Lietuviskas aprasymas zemiau
Wanna see all reports? Click here
Day 3: Always Check the Beaches First!
February 10, 2006
If you continue driving at night after having been driving all day long,
your requirements for a place to crash tend to get lower with every mile
you make. It was getting really late yesterday night, and we were only happy
to come across the Baja Oasis Motel in San Ignacio. Try to imagine our disappointment
when the next morning, about 90 miles/130km farther south, next to the town
of Mulege, we come across magnificent white sand, crystal-clear water beaches
full of fun people with their tents and RVs. Looked like last night we definitely
missed a good party. Oh well… no regrets, we still have a lot coming
up :)
Several highlights of the day:
Santa Rosalia, a very interesting old mining town, established by the French-owned
El Boleo Copper Co. at the end of the 19th century. All surrounded by the
mountains - very attractive and a very interesting mix of the French and
Mexican cultures. The French influence to the architecture, the physical
layout of the town and the lifestyle in general is unquestionable. We happened
to find out that Santa Rosalia has earned its reputation for bread, especially
baguettes. Voila! Don't bypass this one, if you ever drive to Los Cabos.
Mulege: now that's what we call an oasis in the middle of the desert! Mulege
is an old, traditional Mexican town built right in the middle of the endless
Baja California desert. Everything was charming about this place: narrow
winding dirt streets, traditional Mexican "mercados" and "bodegas",
and, of course, the stunning beaches all around the town!! Plenty of tourists
from California, Utah, Arizona and even Canada. It was a pity we could not
stay for the Running of the Pigs event, which was scheduled for this Saturday.
The drive from Mulege to Loreto is also noteworthy: you get to see both,
the magnificent beaches along the Bahia Concepcion and the beauty of the
desert at it's utmost, all framed by the distant mountains. Loreto itself
did not look worth a longer stop, but the cold Modelo was refreshing and
right on time: we have to make to La Paz, and there will hardly be any bigger
towns during the next 219 miles/350km.
Talk to you from La Paz!
Tips of the Day:
Tip 1: There is plenty of cattle around Mex 1, and they do occasionally
decide to cross the highway. Keep that in mind, especially when driving
in the dark.
Tip 2: Although US $$ is very welcome in every establishment, it is much more economic to pay in Mexican Pesos. If you decide to pay in the US currency, the exchange rate may fluctuate from the official 11 to 7-8 Pesos for USD 1, based on the honesty or mood of the vendor.
Cick on the pictures to enlarge
|
Siesta time is obligatory for everybody
Popiecio siesta - privaloma visiems |
Santa Rosalia: make sure you get there early enough for the fresh baguettes coz they tend to sell out fast!
Prancuziskai meksikietiska Santa Rosalia... |
The good old Mulege
... ir tradicinis, labai meksikietiskas Mulege |
Nuvesk pelyte virs paveiksliuko, spustelk jos kaire ausele, ir paveiksliukas padides
3-oji diena: Nemiegok, kur papuole
2006m. vasario 10
Vakarykste nakvyne patvirtino sena ilgu kelioniu masina myletoju (ir mes
prie tokiu) taisykle - reikalavimai lovai mazeja sulig kiekviena tamsoje
nuvaziuota valanda. Kaip jau rasem anksciau, ziema cia temsta anksti, apie
5:30. Apie 8 valanda vakaro akys jau buna tiek nuvargintos vairavimo siauru,
vingiuotu keliu, kuri kartas nuo karto sumasto pereiti kokia karve ar asilas,
kad lova, tikraja ta zodzio prasme, lieka vienintelis reikalavimas. Dusas
ir karstas vanduo jau priskiriami privalumams. Turbut isivaizduosit, kaip
nusivylem, kada sekanti ryta, nuvaziavus dar vos 130 km I pietus, salia
Muleje miestelio, pries akis mums "atsivere" puikiausi papludimiai.
Baltas smeliukas, skaidrus melynas vanduo, linksmi turistautojai… Atrodo,
praleidom ne tik pigia nakvyne, bet ir linksma vakareli su likimo draugais.
Et, nera ko gailetis to, ko negali pakeisti. Kelione dar tik prasidejo,
dar turesim laiko pasimokyti is pirmuju dienu klaidu.
Idomiausios siandiena aplankytos vietos:
Is visu pusiu kalnais apsuptas Santa Rosalia miestelis - ko gero, pirmoji
apgyvendinta vietove, kuri atitiko musu "miesto" savoka. Nenuostabu:
miestelis 19-tojo amziaus pabaigoje buvo ikurtas prancuzu angliakasiu kompanijos,
ir prancuzai cia akivaizdziai prikiso pirsta prie architekturos, kulturos,
paties mietelio isplanavimo… ko pasekoje susiformavo ispudingas prancuzu
ir meksikieciu kulturu ir stiliu misinys. Pasiseke nugirsti, kad Santa Rosalia
garseja duonos gaminiais, populiariausias kuriu - prancuziska bagete :)
Voila!
Dar zemiau I pietus - Mulege, labai senas ir labai meksikietiskas miestelis, mazyte oaze gigantiskos Baja California dykumos viduryje. Viskas siame miestelyje pasirode zavinga: siauros, vingiuotos, neasfaltuotos gatveles, tradicines meksikietiskos krautuveles (mercados) ir knaipes (bodegas), ir taip, tie patys nuostabieji papludimiai, kuriu vakar vakare neprivaziavom… Apstu turistu is Kalifornijos, Jutos, Arizonos ir netgi Kanados. Labai gaila, kad nepapuolem I sekancia diena turejusias vykti Kiauliu Begimo svente :) (kasmetine miestelio tradicija, kiek supratom, kazkas panasaus I ispanu buliu begima).
Kelias is Mulege I Loreto taip pat vertas keliu zodziu: siauras, aukstyn I kalnus vingiuojantis keliukas tarytum atskiria Bahia Concepcion ilanka kelio kaireje nuo Baja California dykumos desineje. Dykuma sitoj vietoj - ispudingo grozio. Kaktusai isbujoje be proto, matyt, deka siokios tokios dregmes nuo ilankos.
Sekantis miestelis, Loreto, atrode industrinis ir neidomus. Trumpas sustojimas
ir saltas Modelo alus suteike jegu sekantiems 350km, iki La Paz.
Iki!
Naudingi patarimai:
1. Aplink Mex 1 greitkeli pasitaiko palaidu karviu, asilu ir kitokios rusies galviju, kurie neretai ir neprognozuojamai sumasto pereiti kelia. Vairuojant reikia stebeti ne tik kelia, bet ir pakeles, ypac tamsoje.
2. Atsiskaityti JAV doleriais galima bet kur, taciau daug ekonomiskiau
moketi meksikietiskais pesais. Atsiskaitant $, kursas nuo oficialaus 1:11
neretai smukteli iki 1:7/ 1:8, priklausomai nuo pardavejo saziningumo ir
nuotaikos.
