue sky was finally above us! Ecstatic, Dan was out of the car and lifted me from it. I could feel my mood lift ten fold just from seeing the sun.
We were ready to roll. We planned to take some dirt roads down to a beach for the next two days and try find some surf. I kept driving duties, set my nav and we were off. We were both excited to get out of Ensanada and back into the countryside. We stopped in at a convenience store on the way out to pick up some more ridiculously cheap cigarettes and water. The drive out was familiar since we’d come this way from La Bufadora but eventually we hit new ground. The sun stayed out and the roads got windier. What a beautiful day, we were excited for the beach. On the windy highway, I learnt that when a truck wants to overtake you, he’d drive in the middle of the road until you get onto the shoulder. He will then pass you, driving in the middle, while oncoming traffic gets onto their shoulder to get out of the way. Whatever works, I guess.
Turning off the highway, we were straight onto a graded dirt road and amongst farms. We were near the winery region, but as we headed toward the coast, we saw more and more food crops. Traffic was light on this rutted and rocky road, but we did come across a few trucks that hardly slowed down to let us scrape by. We stopped halfway in to check the jerry can on the back because we feared it would shake itself off. Sure enough, a quick assessment showed that the screws probably weren’t going to hold it so we took it off and stowed it inside just to be cautious.
Towards the end of the road, our excitement levels peaked. The sky was still blue and we could see the ocean. The Moon book said you could camp for free at either La Bocana or Santo Tomas so we were looking for an access road. After coming across a beach with cows on it, we continued on are way, driving around the peninsula. We were shocked to find fancy houses sitting out on the cliffs amongst some shacks, but the place was hardly populated, which suited us perfectly. Even better, the surf looked perfect for us.
We continued driving along the only road, finding no turn offs or hints of a way to get down to the beach. We ended up right at the end of the road at Puerto Santos Tomas, a fishing village right on the edge of the cliff. A boat on the side of the road and a few dogs yapping and snapping at our tyres welcomed us to the small village. At the very end of the road, we were met with a chain that meant we could go no further. It looked like the entrance to a resort that was closed for the season. Just as we were about to back up, a small Mexican with a huge fishing pole and a wide-brimmed hat came running up to us. He unlocked the gate and, instead of answering any of our questions, he told us to follow him inside to his place. Ha ha, so keen for a sell. He walked in front of the car, directing us to one of his beach shacks where he insisted we go inside for a look. $30 a night per person he said. But we didn’t need a shack, we had our own Cabana! He said he held the keys to the beach access as well so we suggested we take a drive there in his car. He spoke pretty good English so it was easy to communicate that we should follow him there instead.
He got in his car and as we waited for him, we contemplated what to do next. We didn’t really want to pay for anything but were desperate to get down to the beach. We followed him back along the road to a locked gate into an overgrown yard that lead out to the cliffs by the sea. We followed him through the tall, dry grass to the edge of the cliffs where there were a couple of sad looking buildings. Here, we got out and he showed us the path leading down to the beach. He invited us down there to see if we liked it, but we stayed atop the cliffs, sussing out the surf a while before deciding if we wanted to stay. It was a beautiful spot and so Dan, with his brilliant Spanish and negotiation skills explained that we didn’t have much denero (money) and so couldn’t afford to pay much. How about 200 Pesos ($10) for the night? A bit of hesitation, but eventually he was happy. As Dan said, better to have $10 than nothing at all!
A bit more chatting with our new landlord Ismael, then he was off, leaving us completely isolated on this beautiful cliff overlooking the ocean. We couldn’t believe where we were, what a picturesque spot. We stood on top of the roof of the shack closest to the cliffs, enjoying the sun, blue sky and view of the surf. We couldn’t wait to get down there and get in the waves, especially with all this sun! We needed some energy first so, after parking the car at a choice spot by the cliffs, we played some cards and snacked on some food. It was 5pm by the time we packed our wetsuits into a bag and walked down the perilous pathway to the beach. Dan only lost his balance once with the 10ft board and we did our best to avoid the cactus that crowded the path. I wasn’t used to seeing such colour near a beach. There were all sorts of plants and cactus leading right up to the rocky beach. In the time we’d been playing cards, the fog had taken over the sun again, but we didn’t let that deter us.
The beach had no sand, but dark coloured rocks and yellow cliffs of sandstone to block the waves. It was beautiful. Dan suited up while also giving me a lesson in casting a fishing line. He’d brought his trusty Walmart fishing pole and we hoped to catch a fish for dinner. I watched as Dan paddled out into the waves. This was a much easier break than the one we’d had on our first day with only a few big waves to get past before being able to sit and wait for the perfect wave. I cast a few lines as I watched Dan, paying as much attention as possible so I could pick up any tips. As he waited to catch waves, I could cast the fishing line, not having a whole lot of success, but enjoying the motions anyway.
When I looked behind me and realised Cleo was nowhere to be seen, I went off looking for her. She had that scaredy-cat look and was heading for the Cabana. I think the waves crashing freaked her out. I eventually coaxed her back to our spot on the cliffs where I abandoned fishing to sit with her and console her every time a wave crashed nearby. Honestly, what a sissy. Dan caught a few really good waves and rode his last one in all the way to the cliffs. My turn. I suited up, finding it easier second time round and got into the water. Again, the suit perfectly insulated me from the cold water and I enjoyed the paddle out to the last break. Per Dan’s advice, I sat out there for a good while recovering from the paddle before picking my first wave.
First wave and I was up and surfing. It was a nice, easy run that I rode for a good few seconds. I paddled out once more. It was beautiful to be sitting out in the ocean with not a single soul around. When I heard a “plop” nearby, I whirled around to see a splash. What the hell was that? I did not feel comfortable not knowing what it was and the gloomy skies just made everything a little more scary. I kept looking around until finally I saw a head poking out from the water. It was a seal, or maybe a sea otter, looking straight at me very curiously. Aww, what a cutie! I was much happier knowing it was a friendly creature and not something else. When he popped his head back underneath the sea, I turned my attention back to the waves rolling in. I caught a few more waves, happy that I was consistently surfing and not just getting lucky. Each time I paddled back out to the last break and sat, my seal friend would pop his head out again. Such a curious and friendly face! I felt so special, he hadn’t shown himself when Dan was out, just me.
When my toes got too cold, I surfed back into the beach on my knees, diving off near the edge so I didn’t dig the fin into the ground. In doing so, the board got away from me and hit a rock. Ouch. Upon inspection, it had hit the rock in an already damaged spot, opening up the repair job that had been done before. Dan wasn’t too phased, saying he had a big supply of solar resin to patch the job. It was a pretty beaten up board anyway, so he was happy for it to get banged around a bit. What a great surf, we were both full of smiles as we climbed back up the pathway to have a hot shower back at the Cabana. Cleo lead the way, happy to get away from the terrifying waves. She did managed to jump right into a cactus bush that meant Dan spent a bit of time with her later in the night to get all the prickles out.
Since Dan was already half out of his wetsuit, he had first shower, relishing the warm water on his body. When he was done, I got out of my suit and did the same. Bottle shower is still the best. Thoroughly clean, we put a bunch of clothes on to battle the cold breeze, cracked some beers and I got started on dinner. We didn’t have much fresh stuff, so I cobbled together some pasta with broccoli, onions and tomatoes. Pretty good just to have warm food really, we were both happy with it. We ate out on the cliffs in our chairs, watching the glow from the sunset colour the small layer of sky that wasn’t covered in cloud. The moon shone above us in the middle of a perfect circle of faded blue sky, centred perfectly above our heads, our own little patch of clear sky.
Dinner done and the sky turning dark, we retreated into the van for the night where Dan fell asleep instantly while I finished watching the Monaco GP. The last 15 laps were the best of the race so it was a good way to finish the day.
