Relaxing in Baja

Call it coincidence, but since we arrived in Mexico a few days ago our activity level has slowed to a trickle. It just seems better to bask in the daytime sunshine, reading a book or studying Spanish, than go on some sightseeing expedition.

We spent the first morning checking out the centre of Ensenada and the harbour front. The most interesting thing is Whale Man, a statue made from a whale skeleton. We then hiked the 5km back to where we are staying in a small adjacent town, but that is pretty much all there is to do around here. Which doesn't bother us at all.



The rest of our time at El Sauzal was spent hanging out at the hostel, with our host, the lovely Maria, who tolerated our terrible Spanish, and taught us many things about Mexican food and culture.
Hostel Sauzal is highly recommended! http://hostelsauzal.tripod.com/


 The lovely Maria





Maria showed us how to make corn tortillas and cook them on a flat pan. We bought fish fillets from one of Maria's friends, crumbed and fried them and chopped them into pieces. The fish tacos are eaten with Salsa Verde, a mix of green peppers, lime and coriander and a salad of tomatoes, onions and coriander. And of course the obligatory salsa picante - there are three types on the table in the photo below.




In the cactus garden at Hostel Sauzal.
Like many towns in Baja, El Sauzal is growing rapidly thanks to an influx of new residents from other parts of Mexico. Residents of provinces such as Tabasco in the south lost their homes in floods in 2007 and needed somewhere new to live. This has led to the creation of numerous new housing estates, complete with Mexican versions of McMansions, to house the new people.

Unfortuately this is being done with little regard to the existing character of the town. This monstrosity was built almost two years ago right on the beachfront, and sticks out like a sore thumb compared to other modest one-story dwellings. In total, 16 of these eyesores are planned, but according to Maria not a single unit in this block has been sold, primarily because of the ridiculous asking price of over $US400,000 apiece.


 The eyesore



The rest of El Sauzal, above, is a stark contrast to the new developments. But some have adopted a more innovative approach to new buildings, like the house below, constructed out of shipping containers.

After a restful few days in El Sauzal, we decided to head south. The days are warm here, but being the middle of winter, the nights are chilly. Our new sleeping bags have been getting a work out, as per the photo below!