Living Loreto

Herzon comes to Hoyo 19

2012-02-12T10:55:00.000-07:00

We now have several restaurant choices here in Loreto Bay, but one of the first to open over a year ago was Hoyo 19, or the 19^th Hole, located in the Golf Course Clubhouse. Naturally enough in the beginning, they catered to the Golfers, serving breakfasts and lunches in a small snack bar off the courtyard of the Clubhouse, with patio seating overlooking the putting range and central lake dividing the 10^th and 18^th fairways.

The restaurant was opened by Juan Carlos, who owns and operates Mita Gourmet, one of the most popular dining places in the town of Loreto, located on the edge of the town square, but, from the beginning, Hoyo 19 was managed by his daughter Mita, (who his restaurant was named after) and her husband, Carlos (same name as her father – are you getting confused yet?).

After a successful start-up last year, the restaurant survived a quiet summer season, when the heat and the resulting small numbers of golfers was a challenge. But this Fall renovations were completed to reclaim and decorate the Clubhouse Dining Room that was located several steps above the courtyard area. There is a central room which contains most of the tables, with a smaller annex on one side offering more intimate seating, and a wide patio for dining “al fresco” with beautiful views through archways to the back nine and the Sierra de la Gigante mountains beyond.

The opening of this tastefully decorated room, with its white tablecloths and comfortable furniture, created a new option for fine dining right here in Loreto Bay. For those of us who live here, this takes on even more significance because it gives us an alternative to driving the 30 km round trip into town when we feel like enjoying a nice evening meal in a restaurant. Not to mention avoiding the potential hazard of an unexpected nocturnal encounter with stray livestock on the highway.

Recently, Mita and Carlos have added a new feature that has proved to be a very popular attraction to their evening clientele – Herzon, a local guitar virtuoso, now plays his blend of Jazz and Blues styling´s in the Dining Room on Thursday evenings. Herzon has been a popular fixture at the downtown restaurant for several years, entertaining on the open air patio of Mita Gourmet, and now, here in Loreto Bay, we can also enjoy the pleasure of being entertained by one of the best local musicians while we taste fresh local seafood in a convenient neighborhood setting.

This past week I suggested having dinner there to a couple of friends who were making a return visit to Loreto Bay after over a year´s absence. Jackie and Cliff had been involved in the sales department with the original Developer, and had lived in Loreto during the early years of the project, so they were very interested in seeing the many improvements and new services that have been developed since their last visit.

I had invited them for a pre-dinner drink at my home, and so we arrived at Hoyo 19 a bit later than our 7:00 o´clock reservation, which I was very glad I had made, since all the tables in the restaurant were taken, except the one they were holding for us closest to the corner where Herzon was set up. As we waited to be seated and I looked around the dining room I was struck by one of those “only in Loreto” moments – I knew most of the people there! How many other places can you walk into a restaurant filled with over 50 people and know, or at least have a nodding acquaintance with almost all of them – only in Loreto!

When we were seated, we immediately relaxed and started to enjoy Herzon´s music and then ordered a bottle of wine. Simplicity of life here extends even to the wine selection, no list, just the first obvious choice – red or white, and then several varietals; we chose one of two Argentine Merlots and toasted the evening.

I gathered that most of the other patrons must have arrived just before we had, as the staff were kept very busy taking orders, serving drinks, and first courses, so, since we were thoroughly enjoying the company, the music and the wine, we were in no rush to place our dinner order – for a while – but at the point that I thought that we might have been overlooked, I caught Mita´s eye and soon we had our menus.

The selection here is straightforward, but more than adequate, with several salads and soups to start with, a few chicken and meat dishes along with a good variety of pasta preparations and a choice of noodles, but not surprisingly the specialty of the house is seafood. Grilled filets of the catch of the day (often sea bass at this time of year) are served with half a dozen sauces including ingredients like; chipotle, garlic, lemon and cilantro with butter cream and olive oil. Many of the same preparations are offered with shrimp and both are served on vegetable rice with a medley steamed veggies.

We started with a Caesar salad for three which was served on a large platter, full leaf style with one of the best house-made creamy dressings I have had in a long time, generously garnished with freshly grated parmesan and studded with large toasted croutons – delicious! After our salad plates were cleared we settled back to continue to enjoy Herzon and await our mains. Due to a late lunch, Cliff and Jackie had opted to split a serving of fish with the cilantro sauce and I also ordered fish with butter and garlic.

Herzon plays an amplified acoustic guitar with a synthesizer providing rhythm & percussion and he has a strong repertoire of classic Jazz and Blues that he performs with flair and panache. He had apparently started playing a couple of hours before we arrived and when we left about 10:00 he had not stopped or taken a break throughout our dinner – truly the hardest working musician in town!

Mita returned to our table shortly after we had ordered and informed us that due to the large crowd they had served that evening she was sorry to tell us that they had run out of fish filets. What can I tell you – you know it has been a busy evening when a seafood restaurant runs out of fish! But she suggested substituting their shrimp for the filets and keep our choice of sauce and preparations the same. We agreed and a few minutes later our main courses appeared – we were not disappointed!

After a delicious meal with fantastic music, we made the short trip back to casa mia, where we continued the evening by playing the Herzon CD that Cliff had purchased from him as we were leaving the restaurant. Eventually, when it was time for my Guests to leave I made sure to loan them a flashlight to help them find their way back to where they were staying – an essential piece of equipment for safe navigation of the odd dark spots when walking through the neighborhood at night.

As I tidied up after an evening of good friends, good food and good music, I couldn´t help remembering how far we had come over the past few years in making life in this community a rich and rewarding experience. Thinking about how recently the idea of having an evening like this, here in Loreto Bay, was beyond what many of us expected in the foreseeable future, made me really appreciate how far we have come, Living Loreto!

Of Computers - Old & New

2012-02-05T12:11:00.000-07:00

This week I experienced one of the apocryphal events of the modern world – the ´´motherboard´´ of my laptop computer had a meltdown.

While I had heard about this sort of disaster happening to others – whispered tales of woe shared behind closed doors – I had previously never experienced the life-as-we-know-it threatening consequences myself – until Monday afternoon.

I was in the Office watching a short video on a website, which I had noticed was taking a long time to ´´buffer´´ when, without further warning, the screen went blank white with hundreds of multi-colored dashes arranged diagonally. Being unable to escape this, I eventually powered the computer down by unplugging and pulling the battery, but when I tried to restart it my trusty HP laptop would not re-boot.

To say that I saw my life flash before my eyes would be perhaps a bit of an exaggeration, but I definitely did have a ´´this can´t be happening to me´´ moment as the magnitude of all of a sudden being deprived of such a central part of so many aspects of my life was hard to grasp! Now I realize that all of you now reading this have your own relationship with the devices you are reading it on, but a computer, and particularly internet access through that computer, takes on an even more important role in our lives here in this remote part of the Baja.

In addition to our contact with friends and family, and the rest of the world, through email and other services like Skype which allow us to phone and video conference at little or no cost, there is, of course, the World Wide Web – providing news, entertainment, and access to the collective wisdom of the planet . . . not to mention Spider Solitaire! In my case, add to that running my Real Estate business, and of course, the small matter of this Blog.

To put this crisis into even clearer perspective, as I think I have confessed on previous occasions, I consider myself only barely computer literate. Like a well trained dog I know how to do what I do on a regular basis, but, get me out of my comfort zone and into any of the vast uncharted wilderness surrounding the small well trampled paths that I am familiar with in my day to day routine, and I am lost and afraid – very afraid.

(Being largely self taught, I have often told the story, as an example of my lack of my savvy with computers, of being on the phone with a Help Desk [years ago!] with an apparently young and highly skilled techy Nerd who was attempting to explain some esoteric programming details to me. I was feeling completely LOST so I interrupted him and said: ´´Excuse me, but before we go any further I think there is something you need to know – I saw the Beatles live on Ed Sullivan!´´ Following which there was a long pause on the other end of the phone, and then the Nerd slowly and patiently began again with the explanation on a suitably ´´primary´´ level of complexity!)

So when I was faced with this obviously serious – potentially fatal – crisis I sought out advice from the neighborhood IT specialists, Evan and Fox, who also conveniently run the local grocery store here in Loreto Bay. When I described my problem their initial prognosis was not good – Fox said that it sounded like the motherboard was ´´fried´´ but he would not be able to say for sure until he could take the computer apart and it would be a couple of days before he would be able to do that.

Later in the day, I was telling my sad tale to a neighbor and they suggested calling Francisco Medina, who had a computer service business in town that they had had good experiences with in the past, and see if he had any advice. I called him right away (he spoke excellent English) and made arrangements to bring my ´´dead´´ laptop to him the next morning and he assured me that he would have a diagnosis for me by noon.

I found Francisco´s shop located behind a medical lab near the Police Station and returned a couple of hours later to be told that in fact it was the power converter circuit on the motherboard, and while he could possibly order a new board it was probably advisable to replace the computer, considering it was 3 ½ years old and had reached the end of its reliable life.

Through this process, I have come to understand that most popularly priced laptops, in particular, have an expected lifespan of about 8,000 hours, beyond which they are on borrowed time and can have a fatal failure at any time. Considering my daily usage of up to 12 hours, my computer was well beyond that limit and so I was prepared for this judgment and asked Francisco to quote me on an upgraded replacement that I had been advised was a more ´´rugged´´ model that used better components and would presumably have a longer service life than the standard model I had been using all these years.

In the meantime, I had been doing some research online and knew what the retail price in Canada was for the new computer, but I also had determined that it would have to be ordered from the manufacturer, as I could not find this higher end product available in stock for sale at any of the regular retailers. The next day when Francisco quoted me a price it was about 25% higher than I would have paid in Canada, which was accounted for by the duty Mexico charges on goods from China, but the surprisingly good news was, that if I ordered it that day (Wednesday) he thought he could have it delivered here in Loreto from his Supplier in Mexico City by this Friday!

Having no immediate alternative plan, and not knowing who I knew that would be coming down here in the near future that could be imposed upon to bring a computer with them from Canada, I decided to go ahead and order it from Francisco. After passing a couple of very unusual days without access to a computer, I became very aware of how many ways I had become dependent on it for a large part of my life routines. I was conscious of how my presence in the online world was shut off and my ´´footprint´´ in cyberspace was gone – my unthinking (bad) habits of checking for email dozens of times a day and regularly visiting various websites were stopped ´´cold turkey´´. Snippets from the song: ´´You don´t know what you´ve got ´till it´s gone´´ played over and over in my now strangely quiet brain.

So, to make a short story long, it all worked out! The new computer did arrive on Friday and Francisco transferred all of my files from old to new and then delivered it to my home that evening. A few adjustments were required that he did on a return visit Saturday morning at my Office and now I am the proud owner of a beautiful new Toshiba Tecra 850 – twice as fast, 3 times deeper memory and pristine. One minor and unexpected adjustment is that, since it was purchased here in Mexico, it has a Spanish keyboard (of course) with a few unique features like Ñ, and ¨, and ¿, among others that I´m sure I will eventually find.

But, more importantly, I´m BAAAACK! And through this experience I have come to appreciate how different life would be here if computers were not such an indispensible part of ´´Living Loreto´´!

Vive Loreto - a guide to discovery

2012-01-29T11:03:00.000-07:00

I have written numerous times about different trips and adventures I have taken in the area surrounding my home here in Loreto Bay – trips to San Javier, climbing the Tabor Canyon, hiking the arroyos, boat excursions to nearby Islands – most of which have been self-guided, or with other Homeowners who may have made the trip before and from the feedback that I receive from many readers, these are among the most popular posts I have made to this Blog. However, in this post I wanted to introduce another of the businesses now established on the Paseo here in Loreto Bay, ”Vive Loreto”, a Tour Operator and Dive Shop offer their professional services and recreational equipment to visitors and Homeowners alike who want to fully explore the amazing attractions that surround us in this unspoiled part of the world.

Raffa and Maria, who run the business along with their Dive Master Julian, came to Loreto from Mexico City about 5 years ago when Raffa started to work for the original Developer. They both enjoyed an active lifestyle out of doors and when they saw the beauty and natural attractions here in Loreto, they knew this was where they wanted to live and raise their young family. While Maria finished her education and began teaching at the local University, Raffa worked in management with the Developer and they both pursued their interest in discovering the natural, cultural and marine treasures that surrounded them in their newly adopted home.

When the end came for the original Developer, Raffa and Maria decided to turn their passion into a business and started to plan what became Vive Loreto. From the outset, they wanted to focus on three areas of interest that they believe are the where the real treasures are in the Loreto experience: Nature, Culture and the Sea.

Nature includes the surrounding Sierra del la Gigante Mountain range and adventures including visits to remote Rancheros to experience a lifestyle that has changed little in generations. Many of these trips can be tailored to their Guests preferences; they have a large capacity passenger van that can carry your whole group in comfort, they also have 4 wheel ATVs and mountain bikes available for guided tours as well as for rent to explore the countryside on your own, they can even arrange mule rides so you can travel in the traditional way!

Culture combines the spectacular beauty of the surroundings with some of the rich history of this area, beginning with the town of Loreto itself, the oldest in the Baja and home the “Our Lady of Loreto” the first Mission in all the California’s, including sampling local cuisine and delicacies and combining the cultural with the natural with visits to places like San Javier where they blend together. If you know where to look there are still traces of the prehistoric Guaycura, the indigenous population that were cave dwellers in this region and have left paintings as evidence of their ancient culture.

When it comes to the Sea of Cortez that meets our eastern coast, it is the best part of the experience of living here and Vive Loreto has it covered – with both an open panga and a 21’ cabin cruiser they offer trips to the surrounding Islands to watch the sea-life including sea lions, dolphins a myriad of sea birds. Or you can combine sea with land and take boat to go for a hike on the beautiful uninhabited Islands of Coronado or Danzante, or snorkel in the crystal clear waters on sandy shorelines.

While sport fishing in these protected waters is justifiably world famous, Vive Loreto uniquely caters to two levels of interest – both the serious and experienced fishers, as well as couples and family groups who are looking for a more relaxed “fishing for beginners” experience. In this way they hope to introduce particularly younger visitors to the excitement of catching your supper with the breathtaking vistas that are only available from offshore.

Starting at this time of year, one of the highlights for many visitors and residents is whale watching and Vive Loreto can provide a memorable experience bringing their Guests close to these giants of the sea. Currently, the Grey Whales are accessible on the west coast of the peninsula at Lopez Mateo, a small fishing harbour about an hour and a half’s drive from Loreto in their large passenger van. On arrival there you board a panga guided by a local fisherman who takes you out into Magdalena Bay a shallow channel protected from the Pacific by a long sand dune.

This creates a perfect “nursery” environment where the whales can give birth to their young and get them prepared for their annual migration up the west coast all the way to Alaska. In these usually calm waters, the mothers can feed their babies in a safe environment and teach them to swim against the currents, building their strength and endurance for the long journey to come.

Although less common, in the waters of the Sea of Cortez just offshore from here in Loreto it is also possible to make sightings of the much larger and rarer Blue Whale on organized cruises closer to home. By contacting the helpful staff when you are planning your adventure, they will be able to advise you what the current conditions are and where and when you will likely have your best opportunity for this incredible experience. But whether you see the Greys on the Pacific side or the Blues here in the Sea of Cortez it is a truly an unforgettable experience and one that you should add to your Baja Bucket List!

For those who are attracted to the underwater world Vive Loreto has a qualified dive instructor and guide, whether you are an experienced diver, want to refresh your skills, or discover diving for the first time - the calm warm waters surrounding Loreto offer an outstanding opportunity for all. With an abundance of sea life including seals, rays and of course multi-coloured fish of every size and shape as well as gorgeous reefs and fascinating wrecks to dive. A complete selection of the necessary equipment and tanks are available and they can tailor a package to your interest and skill level.

On a practical note, particularly as we approach the “spring break” high season for visitors, Vive Loreto can also provide ground transportation in their van from the International Airport at La Paz, about a three hour drive south of here. This can open up alternate travel options for many visitors who find the direct flights to Loreto heavily booked in advance at this most popular time of the year for a holiday in paradise.

I encourage you to visit their website www.viveloreto.mx and find out more about the wonderful world of Nature, Culture and Sea where they offer their expertise to fully experience all the magic that that this special place holds – reaching out to new adventure and seeing incredible things – perhaps it’s not a coincidence that Vive Loreto is a fair translation in Spanish for “Living Loreto”!

Starry Starry Night in Loreto Bay

2012-01-22T10:32:00.003-07:00

One of the quiet pleasures of Living Loreto is the night sky. For several reasons including our latitude near the Tropic of Cancer, the clear desert air and relatively low light pollution, the stars and other heavenly bodies are particularly bright and apparently close, when viewed from here. In fact, I remember one of my visitors, from my previous home in western Canada, saying that she had never seen so many stars appear to be so close, “it was almost alarming” – if it wasn’t so spectacularly beautiful!

However, like so many things that we see on a regular basis in our day to day routines, we tend to become complacent about this nightly light show, except for the occasional situation, walking home in the evening or taking a moment to look up at a full moon – at times like that we experience again the awe inspiring display that hangs overhead every night.

Speaking of full moons, more than once, as I pass through the inner courtyard of my home on a night with such a moon, I have caught myself checking to see which light I have left on, due to the almost unnaturally bright moonlight that bathes what normally should be in darkness. Here “moon shadows” is more than a lyric in a song - you can literally read in the light of the full moon!

So when a Homeowner recently suggested, on our community website, getting together with others who shared an interest in observing the night skies, I responded enthusiastically. To be clear, I am a novice when it comes to navigating the celestial bodies, I can barely make out the difference between a star and planet, let alone know their names or be able to find them beyond the obvious like the Big Dipper, and Orion’s iconic “skymarks”. But I did know enough to know what I didn’t know, and I was glad to have the opportunity to observe and learn a little more from anyone who did have that knowledge.

About half a dozen of us got together for an informal meeting one afternoon about a week ago and discussed possible sites for our first “Star Party”. Ray, who had initiated the idea behind the group, had done some scouting of the surrounding area and suggested a couple of locations within a short drive of Loreto Bay with “near dark” conditions. But it was decided that our first venture would be closer to home. The adjacent golf course has several “dark spots” where we would be shielded from the modest amount of light pollution surrounding our development, and we could access them easily without having to drive – a cautious consideration given the possible hazard of meeting stray animals on the roads at night.

And so, with the location decided, it was agreed that we would meet at the south end of the Paseo main road around 6:00 pm so we could make our way to the viewing site on the golf course in the twilight and get whatever equipment we had, set up before it became too dark. I offered to borrow one of the golf cart “trucks” from our Office to help transport any bigger telescopes, although I was only going to be bringing a pair of nautical binoculars and a tripod myself.

Earlier on the appointed day, I watched a few wisps of high cloud pass and saw that things were shaping up for an almost perfectly clear night sky. After I closed the Office I hurried home to change into “warm” clothes (I can hear the scornful sounds of my northern readers now, as they struggle through late January weather, but it’s “winter” here too, and it does cool off at night when the heat goes down with the sun – albeit to 15 degrees Celsius or 60 Fahrenheit) and grabbed a folding chair along with the binocs, tripod and of course my camera, and headed off to pick up the cart truck.

At the Office I met two fellow star-gazers carrying their reflector telescope with its stand, soon the three of us had loaded everything onto the cart and were headed for the meeting place. When we arrived there were already half a dozen others setting up equipment on a sheltered tee box surrounded on three sides by rocky hills, which gave us a convenient place to view the darkening night sky.

In addition to two bigger telescopes, among us we had a spotting scope and a pair of celestial binoculars, both on tripods, as well as my own binoculars and several people had brought star charts. But I was particularly taken by the I-pad that one person had brought that had a “star ap”. Using the internal GPS, this tablet had the amazing ability of showing a graphic of the star formations in view and identifying them by name, just by pointing it to the heavens, dare I say – star gazing for Dummies!

While the more expert among us identified Jupiter’s three moons and the Andromeda Cluster (a fuzzy glow in the middle of Orion’s sword) and shared their views with the other “beginners”, soon we were all enjoying the magical experience of focusing on that which we take for granted most nights – the celestial light show that has attracted us as a species since the beginning of time. Pardon me if that sounds pretentious, but it really was exciting to take the time to LOOK, and more to the point, SEE the awesome beauty that is the night sky under circumstances that were close to ideal!

Even with my own modest equipment (a decent pair of 7x50 binoculars but more importantly, mounted on the tripod so they were stable) I was able to focus on a constellation and appreciate the myriad of stars surrounding it, otherwise invisible to the naked eye. And then I saw a streaking star – no, it must be a satellite, moving at a steady, but leisurely pace across my field of vision – and then, a few minutes later another, and another! I had no idea that there were so many man-made celestial bodies orbiting above us, in such a tiny keyhole view, and over the span of just a few minutes, it boggled my mind as to what the total population of these artificial “stars” must be globally!

After an hour or so of such heavenly distraction, the couple whose equipment I had ferried to the site earlier were packing it up and I offered to give them a lift back to the main road again, leaving my equipment behind for others to use. The three of us piled everything back into the cart and began the ride back across the golf course, until we reached the first hill, where the cart slowed to a crawl and one passenger had to jump out so I could make it to the top. Obviously my cart batteries were now precariously low and I quickly decided that if I was lucky enough to make it back to the Office under power, I would have to park it there and leave it recharging.

Which is what I did, walking back to the Star Party with my flashlight to pick up and pack up my stuff and then return on foot – glad that I hadn’t stranded the cart in the middle of a fairway overnight, and relieved that I wouldn’t have to find a way to retrieve it somehow the next day. But this minor inconvenience became another moment of appreciation, as I made my way through the now very dark night, guided by my trusty light, my was focus shifted to how the familiar golf course terrain around me was transformed, and now it was, in its own way, as unfamiliar as the skies above that I had just been observing.

So ended my first “star trek”, and with thanks to Ray and my other cosmic guides, I look forward to future adventures in the night skies. I don’t know if I will ever be familiar enough with the heavens at night to find my own way around, but even after this first modest venture, I believe that I appreciate more than ever before what a fantastic show is performed every night right over my head – and I hope I will never take it for granted in the way I have before. Appreciating the realization that the commonplace can become the spectacular if you take the time to really see what is around you – that is another lesson I will remember about “Living Loreto”!

Jovina and Ulises - Entrepreneurs in Loreto Bay

2012-01-15T11:13:00.002-07:00

I thought I would write this week about some of the new businesses that have started business this Fall on the Paseo, or main street that runs through Loreto Bay. Two of the more popular enterprises that have opened have a unique connection in common – they are operated by an entrepreneurial husband/wife couple. Jovina operates Tranquil Massage and Spa, and her husband Ulises runs the Fresh Market in the next storefront.

They met when they were both in the US Military and started their family when they left the service for civilian life. After the birth of their second daughter they made the decision to move to Loreto, where Ulises’ mother lived in retirement. When the girls were old enough to leave in the care of her mother-in-law, Jovina made the big decision to pursue her long time dream and move back to the US to take a year’s training and become a registered massage therapist.

When she returned to Loreto she first opened her own small studio, but due to the H1N1 scare the timing was bad for starting a new business. Soon she found work at an established Spa in Loreto, gaining practical experience as a masseuse and learning to be a nail technician as well. After a brief experiment with business on the mainland, Jovina returned to Loreto and, with some help from past clients, started to develop a clientele in Loreto Bay.

About a year later, when the opportunity arose to open a storefront location in Loreto Bay, Jovina was one of the first lessees to sign up. But the logistics of operating a massage studio required her to expand operations and provide other services including hair dressing and manicure and pedicure services as well, to better utilize the space and to have staff in the studio so she can do her massages without interruptions.

During the summer she and her husband planned the renovations for her, dividing the approximately 550 sq. ft. space into two sections, the larger spa side with a reception desk, a small display area for shampoos and other retail supplies, the hair dressing station, manicure table and a pedicure chair. Behind the partition is the massage studio - true to the name, a Tranquil space tastefully decorated and a relaxing oasis.

There is a fulltime nail tech doing mani/pedicures and a hairdresser from town who currently comes out twice a week for appointments, while Ulises’ mother Eva keeps the reservation desk so that Jovina is available for an almost steady schedule of massages. Although most of her clientele is female, I can personally vouch that she does a great massage and encourage more men to take advantage of her services – otherwise you’re missing out on a great experience!

Ulises had some experience working in construction in Loreto Bay so both he and Jovina had got to know Homeowners and understand the community, so Ulises was aware that there was demand for a good source of fresh fruits and vegetables, since the selection in town was unreliable at best. Although he had previously operated a number of other businesses in the town of Loreto including a clothing store, and a restaurant, and he had enjoyed cooking since he was young, the produce business was new to him and so he set about learning more about it by doing some research on line.

Then, this Fall, he rented the storefront adjacent to Jovina’s Spa, did some basic renovations to set up an area to wash and prep his produce and installed some refrigeration units, display tables and shelves. In the beginning he drove an hour and a half to the nearest big supermarket in the next town a couple of times a week , where he purchased his stock, but soon he arranged to purchase from wholesalers who would deliver much of the regular produce to his store. As he became more established, other producers sought him out and he began to receive regular deliveries of oranges, onions and other locally grown crops. Part of his regular routine is to check with several local fishermen in town every morning and pick up filets of the “catch of the day” – and it doesn’t get much fresher than that! He also has a local source for fresh free-range chicken, which he sells plain and marinated.

Having an expanding source of fresh fruits and vegetables as well as seafood and poultry is a great convenience to Loreto Bay Homeowners, as well as those who live in Nopolo and the surrounding area. The store would be popular for the convenience factor alone, by reducing the necessity of having to go into town as often for fresh supplies, but the fact is that the quality and freshness of the produce is usually superior to what is often available in town.

Like good businesses everywhere, Ulises listens to his customers and he is always happy to take requests for things he does not regularly carry and look for them when he makes his regular trips to wholesalers as far away as La Paz. Very often he has hard to find delicacies like eggplant and mushrooms (sometimes even Portobello!) when they are impossible to find in even the biggest grocery stores in town. He also is able to refrigerate the produce that is perishable so it is in the best possible condition when he sells it.

But not everything has to come from afar. Recently, he was asked for firewood by a Homeowner who has a fireplace in their home. Knowing the town as well as he does and where to find whatever is available is one of Ulises big advantages. He knew where to find the firewood and brought some into his store for that customer and another new product was added!

In the future, he is planning on doing some cooking classes, focusing on traditional Mexican cuisine and possibly even some of his Thai specialties. Over the past Holiday Season he has done some catering for Homeowners parties and this is another business he wants to expand, now that the market is operating smoothly.

Jovina and Ulises combine their Mexican heritage with an understanding of North American culture, and with their true entrepreneurial spirits, they are working together to provide goods and services that contribute in important ways to the quality of life for our community here in Loreto Bay. Seeing new businesses created and thriving, and watching how they add to the quality of life here, that is an important new dimension to “Living Loreto”.

Healthcare in the Baja

2012-01-08T08:22:00.000-07:00

One aspect of Living Loreto that (thankfully) I have not had personal experience with is the healthcare system, but I know that this topic is one of significant interest to many people who now live here, or are considering spending more time here in the future. That is why, when a friend of mine suffered a nasty broken bone near her hip after fall, I asked her to consider sharing the experience of her treatment and recovery with the readers of Living Loreto.

What follows is her story, and while like any major health procedure conducted anywhere it has not all been “fun and games” I am pleased to say that when I saw Jane earlier this week she is continuing to mend and should be off her crutches hopefully by the end of the month. I want to thank her for contributing this first person account about an important aspect of life:

Health Care Options In Baja

Have surgery in Baja? Not exactly the first place you might think of when faced with the prospect of a major procedure. Most of us living here have heard a horror story or two about health care experiences and so hopefully I can debunk a few myths as well as provide a little information, although by no means do I have all the answers.

As I write this I am recovering from surgery for a broken hip. At first I thought maybe I had jammed my leg after a fall down two tile stairs, and so I iced it and waited a couple of days before getting an X-ray here at the hospital in Loreto. However, when that showed that the bone was broken I knew I had to get to La Paz “muy pronto”, because the necessary surgery was going to be beyond the capability of the local Hospital.

Consulting La Paz phonebook I was surprised with the number of Orthopedic specialists listed and narrowed it down to two; OrtoMedix and a Dr. Luis Vargas, where I scheduled an appointment for the following day and I also scheduled an appointment with Dr. Mondragon, an orthopedist that I had previously seen about a knee injury. Both doctors seemed very professional and competent but I decided to go with Dr .Vargas for several reasons, mainly because he proposed a surgical procedure that I felt was more appropriate for my kind of fracture.

After his examination and consulting my X-Rays, Dr. Vargas wanted to operate immediately but I felt I needed to go back home to Loreto and get organized. I was going to be spending one night in the hospital, then a couple nights in a local motel with daily check ups. So, my husband and I drove back to Loreto to have my pre-op lab work done and get packed and organized, before returning to La Paz in a few days for my operation.

The facility I had my surgery in is known by several names: Central de Especialidades Medicas, Fidepaz, and “that little purple Hospital”. It is a private hospital and the access to the surgical facilities and the overnight stay were included in the fee the Surgeon quoted me for the procedure, which also included the anesthesiologist fees as well. Fidepaz, as I will call it, is far nicer than most medical centers in the United States. First of all, it is a small facility, (important to me because it meant potentially less exposure to germs), and each patient gets their own private room. There are no set visiting hours and they encourage a family member to spend the night by providing a really nice couch in the room.

Like most medical specialists with high levels of education, my surgeon, Dr. Vargas spoke fluent English as did my anesthesiologist, who also had a great sense of humor. He played retro 80’s music in the OR and, because I had had a spinal tap and was semi-conscious through the surgery, he gave me updates on the progress of the operation.

Although the doctors all speak English, the nurses do not - at all! My Spanish is terrible and I had difficulty even communicating that I needed another pillow. Hospital food is usually a challenge and that’s true in Mexico as well. I thought the food was, well, weird and couldn’t eat it but that didn’t stop my husband Greg from taking care of that aspect on my behalf.

About 3 or 4 hours after the surgery, the effects of my spinal started wearing off and boy was I in for a surprise! At my pre-op, the doc explained that my surgery really wouldn’t involve a lot of pain and that thinking ahead about it would only make it worse. I should have clarified this. As I eventually learned, he is anti-medication. After no sleep that night due to agonizing pain, I finally got a small shot of something around 5am to help me sleep. When the Dr. came in at 9 we had quite the conversation about my pain management!

While I agreed with him that American Docs tend to overmedicate most of the time, surgery isn’t one of those times, and a five inch incision that included drilling through my bone and putting two long screws into my hip bone was indeed major surgery. He said morphine and opiates were for the dying, which seemed appropriate to me as I was wishing I was dead at that moment. He finally gave up four (four!) pills of some kind to get me home and in bed. Lesson learned. I would definitely have surgery down here again, but not before the surgeon and I had an understanding about pain management!

For general medical care here in Loreto, we are fortunate to have a handful of competent English speaking doctors. Most charge approximately $200 pesos ($15.00 US) per office visit. One doctor, Dr. Gerald Ramos, has in-office X-Ray and ultrasound equipment. However medical services here are limited, our local hospital is comparable to a walk-in clinic in most places in North America and it is necessary to go to larger cities like Constitution (2 hours drive) and La Paz (4 hours) to see a specialist and receive more than first aid treatment.

As I understand it, Mexico’s medical system has a number of tiers, not unlike that of the United States. At the top of the pyramid, receiving the best care in the best private facilities are those who have private Mexican health insurance, (some US insurance may be accepted) or, are like ourselves, are “self-insured” and pay directly for the procedure, (the cost of which, in this case, was a small fraction of what it would have been in the US).

Government employees have their own hospitals, under the ISSTE system that provides a variety of subsidized social services. These hospitals are located in Constitution and La Paz and I’m told they are on par with the Seguro Social Hospitals and clinics. The Seguro program is a government health insurance plan that provides basic coverage for most paid employees and can also be purchased by American and Canadians for approximately $300USD/yr. My private doctor in Loreto works two days a week at the Seguro clinic here and I believe that may be a requirement for the local doctors. I know several people who have been very satisfied with Seguros services, and this is also a way to obtain referrals to see top notch doctors in La Paz.

Last of all, there are the general hospitals in Constitution and La Paz for the general population without some form of insurance or personal resources. Briefly, you would not want to end up here, by North American standards they are crowded and unsanitary.

While I have heard there are some specialists in near-by Constitution, I prefer to go to the much larger city of La Paz (population over 200,000) and have relied mostly on word of mouth for referrals to Doctors I have seen there. For example, a consultation with a dermatologist will run you $500 pesos ($40.00 US) for a head to toe skin check. The biopsy I had done on a precancerous lesion left less scarring than one that I had done in the States by a Facial Plastic Surgeon! Most of these Doctors speak English, some even having American training or credentials. However, rarely do their office staff speak English, but you can usually get by with “Spanglish”.

It’s been a slow recovery and I still have sleepless nights but after two months it’s getting easier. I’ll be on crutches until the end of January, which can’t come soon enough. Like many things here in the Baja, I learned by experiencing it and will be a more informed patient if something else happens and I need medical services again.

.....

Thanks to Jane for the story about her experiences with the medical system here in the Baja, being better informed about the options and realities of something as potentially important as healthcare is certainly an important part of “Living Loreto”.

Flying to Loreto from San Jose - Up Up and Away!

2012-01-01T11:16:00.000-07:00

My return journey to Loreto began dark and early one morning this week. Although I had set an alarm for 3:00 am – yes, that was three o’clock in the morning! (perhaps that should have been spelled mourning) I didn’t really sleep, dozed, I guess, but I was either too excited about returning home again after my Christmas visit back to Calgary, and/or I was paranoid about sleeping in and messing up the whole plan! In any event, I was up at three and on my way to the Airport by four to check in for my six am departure.

Being from western Canada, I am familiar with the early morning scheduling of outbound flights to sun destinations, but it still amazes me how many people manage to get up so early for their departure times to these warmer climes. Particularly when it is this close to the shortest day of the year and there are so few hours of daylight (forget about warmth!) the motivation is clear, but it is still a remarkable sight to see some of the biggest crowds of the day at the airport before 6:00 am.

Not surprisingly, my flight to San Jose del Cabo was full, but it was surprising to me the number of very young kids on board – but I guess young parents deserve a holiday too! Regardless, the flight was uneventfully and we arrived in San Jose almost four hours later. I was able to clear Immigration fairly quickly, handing in the remaining half of the exit document that I had completed on my outbound trip – reversing the process that most of the tourists were doing on an inbound flight. My bag took a little longer and there was a bit of a delay while a couple of “first timers” were somewhat baffled by the X-Ray equipment that all incoming luggage had to be screened through before leaving the baggage area.

After pushing green on the Customs entry button I made my way out to the exit through what is usually a gauntlet of timeshare and other hucksters, but at 10:30 in the morning the day had not really begun yet and there were only a couple of bleary eyed “Ambassadors” who made only a half hearted effort to entice me with their wares. When I cleared the terminal I packed my jacket and sweater into my bag and headed to the other terminal half a mile away. Having just arrived at the main International Terminal (Two), my next flight was to depart from Terminal One, a building which I had never been in before.

The departure area of Terminal One is basically a large open area with a few small tourist shops along the outside wall and most of the rest of the space taken up with crowd control barriers snaking the lines of passengers towards check in podiums on the far wall. First of all I determined that both International and Domestic flights were handled out of this Terminal, and after observing the traffic figured out that there were separate entrances to check in for the different types of destinations. Even though my departure was late afternoon I wanted to figure out where my flight would be checking in, as I had been told that since Aereo Calafia does not have their own podium they used an unidentified space beside the Aero Pacifico desks. I figured out where the likely check in location was going to be and observed that before you can enter the area to line up, first you had to have your bags scanned through a big X-Ray machine and then push another Red/Green light button, pushing a Red light apparently necessitated a further hand inspection of your luggage – the Mexican authorities apparently take security on these Domestic flights seriously!

Having thus oriented myself, I also had observed that there were no food services on the public side of the check in, and, since it was now after 11:00, it had been a long time since the yogurt and muffin more than 7 hours earlier. So I headed back the 10 minute walk to Terminal 2, (still dragging my luggage) where there were more services – more but still no food without a boarding pass for a departing flight that permitted access to the departure lounge and food court on the second level. At this point I sat down and let my somewhat befuddled brain consider my options. While there was a bar counter where I was on the main floor, there was no apparent food service and I knew it was too early to start drinking – let alone the fact that it would be 3 or 4 hours before my flight.

However, when I asked around, I found out that the bar could in fact order from the food court upstairs and so I settled in with a cold beer to wait for my cheeseburger and fries for lunch. I was even able to plug in my computer at the Bar and start writing this Blog. As it turned out, the soccer game that was on the tube when I arrived was soon replaced with – be still my pounding heart – coverage of the Spengler Cup hockey championship from somewhere in Europe. This SKY TV broadcast was a live feed of raw video, including unedited live audio from ice level and coverage of the dressing room pep-talk by the coach between periods – all without voice over or play-by-play, not surprisingly, as I guess there must be a shortage of hockey commentators here in Mexico! Who knew I had to sit in a bar in Mexico to get this close to a Canadian team playing hockey in Europe – small world! So that’s how I spent my afternoon, drinking beer, eating a cheeseburger and watching hockey – welcome home to Mexico! Soon I struck up a conversation with a couple who had just arrived from Washington and were Canadian Hockey fans and over several post-luncheon drinks we solved some of the world’s problems.

Following this pleasant interlude, I made my way back to Terminal One around 3:30 and went through the aforementioned baggage scan, got the Green light and avoided inspection and finally made my way in the general direction of the Areo Pacifico desks where I met a couple who were waiting for the same Loreto flight. We visited for 15 or 20 minutes about Loreto, they were joining friends who were Homeowners in Loreto Bay, and then we were joined by two other couples travelling down to see their parents who were also Homeowners. So now we were 7, more than half full for a 12 passenger plane – looking good!

About 4:15 a young man and woman arrived wearing Aereo Calafia logoed clothing, our ground crew had arrived, and our little group of passengers broke into spontaneous applause, evoking an embarrassed, but good natured response from them. Boarding passes were issued and overweight charges assessed, the checked luggage limit on this flight is only 15 kilograms, about 33 pounds – I was about 10 kilos over and they charged me 339 pesos or about $25.00 – not bad, considering that they charge by the actual weight and not a flat charge if you exceed the maximum. Considering the generosity of Santa, I was happy to pay the extra for what I was bringing with me.

After getting the boarding pass I proceeded through another typical pre-boarding security screen and then a nice food court, smaller than Terminal Two’s, but a good variety of International Fast Food brands. Looking around I thought that it was too bad that I couldn’t have checked in for the flight earlier in the day, I could have spent my time quite comfortably there, but then again, perhaps I would have missed the Hockey game!

The Aereo Calafia staff had told us that the Airline did not have an “Announcer” to call the flight in the Departure area, so we had been told to hang out in the vicinity of Gate 1 and watch for the ground staff to come to the gate around 5:00 pm. When they arrived our little group of passengers quickly handed over their boarding passes and then followed them out the doors, onto the tarmac toward our plane, which was waiting nearby. Our luggage had been loaded onboard from a small pick-up truck that was parked nearby and with no further ado we climbed aboard.

The single engine plane had four rows of seats, a double and single in each row separated by a narrow aisle, with the “cockpit” with two bigger, more official seats directly in front of the first row. Occupying the left hand seat was our Pilot, (no co-Pilot on this flight) and once we were all seated he fired up the engine and we proceeded to taxi out to the runway. Soon, with a roar of the propeller, we picked up speed and were quickly airborne, climbing over the Cabo coastline before heading north. Taking off before 5:30 we had about a half an hour before the sun began to set, below a spectacularly coloured fringe of clouds on the western horizon. But until then it was fascinating to observe the coast and rocky hills from so much closer to the ground than the typical jets fly, and in places it was possible to see across the entire peninsula to the Pacific coast in the distance as we flew up the Sea of Cortez.

After darkness quickly fell there wasn’t much to see out the window and I caught myself dozing off a couple of times, it had been a long day and night before, and now that I was on the last leg of my trip I could start to relax – I would be home again soon! Less than an hour later I began to pick out a few faint lights on the ground and then a bigger cluster directly below, which I was able to identify as the Villa del Palmar resort from the distinctive turtle shaped swimming pools brightly illuminated at night.

From there I picked out a few other landmarks, the town of Ligui, and the Juncalito fishing camp and even some car headlights on the highway that runs along the coast as it approaches Loreto from the south. And then, up ahead, through the high front windshield of the plane, I saw the surprisingly bright lights of Loreto, with the cluster of fainter lights below of Loreto Bay, where my home is, as we gradually descended for our approach to the runway at the Airport. After a smooth landing we taxied towards the Loreto Terminal, looking quite large and impressive from the perspective of this small plane, and, with a few words of welcome (the first of the trip) from our Pilot, we disembarked and walked into the north end of the building, my first arrival on a Domestic flight.

We waited in the arrivals area inside, until our bags were loaded on the conveyor and then, after claiming them, made our way past a couple of fatigue wearing soldiers, who did a couple of final random inspections (more of that Domestic security) and then finally into the concourse of the Terminal – Home Again!

I have commented before about the current limited air access situation here in Loreto, with only one International flight on Alaska Airlines from Los Angeles arriving 4 days a week (Sunday, Tuesday, Thursday and Fridays) using a 76 passenger turbo prop. For this reason, I was glad to have the opportunity to check out this Aereo Calafia option which started this Fall, flying from San Jose del Cabo to Loreto on Thursday, Friday and Saturday afternoons and the reverse route from Loreto to San Jose on Friday, Saturday and Sunday mornings – making convenient connections with most of the International arrivals and departures. Although currently with only 12 passenger capacity, these three flights a week don’t make a big difference in the number of seats available in and out of Loreto, they do open up some lower priced options for direct flights to Cabo from many different cities with this connection. Hopefully, with more bookings, there could be additional flight days added to the schedule and perhaps even the possibility of a bigger plane in the future.

I should also mention that there have been occasions when this flight has been cancelled, and some people have experienced problems with reservations booked on line, and, as I observed, there is a somewhat “informal” approach to ground arrangements, but, after my experience I would certainly consider using this option, as an alternative to the 5 ½ hour drive each way, that I described a few weeks ago. For those of you who are interested in finding out more about this flight check out the website at: www.aereocalafia.com.mx but it will be handy to have a translation “ap” at the ready as the site is in Spanish. Also, be careful to select “San Jose del Cabo” as the location – the Airline also flies out of the “Cabo San Lucas” airport to Loreto as well, but this is a considerable distance ($75 taxi fare?) from the San Jose del Cabo Airport where all the International flights arrive.

Returning home, after a winter “vacation” in Canada, and experiencing a new travel connection that may be the beginning of improving air access, these too are parts of “Living Loreto”.

¡Féliz Año Nuevo! And Happy New Year to you All!

Christmas Wishes - Ho Ho Hola!

2011-12-18T10:05:00.000-07:00

This Holiday Season finds me in a more traditional Christmas setting than my home in Loreto – I am visiting family back in Canada with all the trimmings; snow, cold weather, shopping malls aglow with decorations and shoulder to shoulder with shoppers carrying armloads of presents for the “Big Day”.

I left Loreto Bay at 7:30 in the morning, on an untypical overcast day and drove the 5 ½ hours south through La Paz to San Jose del Cabo by way of the east coast Mexico #1 highway, arriving at the International Airport at 1:00 pm. The parking lot at Terminal 2 is being redesigned, apparently to better accommodate the numbers of busses and tourist vans that all but block the access road at the entrance to the building. But after circling the lot I found that during this construction the temporary entrance is now through the exit gate, and I was eventually able to park where I had planned.

The check-in for my direct flight back to Calgary went smoothly, including the now routine trip back outside the Terminal and around the building to an inconspicuous rear door where my passport was checked and I was able to re-enter the building into the secure customs area where my FM2 visa was checked and my exit document stamped by an Immigration Officer. This procedure is not required for the majority of departing passengers who entered on a FMM or Tourist visa, but since I have a resident visa and my trip originated in Mexico, I have become familiar with this somewhat round-about process.

With my documents now stamped I returned to the check-in podium and exchanged half of the form for my boarding pass, the other half I will hold until I arrive on the return trip. Then I made my way upstairs, through security and into the food and shopping court that surrounds the departure lounge. After a quick lunch my flight boarded about a half hour late and finally we were off by about 3:30 in the afternoon.

Not surprisingly, considering the windy weather we have been experiencing in the Baja recently, we had a considerable tail wind for the first half of the flight, and made up the half hour delay by the time we arrived at the Calgary Airport about 7:30 that evening – twelve hours after I left Loreto Bay. A quick pass through Immigration and Customs, and with my bag one of the first off the carousel, I was outside waiting for my ride by 8:00 pm. In minus 15 degree Celsius, or about 5 degrees Fahrenheit weather with a stiff wind – Welcome Back to Canada!

Weather aside, it is a fitting time of year to spend time with family and friends and share the traditions of the season, and it helps to do so in the knowledge that I will be back in the gentle climate of my Baja home in a couple of weeks.

Since this is called “Living Loreto” I will not resume my postings until the New Year when I plan to relate my return trip, which will include travelling the last leg from the San Jose Airport back to Loreto by a small regional air service that recently began service from the International Airport.

So as my last posting before the New Year I would like to take this opportunity to thank you, and all my readers, for your continued and growing support, as evidenced by the number of hits I receive on this site. I confess to having become somewhat obsessed by tracking these numbers from week to week (you too can follow the total number of visitors on the counter that appears at the very bottom of the screen when you page down through the recent posts).

I am humbled that these hits have increased by about 50% in the past year and now average 100 per day, with over 65,000 visits since I started writing this Blog a little over three years ago. You, the Readers, have given me this opportunity to record and share with others the experiences and people that have made this such a memorable time for me. And so, at this time of the year for reflection and giving thanks – let me thank you for your interest and support - and I look forward to continuing to share with you “Living Loreto”!

Season’s Greetings and my Best Wishes for the New Year!

Meeting El Presidenté – Mayor Avilés

2011-12-11T11:06:00.000-07:00

This week marked another first in my experiences here in Loreto. In the past I have made several brief references to local and regional politics (“Sports, Politics and Paving”, Feb. 2011) but, generally speaking, I have avoided commenting on that aspect of life here, for two main reasons; firstly, I do not feel qualified to express opinions, due in part to the second reason, as a guest in this country I have no say in the electoral process - which makes the event I am writing about this week all the more noteworthy.

The Mayor, Jorge Avilés (or El Presidenté) of Loreto, who was elected earlier this year, met with members of the expatriate community of Loreto for an informal talk followed by a question and answer session – something that has never happened before in the 6 years I have been here – and as far as I can tell, is unprecedented in Loreto! Word of this event was circulated on Lynn Hamman’s bulletin board (which I described earlier “Lynn Hamman – In the Know in Loreto”, Oct. 2011):

Expatriates, come meet informally with the Mayor of Loreto!

You are Cordially Invited to a Special Reception and Exchange for All Members of the Expatriate Community in Loreto, with Loreto's Mayor, Jorge Avilés, December 7, 2011, 5:00 P.M., at the Casa Blanca, across the street from La Palapa Restaurant. There will be complimentary beer, soft drinks, and appetizers. Loreto's Mayor will give a brief talk, and then meet informally with all, and field questions, in an effort to reach out and strengthen the vital link between Loreto's Municipal Leadership and our expat community.

And so, not knowing quite what to expect, I made plans to attend the reception with some other Loreto Bay Homeowners.

The event was being hosted by Tom Woodard, a local entrepreneur with real estate investments in and around Loreto, at one of his properties in town with a large open second floor space that was ideally suited for such a meeting. We arrived just before 5:00 and there were a couple of dozen people already there, enjoying a snack and drink and visiting among themselves.

It is worth noting that the community where I live, in Loreto Bay, is quite separate, (both physically, 15 km south of the town, and socially) from the ex-pat community that is mainly centered in town, some of the members of which have made Loreto their home for over 20 years. Having said that, there are steadily more connections being forged between these communities on many individual levels, as people meet and share interests together, as well as on larger scales, like the recent Paella Competition and Gourmet Luncheon (“Paella and Homecoming” Nov. 2011), shared events that bring people from both communities together.

From that perspective, the majority of people arriving at this reception were “Townies”, people who live in and around Loreto, with possibly 10 – 15% of the well over 100 people who eventually assembled, coming from Loreto Bay. Most of those had arrived by the time that the Mayor, accompanied by more than half a dozen others, made his entrance. He was greeted warmly by Tom, the Host of the event, who is completely fluent in Spanish, and then quickly the socializing of those in attendance was interrupted with a request for people to take a seat so that the evening could begin.

Mayor Avilés began by saying that the purpose of the meeting was not political or to discuss “contentious” issues, rather, his core message to us was one of inclusion. He made it clear that his position as Mayor, and that of his administration, was that we, the ex-pat community, were considered as equals with all the other residents of Loreto. Although we had no voice in the electoral process, his undertaking to us was that he wanted to “reach out” to us and assure us that we were recognized by the local government – not just in word, but in deed.

Wow! While I had expected that this would be some sort of a public relations exercise, Mayor Avilés had, in these opening remarks, made the most affirmative statement I had heard from any official during my time here in Loreto! I did my best to make some notes of his comments as they progressed, however the communications were complicated by the translation that was handled by a couple of the staff and advisors that had accompanied him to this meeting.

On that point, I thought his comments were also interesting. The officials that accompanied him, whose names I unfortunately was not able to record, included the Director of Municipal Development, the Municipal Union Representative, the Tourism Director, the Mayor’s General Secretary, several Councilmen and the Head of the Water Department. And while they did not take an active role in the presentation, I came to the conclusion that the significance of their presence was twofold; to underline to us the importance in which this meeting was held by the Mayor (that he wanted this group of his senior administration to be in attendance) and further, I think that it was a clear signal to THEM of the level of importance he gave this meeting with US.

Some of the highlights of what Sr. Avilés said included that his government would be different from the past administration (which had a rather notorious reputation, which I will not dwell on) and indeed, a large part of his focus during the first six months since the election had been devoted to recovering from the bad situations that he had inherited from his predecessor. He also stressed that we, as ex-pats, should consider ourselves equal to locals as far as his administration was concerned, and to that end he was appointing a bilingual representative specifically to address concerns within our community.

He also acknowledged several issues of importance including increases in property taxes, and new appraisals for tax purposes as well as federal charges for boat launches at the marina and increases in water charges. In his comments he also recognized the substantial contributions that have been made by the ex-pat community toward supporting many charitable causes within the municipality, particularly those benefitting children.

He concluded with remarks that while this was the first such outreach to us, it would be one of many he would be making during his four year term. One comment that received an enthusiastic (and good natured) response was that he understood, and he had made clear to his staff, the need to respond in a timely and responsible manner to our concerns – to show up, to be realistic in what they promised to do, and to DO IT!

During the Q & A session that followed his presentation, a number of specific issues were raised including a question of particular interest to us in Nopolo and Loreto Bay, concerning the stretch of highway between the town and our development to the south. The issue of restoring power to the lighting that covers most of that portion of the highway (and has not been working for more than a year) was addressed and he made the undertaking that he was already discussing the situation with Fonatur (the Federal agency whose jurisdiction it was under) and furthermore he stated that his long term goal was the eventual upgrading of this stretch to a four lane road. (Be still, my pounding heart!)

My description of this meeting is not intended to be a comprehensive report of all of the issues that came up, but more a reflection of the overall tone and context of a unique, and perhaps in hindsight, historic, outreach by the highest elected local official in this municipality to a small, but representative group that have been previously excluded from any such dialogue. As to the future, at the end of the meeting, one of the commitments that he made was that there would be more such meetings to come, as well, there would be a flow of information to the English speaking community from the Mayor’s Office, by way of Lynn Hamman’s bulletin board, that I referred to earlier in this piece.

This is yet another reason why I suggest that it is important for any Loreto Bay residents to join her Yahoo group (a link for which is in the posting I mentioned before) so that they can be informed as this type of information becomes available in the future. It is my hope that when the next opportunity arrives for another meeting with Mayor Avilés and members of the local government, there will be an even greater number of residents participating – and particularly, a larger representation from the Loreto Bay community.

When we have been welcomed, and made to feel a valued part of the local community – for the first time – that brings a new meaning and perspective to Living Loreto!

To the Wine Cellar – Salud!

2011-12-04T10:24:00.000-07:00

In my postings this Fall I have made several mentions about the new commercial spaces that have opened recently along the Paseo. One of the first to open, in an anchor location near the south end of the road, at the round-about across from the Inn at Loreto Bay is The Wine Cellar, owned and operated by Will and Cynthia, who are also homeowners here.

For many of us, when we purchased our Loreto Bay home, the fantasy of opening a small business here was part of the dream we may have entertained, more or less seriously, at some point in the process. I think it would also be fair to say that these sorts of entrepreneurial ideas tended to be more common early on in that process and, and as we came to better understand the complexities and realities of life (particularly business life) here in the Baja, the enthusiasm may have faded for some since then.

But, that has not been the path that Will and Cynthia followed to becoming proprietors of a tasteful and spacious wine and spirits bar in a growing ex-pat community deep in the southern Baja Peninsula. Having purchased their home here four or five years ago, they both continued to pursue their careers in Los Angeles, where they lived, until this past summer when a change of circumstances in Cynthia’s job presented the possibility of an earlier than expected retirement.

This led to a conversation in mid-July, where the idea that is now the Wine Cellar had its beginning – that of combining their potential new found freedom with their shared passion for wine-tasting, into a retirement business here in Loreto Bay. A few short weeks later, in mid-August, the decision was made and Will enthusiastically joined Cynthia’s newly retired status and quickly their plans came together.

These events coincided with a focused effort this summer to rent most of the previously unoccupied commercial spaces along the Paseo that runs through Loreto Bay. So Will and Cynthia were able to secure this prime location and satisfy a high priority service to the community, that of a Bar to provide a meeting place and social center within our development for the residents and also potentially for patrons from the surrounding Nopolo community and even the town of Loreto itself.

At the beginning of this September Will and Cynthia arrived back in Loreto Bay, this time to stay, and began the work of overseeing the renovations of the approximately 1500 sq. ft. space into the bright and airy environment that is now home to the Wine Cellar. Approvals were secured to open up the outside wall with two French doors adding light and spaciousness to the previously dark room. The wall surrounding the front garden space at the entrance was also lowered to a table top height creating an attractive outdoor patio area which overlooks where the main south access road joins the Paseo and provides an ideal location for their guests to observe the comings and goings to and from the development.

Inside there were even more tenant improvements made. A large central pillar supporting the upper residential floors was incorporated into the corner of the “L-shaped” bar itself, and a small efficient kitchenette was tucked behind the back wall of the bar service area, where a selection of Tapas snacks can be prepared. Finally two new washrooms were added and the transformation into a bright, inviting and functional space was almost complete.

Comfortable, residential style furnishings were sourced from Gustavo, a familiar vendor here in Loreto Bay, who has opened one of the new furniture stores just down the street, and the walls have been decorated with a number of pieces of original local artwork which will be completed with a commissioned centerpiece work that will be hung shortly. Several moderately sized TV panels are positioned for viewing from all parts of the room but the Wine Cellar would not be mistaken for a Sports Bar, although often games are discretely playing in the background.

The back section of the space has been shelved to stock a variety of wine themed accessories which should be much sought after for gift giving during the approaching Holiday Season. Two large wine coolers stand against the back wall, the one for reds kept about 5 degrees above the other storing whites, confirming my own taste for a slightly chilled red (while I don’t know where the standard for “room temperature” red wine originated, I am quite sure that it was not from the climate of the southern Baja!).

Meanwhile a local paralegal and business consultant put in place all the necessary paperwork and approvals to meet the requirements for operating the business here and two staff members were recruited; Urbano as waiter and bar tender, a familiar face who has worked at the INN and elsewhere providing friendly and professional service, and Margarita who prepares the tasty Tapas snacks for the hungry customers.

Will and Cynthia have spent many holidays, going back to University days, travelling the world tasting wines in places as far removed as South Africa, New Zealand and Eastern Europe, and in between these trips they also became somewhat connoisseurs of a social life that included the ambiance of their favourite bars. In spite of these interests, as I said, the thought of opening their own place, incorporating ideas from their travels and experiences was a new one, when it occurred to them this past summer.

After arriving back in Loreto in early September the hard work of turning that idea into a reality began – and, remarkably, to many who are experienced with the pace of work here, in about a month and a half the Wine Cellar was substantially completed and ready to be tasted by the first Homeowners as they arrived for the season. Opening at 4:00 pm weekdays and 2:00 on weekends, the Cellar will usually stay open until 10:00 most evenings, but Will and Cynthia are happy to stay open later, if the party is still going on!

In addition to 15 wines available by the glass, they offer a full cocktail bar service with a tasty selection of tapas including a cheese plate, guacamole and spiced olives to compliment the drinks. But as well as the bar this is also a retail wine boutique with an impressive selection to choose from by the bottle – which is a welcome option for any Homeowner looking for a nice bottle to take to a dinner party or even something special for a restaurant meal, where the local selection may be limited. In addition, we now have access to the Cellar’s cellar if we run short of libations during the next dinner party – they will even deliver – how civilized is that!

Already a popular place in the late afternoons, where people can meet and mingle for drinks and conversation, it is also conveniently located at the south entrance to Loreto Bay and makes an ideal place for a nightcap when people return home from evening dinner in town. Particularly useful for those who have been wisely cautious to consume moderately at dinner, before making the drive at night back to Loreto Bay. So, when they have made it back safe and sound from their short drive on the highway, there is now the opportunity perhaps for one “off the road” at the end of the evening!

During the course of this season’s Blog postings I look forward to bringing you other stories about some of the new businesses that are adding so much to our community, and so I thought that I would begin with a “toast” to what I am sure will soon become a fixture here in Loreto Bay, The Wine Cellar. This is a comfortable, convenient and laid back meeting place that fits very well with the developing ambiance that is Loreto Bay, and for many will become another favourite part of “Living Loreto”.

San Javier - Revisited

2011-11-27T10:45:00.000-07:00

One of the best experiences of living in a beautiful place like Loreto is sharing it with visitors. I had that pleasure this week when Percy and Alejandra, along with their friend Yves, drove down from Orange County in California to spend a few days with me in my home, Casablanca. You may remember from my first Blog of this season (“The Long and Winding Road” Oct. ‘11) that I had stayed with Percy in Orange County on my way south this Fall, and at that time we made plans for this return visit – their first experience driving in the Baja.

While they had not made the drive before, they are not new to Mexico. First of all, the three of them are all fluent in Spanish and Percy’s does business in Mexico so he travels regularly to several large centers. Alejandra recently moved to the US, having lived all of her preceding life in Mexico, but she had only visited Cabo in the Baja before, and Yves had visited many places in Mexico but he too was not familiar with the peninsula.

Their route was the familiar one from southern California, crossing at Tijuana spending the night in San Quintin and carrying on to Loreto the next day. But, as I have learned from past experience, every trip down the Baja is an adventure and theirs began on the second day when they reached El Rosario and found traffic halted through town for 2 ½ hours, due to a Revolution Day parade. However, because they were fluent in Spanish, they were able to find out from a local that there was a back road that took them to a ford over the river, downstream from the big bridge at the south end of town. Following this road, and managing to cross the river in their four-wheel drive SUV, they were eventually able to re-join the main highway and avoid the holdup that would have probably delayed them from arriving in Loreto until the following day.

But all’s well that ends in Loreto (I think I’ve just made up a new saying!) and they arrived without much in the way of further incidents. In spite of having spent the last two days driving, they were game for another outing their first day here, when I suggested making the 32 km drive to San Javier. For those unfamiliar with this area (and likewise unfamiliar with my previous posts on the subject: “Semana Sante, San Javier & Olive Oil” April ‘11, and “Road to San Javier” March ’09) San Javier is the site of the second Mission Church to be built in the Baja by the Jesuits. A simple adobe building was originally built in 1699, just a few years after the first Mission was constructed in Loreto, with the magnificent stone structure that is now the center of San Javier being completed in the mid-1700’s.

As I know from past experience, going to San Javier is as much about the journey as the destination. The 32 km road that starts from the main highway just south of the town of Loreto travels through typical scrub brush for about the first third of the way. The road then climbs the east slopes of the Sierra de la Giganta mountains on a spectacular stretch that switchbacks around hairpin turns and opens breathtaking vistas back towards the Sea of Cortez. Then it straightens out again for the last third, across high plateau ranchero lands before approaching the small hamlet of San Javier that has grown up around this majestic 250 year old mission building.

Five years ago when I made my first trips up this road it was all gravel (and worse) from the highway to the Mission with the road becoming narrower and rougher through the mountain stretch and beyond. A year or two later paving the road was an election promise made by the successful candidate for Governor and work began at the highway end. At the end of that 3 year electoral term about one quarter of the length of the road was paved, and so, in the ensuing election, continuing to pave the road was part of the new Governor’s campaign and work continued. Earlier this spring on my last trip up the new road had reached about the halfway point, with the most challenging (and most expensive to construct) portion through the mountains, still to be done.

So on this most recent trip I was interested to see how far the paving had progressed and I was pleasantly surprised to see that now the new wide asphalt road (now with shoulders – a rarity in the Baja) has reached the 21 km mark, which includes most of the difficult route through the mountains. Several kilometres past the end of pavement there are several more kilometres of wide graded roadbed, apparently ready for the next section of paving, before the road narrows again to the original rough dusty track through several rancheros.

In my description of this roadwork , I have failed to mention the dramatic shifts in scenery that is the real attraction for anyone making this trip. The dry desert scrub brush that makes up most of the journey is broken unexpectedly by several small oases that can be spotted from a distance by the tall succulent palm trees that thrive wherever there is a reliable supply of water. Yes there is water here in the desert, quite a bit, from the appearances of these palm groves, but it mostly travels underground until it is lifted to the surface by the subterranean geology and these areas become the occasional patches of lush vegetation that can be seen from the road.

A significant benefit of the progress this paving is that it has reduced the travel time to San Javier, we arrived in less than an hour, where it used to take up to a half hour longer on the old road. When we did arrive, my first impressions were that the “town” was looking better than it has on previous visits. The buildings appeared to be better maintained and, although several of the new businesses I had seen the last time were not open the day we were there, there was still more activity and services than was the case a couple of years ago.

But of course the focal point of any visit is the Mission itself, and it never has failed to impress me what a massive undertaking this huge edifice must have been when it was built with the most primitive of tools and technology over 200 years ago! It was also my impression that, along with the surrounding town, the building itself and its grounds are being better maintained, as was the beautiful and inspiring chapel inside. Although I have visited the Mission frequently, I never tire of photographing this building inside and out, trying to capture the impressive scale of the structure and the rugged details of the centuries old stonework.

Needless to say, my visitors were also mightily impressed by the beautiful building, rising from the harsh desert plateau where it is located, surrounded by the craggy peaks of the self same rock that these walls were hewn from so long ago. The proximity of the materials of construction, within sight of the structure itself, gives the strong impression that this building somehow arose by natural means from the very ground where it now sits, rather than being built by man’s hand.

But I digress! No visit to San Javier is complete without continuing on by foot behind the Mission building, past an ancient cistern holding irrigation water, and through a cultivated field (now lying fallow, but on prior visits growing a bumper onion crop) to a monument of another kind, the 300 year old olive tree. Now a massive, twisted and contorted trunk, supporting a huge canopy of delicate silvery leaves, this tree was part of the olive grove that was planted by the early Jesuits, whose goal it was to establish a self-sufficient agricultural settlement to support the Mission building that would rise nearby, decades later.

The evidence of the success of what must have been a daunting undertaking over three centuries ago, is all around us, albeit primitive and marginal by North American standards, crops continue to be raised and harvested, irrigated by much of the original infrastructure laid down by those early missionaries. As I mentioned in the April posting referenced earlier, artisanal olive oil production is currently being revived here from the fruits of over 300 trees that trace their genealogy back to this ancient specimen – true living history!

And so ended my most recent pilgrimage to San Javier, but I will return, time and time again, as I feel drawn to this place that represents so many unique aspects of life in this part of the Baja. Very likely, my future visits will include guests or visitors, because it is usually on those occasions, with company, that we who have the privilege of living in this beautiful place, find the time and inspiration to see again the sights, and share the experiences with others. That which originally caused us to fall in love with this place – through the eyes of others, we can see again, as for the first time, why we are “Living Loreto”.

Paella & Homecoming - Anniversaries to Remember

2011-11-20T11:07:00.000-07:00

In a relatively new community like Loreto Bay there are not yet many occasions for anniversaries, but one of those “new” traditions took place last weekend with the fourth annual Paella Competition and Luncheon. Regular readers of these pages will know that I have been writing about these events since the first one was held in 2008, and you can find write-ups on the earlier ones among the November postings in the archive on the panel to the right.

This competition has become one of my favourite annual events – and each year it has gotten bigger and better. This year there were almost 200 tickets sold and 8 teams with 23 competitors each preparing their own unique versions of delicious rice, seafood and other ingredients. Some of the teams came from as far away as Ensenada, some were sponsored and others were made up of individuals who want to share their love of preparing great food.

For the second year the event was held at the Inn at Loreto Bay, which provided their beautiful courtyard as a perfect location to for the competition. After several days of unseasonable windy weather, the morning of the competition was back to the usual perfect Loreto weather with a gentle breeze and brilliant sunny skies.

I had been asked to provide music again for the event with my portable PA system, and so I arrived at the Inn about 8:30 in the morning to set up the equipment. At that hour, about half of the teams had already arrived and some were already hard at work setting up their cooking stations and preparing ingredients. But much work had been done already by volunteers to get the site ready for the luncheon that would follow the judging. Shade tents sheltered most of the tables that had been set up for the event and the courtyard was surrounded by the cooking stations for each of the participating teams. Each team added decorative touches to their tables with displays of fresh ingredients, flowers and other accents to create their own ambiance.

As more teams arrived and began the cooking process, wonderful aromas began to drift between the different stations. A steady stream of diners began to gather and enjoy complimentary appetizers and a selection of cold drinks as they circulated around the perimeter, observing and visiting with the participants, watching their preparations and “ooohing and aaahing” over the impressive quantities of seafood and other ingredients that were assembled to garnish the pans of fragrantly cooking rice.

The major sponsor of this Paella competition from its first year has been Roganto Wines, an exclusive, small, “boutique” winery located near Ensenada in Baja Norte. This year they brought the biggest Paella pan I have ever seen – it was easily over 4 feet across and produced a masterpiece that served 120 people! In addition they were providing tastings of several selections of their wines as well as offering wines by the glass and sangria to enjoy with the meal. They also sold their wines by the bottle or the case, and all the proceeds made up a substantial portion of the total funds raised from the event. In what has become another tradition, following the Luncheon they even set up a station providing free Pina Coladas until their ample stock of the ingredients ran out!

On a poignant note, this event was held on the 11^th – Remembrance Day in Canada and Veterans Day in America and I was moved by the fact that someone had had the foresight to bring down a quantity of the Canadian Legion Poppies which were handed out to most of those in attendance – a fitting memorial for all of us living here who have so much to be thankful for. All in all, it was a wonderful time, and none of this memorable day would have happened without the long hours of planning and organization that Shelia, assisted by her husband Manfred, have dedicated to bringing the people and resources together, and along with the involvement of over two dozen volunteers, to make this event the continuing success it has become.

Each year, since the beginnings four years ago in the backyard of their home here in Nopolo, Shelia and Manfred have been the driving force behind this competition and luncheon - one of this community’s most successful social and fundraising events. In addition to creating a wonderful celebration of food and drink and an opportunity to bring together our community in a beautiful environment at the beginning of another season, much good will also be done with the net proceeds of $4500.00 which will be divided equally between the Internado (residential) School, Caritas (providing basic support to those in greatest need), and the Loreto Optimists Children’s Fund.

The other big event this week marked another anniversary, the “Homecoming Street Party”, sponsored by the HOA and organized by Associa our administrator, to mark eight years since the first sales event that launched the Villages of Loreto Bay in November of 2003. As part of the activities, during the day on Friday the commercial tenants along the Paseo celebrated the recent openings of their businesses by holding a “Sidewalk Sale” to introduce their goods and services to all the Homeowners who are currently here.

With displays set up on the sidewalks in front of each location, many of the businesses had special offers and or samples, making it a great opportunity for residents to get to know the businesses and what they have to offer. The range of businesses that have opened on the Paseo (the main road that runs through Loreto Bay) now includes two furniture and home accessory stores, several property management services, a spa offering aesthetics and massage, a fresh food market, several construction contractors, a wine bar and boutique and the convenience store that has been in operation for the past several years. A couple of more businesses are due to open before the New Year and when it is all up and running the community of Loreto Bay will enjoy a level self-sufficiency we could only dream about several years ago!

After the businesses had closed for the day, the HOA hosted the Homecoming Party at the Bajaja Bar and Grill, centrally located midway between the Founders and Agua Viva neighbourhoods. Homeowners had RSVP’d to attend and each home received a number of free drink tickets and the restaurant served several delicious “finger food” appetizers throughout the evening, all courtesy of our Association.

As a measure of the numbers of Owners who are here this early in the season, there were 250 in attendance, 90% of whom were Homeowners, the remainder their Guests, who were able to purchase tickets at the door. To top off the evening, Loreto Bay’s favourites, Los Beach Dogs performed two sets to “thunderous” appreciation and what available space there was on the pool patio was jammed with enthusiastic dancers.

As I said, in a community as new as Loreto Bay is, there have not yet been many occasions for anniversaries – but this week was something special with both the fourth Paella competition and Luncheon and the eighth year since the first homes were sold here from chalk lines on the sand – just two more reasons we have to be thankful for “Living Loreto”.

Home & Garden Tour - Beautiful Loreto Bay!

2011-11-13T10:21:00.000-07:00

Last weekend I wrote about the different activities that took place during the Re-Discovery weekend, and I had promised to write more about the Home and Garden Tour that took place on the Sunday afternoon.

The Tour was sponsored by Baja Screens www.bajascreens.com , a Homeowner owned business that supplies and installs the popular Phantom Screens in a growing number of Loreto Bay homes. Shortly after he purchased his home in Loreto Bay, Bert Huisman, who operates the business with his partner Laurie, realized that the Phantom Screens he had in his home in Calgary would be an ideal addition to his Baja casa – allowing windows and doors to be left open while stopping insects and cutting down on sun exposure. Being entrepreneurial by nature, this led to him securing the Baja Sur territory for the product, which marked the beginning of his new side business in Loreto.

The tour began at Bert and Laurie’s Casa Chica #474, located near the Community Pool. There have been a number of upgrades done to this pretty home, with Canterra stone surrounds added to the doors and windows and of course – every opening in this two bedroom corner unit has been fitted with Phantom Screens. The main feature of these screens is that they are retractable on a spring loaded roller mechanism that discretely stores the screen when it is not required. Most Loreto Bay homes have more doors than a typical enclosed home design because they are usually built around interior courtyard space. This makes for an ideal application for the retractable French Door screens that have two panels that can be opened separately and are held closed together by magnetic catches. Although most insects here are seasonal, and not an ongoing problem, In the past month or so I have had several visits into my living room by birds that can sometimes take some coaxing to find their way out again, so these screens can certainly be useful for a number of reasons.

In addition to the screens and other nice upgrades, the feature that stood out for me most in this home was the built-in furniture they had made for their viewing tower. Wooden benches with corner storage units have been built into three sides of the tower space accented with lots of multi-coloured cushions creating an inviting seating arrangement that can be converted to day beds perfect for afternoon siestas. The generous boxed tables in the corners provide ample storage for these cushions when they are not in use.

After viewing this first home we were given a list of the other homes on the tour with a map showing their locations and were encouraged to visit them in any order so that all the people doing the tour did not converge on the same houses at the same time. My next stop was #498, a unique Nueva Chica plan that had been constructed on a larger than normal lot. The Nueva Chica was a later variation on the popular Chica plan that makes up more than half of the Founders Neighbourhood. With the home positioned in the center of this larger lot, open garden/patio spaces were created both back and front with entrances off the main Paseo as well as from the Community Courtyard on the other side. The Paseo side is mainly patio space with a large canterra tiled sitting area, ideal for dining al fresco, with a sheltered outdoor shower area accessible from the main floor bathroom – perfect for rinsing off and drying equipment after diving, one of the owners many outdoor interests.

The open space at the back of the home is divided into two areas, a beautifully protected sitting area off the main floor bedroom, surrounded by exotic specimen plantings and a generous entrance area off the Community Courtyard with a spacious Bodega, or storage room, big enough for 4 bikes to be hung on the wall and space left over for lots of other outdoor toys. Storage ideas abound in this compact home, where every square foot counts, including a pantry area next to the kitchen where custom shelving makes the most of this valuable space. I was also struck by the sense of spaciousness that is created when the furnishings are carefully scaled to the sizes of the rooms.

Nearby on the Paseo #467 is a Bohemia plan with a large side garden running the length of the home. In a standard configuration, the main floor living area of the Bohemia opens onto a large interior courtyard with a staircase running up the opposite wall to the second floor. However, with the additional large garden space in this home, the staircase is free-standing between the carefully landscaped courtyard garden and a dramatic water feature that extends along the far perimeter wall. Built of natural stone and extending almost two stories high, is a wall topped with large potted cacti and succulents. At eye level this wall is accented by several arches in the stone work and stone conduits that pour water into a reflecting pool running its full length.

The dramatic effect of the stone work and running water, accented with the lush desert foliage combines to create a sense timelessness – standing there, it is possible to imagine that these surroundings could have remained unchanged for a century or more, rather than the three or four years since the home was built. Upstairs, the iconic Loreto Bay coupola (a domed ceiling over the kitchen that helps to vent warmer air from the main floor) has been surrounded by a low wall creating a raised garden space that has been planted with more indigenous desert plantings creating another lush green space separating the comfortable, pergola shaded patio space outside the second floor bedroom, from the Paseo below.

The next home I visited was #437, the only Custom Home on this year’s tour, located directly on the 10^th fairway of the Golf Course and one of the more recently completed customs, constructed a couple of years ago in a remarkable 9 months! Custom Home lots are mainly located on the perimeter of the Founders Neighbourhood along the Golf Course and Beachfront and are built on lots that typically are 3,000 to 5,000 sq. ft., two to three times the size of the largest Village Home lots. By definition, these homes are individually designed to capitalize on their location and views.

From the outside, the home has a contemporary architectural style with a dramatic stone faced entrance way that opens onto a covered transition area leading to an open central courtyard. Inside this entranceway the opposite walls have been finished with faux-antique panels of plaster with exposed brick and painted to create a strikingly convincing passage that could well be generations old – making a dramatic contrast to the contemporary feel of the exterior. As you enter the courtyard you eye is drawn through the open entrance to the main living area and beyond to the lush green rolling fairway with the Sierra de la Giganta mountain range as a backdrop – breathtaking!

The open plan living area is furnished with uniquely upholstered accent chairs and low sofas that provide ample seating to contemplate the stunning views across the lush fairway to the mountains beyond. A spacious granite trimmed “J” shaped kitchen wraps around a large central island on the right of the living room, while to the left, is the entrance to the Master suite, incorporating custom furnishings and a lavishly accented ensuite. The French doors of the bedroom open onto the beautifully landscaped garden oasis that finishes the back of the home with tranquil golf course and mountain views separating the home from the fairway beyond. Although the floor plan of the home conforms to the square shaped lot, the interior of the main floor is built on diagonals with a large utility room in one rear corner of the main floor and a second bedroom off the courtyard, both separated from the home by internal garden spaces providing additional light and air to the interior spaces.

Upstairs most of the second floor is open terrace with a shade pergola overlooking the mountain view and a second floor “casita” style guest bedroom with ensuite. Central on the terrace is a modified coupola feature that acts as a skylight to the living room below with side windows that can be opened to catch cooling breezes.

Next I made my way to #142 located centrally on the beachside of the Founders Neighbourhood. This home has recently undergone one of the most extensive renovations to a Village home so far, with the main focus of the development being the large wrap-around garden. Capitalizing on the exceptional outdoor spaces of this home, several distinct feature areas were created. As you enter through the impressively detailed entrance gate, on your right there is a pergola shaded seating area at the far end of the front garden with a unique water feature along one wall and sunken stone hardscaping that defines the space. On the left is a beautiful outdoor dining area with a fully equipped outdoor kitchen as well as a pass through window accessing the main kitchen. In the corner is a built-in acorn shaped fireplace, perfect for extending a relaxed evening dining al fresco, even on the occasional cool nights. Around the corner there is a beautiful canterra outdoor shower conveniently located beside a new second entrance gate, beyond which a storage bodega fills the far end of the side garden with plenty of room for all the toys that make for an active outdoor lifestyle.

The main courtyard of the home has been partially hardscaped accented with sculptured plantings and a smaller wall fountain replaces the original central one, creating valuable additional space in this hub of the home. Inside the main kitchen/dining/living area the attention to detail is obvious in the tile accents, particularly in the completely renovated kitchen and the arch separating it from the rest of the room which has been opened up even further by changing one of the windows to a French Door opening onto the side garden. The rest of the home features many built-in ideas and subtle alterations to the original Encantada plan that spotlight what can be achieved with a total renovation of a Village home.

My final stop on the tour was #44, located in the first cluster of homes, just a few doors away from my own “Casablanca”. This was another Encantada plan which was among the first dozen or so homes completed in 2006. The owners, both of whom live and work most of the time in Loreto Bay, have done a lot of work and upgrades to their home over the years, but have just completed their biggest project so far, which included converting the courtyard garden into a canterra tiled outdoor living space, greatly expanding the sense of spaciousness in the home. Replacing the original central fountain, a unique wall feature has been added below the staircase to the second floor terrace. A sheet of trickling water ripples down the mosaic tiled wall which is dramatically accented with a propane fuelled fire bar across the base of the wall which must create a magical effect at night. In a side garden directly off the dining room/kitchen area, previously wasted space has been converted to a conveniently accessible BBQ counter complimenting the existing wall fountain and sheltered patio area, ideal for informal meals.

Upstairs previous renovations have included a lavish outdoor spa/shower area and the upstairs bedroom does double duty as a bright and airy studio/office with a built-in Murphy bed for extra accommodations when needed. This home also features one of the first post-construction viewing towers accessed by a small spiral staircase that leads to a spectacular view of the Sea of Cortez and the Sierra del la Giganta mountains – truly the best of both worlds.

And so concluded my first annual Home and Garden tour – certainly a highlight of the Re-Discovery weekend for me – and I expect also for most of the 60+ participants, whose purchase of tour passes will contribute over $300 to a deserving local charity. Although much of my work day involves showing Loreto Bay homes listed for re-sale, this “busman’s holiday” was a real eye opener to me – seeing how personal style and creativity can be expressed so dramatically in this small sampling of the many beautiful homes that make up this special community. What is exciting to realize is that this is just the beginning of the next phase of renovation and personalization of the homes in Loreto Bay that will enhance even more the experience of “Living Loreto”.

Re-Discovering Loreto Bay

2011-11-06T10:31:00.000-07:00

This past weekend was the second annual Re-Discovery Weekend - an event that has become the unofficial beginning of the season here in Loreto Bay. Last year, several of the people who were involved in the early days of the development had the idea to organize what they called at the time a “Reunion” weekend, inviting Homeowners to get together in Loreto at the end of October to recapture some of the excitement and enthusiasm that marked the early days of this development. I wrote about that event (Reunion with Food and Power, Oct. 2010) and speculated that it would become an annual event.

Which brings us to this past weekend, I have mentioned in earlier postings this Fall that there are more people here, earlier in the season, than ever before in Loreto Bay. And so it was with the “Re-Discovery” weekend, with more people having arrived for the season and others who planned their first visit this Fall to coincide with the weekend the community population was at record levels for this time of year.

Things “kicked off” on Thursday afternoon with a get together at the Community Pool where there were about twice as many people in attendance than at the same event last year – a good omen for things to come during the rest of weekend. Bajaja Deli Bar & Grill generously provided Margaritas and Apies for the party and the resulting level of conviviality was testament to the quality and generosity of their contribution!

Friday morning Darlene Tait conducted an Escorted Shopping Tour into to town to help Homeowners find the best places to buy produce, meats, pharmacy items and household goods in town. This was a great help to both those who are setting up their households for the first time and others who wanted to catch up with the ever-changing shopping options in Loreto. Speaking of food, that evening was the Official Opening of the aforementioned Bajaja restaurant, with a special menu of Pulled Pork and Ribs with all the trimmings, which drew a full house and many rave reviews.

On Saturday there was a full day of activities, starting with a Market and Expo that was to be staged in the “Racetrack”, a large open median space located between the Founders and Agua Viva neighbourhoods. The plan was to invite some of the fresh fruit and produce vendors who sell at the Sunday market in town to set up the day before here in Loreto Bay. However, the best laid plans in Mexico are always subject to change, and unfortunately the vendors were unable to make it due to a prior commitment at the market in Mulege, an hour and a half north of here. However, there were a handful of different community and non-profit groups from the town of Loreto distributing information on the services and activities they provide.

Later in the morning I conducted a tour of several of our Real Estate Listings for Homeowners who were interested in finding out what was happening in the local market, followed by a second tour in the afternoon lead by my co-agent Ariel. This was an opportunity for our residents to see some comparable properties and find out where prices are at the start on this season. In my group there were several comments made about the remarkable values available now on a good selection different plans, at prices well below what many of us paid several years ago!

But the biggest event of the weekend was Saturday night at the Inn. The evening started with a cocktail reception hosted by Bahia Property Management combined with an impressive exhibition of artwork created by some very talented Homeowners. Although the subjects, styles and techniques varied widely, the common theme running through many of the pieces on display was the inspiration of the beautiful surroundings where we are so fortunate to have found ourselves.

Following the reception and exhibition we moved to the pool patio area where Las Villas de Mexico - Loreto generously hosted a buffet dinner for 200 Loreto Bay Homeowners who had registered in advance, quickly filling all the available seats. Two long buffet lines moved steadily through a delicious selection of dishes including soup, salad, rice, grilled fish, tamales, chilli relenos among other dishes and deserts. This was further evidence of the increased numbers here this year as the equivalent event last year had attracted just over half that number, and there were even more who would have liked to attend this year after the maximum capacity for the event had been reached.

After everyone had enjoyed their fill, I had been asked to make a few announcements and introductions and then it was my great pleasure to introduce the entertainment for the evening – Loreto Bay’s own “Los Beach Dogs”! This time the original trio of Rich, Steve and Charles were joined by their “stray dog” Tony on electronic drums, which added even more punch to the Dogs increasingly professional sound – these guys have been practicing! They played two full sets and along with their popular blend of classic rock, blues and some folk style standards, Rich has written and composed a new original piece about Mexican Highway 1 called “Ride of your Life”, complementing his first composition “Road Uncertain” which received one of the biggest ovations of the evening. So, if there were still “45’s” being made, we might have our first #1 hit here in Loreto Bay!

But the weekend was not over yet – Sunday morning a pre-Halloween parade was planned for 10:00. After the “exuberance” of the night before, I arose Sunday morning with some doubts about how many be-costumed paraders would actually show up, but once again we “Loreto Baybes” proved to be up to the challenge! By the time I arrived at the roundabout down by the INN several costumes had already arrived and over the next 15 minutes a couple of dozen more joined us, including this year’s hot trend – dogs in costumes! (no, not Los Beach Dogs in drag, but the four legged variety looking surprisingly happy with their get-ups)

Headed up by no less than the Pope (complete with a Pope-mobile – driven, appropriately enough, by the Devil) the parade formed up for a circuit of the Paseo with religious themes, and cadavers apparently being popular choices this year, along with any costume that could be made from a sheet. Planning ahead, I had brought down with me on this trip, a full head Gorilla mask of black rubber and thick black fur which I have worn to some good effect for many Halloweens back in Canada. However, I had failed to take into consideration that it is considerably cooler in Canada at the end of October – a fact that became abundantly clear to me after about 5 minutes wearing the mask in 85 degree weather!

As with the previous Loreto Bay parade that I had taken part in (“A Red Letter Day in Loreto Bay”, February 2011) the paraders far outnumbered those who were watching, but a good time was had by all and Las Villas de Mexico - Loreto provided some refreshing drinks at the halfway turn around which kept us all going until we returned to the starting spot - where we were further revived by some slightly stronger cold drinks.

The final event of the weekend (which I plan to Blog about at greater length next weekend) was the first annual Home and Garden Tour of some of the beautiful private homes here in Loreto Bay. A limited number of passes for the tour were sold and the $300 raised will be contributed to a local charity in the town of Loreto. The tour featured six homes that are among the growing number recently completed or renovated and they provided an inspiring look at what can be done with both Village and Custom homes and their garden spaces. This was a unique opportunity for other Homeowners to be welcomed into these special places, and I hope that in the future Re-Discovery weekends will include similar tours as I am sure this would become a highlight event.

So with all of these activities and festivities having been enjoyed by the largest numbers of Homeowners here this early in the year, the Re-Discovery Weekend was an unqualified success and it well and truly launched what promises to be the best season in Loreto Bay’s history. When Homeowners from all over North America can congregate together in this emerging community to share good times and create new memories, we can all begin to really appreciate the special magic that is “Living Loreto”!

(Thanks to Al Graichen for some photos)

Lynn Hamman - In the know in Loreto!

2011-10-30T09:11:00.000-07:00

For most of the time that I have lived in Loreto Bay I have been receiving a steady stream of email notifications and announcements about what is happening in the larger community outside of this development. These emails arrive in my inbox with random frequency, sometimes several a day, often several times a week, but they share the same source, Lynn Hamman, who manages a Yahoo Group that serves as the distribution point of a wealth of information for the English speaking community here.

In fact, those of you who are familiar with this service would have received one such announcement recently, that I was resuming making posts to this Living Loreto Blog. That is when it occurred to me that this would be a helpful Blog topic for those of my readers who are not yet aware that such a service is available, but who are interested in learning more about many aspects of life in the town of Loreto. Before I go any further, it is very easy for you to join this group and start receiving these messages, just log onto: www.groups.yahoo.com/group/Loreto_community and join the group of almost 1,000 who are interested in keeping up to date about what is happening in this community.

But back to my story, I arranged to meet with Lynn one afternoon at the beautiful oceanfront property that she shares with her husband Randy, just north of downtown Loreto. We sat in the cool breeze of their second floor Living Room, overlooking the beach and the Sea of Cortez, and I asked her how she came to be the conduit of all the essential information for the ex-pat community here in Loreto.

Six years ago, when Lynn was enrolled in a Spanish class at the local University, the Instructor wanted to spread word about the class among the English speaking community and Lynn volunteered. Not having access to any current email list she created her own copying e-addresses from a phone directory of English speaking locals. Starting with 300 – 400 email addresses she began by sending out a few announcements about the classes and quickly received many replies asking her to spread the word about other events and announcements – and so it began.

As the number of announcements increased and the number of contacts grew, the process of generating hundreds of emails became more tedious and time consuming as Yahoo limited the number of contacts that could be included in each “blast”. When Yahoo later cut that number in half, effectively doubling the time and effort required for each mailing, Lynn had to find a better way. That is when, three and a half years ago, she started the Yahoo Group that I linked to above, stream lining the delivery to what is now a list of over 900 recipients.

As the sole moderator of the Group, Lynn personally screens all incoming messages to maintain the integrity of the information going out over the site, and edit where necessary, for the consistency and quality of the messages. Those messages cover a wide range of topics, some of the most important deal with information about civic utilities such as water and electricity and changes or interruptions in service, or others concerning civic administrative procedures including billings etc. and regulatory changes in areas like Immigration and Fishing Licensing. There is also frequently information about local businesses; restaurant and store openings, closings and special menus or events, meetings of groups, information about local events in town like anniversaries or festivals.

I know from my own experience that this is an important service and a reliable source of information for many people who spend time in and around Loreto and so it occurred to me that there may well be some readers of this Blog who are not yet aware of it – hence the subject of this posting. Joining this Yahoo Group will be of particular interest to the increasing number of Loreto Bay Homeowners who are beginning their adventure of Living Loreto, and are planning to spend more time in their Casa away from Home here in the Baja.

While managing this busy service may sound like a time consuming challenge, there is another important aspect to their lives that keeps Lynn and her husband Randy fully occupied. They are also the Hosts of a very popular boutique lodging, Hamman’s Vacaciones (www.stayinloreto.com). When they were having their home constructed on a choice beachfront lot about 6 years ago they decided to incorporate two self contained one bedroom suites; Mango Deck a free standing casita, and Tequila Sunrise a private condo unit on the ground floor of their residence. They also added a bedroom unit that is available as additional accommodation for larger parties renting one or both of the other suites.

Their Guests enjoy these very comfortable self-contained units with private entrances as well as the oceanfront location with spectacular views and access to great amenities like the beautiful private swimming pool, outdoor fireplace, and even an aviary with a collection of colourful tropical birds. With their years of local experience, Lynn and Randy can fulfill their role as Hosts very well indeed, providing a wealth of information to their Guests so that they can make the most of their time visiting Loreto. A testament to the success of this operation is the large percentage of repeat visitors they have, people who consider this unique property as their “casita away from home”.

In closing, I would like to acknowledge the great contribution Lynn has been making to improving the communication and building stronger bonds within the ex-pat and larger community here in Loreto. As we grow together, this becomes a more and more important link for those of us here and for those who look forward to sharing the experience of “Living Loreto”.

Water, Water, Everywhere – the “Best” of Loreto!

2011-10-23T09:04:00.000-07:00

I have a confession to make – I am not much of a swimmer, in fact I think I could be best described as a “sinker” instead. So it was from this perspective that I decided to check out the first annual open water swimming race from Picazon to Coronado Island recently. For those of you less familiar with the Loreto area, but who have been reading this Blog, the name Picazon may be familiar because I have written about it before (“In the La Picazon” May, 2009). This is one of my favourite spots near Loreto, La Picazon is a beachfront restaurant incorporated into the home of the owners Alejandro & Imelda, located about 10 km north of town across from Coronado Island.

The swimmers met the night before to receive instructions and “carbo-load” with a pasta dinner that the organizers provided, courtesy of Pedro at Porto Bello Restaurant in Puerto Escondido. Saturday morning was clear and sunny, as usual, and fortunately very calm when the participants and their supporters assembled at La Picazon before the race. Following final registrations and a “warm-up” session on the beach, the 28 swimmers took to the water about 8:30 am.

I gather the expectation was to swim from point “A”, the beach at Picazon, directly across to point “B”, the white sand beach on Coronado, in a more or less straight line. However, once the swimmers were well out into the 3 mile wide channel, they were pushed north by strong currents caused by the sea conditions associated with a recent storm hundreds of miles south of here. By halfway many swimmers had been pushed north of the island and some had to be helped back on course by some of the escort boats accompanying them.

The first swimmer arrived at Coronado in the impressive time of 1 hour 22 minutes and more than half the field (water?) finished within the next hour. As a point of interest to those not familiar with open water swimming, the field (there should be a better word in this case) of swimmers were about equally divided between those who swam with and without fins, with the “finned” swimmers having a distinct “mechanical” advantage. By about 11:30 boats began to return the swimmers from Coronado back to the beach at Picazon where a good sized crowd of supporters and the curious had gathered to welcome and congratulate them on successfully completing the crossing.

Alejandro and Imelda provided a special “fast food” menu with self-service to accommodate the large number of hungry people and soon every available seat, including some temporary beachside tables under awnings, were filled with people animatedly talking about the swim that had just taken place and listening to stories shared by the participants.

Eventually the organizers began the award presentations, recognizing each individual swimmer in the order that they finished, and presenting them with a medallion commemorating the event. This lead to a joyous celebration and I was struck by the obvious camaraderie among all the participants, sharing in each other’s success, regardless of where they each had finished.

The swimmers had come from near and far to join in this inaugural event; about 1/3 from in and around Loreto, representing both the local and ex-pat communities. I met several from Loreto Bay as well, including Kevin, a Homeowner, and his friend Lynn, both from California who were experienced tri-athletes and had made this trip to Loreto specifically to take part in the race. All told, about 1/4 came from La Paz and about the same numbers from the Mainland, one of the female swimmers was visiting Loreto from London England, saw the Poster and joined the swim – an impressive turnout of exceptional athletes for the first such competition, one that promises to become an annual event!

Continuing the “water” theme of this week’s posting, I also had the opportunity to experience one of my favourite pastimes here in Loreto – a chance to get ON the water for a half day cruise on the Sea of Cortez. I was contacted recently by a regular reader of this Blog, Jon Riksford, who introduced me to his new Sailboat Charter service based from the marina at Puerto Escondido, 10 km south of Loreto Bay. Jon has been operating a successful Charter business in San Diego (www.shelterislandsailing.com) for a number of years and first visited Loreto a couple of years ago, when he realized that this would be a perfect location to operate a branch of his sailing operation.

He began by bringing Jambo Deux, a 47 ½ foot Beneteau sailboat from San Diego around the Baja peninsula, stopping in Cabo and La Paz before establishing his home port in Puerto Escondido last winter. For the past six months he has gone through the demanding process of acquiring all the necessary documentation and permits to comply with the Mexican regulations governing such charter operations and becoming a qualified professional Skipper in Mexico.

Jon generously invited me out for a half day cruise and encouraged me to bring some Guests along for the ride, as his boat can comfortably carry 8 – 10 passengers. So earlier this week I was joined by Dar and Ed and we met Jon at his Charter office near the main dock at Escondido mid-morning. Tied up at the end of the dock we first saw Jambo Deux resting against the beautiful backdrop of the “Hidden Harbour”. Jon has a permanent moorage in the harbour, but usually can have the boat on the dock when he has a charter booked, making boarding the boat a simpler and landlubber friendly procedure.

After we stowed our bags of lunch provisions, cold drinks and other odds and ends, Jon gave us a brief tour of the spacious accommodations below decks of this beautiful boat, including all important (but simple) operating instructions for the two “heads” or on-board washrooms. There are three staterooms, one forward in the bow of the boat and two aft, side by side below the large cockpit. There is also upholstered banquet seating around a large dining table that can be converted to a fourth double berth, as well as a compact galley (or kitchen) and a nav. desk with below deck controls and readouts for all the electronics and navigation systems. The effect of the gleaming hardwood paneling and trim with the white upholstery made the spacious saloon area very inviting.

As Dar, Ed and I got comfortably settled in the cockpit area, Jon retrieved the dock lines and soon we were underway, motoring out of the marina area of the harbour, past the outer anchorage at its entrance, locally known as “the waiting room” and into the open water. Although it was a calm day, once we were away from shore and heading toward Carmen Island, Jon pointed out the line of ripples midway across the channel marking a line of wind that we headed for.

Along the way he introduced us to the basic navigation and sailing features of the boat and we had the opportunity to take the helm (steer) as he stowed lines and bumpers making the boat seaworthy in the expectation of some sailing ahead. The large cockpit would comfortably sit up to eight around a folding table, and with twin wheels aft there was plenty of room for a group twice the size of the four of us on board. Forward, the spacious deck also had plenty of space to stretch out for some “rays” and there were matching kayaks lashed to the rails on either side, providing more options for fun on the water as well as snorkelling and casual fishing for lunch.

Once we reached the line of wind we had seen at a distance, Jon unfurled the mainsail from the mast where it is stored and released the Genoa headsail and we were underway and under sail! This reminded me of one of my favourite moments from my own, sadly limited, sailing experience – when the onboard engine can be shut off and only the sound of the wind in the rigging and the water rushing by becomes the accompaniment to the true sailing experience!

As we relaxed around the cockpit table over a delicious lunch provided by Dar from the Bajaja kitchen, Jon described typical excursions ranging from a half day to a full day on the water and even extending to multi-day trips for smaller groups. The itinerary can vary with the whims of the passengers and the wind conditions on the day. Often the time aboard is divided between sailing and enjoying one of the many anchoring spots within easy access of the home port. Snorkelling, kayaking, and swimming are some of the water activities that can be enjoyed at anchor, as well as the incomparable luxury of lazing about on a beautiful boat surrounded by the beauty of the Sea of Cortez.

As the wind began to die, it was time to retrace our course back to Escondido under power and enjoy the dramatic approaches to this beautiful harbour. Adding to the enjoyment of this perfect day was the calm and confident presence of our Skipper Jon, who balanced the obvious skill and experience that comes from a lifetime of boating, with the relaxed and charming attitude of a true host, making sure his guests aboard enjoyed their experience fully. I was reminded of a sailing instructor who had once advised me that the goal of a proficient sailor was to always conduct oneself with “grace and decorum” – a perfect description of the way that Jon handles himself and his boat.

If you are interested in sharing an unforgettable experience like I have described here, you can get more information on the website I linked to at the beginning of this posting and select “Loreto, Sea of Cortez Sailing Charters” at the top of the page for more details and contact information. Although my opportunities to enjoy a day on the water are rare, I have long understood that the BEST part of the life experience in this pristine place is to be found – on the water – and that’s a truly special part of “Living Loreto”.

Giving Thanks - a new season begins!

2011-10-16T08:19:00.000-07:00

I have mentioned that there is a lot of new commercial development underway in the Loreto Bay community this Fall, I opened our new Real Estate Office this past week, next door to the new First Contact Property Management Offices where Chris and Dawn Smith have set up to manage their properties in the development.

This past week was also a “soft opening” event for another new business opening within Loreto Bay, the Bajaja Deli Bar which shares the building with USG Construction at the south end of the “race track” median between the Founder’s Village and Agua Viva. This large contemporary style building is not actually part of the Loreto Bay Condominium regime, as the lot was owned privately before the development began.

USG Construction (www.usgconstructiongroup.com) is a General Contractor that was formed earlier this year by three principals, most of whom have been involved with the Loreto Bay Development since the early days; Ed Tait, was the first Loreto Bay employee on the ground and was responsible for initially setting up the construction project, Groff Ward whose company West Coast Millworks fabricated all of the cabinets and much of the woodwork for the initial phases of the Loreto Bay Project, and Brian Partridge who has a lengthy background in all aspects of overseeing construction.

When USG leased the building for their construction office, they realized that because the property was originally designed as a residence, it would also lend itself to operating a restaurant/bar in the same location – a long-held dream of Ed and his wife Darlene and a shared interest of the other two couples as well. Thus the Bajaja Deli Bar & Grill (www.bajajaloreto.com) was born! After months of preparations including renovations to the kitchen and securing the necessary permits, a couple of weeks ago they began serving Breakfast and Lunch between 8:00 am and 3:00 pm.

But the big event was planned for this past Monday – a Canadian Thanksgiving Buffett – complete with a full afternoon of Canadian Football on the satellite TV in the Bar! Announcements were made on the well established Loreto grapevine and soon they were sold-out by reservations, and then over-sold, and finally over-over-sold! For those of my American readers, we Canucks celebrate our Thanksgiving in early October (I guess it has something to do with the fact that our harvest is earlier in the north), but in most other important respects the celebration is the same – like Turkey – but more about that later!

I arrived at Bajaja mid-afternoon and joined a small group of “early birds” in the Bar to watch the second half of the football game. The main building is arranged around a central sunken courtyard with a covered patio area overlooking the swimming pool which makes up most of the back yard. At one end of the pool there is a separate building where the Bar is located. Tables were set up in the sunken courtyard, in the colonnade between the courtyard and the pool and on three sides of the pool deck with total seating for over 70 people. As the afternoon progressed more people arrived and congregated in the Bar until that space overflowed into the other areas where people found seats, and enjoyed meeting and greeting each other as they relaxed over cocktails.

Meanwhile, preparations were well underway for the Thanksgiving feast that was to come! Located behind the kitchen on the pool deck, a propane burner was set up to heat a large deep fryer where each of four large Turkeys were being cooked under the careful eye of Geoff, the Master Turkey Fryer! For those of you who haven’t experienced deep fried Turkey this is one of the best (and fastest) ways of cooking fowl. The fully thawed bird is immersed whole in cooking oil, which is maintained at 375 degrees, and it cooks to a golden brown in only 3 minutes per pound. The cooked meat is succulent and juicy, without any of the oiliness you might expect from this cooking method – delicious!

In the kitchen, the staff chef Jessey was hard at work, with assistance from all the partners preparing the side dishes of mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, peas, carrots, gravy, stuffing and all the trimmings that make up a Thanksgiving feast. By the time that all four birds had been cooked to perfection, a separate room was prepared for the buffet and soon the table was surrounded by appreciative diners loading their plates with the delicious food. As platter after platter of carved Turkey was delivered, and the side dishes were replenished, eventually everyone was seated and enjoying this traditional meal – in very Untraditional surroundings. With the setting sun silhouetting the mountains to the west, and the verdant greens of the golf course fairways stretching beyond the bougainvillea trimmed wall around the illuminated pool – this wasn’t the way Thanksgiving used to be!

In addition to enjoying the delicious food, this was an opportunity for the guests to celebrate the beginning of a new season in Loreto Bay. A few hardy souls had been here all summer long, many more had recently returned, some staying for weeks, others for the whole winter and so the conversations were “when did you arrive”, “how long are you staying”, “what have you been doing all summer”, re-establishing the sense of community that is one of the most important features of Loreto Bay. I was also pleased to see some “Townies” from Loreto joining the festivities, it is good to have events where Loreto Bay and people who live in town can meet and mingle in a social situation.

After finishing off our feast with more tradition, freshly baked pumpkin pie with whipped cream, darkness began to fall and people took their leave, finding their way home in the warm night air, under the darkened silhouettes of Palm trees - adding a welcome new dimension to the celebration of giving thanks, particularly for those of us fortunate enough to be “Living Loreto”.

The Long and Winding Road

2011-10-09T11:09:00.000-07:00

It is not without a small degree of trepidation that I begin this, my fourth season of writing “Living Loreto”. While I am excited about resuming my regular routine of posting stories about my life here in Loreto and the thoughts and activities that I want to share with you, my loyal readers – after my four month hiatus from Loreto it is a bit intimidating to begin the process again, considering the obligation I feel to produce these postings every week for the next eight months.

But, having said that, I realize that the best way to begin again is to do just that – begin! I returned to Loreto almost two weeks ago, driving here from my summer locale, Calgary in Canada. This year, however, rather than taking my regular direct route south from Alberta through Montana, Idaho, Utah, Arizona, Nevada and California before entering Mexico, I decided to take a different route, see some new scenery and do some visiting along the way.

In addition to the appeal of a new itinerary and visiting friends along the way, I left Calgary almost a month earlier than in previous years and so I had the luxury of making a more leisurely trip – almost three weeks, instead of the 4 or 5 days that my direct route normally takes. Taking this additional time had the added benefit of postponing my arrival here earlier in September, when the combination of high temperatures and humidity make life at this latitude challenging, even for those who are acclimatized – let alone for me, having spent the past several months in what can be generously described as a “temperate” climate in western Canada!

So, when I left Calgary I headed west, instead of south, and crossed the Rocky Mountains into British Columbia where my first stop was Penticton, a small resort city in the south-eastern part of that neighbouring province where I visited friends who are also Homeowners here in Loreto Bay. Penticton is built around a beautiful large lake which is a vacation hub for many visitors as well as a large retired population. I was impressed with the growing number of small “craft” vineyards in the area, the microclimate of the south-facing hills being ideal for a thriving local wine industry – Napa Valley North! But just beyond these acres of lush green irrigated fields, the rolling hills covered with scrub brush in shades of rust and brown, reminded me much of the Baja environment and I realized I was homesick for Loreto with still over 4,000 km to go!

My next stop was Vancouver Island, but first I traveled further west through some of the most scenic mountain terrain in southern BC and along the Fraser River Valley, skirting the suburbs of Vancouver until I reached the major Ferry terminal at Tsawwassen south of the city. I waited there for the departure to Nanaimo (Duke Point) and spent a relaxing 2 hour trip aboard, before getting back on the road again on the Island and travelling an hour south to the small town of Duncan, which was my next stop. Although I used to travel Vancouver Island for many years on business, and stopped regularly in Duncan for meetings, in my working life I never had (made) the time to stop here and visit close relatives who live there, an oversight I had great pleasure correcting on this trip.

When I left Duncan, I headed to Victoria, on the southern tip of the Island, the Provincial Capital and one of the most beautiful cities in western Canada. I have visited Victoria often over the years and it remains one of my favourite places in the whole country – with one of the mildest climates, great architecture, and a breathtaking setting where you are never far from the ocean and rugged coastline. Here too, I was welcomed by close friends who are Homeowners in Loreto Bay and enjoy their summers in this very different environment of beautiful gardens, stately homes and verdant rainforests – truly the best of both worlds!

Upon leaving Victoria I took a second Ferry, this time from the centre of Victoria south to Port Angeles in Washington. After the ever increasing levels of scrutiny that I have become accustomed to crossing into the US on my regular route, the I found the Immigration and Customs routine for this Ferry crossing, while apparently adequately secure, to be much less intimidating and far more welcoming than my experiences at regular highway crossings further inland. Perhaps this will become a preferred route in the future, when I can arrange my trip this way again.

Port Angeles Washington is a small harbour community with a mix of commercial and pleasure boat traffic and once I cleared the town I enjoyed a leisurely paced drive east and then south around the Olympic Peninsula through rain forest and never far from the rugged shoreline that separates Seattle from the open Pacific Ocean. Eventually, I joined I-5, the major Interstate southbound to my next destination, Portland, just across the border into Oregon.

I had been looking forward to visiting Portland for some time, both because of how much I have heard about what a unique and beautiful city it is, and particularly because, for some reason, there are a disproportionate number of Homeowners in Loreto Bay from Portland and the surrounding areas. I was able to visit with two such couples while I was there, and get a taste of what makes Portland such a special place. While I was there, I had a recurring sense of familiarity – odd under the circumstances, since, as I said, this was my first visit, but it was later, after I left, that I realized why I felt this way.

Although I spent most of my time while in Canada living in Calgary, thirty years ago I spent a number of years living in Ottawa, Canada’s capital in eastern Canada. And it was living there with the century old brick buildings, lush gardens and a sense of history that reminded me of what I saw and felt visiting Portland. Although I know there is much of Portland that is contemporary and similar to most major modern cities, because most of western Canada was settled long after there were thriving cities established in the western States, I realize that I associate the sense of history I was feeling with the older cities in eastern Canada, and so it was strange to me to find that impression “transplanted” to a very western feeling place like Portland. I look forward to returning and experiencing more of the unique lifestyle Portlanders obviously enjoy!

One of the highlights of my trip was the next three days. After leaving Portland I headed west to join the Pacific Coast Highway, the PCH or 101, a deservedly famous road, accurately named, as it skirts much of the coastline through Oregon and California. However, just before joining the much anticipated 101 I had surprisingly remarkable experience going through the “H. B. VanDuzer Forest State Scenic Corridor”. At the beginning of this stretch I noticed an advisory sign stating that the next 22 miles was going to be twisty and hilly – sounds like fun, I thought, but 22 MILES, that must be a bit of exaggeration.

It was no exaggeration! For the next 22 miles I was on what could be best described as an asphalt roller coaster – Wheeeee! Although I had my eyes firmly on the road and so couldn’t verify this by mileage, but I swear there wasn’t a ¼ mile stretch of straight road in the entire 22 miles, as this well maintained, albeit narrow two lane road corkscrewed through towering rainforest for almost 45 minutes of breathtaking scenery. If I ever own a motorcycle, however unlikely that may be, I vow that this stretch of road will be near the top of my bucket list to experience! Not that this is a unique idea of mine, far from it, in fact, fully 50% of the traffic I met on this road was of the two wheel variety, and although I couldn’t verify this, I am sure most of the riders had bugs on their teeth from the silly grins from they were wearing.

But this was just the appetizer for the real treat. Previously I have driven the PCH northbound several times in the past, but the experience of being on the outside lane southbound as this road travels along some of the most breathtaking coastal views was an even greater thrill. Mile upon mile of crashing surf, wide expanses of open beach, towering rain forests, quaint seaside villages and an almost uninterrupted chain of State Parks and viewing areas, made for one of the highlights of my travels anywhere!

My day ended in Brookings OR, at the southern end of the state, just north of the California border where I stayed near a large harbour of mixed commercial, fishing and pleasure boating. The next day was more of the same, until 101 turned inland for about 50 miles south of Eureka before it met the junction with Highway 1, the Seacoast Highway, which is an even narrower, and, if possible, more scenic road, clinging even more precariously along the coastline for another 50 miles or so. Reluctantly, at that point I made my way east rejoining 101, which was now an inland road that approached San Francisco.

Rather than attempting the Golden Gate Bridge and downtown San Francisco at the end of that day, I diverted towards the east Bay, stopping in the unremarkable Vallejo for the night. My third day took me back to Interstate 5 where I made the uneventful trip south through central California, east of Los Angeles, and along an almost uninterrupted 150 miles of endless orchards. My passage through LA went smoothly, never leaving the crowded Interstate, until I approached Orange County, about an hour south, although it is impossible to tell where one place name stops and another starts in this hugely populated area.

I have not seen enough of Southern California to express a legitimate opinion, but, regardless - I think that the area around San Clemente in Orange County epitomizes the ideal SoCal lifestyle – lush manicured lawns, gardens and public spaces, beautiful homes, miles of beaches with surfers on every available wave, charming commercial streets with great stores and restaurants – all in all, an idyllic environment that portrays a popular aspect of the American Dream. Needless to say, I enjoyed my several days of visiting in this beautiful place, sharing it with good friends who are lucky enough to call this place home!

The day before I was due to enter Mexico I drove the hour and a half to San Diego to meet up with my travelling partner for the final leg into Mexico, who is also a Loreto Bay Homeowner, and we loaded the small amount of remaining space in my Denali with various house wares that were to be transported to Loreto – no space goes unfilled on the southbound trip! For my last night in America I enjoyed staying in a 5 star Hotel in downtown San Diego, right on the Marina which held the largest flotilla of the most impressive yachts I have ever seen in one place in my life. There were literally hundreds, perhaps thousands of beautiful boats as far as the eye could see!

That night I went to a SD landmark, the Kansas City BBQ, nearby my Hotel, and enjoyed a rack of “falling off the bone” ribs. Although this small and very casual restaurant has been here for years, it became part of pop culture when it was used as a location for scenes in the Tom Cruise movie Top Gun almost 20 years ago. Although this connection was interesting, if trivial, the food was good and it was a fitting end to my journey to date.

The next morning I picked up my passenger in downtown San Diego and we arrived at the Tijuana border by 9:00 am. As I have mentioned before, crossing borders always entails some uncertainty, but we headed confidently for the “Nothing to Declare” lanes only to be immediately waved over to the secondary inspection. One look at the obviously capacity load and we were directed to the parking area for a more thorough inspection.

Eventually, we determined that we were expected to remove EVERYTHING from the vehicle before a Customs Agent would look over our load. Surprisingly, it only took about 15 minutes to “dump” everything around Denny and then I found a likely looking Agent to come and do the inspection. He poked at a few boxes and asked a few questions and in less than 5 minutes said we were free to go. Repacking went quickly and even yielded a bit more room than before so we were on our way again 45 minutes after crossing the border.

After a quick stop in Ensenada at the Costco (we didn’t have room to buy much) we carried on south, arriving in Guerrero Negro just as the sun was setting. There were two extensive construction zones, one south of Ensenada and the other south of Catavina, but I have learned to welcome road construction on Mexico #1 because it means that the next time I pass that way the road will be much improved.

After an excellent dinner and quiet night at the Malarimo Motel and Restaurant in Guerrero Negro we had a good breakfast and were on the road by 9:00 am, except, because we were now in Baja Sur it was 10:00 am. But from there it was an easy 4 hour drive across the peninsula and south to Loreto, the last half of which was down the east coast from Santa Rosalia past the breathtaking Bahia Conception, almost deserted in the end of summer heat which reached 104 degrees in the afternoon.

And so ended my extended journey south almost 5,000 km in 3 weeks through some of the most spectacular scenery in the west of North America, broken up with wonderful visits with friends and family along the way – what a perfect way to begin another winter of “Living Loreto”!

P.S. I have exceeded my normal budget for this first instalment, but considering the ground I covered I hope not to have taxed your patience. However, if you will indulge me one more thing - I am very excited to announce that I have launched a new personal website at www.LivingLoreto.com where you will be able to find this Blog posted every week along with Real Estate information about the Loreto Bay development and many new features to come this season including photos, video links and much more I hope to add to enrich the experiences I share in “Living Loreto”. I hope you will bookmark this new link and adopt the habit of going there to find the Blog every weekend. But rest assured, this blog will continue to be available at www.livingloreto.blogspot.com in the future, however if you continue to read the Blog there you will not be able to access some of the bonus features I will be adding to the new site this season – so I hope you will switch where you read this and make a habit of visiting www.LivingLoreto.com in the future!

Travelling North to Canada - ehh?

2011-06-05T12:56:00.000-07:00

Greetings from the Great Greyish North!

Yes, I made it safe and sound back to Calgary this week, the drive was thankfully uneventful and I made it here (almost 4,000 km) in four long days.

I left Loreto last Sunday morning and drove to San Quintin, about 850 km, in about 10 hours the first day, staying again at La Villa de la San Qunitin, which I have described in previous travelblogs. The only unusual event on that day was just north of San Ignacio, where there was a Federal Police vehicle pulled off to the right and an Officer standing in the middle of the road flagging me down. When I stopped, wondering if this was some sort of different inspection, I was greeted by a very cheerful smiling Cop who spoke excellent English. He proceeded to ask me where I was going, and when I said Tecate he asked if I would be willing to drive the other Police Officer, who I hadn’t noticed standing over by their car, to Guerrero Negro about 150 km down the road.

It took me a minute to process this unusual request, travelling on Mexico #1 one has to be prepared for just about anything but transporting Police had not been on my list, previously. I asked if the other Officer (who was quite young, probably in his 20’s) spoke English, to which he replied, yes, “Charlie” spoke a little. I decided on the spot that these two guys in uniform (and armed, of course) represented more protection than a threat, and I was probably safer travelling with him than saying no, and the young passenger-to-be looked like a nice guy, so I said sure, I’d take him.

While he was putting a small duffle bag in the back of the car and getting settled in the passenger seat, I half jokingly asked the other Officer if taking this passenger meant that I would have to abide by the speed limit – to which he laughed, and said No!, with a Cop in the car I could go as fast as I wanted and no one would bother me! And so we were off. I quickly became aware that “Charlie” (whose real name was Carlos) spoke about as much English as I did Spanish so communication was quite limited, albeit very earnest and well meaning. He noticed the small English/Spanish dictionary I keep on the console and I was amused by the fact that he was using it the opposite way that I did – with about the same results.

As we both recognized the limits of our conversational skills and had driven some distance in relative silence, I decided to try listening to the Sirius satellite radio, but realized that my usual preference for Talk Radio was not appropriate, so I handed him the list of 150+ channels so he could choose something. Not surprisingly, this didn’t have much effect on him – I don’t think he understood what I was suggesting, or could understand what was on the list anyway – so I decided to try the all Elvis station, thinking (it turned out, correctly) that the King of Rock & Roll was universal! And so we carried on, for the next hour and a half or so, rocking our way across the Baja Peninsula – a twenty-something Police rookie, and yours truly, a barely sixty survivor of the sixties – sharing the music the The King who died more than 10 years before my passenger was born!

I dropped Carlos off at the Police Station in GN, but before I could leave he had to show me his patrol car, inside and under the hood, which he was obviously proud of, and after taking his picture I gave him my card with this Blog address, and perhaps he is reading these words with you now, with the assistance of Google Translate – if so “Hola, Carlos, Bienvenidos!”

Leaving Guerrero Negro about 2:30 pm, and refuelling after travelling 440 km from Loreto, I began the second leg of the first day’s travel. The rest of the afternoon passed uneventfully, with two more inspection stops, one about 60 km north of GN and the other just north of El Rosario, before I arrived in San Quintin about 7:00 pm – 6:00 local time, as I was now in Baja Norte and the Pacific time zone. I stopped again at Villa San Quintin, 450 pesos for a comfortable single room and had an adequate shrimp dinner at the adjoining restaurant before calling it an early night.

The next morning, I had a quick breakfast in the room, although their restaurant was open, and was on the road refuelling before I left town at 8:30 (Loreto time). As I was reaching the north end of town, I noticed a brand new Hotel on the east side of the road called La Mission, which I had heard about recently, and, from the fleeting glimpse I had driving past, it looked very nice – I will probably try staying there if I stop here again on my return trip.

About 100 km north of San Quintin and 100 km south of Ensenada, I went through the fifth Inspection stop, a very temporary looking one at the side of the highway that was new since my last trip south. This was explained a few kilometres further north, when I passed a new multi-lane roofed structure built on the southbound lane of the highway that appeared to be an almost completed permanent “new design” Inspection station that looked similar to a toll booth plaza. Perhaps this is the state-of-the-art-to-be for future Federal Inspection facilities, I will watch out for this on my return trip.

After a quick pit-stop at Costco in Ensenada (the nicest public washrooms on the Highway), I continued through to the turn-off for Highway 3 to Tecate, a road that has been under construction for the past several years. However, it is now in good condition, with long stretches of new wide pavement and only a few construction zones, none of which caused any delays on this trip. I have expressed the opinion in previous Blogs, that I think the plan is to develop this route to relieve some of the tremendous traffic pressure, particularly northbound, from the Tijuana crossing, the busiest border crossing in the World!

Since I was travelling on the Monday of the Memorial Day weekend, I expected heavier than usual traffic volume at the US Border, and I was right – I stopped just about a kilometre from the Border on the access road in two lanes of bumper-to-bumper vehicles and it took me just over an hour to make my way to the Border Guard station. Previously, not on Holiday long weekends, the longest I have had to wait here is 20 minutes, with 5 to 10 minutes being more normal – however, I consoled myself that if it was an hour’s wait at Tecate it could have been six or eight at TJ!

After crossing the Border, I made my way west to the Interstate corridor and joined I-15 north of San Diego and continued north past San Bernardino to Barstow, 640 km from San Quintin and 330 from Tecate, where I stopped for the night. The luxury of a new American Hotel, with a great bed, nice linens, a granite bathroom, flat panel TV and a chain-style restaurant across the parking lot where I got a meal of ribs, fries and a salad was a wonderful way to celebrate my return to North America! The next morning, as I packed up again, I also appreciated the fact that day I would not be subject to random inspections of my vehicle by well armed soldiers at the side of the road.

The final two days were long, 1,200 km each, stopping in Pocatello Idaho the next night and arriving in Calgary Wednesday about 6:00 pm. But divided Interstate highways are designed for fast travel, although what they gain in efficiency they lose somewhat in interesting stories. I did video record bits and pieces of the drive on this trip with my small handy-cam mounted on a mono-pod attached to the dash and, as one of my projects this summer, I will edit these recordings into some sort of a travelogue of highlights from the drive (God save us from Vacation Movies). I also plan to re-start my Spanish lessons from the Rosetta Stone program with the goal of increasing my facility in the language on my return to Loreto in the Fall.

This year I expect to head back to Loreto earlier than in previous years, probably mid to late September, and I will plan to re-launch Living Loreto again early in October for my fourth year of Blogging, so please check back at that time! In closing I would like to express my sincere appreciation for the loyal and growing readership that your visits here represent. As I conclude this year’s Blog season I am more than gratified to have reached a total of almost 55,000 of your visits over the past three years of my writing these posts – almost 25,000 of them in the past year alone!

Having said that, I will admit some relief to take a hiatus from writing over the summer - much as I enjoy the process, finding subjects for each week’s topics becomes a daunting exercise. For that reason, I would like to take this opportunity to invite you, my loyal readers, to email me with suggestions or ideas for future Blogs – what would you be interested in reading about Living Loreto in future instalments? Just look at the top right of the Blog where you will find my email address and drop me a note with your suggestions – I promise I will reply to every one of your emails and compile a file of your ideas for future reference, however I cannot guarantee that I will necessarily be willing or able to write a post on any and all of your ideas.

Thank you again for your continued interest in these offerings, I trust you have a safe and happy Summer and we will meet again here in the Fall – because saying good-bye for the Summer and looking forward to getting together again in the Fall is also part of ``Living Loreto``!

Adios!

Thoughts about comings and goings

2011-05-22T11:26:00.000-07:00

This will be the last posting from here in Loreto for this winter season, however I plan to write one more about my drive back to Canada after I arrive there in early June, so please check back again for the final posting of this season.

Over the past couple of weeks I have seen a steady exodus of friends and neighbours leaving for wherever they spend their summer months, culminating a trend that began back in April when the numbers of people leaving started to exceed those arriving. By the time I leave next weekend there will probably be fewest people here since after I arrived back in mid-October.

Although I am looking forward to seeing family and friends on my return north, and I will appreciate some of the conveniences of the North American urban lifestyle that are taken for granted when you live there, the more time I spend here, the deeper my connection has become with this place. One of the biggest changes for me will be returning to an English language culture where I am once again in the linguistic majority. While my comprehension of Spanish has improved this winter, and I am determined, once again this summer, to re-do the Rosetta Stone language program that I studied last summer, being surrounded by a foreign language on a day to day basis creates a low level of stress that only becomes apparent when it disappears.

In spite of all of these positives awaiting me north of the border, there is definitely a melancholy associated with seeing the vibrant and thriving community that has been the center of my life here for the past eight months shrinking house by house, neighbour by neighbour. The somewhat depressing, but now familiar, process of shutting down my home for the summer and deciding what things I am going to be bringing with me and what I’m leaving behind is one of the last steps remaining before I start the long drive north.

The drive itself (this next one will complete my 8^th round trip since buying my home here) continues to be both a challenge and an adventure. Travelling solo 4,000 km, likely over a four day period, requires both physical and mental stamina, and with luck, more or less equal amounts of both exhilaration and tedium. For this later reason, a very important accessory on the trip is my satellite radio, which, if all goes well, should provide me with continuous reception of almost 150 stations covering every conceivable taste in music, talk and audio entertainment.

Also on this trip I am planning on adding a new “wrinkle” to the journey – I am going to video record highlights of the drive with the goal of putting together a personal travelogue. I think I am now familiar enough with the drive to anticipate some of the most interesting stretches so as to be able to have my video camera running to capture them. For those of you who are trying to “picture” how I am going to manage driving my vehicle “Denny” over narrow (and at times treacherous) Mexican roads or busy eight lane US Freeways while shooting video – relax! I have secured a “mono-pod” to my dashboard to mount the camera on, and I will be able to control the recording on and off and even rotate the camera to focus on yours truly for commentary with a simple flip of the hand; or that’s the plan, anyway!

Getting back to the travel to and from Loreto at this time of year, I don’t want to give the impression that the travel is just one way, as each inbound flight (now down to four per week from LAX) still brings visitors and Homeowners, but I think that most of these arrivals now are going to be for shorter term stays, while most of us who have been here for the winter will have left by the end of this month. The irony about the fact that so many people have gone is that in terms of the weather, this is one of the most perfect times of the year – temperatures are in the mid-80’s and generally calm conditions with cooling breezes picking up in the later afternoon. However, from this point on, temperatures will rise, followed by the humidity, and the rhythm of day to day life here will gradually slow down as people adapt to the changing climate.

Of course, not everyone leaves for the summer, there are a few hardy souls among the ex-pats who live here year round, considerably more in the town of Loreto than here in Loreto Bay. But even for those who consider this their year-round home, there are often plans for a “vacation” north to more temperate climates for a break from the extremes of heat and humidity during the summer.

But with the heat come the fish, or more accurately, as the water temperature rises different species are attracted to these waters, Dorado being particularly prized as a sport fish here during the summer. This of course brings with it fishers from far and wide to test themselves in one of the most prized sport fishing environments in the world. Noticeable at the airport, are the (mainly) men arriving on every flight with large coolers to pack the product of their adventures in these prolific waters back home to enjoy, no doubt served along with stories of “the big one that got away!”

The late summer and early Fall is also the time of year that inclement weather can occur in this part of the world. We have not had a serious storm here in over a year and a half, when Hurricane Jimena passed within 200 km and dumped up to a foot of rain with winds up to 100 kmph. I have heard talk that this may be a La Nina year and if so there may be more storm activity than usual, whatever usual is! But after over a year and a half without significant rainfall in this area, the possibility of replenishing rain is welcome, particularly among those who depend on raising free range cattle for their livelihood.

While I have never been here during a “storm event” up until now, I am planning to return before the end of September, the earliest that I have been here in the Fall, which is prime time within the mid-August through mid-October “window” that is the Hurricane Season here. So I will be watching the weather closely, as I get ready for the trip south, to hopefully time my travel back through the Baja and avoid being on the road during any heavy weather.

So as I prepare to leave Loreto for another summer, and return to where I used to call home for so many years before finding my place in the sun, it is a time for me to reflect on how this place has changed over the years since I first came here, and also to realize how I have been changed by it. While this annual exodus is bittersweet, looking forward to seeing the people I miss, but missing the people and place that I now call home, leaving and looking forward to my return is another part of “Living Loreto” – Vaja con Dios!

Fishing, Cooling and Cleaning

2011-05-15T10:48:00.000-07:00

As the countdown continues to my departure from Loreto to return to Canada in a couple of weeks, I am trying to knock things off my “bucket” list to wrap up this season’s Blog topics. So last weekend I decided to go fishing for the first time this season.

While sport-fishing from a panga boat is the “normal” way to fish here, I enjoy being able to cast from the shoreline around Punta Nopolo, the rocky outcrop at the south end of the development, that gives it’s name to the district around Loreto Bay. This spot is ideal for me, first because it is a 15 minute walk from my home and it gives me access to deeper water than the shallow shoreline that makes up the rest of the Bay.

You will note that my reasons for this preference did NOT include the results that I have had on previous occasions when I have fished from this location. That is because it is important for you to understand the criteria on which I base my success, when it comes to fishing. For me, it’s all about the journey and not the destination – in other words, actually catching fish is not the object of the exercise.

Rather, it’s an admirable excuse for taking a nice walk along the beach and occupying a couple of hours at the water’s edge; watching the waves, the tropical fish darting among the rocks, and enjoying the views of sea, sky, and shore stretching all around me. Based on my past experience, my measure of success when fishing is not gauged by what I catch – but how little I lose, lures and tackle, etc.

So with that that perspective in mind, I collected my tackle bag, fishing rod, a bucket with other accessories and my camera and I headed out. When I first reached the beach the water was calm and there was only a slight breeze, so far so good. It was also low tide, which means that the apron of rock around the base of Punta Nopolo where I like to stand and cast from would be exposed and accessible. As I continued along the shore I noticed rolls of dried seaweed scattered along the beach where it had been stranded by the receding water of the low tide.

The significance of this seaweed eluded me at the time, and I carried on to the end of the beach and started out around the shelf of rock surrounding Punta Nopolo to my first casting spot. As I reached the large rocks at the edge of the water I saw that they were covered underwater with a huge bloom of thick seaweed that I had seen the tell-tale traces of on the shore. There would be no fishing from shore today – any lure I used would become hopelessly tangled in the thick weeds when I retrieved it after casting.

The presence of seaweed is not a common occurrence in these waters, most of the year the water is clear of vegetation. But, like many other natural elements in this environment, things come in and out of season and run in cycles – and this is the “season” for seaweed. As I have described in the past; every bug has it’s season, but that season is limited – by another bug, and so the cycle continues.

There I was, halfway around Punta Nopolo, carrying all my fishing equipment, but not able to fish. So, I continued around the base of Punta Nopolo, enjoying the views, watching kayaks, snorkelers, and birds. Scrambling up and over boulders relaying the fishing equipment from one resting spot to another, taking several rest stops in shady spots until I made it all the way around and reached the beach at the entrance to the estuary on the far side.

Standing on the beach in a few inches of water was a majestic grey heron, still as a sculpture, fishing for lunch. I gradually approached to get closer pictures, with the full knowledge of the bird, which checked my progress with each advance, even though I never got closer than 50 feet away. Finally, however, I broke through some invisible “heron barrier” and with a guttural squawk it was airborne, clearing the estuary bay with a few powerful strokes of it’s massive wingspan.

While a sighting of this kind of bird is uncommon, it is not unheard of – but for me, it holds a special significance. Many years ago I did a soul retrieval with a Shaman in western Canada following which, he told me that my Power Animal was a Grey Heron, not quite the Lion or Tiger I had wished for, but as I learned more about the characteristics of this creature the more I came to appreciate my newly discovered relationship. It is for this reason that I take particular comfort from these occasional sightings – it is important to me that I live somewhere that my Power Animal calls home.

With the departure of the Heron it was time for me to head back along the beach to my home, still carrying my unused fishing equipment, but I was not returning empty handed, in fact, the catch of the day turned out to be far more than the few “nibbles” I had expected at the outset. Adapting to the change of plans, scrambling up and over the boulders, enjoying the peace, beauty and solitude as I paused to rest, and culminating with my Heron encounter – this simple exercise of going for a walk had taken on a spiritual significance.

On a more mundane level, I have been making other pre-departure preparations this past week. Recently the air conditioning quit in my car, and with a long hot drive ahead of me in a couple of weeks fixing it was definitely a priority. I got a referral from another Homeowner to someone in town who services both home and car A/C systems. After locating their home and place of business in the Zaragosa district of town, I managed to communicate the problem and understand the solution (lubricating the compressor and recharging the Freon coolant) and agree on the charge of 750 pesos, about $65.00.

However, before the work could begin he managed to explain that he needed to buy the lubricant at an electrical supply shop downtown and so I drove him to the store and then gave him the cash to purchase the $25 spray can of lubricant. After we returned, the servicing only took about half an hour and then I paid the balance of what I owed (plus a small “propina” for the quick and cheerful service) and I was on my way again “chilling” in my once again cool vehicle.

Among the other departure details I have renewed my visa for another year, upgrading it to an FM2 from the FM3 I have had for the past five years, and had my annual teeth cleaning appointment with Dr. Ramos (Maestro Limpio, April, 2010) at the bargain rate of 500 pesos ($45), during which appointment I also conveniently had my car washed nearby!

So a week that began with an attempted fishing trip (which became a reminder of a spiritual journey) and included oral and auto maintenance (at bargain Mexican prices) was a fitting example of how the exceptional and commonplace combine for the unique experience that is “Living Loreto”.

Sunday Market - a visit to the "Mall" Loreto style

2011-05-08T08:51:00.000-07:00

As I start to think about my return trip to Canada in a few weeks I have been considering topics for the remaining Blogs and decided to make a return visit this week to the Sunday Market that is held in Loreto. While I have written about the Market previously (To Market To Market, January ’09) I confess that I have not been there this past winter season.

The reasons for my abstaining from going to the Market are twofold. First of all, the quality of the produce available at the stores in town has improved over the past years to the point that I can usually find the fruits and vegetables that I want on my regular shopping trips into Loreto without making a special trip to the Market on Sunday mornings. Secondly, since I have been working in the Dorado Properties Office five (or sometimes six) days a week most of this winter, I look forward to a relaxing day off on Sundays and the lure of fresh vegetables had not been enough, until now, to tempt me out of my weekend routine.

However, no sacrifice is too great for you, my loyal reader, and so this past Sunday I grabbed a quick breakfast and headed to the Market about 9:30. The location of the Market is on the edge of the Arroyo (dry river bed) that separates the south side of Loreto from the “suburb” of Zaragosa. It can be reached off Francisco Madero, which runs parallel to the Malacon, south off Salvatierra, but I took a “back road” from the highway that passes north of the Airport land and comes in on the Zaragosa side.

The Market itself is two rows of temporary stalls facing each other across a gravel path that is about 30 feet wide. The stalls stretch about a hundred yards, with a parking lot along the length of one side. Scattered among the stalls are about half a dozen vendors that sell a variety of fruits and vegetables along with a few smaller ones that specialize in a couple items like strawberries, or some prepared foods like Tamales. These vegetable and food stalls are the main attraction for the ex-pat community, as well as many of the locals, for whom a trip to the Market is often a family occasion, much in the same way as a trip to the Mall is for many North Americans.

When I first started shopping at the Market several years ago, I thought that it was going to be more of a “Farmer’s” market with locally grown crops available, but much of the produce available here comes from outside the Baja and as far away as the US, in some cases. While there are some locally grown products available, they tend to be the staples like tomatoes, onions, oranges and possibly lettuce, a lot of the rest that’s available comes from the mainland and a surprising amount comes out of boxes identified with their US origin.

As I understand this, it is due in large part to the intensive factory farming practiced here, particularly in the northern Baja, close to markets across the border in the US. In other Blogs about my drives through some of these market gardening areas, I have described hundreds of acres of fields covered with shade structures where one crop, like tomatoes are grown. Because this mono-culture of export crops dominates most of the arable land (usually meaning good access to artisanal water) there is not much variety in locally grown produce.

However, this is a great climate for growing citrus, the small flavourful “Key” limes are available almost everywhere and one of my most enjoyable indulgences which is freshly squeezed orange juice every morning. I may have mentioned in an earlier posting, that after a shortage the previous winter due to a late hurricane, this year I am again able to purchase 20 lb. bags of oranges for about $4.00. While the price and the flavour are great, these oranges tend to be smaller than what you see in Supermarkets up north and there are often blemishes on the skin that lowers the grade on appearance. As I understand that is typical of the local produce, the Grade “A” crop is exported at top prices, while the remainder is sold locally at a lower price.

Otherwise, most of the stalls are stocked with an amazing variety of goods, often second hand, including clothing, household goods like small appliances, pots and pans and dishes, shoes, some furniture, automotive accessories and general hardware. Added to this, there are a couple of busy open air restaurants with plastic tables and chairs, serving breakfast and lunch, including Menudo, a soup with reputedly restorative powers over hangovers.

There are several fish vendors selling frozen shrimp, scallops, lobster, and squid out of stacked coolers and at one table they were shucking fresh clams. One of the “fixtures” of the Market is the “Goat Guy” who sells both goat meat in the form of a skinned carcass hanging at his side (that he will cut portions from on request) and a table top display of rounds of cheese. There is also a large booth which is a nursery with an extensive display of potted plants that attracts a lot of interest from gringos and several smaller booths are selling hand-crafted jewellery. Another jewellery vendor wheels a baby stroller totally covered with an amazing display of beads, ear rings and bracelets of every imaginable description.

On the gravel walkway between these booths there are several other independent vendors moving around within the crowd. Some push small wheeled coolers packed with a variety of ice treats, clanking small cow bells incessantly to attract attention and often surrounded by children with their heads stuck in the cooler inspecting the inventory. Another one walks around carrying a 12 ft. pole studded with bagged balls of candy floss on sticks, trailing another enthusiastic crowd of kids behind him. A common fixture in town, often set up near Banks or other high traffic areas, are the table-topped barrow vendors offering a kaleidoscope of different coloured nuts and candies, each variety separated into impeccable display bags, the contents ready to be weighed out into individual servings.

Some of the most popular booths are full of stacks of second hand clothing which obviously require patience to sort through, and a careful eye to judge size and fit, since there are no changing facilities nearby. The presence of this clothing makes me wonder where it all comes from, but I expect some of it may find it’s way here from north of the border, where it may have been donated to various charities. Regardless, here it is, and judging by the crowds it attracts, the price is right!

Shoes are another popular category of product for all ages and types of customers. Work boots for the many men involved in construction and outdoor work, and by younger, more style conscious teenagers, there are highly coveted running shoes, which one vendor has carefully wrapped each individual shoe in plastic film to protect this prize merchandise from the ever-present dust. For women, surprisingly delicate high heeled sandals and pumps – surprising, considering the condition of much of the pavement and amount of sand and gravel that one encounters here as a pedestrian. I was also told recently that the selection of children’s shoes here was far superior than was readily available in many large North American markets, perhaps an indication of the exalted position small children are held in, in this society.

Speaking of children, one of their most popular booths is the “Toy Store” with a counter-top display of inexpensive brightly coloured plastic toys and treats that have mesmerizing powers over the “captive” audience of youngsters surrounding it. I also saw a meticulous display of nail polishes and other make-up products in another booth appealing to the young women, across from another booth selling natural source skin care products. Meanwhile, for the men, there are tables of used tools and hardware that need to be examined carefully (sort of the equivalent of an open-air Home Depot) and on the fashion side for him, there are a number of display racks crowded with dozens of baseball caps bearing every conceivable logo and brand, team and city, almost all of it in English.

As I make my way out of this marketplace I realize how the initial impression of tattered awnings lining a dusty lane has changed. In fact, this is a very efficient group enterprise that provides almost everything that is necessary for a comfortable lifestyle, by local standards. And although the first impression, particularly to a foreigner’s eye, is one of shabby chaos, when you delve into what is actually available here, you are hard pressed to find any significant shortcomings for what most of the people here want and need.

But after all, being pleasantly surprised by the differences between appearance and reality is one of the lessons I have learned, over and over again, while “Living Loreto”.

Seinfeld, Heat, Politics and The Kiss!

2011-05-01T08:25:00.000-07:00

This might well be considered a “Seinfeld” Blog – a posting about nothing. Well, not actually nothing, but not the usual focus on a specific subject, rather a collection of impression and events from the past week. This week marks the beginning of the countdown to the end of my current stay here in Loreto. In a month’s time I will be heading north again to spend the summer back in Canada, so with four weeks to go, I am beginning to think about the shift that is going to come.

In addition to seeing family and friends, one of the main reasons that I return to Canada for the summer is the weather – summers in the Baja are HOT – and as a direct result, there are many fewer ex-pats here during those months, which, of course impacts the business prospects for my selling Real Estate at that time of year. In fact, that seasonal shift is well underway now, and has been for the past month already. Although there is still a steady flow of Homeowners and Visitors arriving by air, the number of flights has been recently reduced from seven to four days a week.

Many of the Homeowners who stay here for the winter season have left already, some to file taxes earlier this month, others to comply with six month travel limits, and I regularly meet others who are getting ready to leave. In fact, “when are you heading back” is a familiar conversation theme when we meet and chat with each other these days.

Another popular topic for conversation is, like everywhere else, the weather, and it’s been getting hotter here earlier in the season than has been my experience in previous years. This week, when I was driving my vehicle in the early afternoon, the usually accurate outside thermometer was registering 98 degrees F, or about 35 degrees C, a good 10 degrees warmer than it usually was just a week or two ago. Now, I do recall that every year about this time the temperature does start to rise, but my Mexican friends, who have much more experience with the changing seasons here, are also commenting that it seems unusually warm for this early in the year.

Why should I be surprised with this sign of unusual weather these days – during a week that we have seen devastating Tornados in record numbers cut a swath through hundreds of miles of the south eastern US – weather all over is changing. By contrast, back in western Canada they are having an unseasonably cold spring (it snowed again this past week) and the west coast has had record breaking amounts of rain. Given the extreme weather that seems to becoming the norm elsewhere, this warming trend in the southern Baja is a relatively benign development – so far.

This past week has been unusual because of a number of other events as well. Although I live a long way from ice and snow, I am still a Hockey fan, particularly at this time of year during the playoffs, even if my “Hometown” Flames failed to make it AGAIN this year. So I have been watching a number of the first round series, mainly the Vancouver Canucks, who managed to squeeze into the second round this week, after an overtime win in the seventh and final game of their first series.

Added to that, Canada is in the final days of yet another Federal Election, which has gone from what began as a rather sleepy campaign a month ago, to what is developing into a potential sea-change shift of power that could have historic consequences. Being a bit of a political “junkie”, I have been following these developments closely, monitoring daily news about shifting polls and the speculation about how these quickly developing trends could play out.

While I don’t want to turn this into political Blog, it is worth noting how my perspective is changed by viewing these developments from 4,000 km away. I find the very real drama unfolding back in Canada to be a refreshing change from the US media’s coverage of the continuous games of political tag that have been dominating the news coming from there. By comparison, Canada appears to be poised for a major shift in the balance of power between the two traditional governing parties, Conservatives and Liberals, with the further left New Democratic Party moving into a strong second place position for the first time in their 50 year history.

But, rather than seeing this development, which is counter to what my personal position was on the political spectrum, as something that could affect me in my day to day life, viewed from here in Mexico, it takes on the aspect more of political theatre – dare I say, reality television! While I am interested in the day to day developments and the soon to unfold story (the election is this coming Monday May 2^nd) it is now very much at “arms length”, tempered by the perspective that comes from distance. What happens in Canada, while it does not necessarily STAY in Canada, has limited impact on events in the rest of the world, which is perhaps unfortunate, given the state of affairs elsewhere!

In addition to Hockey and Politics the other “big” event this week was, of course, the Royal Wedding. While this was certainly a significant celebration, shared by an estimated 2 Billion viewers worldwide, I was struck by how little impact there was here among Mexicans. While Canada’s historic ties to Great Britain and the country’s senior position in the Commonwealth guarantees a high profile and level of interest in the marriage of the future King, and therefore our Head of State, there are no such connections or traditions with Great Britain here.

Viewing the pomp and pageantry (which the English Monarchy does better than anyone, anywhere else in the world) from a small peaceful corner of the Baja Peninsula, brings into sharp focus the vast cultural and historic differences between my adopted home here, and where I spent most of my life. And, in spite of the interest I have in these events half a world away, in the context of where I choose to live now, the high drama that developed about “The Dress” and “The Kiss” seemed even further away than the physical distance.

By comparison, the big event this week here in the Loreto area was “Loretofest” – the annual gathering of “Yachties” who come from all over the Sea of Cortez to converge on Puerto Escondido, the vast natural harbour 20 km south of here. Dozens of boats, large and small, join the resident “live aboard” community, many of whom make this their year-round home. We “landlubbers” who live in the area are welcomed to join in on the festivities, last night I enjoyed an open-air concert on the recently refurbished Harbour front, and the weekend has been scheduled with a variety of events and activities including seminars, casual sports, silent auction and communal meals.

This opportunity to share a little of this transient sub-culture and it’s alternate lifestyle is a strong reminder that there are many versions and opportunities for finding a rewarding way of life here and enjoying the benefits, as well as the limitations of “Living Loreto”.

Semana Sante, San Javier and Olive Oil

2011-04-24T10:18:00.000-07:00

Semana Sante, or Holy Week, is the biggest holiday next to Christmas, here in Mexico. This is one of the few times of the year in this hard working country when almost everyone takes time off to spend with family and friends. Considering the average work week is five and a half days, with normally only Saturday afternoon and Sunday off, a four or five day weekend is a big deal and, as a result, much of the country shuts down.

Now I certainly don`t work the sort of long hours that are common here, but I decided to take advantage of the slow down and take a day off from the Office on Thursday of this past week. I had been thinking that it had been over a year since I had taken the drive up to San Javier, and so when some neighbours, who are down for a visit expressed interest in going there the trip was on.

Although I have written about San Javier in the past (The Road to San Javier Mar. `09) there were several reasons I wanted to make a return trip at this time. First of all, I had heard that there was going to be some sort of “market” there this week and I wanted to check that out. Secondly, it had been some time since my last trip and I wanted to see what progress there had been on paving the 32 km. road and the electrification project that I had heard about. So, for those reasons, combined with it being Easter week, this was the time for my overdue return to San Javier.

The Mission Church in San Javier was begun just a few years after the first one was established here in Loreto over 300 years ago. The Jesuits were looking for better access to water and more arable land than was available here in Loreto. The Mission building itself was completed in the early to mid 1700`s and is the oldest such building existing in it`s original unrestored condition. Not incidentally, it is also still in active use for religious services for the surrounding area.

But the destination was only part of the reason for this excursion, the drive itself from the main highway near the town of Loreto, through the desert, into the Sierra del Gigante mountains and beyond, was a big part of the adventure. Five years ago, my earliest trips to San Javier were over the original unpaved road which was a memorable experience – to say the least! Then, during the first state election after I started living here, the Governor elect campaigned on the promise of “paving the road to San Javier”. Three years later during the next election with the road now paved about halfway, the next Governor campaigned on “paving the road to San Javier”. So, with the imminent arrival of the next Governor, I wanted to see what progress has been made since my last trip.

Paving is a big issue for this road because in early December each year hundreds of pilgrims travel to San Javier from all over the Baja and mainland Mexico to celebrate the Saint`s name day. Six years ago when I made my first 32 km drive to San Javier the initial quarter was a rough, but adequate gravel road. The middle half was barely more than 1 lane wide, extremely rough with blind switchbacks as the road twisted through the mountains. The final quarter remained narrow but was reasonably straight and level as you approached the oasis at San Javier.

A couple of years ago they had managed to pave about half the distance, still short of the most challenging and expensive middle section. So on this trip, I was excited to see the continuation of the paving to almost 20 km of the way, through most of the section skirting the mountains, just short of where the road straightens out again into San Javier. Who knows, in one or two more elections the road may indeed be paved all the way!

Paved or not, the road continues to be one of the most breathtaking trips I have taken in the immediate vicinity of Loreto; dipping in and out of oasis valleys, past primitive rancheros through arroyo gullies carved out of solid rock over eons by occasional flash floods caused by infrequent downpours. But in spite of this exotic terrain, one of the highlights remains the final approach to San Javier which brings you beside a broad shallow riverbed, that even now, 18 months since the last appreciable rainfall, looks bizarrely out of place in the midst of the parched land that surrounds it.

Water – the reason the Jesuits chose this place over 300 years ago, and in the distance, surrounded by lush green palms, the domed bell tower of the Mission seems to shine as a beacon in these harsh surroundings. It is also here that the new electrical power line that has paralleled the road in places along the trip, now reaches the destination. Prior to the completion of this line (at a cost of over a million dollars) this tiny hamlet has only had intermittent power supplied by a small community generator.

As we enter the main street I am struck by the subtle changes since my last visit, a few new buildings and the overall impression that San Javier has been spruced up with the arrival of power. There are a couple of new stores and a second restaurant across from the Mission building. I am also struck by the fact that, while there are perhaps double the “usual” number of visiting vehicles parked around the square in front of the Mission, this was fewer than I had expected during this Holy Week at one of the most significant shrines in this part of the Baja.

Following a respectful visit inside the Mission, where we signed the Guest Book full of entries from near and far and I took a few non-flash pictures, we made our way a couple of hundred yards behind the massive stone walls, through irrigated fields of onions and beans to a natural wonder. When the missionaries arrived here over 300 years ago one of the first things they did was plant a grove of olive trees some of which still survive with trunks 30 or 40 feet in diameter!

Returning to the small square, we stopped to look at some of the hand-crafts on display and for sale, which apparently comprised the “market” I had heard about and, as we were doing this, we heard about a demonstration of crushing olives for oil that was going to take place across the square. During the course of this demonstration I was amazed to learn that there were over 300 Olive trees in the groves around the Mission, that were tended by one of the oldest families in the community. From these trees they harvested 20 tons of olives between September and December, some of which were prepared for eating and the remainder crushed for their oil.

Over the past several years the extended family here in San Javier had slowly relearned the process of producing oil from the olive fruit, largely based on recollections from their youth and Mexican intuition. I learned that the harvested olives, which appear to be partially dried and withered, are crushed whole (the pit contains oil too). Then the crushed fruit and pits are packed tightly into a small cast iron press (that was adapted from making adobe bricks) and gradually squeezed under great pressure to produce a dark olive-brown oil – two litres of oil from a packed five gallon bucket of olives and pits.

This oil is then strained slowly through a tightly woven cotton sleeve once or twice until the colour of the remaining oil is a pale yellowish green. After sampling a little of this freshly squeezed oil I bought a small bottle of it for 80 pesos (about $6.50) and will look forward to enjoying it with a loaf of fresh baked bread!

I also visited a Dulceria, or sweet shop and bought some Papaya preserved in syrup and we found the perfect hat for my neighbours mother Molly – just the thing for the upcoming Royal Wedding? We then headed back through the desert, retracing our earlier route and enjoying the view back towards the Sea of Cortez. Just before rejoining the main highway, we stopped for Cheeseburgers at Del Borrachos - a perfect ending to trip.

Reflecting on it afterwards, this drive to San Javier was a good reminder of the progress that has happened over the years that I have been here. While at times the pace of change has appeared to be slow, sometimes frustratingly so, seeing the beautiful road opening up this isolated community, making it much more accessible to many more people, and bringing with it the electrical power we all take for granted, which will accelerate the rate of change in the future. Yet part of me misses the experience and adventure of the old road, and I am glad that was the way I saw San Javier first.

Celebrating progress – and missing what it replaces – that is a conflict that I think will become much more frequent for those of us lucky enough to be “Living Loreto”.

Beach Dogs Open Il Mare!

2011-04-17T09:20:00.000-07:00

This week I return to a couple of recent and familiar themes here in Loreto Bay - food and music. A couple of weeks ago I wrote about a restaurant opening at the Golf Clubhouse, since then there has been another opening.

My friend Hector and his wife Natalie, who have two restaurants in town, (La Cava and Bruno’s) have taken over the ocean front dining space at the INN and opened an Italian style Trattatoria called (appropriately enough) “Il Mare”. This has always been one of my favourite spaces at the Hotel – open air, adjacent to the Beach with a natural reed Pergola roof, it makes a beautiful setting for lunches and dinners. (By the way, for casual dining and afternoon bar service, the Snack Bar at the Pool remains open for lunch, but is now closed for evening meal service.)

Hector has had a long relationship with Loreto Bay, previously as Director of Customer Service, and he has lived in our community before moving into town when he opened his restaurants there. He also has some impressive qualifications as a chef as well. In addition to the successful restaurants in town, Hector has been one of the top finalists in each of the past three years of the local Paella competition, which many of you are familiar with from postings I have written here before. (“Paella Cook-off” Nov. ’10, “Big Week” Nov. ’09, “Extraordinary Day” Nov. ’08). So this addition to the dining options, both at the INN and within the surrounding community of Loreto Bay and Nopolo, adds another welcome dimension to our lifestyle here.

Il Mare is open for lunch and dinner, except Mondays, with salads, antipasto, pizza and pasta at lunch, adding steaks, lobster and shrimp in the evenings. Currently they have a limited wine and beer selection, but Hector promises they will be adding a special House wine and Draft beer in the future. After a two week “soft opening”, during which time they have been operating at close to capacity, Hector invited “Los Beach Dogs” (the working name for the Homeowner trio that I featured most recently in “Woodstock with Golf Carts” last month) to play for an opening party at the new restaurant.

Like with most things that happen in this community, word travelled fast and when Rich told me that the music would be starting about 6:30 I anticipated that this would be a popular event so my neighbour Boyd and I arrived at 6:00. Good thing that we did, when we arrived every table had been reserved but fortunately there was one of the two couches still available. Several of the tables were already occupied and the rest filled up quickly with the Guests who had had the good idea of reserving early.

As more people converged, an area of the surrounding INN courtyard became an informal “overflow” and some of the people even arrived carrying folding chairs. When we sat down, Boyd and I ordered a pizza with sausage, artichoke and yellow pepper on a generous base of cheese over a crispy thin crust and a couple of drinks to enjoy while the food was being prepared. Soon after, Los Beach Dogs, who had set up in one corner of the open air dining area, began their first set.

Hector and his staff were kept very busy, having to serve all of the tables and over 50 to 60 people at the same time stretched their resources, plus some of the “overflow” audience ordered their own pizzas “to go” and enjoyed them “al fresco” on the courtyard grass a few yards from the busy tables. But it was a happy crowd and no one was in a hurry.

The combination of music, good food and drink was further complimented by the light show that filled the darkening sky in the background – no “special effect” could equal the dazzling sight of the orange to rosy coloured wisps of high cloud being illuminated by the sun setting behind the Sierra del La Gigante range.

In spite of this stiff competition from Mother Nature, George, Rich and Steve “had” their audience enthusiastic from the first tune and played a well received set of now familiar blues and pop standards, sharing the vocals between all three of them. After a break, where they visited with friends and neighbours at most of the tables, they returned for a second set which featured a special treat. A couple of weeks ago, at the “Woodstock” concert, one of the highlights for me was the debut of a song that Rich had written. I was really moved by the lyrics of “The Road Uncertain” the first time I heard it, and it captured the feelings many of us have shared in the experience of beginning a new life here.

I wanted to include a sample of the song with the earlier Blog, but time and technology conspired against that happening. However, this time your humble Blogger brought his video camera to the concert so that I could record the song for your enjoyment. With apologies for the poor lighting, and with the permission of the composer and performers, please click on this link and enjoy online premiere of The Road Uncertain:

http://personalspace.sony.net/email/share/6c5a47546d474e706147773d?rd=107NmQ0YTUzNTU2ZDMyNDEzZDEwNw==#i0

Nice eh? I confess, I get a little choked up every time I hear it again, and I dare say I’m not the only Homeowner that will react that way!

The evening carried on until “Baja Midnight” (anytime after 9:00 pm!) with more songs as the sunset turned into another star filled night sky and the audience, all of whom were part of this special community, shared in good food and drink accompanied by this entertainment provided by friends and neighbours. In speaking with Hector afterwards, he plans to do theme evenings in the future with more entertainment and special menus – the social life of Loreto Bay is developing!

Hector also told me that when Il Mare gets their phone extension from the INN switchboard he wants to begin a Pizza delivery service within Loreto Bay! Be still my pounding heart! Does this mean there may eventually a use for our Hi-Guys – true progress!

So another Red Letter Day in Loreto Bay – a new Restaurant, with plans for entertainment in one of the prettiest locations in the whole development providing another gathering place for us to share – this winter life just keeps getting better “Living Loreto”!

My thanks to Al Graichen for providing some of the pictures in this Blog (who was that grey haired guy with the pony tail?)

"It's our Beach!"

2011-04-10T10:41:00.000-07:00

In the past one of my favourite things to do here is to walk on the Beach at sunrise. Unfortunately, it has been too long since the last time I enjoyed this simple pleasure. I can blame increased activity at work (we have been busier in the past month or so than at any time in the past 2 ½ years) but with the recent time change the sunrise is now an hour later, and the temperatures have jumped almost 10 degrees in the past week, so one morning this week I headed for the Beach about 7:00 am, as soon as I woke up.

The short 250 yard walk from my house brought me to the sea grass “berm” that separates the shoreline from the row of Beachfront homes, and I saw that on this morning there was a very low tide. The sky was already brightening behind Isla Carmen, which forms almost half of our horizon to the east, as the sun has moved almost midway on it’s circuit to the north. Combined with the smaller Ilsa Coronado, further north and more opposite the town of Loreto, these two islands provide a perspective that helps to define the ocean view better than the simple water line in the distance that would be there without them.

To begin my stroll towards Punta Nopolo, the rocky point that marks the southern end of the Beach, I only had a few lazy Pelicans for company, cruising inches above the glassy surface of the water on this calm morning. In the distance I could see a fishing boat offshore, presumably catching some bait before heading out into deeper waters in search of Cabria, Yellow Tail or other game fish.

The Beach sand, exposed at this low tide, was pock-marked with evidence of thousands of clams buried below the surface, their mini-volcano holes filled with sand from the gentle actions of the waves. There were also rolls of greenish brown seaweed scattered in patches along the shore, left behind by the receding water, and marking another seasonal episode of the plant and animal life that comes and goes in a constantly shifting cycle.

As the sun first breaks over the top of the distant Island, my attention is torn between the spectacle of this dazzling event and the opposite view of the golden light striking the rugged mountain peaks directly opposite to the west. Now that the dawn was rising, I could see some activity further down the beach. In the distance I saw a small boat being manoeuvred across the beach and into the gently breaking water on the shore.

Still further down the beach, there were other early risers accompanied by two dogs coming towards me and the boat, being launched between us. As I got closer, I recognized Kaz, a fellow Homeowner preparing his inflatable canoe for launching as he was joined by Bruce and Susan, their daughter Michelle, and their two beautiful black Setters. As I approached, it became apparent that preparations were underway for a fishing expedition, but I soon found out that this was no ordinary day, in fact, it was Michelle’s Birthday – and “her” day was going to begin with a fishing trip with friend and neighbour Kaz.

While the boat was being loaded with tackle and the electric outboard, and Bruce was helping Michelle get settled in the bow seat, Susan headed off for a leisurely jog down the beach, enthusiastically accompanied by her four legged companions. I gather this is a frequent morning ritual for the family, in fact, Susan was explaining to me that their dogs were so well attuned to the routine that they cannot say the word “beach” when they are at home and the dogs are around, without causing them to go into a (well behaved) frenzy of excitement! The vocabulary of these obviously intelligent dogs is such that their Humans have to either spell certain words like this, or substitute the Spanish word, to maintain reasonable order. From what I observed of these two dogs, I would be concerned that it may not be long before even these subterfuges are broken by the canine members of the family!

After the boat was launched into the shallow low tide, there was some delay in getting into deep enough water for the small electric outboard to be fully submerged. So, to offer some assistance, Bruce flipped his paddle board into the water and headed out to join the fisher’s canoe. These paddle boards have begun to become popular here because the often calm, shallow water off our shoreline provide the ideal conditions for using them. A paddle board looks like an oversized surfboard 8 – 10 feet long and a good 3 feet wide, with the upside surface covered in a ribbed mat, to provide secure footing so you can stand and use a long paddle to propel the board smoothly through the water.

I carried on down the beach and saw the fishing boats in the distance fire up their engines and start to pull away, heading north towards Coronado, presumably stocked with bait and full of the high expectations that every fisher begins their day with. Close to shore, the ever present Pelicans alternate their unchanging routine of floating motionlessly in the water, then thrashing awkwardly into the air, and with a few quick beats of their huge wingspan, glide motionlessly mere inches above the water, punctuating their flight with occasional dive bomber plunges into the water, usually emerging with a fishy snack for their efforts.

Upon reaching the end of the Beach in front of the INN, with the sun truly risen again for another day, I turned around to retrace my steps and make my way back home. As I did so, I admired some of the recently finished Beachfront homes and the progress that was being made on the few remaining unfinished properties. In the now full sun, seeing these beautiful homes glisten in the morning air, I appreciate how much closer we are to fulfilling the vision we all shared for this place when there were only chalk lines on the sand.

Now in the distance, I can see Bruce standing straight on his board as he paddles beside the canoe as it is making it`s way on Michelle`s special fishing trip. Further down the beach, I meet Bradley, another Homeowner, walking his dog Shilo along the Beach, stooping occasionally to pick up the odd plastic bag or other trash that has washed up on shore with the receding tide. We greet each other, as Susan jogs past with a broad smile on her return trip, with her canine escorts that seem to be smiling as well.

After greeting Bradley, I acknowledge his clean-up efforts and thank him, to which he replies simply; “It`s our Beach!”, then with a smile and a wave he and Shadow carry on with their early morning ritual. This phrase echoes in my head as I make my way back home to get ready for the day – “It`s our Beach” - yes it is, and a sunrise stroll is probably the best way to enjoy it`s ever-changing beauty and a special time for the spontaneous meetings with friends and neighbours sharing that special time of day.

While I don`t get down to the beach for the sunrise as often as I would like to, whenever I do, I promise myself I will return again sooner, because every time I start my day that way I remember why this is one of the best parts of “Living Loreto”!

Yokohama in Loreto

2011-04-03T10:11:00.000-07:00

Regular readers of this Blog may be under the impression that my life in Loreto is one of uninterrupted bliss and tranquility - parties, walks on the beach, dinners with friends . . .

While that is true for much of the time I spend living here, occasionally reality does intrude into this ideal lifestyle, like what happened a couple of weeks ago on the drive back to Loreto from the Airport in Cabo. I was about at the halfway point of the trip, 250 km from home and I had just driven through a small hamlet with “rumble strips” on the highway at each end of town and a “Tope” or speed bump in the middle.

So I was still driving slowly as I was leaving town, rumbling over the exit strips but when I reached the end of the strips my car kept vibrating. Being lost in thought at the time, listening to satellite radio, it took me 10 or 15 seconds to realize what was wrong – I had blown a rear tire. Fortunately, I had not yet started to speed up again and traffic was light on the straight stretch of road I was on.

Unfortunately, Mexico Highway #1 does not have shoulders and by the time that I realized what was wrong with my car, I had to stop - NOW! So, I managed to pull off the road – just – and, because I happened to be in a boulder field at that particular place, I was only able to get about 6” off the pavement before I had to stop. When I got out and looked at my driver’s side rear tire it was completely shredded and wrapped around the wheel – I was going no further.

Changing the tire on a vintage Denali requires the partial disassembly of the rear cargo area to get at the tool kit that is required to crank the spare tire down from it’s storage area underneath the chassis. When I had finally accomplished this, I inspected my spare with some trepidation as I tried to remember when the last time I had used it was – and trying not to wonder whether it still had enough air pressure.

Next I had to position the jack under the axel, using several rocks to establish a solid base and then I had to hunker down on the pavement of the highway and start removing the lug nuts from the wheel. It was about at this point that I realized how lucky I was!

#1. It was still daylight, an hour later I would be doing this in the dark

#2. It was a straight stretch of road and vehicles could see me as they approached from either direction

#3. The oncoming vehicles in the lane I was sitting in, had been slowed down passing through the town I had just left

When I finally had the wheel off the axel, (being interrupted frequently, whenever there was a car or truck approaching in my lane, causing me to retreat from the pavement to the relative safety of the roadside) it was time for the next moment of truth – putting the spare on the car and seeing if it was still sound. So far, so good, - it was a bit soft, mind you, but (dare I say) “good enough for Mexico”! At this point I admit I just threw all the tools and bits and pieces into the back of the car, my pit stop had taken half an hour and I could see I had about an hour of light left – and two and a half hours drive ahead.

Gingerly I steered back on the highway and drove slowly for the first few hundred yards until I was convinced that the spare tire was going to hold – at least for the time being. As I gained confidence in the new tire, I gradually speeded up until I was back up at the regular speed, but I was still unable to relax. It wasn’t just my imagination – it seemed everywhere I looked, on either side of the road, I could see the remains of blown out tires! And now I was travelling on a ten year old spare with no back up tire if it blew out – oh yes, and it was getting dark!

However, the remainder of the trip was blessedly uneventful, even though the last hour was in full dark, and under normal circumstances I avoid highway driving at night, with the exception of the occasional 15 km drive home to Loreto Bay after dinner in town. The main hazard of night driving is stray cattle on the road, a very real threat for potential collisions, as was brought home again recently when a Mexican friend of mine hit a cow on the highway just outside one of the entrances to the development, while he was driving back to Loreto after dark.

The next chapter of this story began the following day, when I set about the challenge of replacing the blown tire. There are several tire shops in town, but none of them carry the Yokohama brand and, since this was a new set of tires six months ago, I did not want to use a mismatched replacement. Here is where fate (or perhaps karma {carma?}) comes in.

As luck would have it, I happened to know a friend of a friend who is in charge of distributing Yokohama tires in Mexico and when I contacted him about my predicament he said that he would check with his Dealers in La Paz and Tijuana to see if they had the required size in stock. No luck, but he then arranged to ship one to the TJ Dealer from his office in southern California. More than a week passed by the time that the tire had cleared customs and arrived at the Dealer, who then had to drop it off at the Bus Depot, as the bus freight service, called Baja Pack, was the best way to ship it from Tijuana to Loreto.

The following week I picked up the well travelled tire at the Bus Depot in Loreto and then went to the Bank and deposited the cash for the tire and freight charges directly into the Dealers account, (cheques and credit cards are not commonly used for such payments here). Finally, I took my new tire to one of the Llanteras, or Tire Shops to have it mounted on the rim and replace the spare.

But wait, there’s more! As soon as they removed the old tire from the rim, they discovered that my new replacement was an “R17” size, not the “R16” size of the original – back to the drawing boards! All the way back to Loreto Bay I was on “tenter hooks” until I could check my email to find out if I had originally ordered the right size or not, and, although it was small consolation, I had ordered it right!

So, I had to begin the whole operation again, with the gracious assistance from my friend in the States who had to ship a replacement in the correct size to the Dealer again, and I in turn, had to return the oversize tire back the 1,000 km to Tijuana by bus. As I write this at the end of last week, the correct tire should be at the Dealer’s any day, following which he will be re-shipping it to me and, hopefully, sometime early next week I will have successfully replaced the tire I blew out over two and a half weeks ago – maybe!

Years ago I remember reading somewhere the somewhat “tongue-in-cheek” comment: “Every definitive statement in Mexico should be followed by the word MAYBE!”; as in, diesel fuel 20 km - maybe, or English spoken here - maybe. Over the years I have come to realize that there is a lot of truth in that rule, and, what would be a straight forward transaction back home in North America, tend to become more complicated here in Mexico.

While waiting over two and a half weeks, and exchanging numerous emails, to have a tire replaced might sound unreasonable by the standards I was once used to. Here in Mexico, even mundane exercises in day-to-day life can take on unanticipated complications and become a “project”, having said that, I for one consider these inconveniences a small price to pay for the many benefits of “Living Loreto”!

Woodstock with Golf Carts

2011-03-27T10:51:00.000-07:00

This past Monday was the Summer Solstice and I heard about plans for an evening concert by the three guitarists whom I featured in a Blog titled “A Little Night Music” from January this year. The plan was to hold this event in one of the large community courtyards near the INN and so I contacted my friend Rich, who plays in the group, to offer my PA system for the evening.

After consulting with his fellow players the consensus was “louder is better” and so they accepted the offer, and I made plans with Rich to pick me and the equipment up in his Golf Cart in the afternoon before the show was to begin. As the date got closer there was an addition made to the program – a Homeowner was being visited by his two University aged sons who were gifted musicians and they would be sitting in with the trio.

As many of you are aware, last Sunday there was a “Super-bright” full moon which I witnessed at a neighbour’s home and took pictures. This special full moon the day before the Solstice seemed an auspicious beginning to what I am feeling is a new chapter in the continuing story of Loreto Bay. In my business I have seen some positive results from the current atmosphere here – more people, more visitors more sales and a growing positive energy in the community.

So it was in this context that I was anticipating this first “open air” public concert and wondered what the turnout would be like. To set the scene, the homes in the Founder’s Neighbourhood are located around over two dozen community courtyards which are landscaped areas that provide green space to offset the relatively high density of the homes themselves. The area that had been chosen for the concert is one of the largest such courtyards in the development with a central fountain and a shade pergola set in a desert garden at one end which is where the musicians would set up.

Rich’s golf cart was the ideal transport for my sound equipment because with it we could load things from my door at one end of the development and drive right into the courtyard at the far end, to unload. Since electric golf carts and bikes are the only vehicles that are permitted on the meandering pathways between the courtyards and normal vehicles are restricted to the Paseo, or main road running through the development, without the cart everything would have had to be carried at least 50 yards from the road.

When we arrived at the courtyard, Greg, a local electrical contractor was just finishing up rigging a power line from a consenting Homeowner’s outlet nearby and stringing a couple of lights in the pergola for later on in the evening. I got busy setting up the PA system while Rich headed off to pick up his “Axe” at his nearby home. While he was gone, George and Steve arrived with their instruments and began their set-up. When I had the PA working and some filler music playing I turned the system over to the musicians to hook up their own equipment and play with their levels. Soon the two visiting musicians arrived, and the brothers Chad and Casey began unpacking their fiddles and a mandolin to begin the ritual of tuning.

Chad & Casey

Although both of these “guest artists” were still taking University courses and had interests outside of music, they had been playing together since the ages of 4 and 6 and had just finished a “gig” on St. Patrick’s Day in Portland OR the night before flying to Loreto for a spring break. Fortunately for us, they had brought their instruments with them and as they warmed up it became apparent that we were in for a special treat this evening!

Meanwhile, the courtyard was filling with people as the appointed start time approached. Homeowners arrived in couples and small groups from all over the neighbourhood, some in their golf carts, many carrying folding chairs and some with small coolers or snacks. Soon the fountain was surrounded and the chairs reached across the width of the courtyard on each side and more people kept arriving until the crowd stretched well towards the back of the open space. At one point I did a quick head count and estimated that there were more than 150 people gathered for the concert and others continued to arrive after that!

This in itself is a fairly unprecedented event, the last time I had seen as many people together here this winter was at the inauguration of the newly paved road (see “Sports, Politics and Paving”, from February), but this crowd looked larger, reflecting the increased occupancy levels at this time of year. While most Homeowners have a circle of friends and neighbours in the immediate vicinity of their casa, and many know others elsewhere in the community, there are few occasions where we all get together at one place and time.

While I was aware that we are currently somewhere around 50% occupancy of the about 550 homes in the Loreto Bay development, I was surprised to see how many people there are actually here, when most of them are together in the same place! During the normal day to day rhythm of life here in the community, there are usually people coming and going up and down the Paseo, walking dogs, going to Evan’s store, to and from the community pool or strolling on the beach, but you really don’t get a sense of the actual numbers of people in residence at any given time.

However, an event like this brings everyone together – and I for one was impressed! But the best was yet to come. The trio started things off with several folk and blues standards, then before long they called on the visiting musicians to join them and the addition of the fiddle and mandolin rounded out the guitar music very well. After playing along as a group for the first set, Rich, George and Steve gave up their stage for a set by the duo and the audience was in for a special treat!

Getting things off to a rousing start was one of the best versions I have ever heard of “The Devil came down to Georgia” with killer fiddle solos by each brother, which they then followed with a classical Bach piece, showing their classical virtuosity and then they did a three piece set that may defy description! The first piece involved one brother holding his fiddle and fingering the neck while the other brother bowed the strings – an impressive feat of co-ordination!

The second tune was even more athletic – the brothers stood side by side and hooked one leg each together at the knees, they then interlocked their arms and proceeded to play a duet . . . while hopping in place on their free leg, in time with the music! (You had to be there!) But, as I said, this was a three piece set and they were saving the best for last. After carefully getting into position, side by side, they managed to intermingle arms and instruments so that they were each playing half of both instruments! While one held and fingered his fiddle, he was bowing the instrument being held and fingered by his brother – and vice versa! How many hours of practice that this feat of musicianship and co-ordination had required was beyond my imagination, but it would have “brought the house down” if we had been inside!

After this tour de force the three guitarists rejoined them on stage and for most of the rest of the evening we were entertained by the newly formed quintet playing a variety of pop/rock/blues standards well into the evening. While I have been fortunate enough to be present at a number of the Trio’s performances, it was obvious that they have really come together as a group, no doubt after many hours of playing together, and I look forward to enjoying more of their musicianship in the future.

When an impromptu gathering to celebrate the Solstice grows into the largest community gathering of the winter (so far) and we are treated to a free concert of professional grade musicians playing for the joy they get from their music and inspired by the atmosphere and surroundings – and while I know I have said it before – this was really what “Living Loreto” is all about!

George

Steve

Rich

"Dinner is now being served!"

2011-03-20T11:03:00.000-07:00

In the continuing evolution of Loreto Bay one aspect of the lifestyle that has been absent is the availability of places to eat within the community. During the past week this has changed.

I have written in these pages several times about Baja Onsite, the convenience store run by Evan and Julie
over the last year and a half. When they opened their new larger location last Fall they had plans to offer Deli selections as well as the packaged and frozen foods they sell for home preparation. After a busy winter and managing several other business ventures, along with growing the inventory of their store, they launched the long awaited Deli side of their business in the last week.

Now you can order fresh sandwiches and salads made to order at the store and enjoy them on the patio outside or take them away – no need to interrupt that lazy morning around the community pool to go back to your Casa and make lunch! This adds another feature to the Baja Onsite patio, which has become an unofficial meeting place for many Homeowners this winter. There are often people relaxing at the tables and chairs in front of the store, enjoying a coffee in the morning sun or a cold drink in the afternoon shade, perhaps checking their email on the free WiFi, or just visiting with each other after picking up a few groceries, a bottle of wine for dinner or their mid-afternoon ice cream snack.

Anyone who has been in Loreto Bay this winter knows how convenient having access to this store has made living here in Loreto Bay – no longer is it necessary to drive the 15 km each way to town every time you run out of something, if Evan and Julie don’t have it you can probably get by without it! But it is not just the staples they stock, often they carry specialty items from the US that cannot be found in any store in town, as well as a small but carefully selected inventory of household goods and small appliances brought back from the big stores in Cabo and La Paz.

With the addition of their new take-out Deli foods, this hard-working couple have added one more convenience to our lives here in Loreto Bay and many of us appreciate the contribution they continue to made to the way we now are Living Loreto!

But wait – there’s more!

Throughout the reconstruction and development of the Golf Course one important aspect has been missing, the Clubhouse has only served as the start and stopping place of a round, with no services other than a place to pick up or drop off a cart or rent a set of clubs, oh yes, and the Banos, of course. That was the case, until this week, with the addition of a 19th Hole!

For many years, one of the most popular restaurants in town has been Mita Gourmet, run by Juan Carlos and his wife in a charming open air patio on the town square. This restaurant was in fact named for their daughter, Mita, who has grown into a beautiful young mother, married to Carlos and the proud parents of a bouncing baby boy.

Following several months of rumour and speculation (this is Loreto Bay after all) it was recently announced that Juan Carlos had succeeded in securing the food concession at the Clubhouse and was going to open a restaurant to be run by his daughter Mita and her husband Carlos.

Serving breakfast, lunch and dinner and with a full bar service available, this new venture, appropriately called “The 19th Hole” fills a major gap in the social life surrounding the game of Golf. Now, the early risers, who want to get their game in during the relatively cool mornings, can start their day with a hearty breakfast of omelettes or other egg dishes or Mexican Desayuno specialties. Following the game, or before an afternoon round, there is a selection of sandwiches and salads as well as a hearty cheeseburger available for lunch and there is a full dinner menu available as well as some specials every evening, finally giving Loreto Bay an option for dining out, without facing the drive home again from town in the dark.

In addition to the full day menu, The 19th Hole is running a beverage cart on the Golf Course, stocked with ice cold beverages snacks and sandwiches, bringing welcome relief to the parched and hungry players mid-game. Definitely a civilized touch that has been sorely missed by all of us concerned about maintaining our “hydration” during the long stretches between holes on hot afternoons!

Mita explained that these menus are still a work in progress, as they gauge the tastes and preferences of the diners in Loreto Bay and in fact they had planned a “soft opening” to get their staff up and running before starting to promote the new restaurant. But, in a place like Loreto Bay good news travels fast, and they have been busier than they expected since their first days. They start serving Breakfast at 7:00 am, Lunch at noon and Dinner at 6:00 and the kitchen remains open until 9:00. She also talked about plans for live music and “theme nights” with special menu and entertainment.

I think it is worthwhile noting that this enterprise, under the watchful eye and long experience of Juan Carlos, is being run by another young and ambitious couple who are making their own opportunities for the future by meeting a much anticipated need in advance of the market size that would normally be required by such a venture.

I am also confident, based on the enthusiastic reception both these two new food services have received, that our community appreciates the opportunity to support the contributions being made by these entrepreneurs and the big step they represent in the further development of a more complete experience we can all now share “Living Loreto”!

Chilling Calgary!

2011-03-13T10:19:00.002-07:00

This week’s Blog is a departure from the normal “Living Loreto” format – because, this past week I have NOT been living Loreto, as regular Readers already know. This week I have been “Chilling Calgary” instead, visiting family and friends here while taking in a Real Estate Trade Show. The less said about the Trade Show the better, it was poorly promoted and the turnout was disappointing. But the rest of my short visit back to a northern City at the end of the winter season has been an interesting experience.

First of all for context, I grew up here and spent most of my adult life living in western Canada so the winter experience is hardly a new one, although, after spending most of the past five winters in Mexico I consider that climate to be the more ``natural`` one to me now. But I was well aware of what I was getting into when I arrived in Calgary last week, to be greeted by temperatures in the minus 27 degree Celsius range, almost 60 degrees Celsius colder than when I left the Airport in Cabo!

(A brief explanation here is probably appropriate – in Canada we use the Celsius temperature system rather than the Fahrenheit used in the US. The simplest explanation of the difference between them is that at freezing the temperature is zero degrees Celsius and 32 degrees Fahrenheit, so, -25 degrees C = -13 deg. F. When I left Cabo the temperature was +30 deg. C, or 85 deg. F and when I arrived in Calgary it was -30 C or -22 F – so it was 60 degrees colder in Celsius or 100 degrees colder in Fahrenheit! Confused? Well, then I guess I won`t get into explaining metres or litres!)

Anticipating the “deep freeze” on my arrival, I had packed a sweater and lined leather jacket in the outside pockets of my suitcase so I was able to add some layers while I was still in the baggage claim area of the Calgary Airport. Suitably garbed, I made my way out into the terminal where I received a warm welcome (is there any other kind, under these circumstances?) from my sister and brother-in-law and then we made our way out to their waiting car.

Driving through the early darkness of a major City in the grip of a cold snap is culturally (as well as climatologically) a shock, especially after driving in Mexico five hours earlier. The squeak of the tires on the snow in the parking lot, the clouds of condensed exhaust billowing out of the tailpipes of the cars, the ploughed walls of snow bordering the major roads – what used to be unremarkable and commonplace for most of my life, now seems bizarre and exotic, and even a bit frightening!

However, the human species adapts quickly! The next morning I was out in the car running several errands and, after taking it carefully for the first few blocks, old reflexes soon returned and I easily got back into a winter driving mode. Braking gently and early, not following too closely, watching for icy patches, yes, it all comes back so quickly.

The weather in Calgary can be very changeable at this time of year. I arrived in the midst of a “cold snap” and people were generally grumbling about the extreme temperatures, and who can blame them with lows in the high minus 20’s and “highs” in the minus mid-teens, what’s not to complain about! But over the course of the week I was there, after a few days the temperatures started to moderate and by the middle of last week they were back up to a “seasonable” plus 4 degrees – HEATWAVE!

What became apparent over this visit, and the rising and lowering temperatures, was how weary the people living in these winter climates become with the weather, from late October, now through early March - and the worst of the winter is not yet over. In fact, it is often March when they receive most of the snowfall in this area. But it’s not just the cold and the snow, but the accumulation of old snow and ice on the streets and parking lots, turning grey and unpleasant through the cycles of snow and thaw and more snow, stratified with layers of gravel laid down for traction and ploughed up into the walls that surround every cleared area.

But all of the culture shock is not limited to the weather. Living again in a “big City” one also gets exposed again to media, like weather reports – does it really matter if it is minus 15 or minus 17 degrees out today? Or sports – how did I manage to live for months in Mexico without knowing the final scores of a dozen or so Hockey games played most nights across North America? But one of the strangest was the traffic reports – every 10 minutes or so, morning and evening rush “hours” (that seem to extend further into the rest of the day) with a running list of collisions and stalled cars scattered across the four corners of the City and the chaos that results from the congestion that builds immediately behind the unlucky victims.

On a brighter side, a mid-winter visit back is an opportunity to pick up the unobtainable for myself and friends, who live a much simpler life without the 24/7/365 access to the cornucopia that is the shopping reality in most major centres in North America. While most of us in Mexico take some pride in this simpler way of life that comes with the limited selection of consumer goods available to us in our chosen home away – when the opportunity does arise the wish lists come out!

Having been on the receiving end a number of times myself, I know what a difference getting that cherished item can mean to someone months away from their own return to “Shopper’s Paradise”. On this trip, one couple wanted 3 seat cushions to complete their set of new outdoor furniture, these could not be ordered in Mexico but were readily available in several stores in Calgary. Another neighbour made an impassioned appeal for new bed sheets, to replace the set that had inexplicably become suddenly worn out (what happens in the Baja – stays in the Baja!). And finally, someone else wanted several bottles of non-prescription pain reliever, but of a particular formula that is the unique key to relieving their migraines – truly a mission of mercy!

My own requirements were modest – magazines! While there is an extensive lending library of hundreds of good books available at our well stocked Community Centre, current magazines (my favourite is Vanity Fair) are among the rarest of luxuries where I live. So I stocked up with great relish, bringing back a handful of fresh periodicals which I will jealously ration over the rest of the winter and hopefully manage to eke out until I return to the Big Magazine Racks later this year.

So these are my thoughts from Calgary last week, as I packed my bags and prepared for the early departure that will amazingly return me to sun and heat and palm trees in less than five hours from the dark and cold and snow - that really is part of “Chilling Calgary”! Burrrrr!

The Fastest Man in Loreto!

2011-03-05T18:56:00.000-07:00

Most of you reading this will already know that I am currently back in Canada attending the Mexico Living Expo being held in Calgary to promote tourism and Real Estate in Mexico. As a result I have a treat for all of you, a Guest Blog by a Loreto Bay Homeowner and a good friend of mine, Peter.

The idea for this Blog first came to me in the form of an email from Peter who told me briefly about his experience meeting a very interesting Loretano in town. Originally, Peter suggested that I might be interested in meeting this person and writing my own piece about him. Knowing that I would be heading north this week and wouldn’t have much time to write, it seemed to me that this was a great opportunity for Peter to step in and write the following piece.

The fact that Peter has been a loyal Reader of these postings from the beginning, it only took a moderate bit of arm twisting to convince him to try his hand at authoring a post himself. As the results show below, he has the gift of putting his personality (and sense of humor) into his words.

After writing this Blog for over two years and almost 100 postings, I feel a real sense of responsibility to you my Readers to come up with what I hope will be an interesting piece each week about life in Loreto. Needless to say, it is sometimes a challenge to find a topic, and I confess that some weeks I wonder if I have hit the mark. Ironically, it is often from those Blogs that I have had my doubts about, that I get the best feedback.

It is for that reason that I am so pleased to be able to offer someone else’s thoughts and perspective about the experiences we share in Living Loreto. So I hope you enjoy Peter’s Blog as much as I did!

. . . .

I was looking for tennis racquet tape when I wandered into the store. My attention was drawn to a display case of medals and an array of trophies. Even my beginner Spanish could translate, “… National 100 meter Track Champion.” As I paid for the tape I pointed to the display, “Is that you?”

I discovered I was talking to Rogelio Cortes, local sports hero and a man of eclectic accomplishments and interests. Rogelio is the owner of ‘Deportes Blazer’, the sports goods and musical instruments store on Hidalgo, a curious combination of merchandise, until you get to know more about his background.

Rogelio is a true Loretano having been born within sight and sound of the iconic Mission, in the “Casa de la Abuela.” By the time he was eleven he had started winning track and field medals and it was during his teen years that he achieved prodigious success on the track, culminating in three National 100 meter Championships. Rogelio also took his speed to the tennis court and, blessed with the eye/hand coordination that eludes many of us, he won several Baha Sur tennis championships.

The Olympics beckoned and a scholarship was offered but with the condition that he become a teacher. Rogelio was not prepared to abandon the family tradition and chose to study for an economics degree at UABCS (the local College in Loreto), eventually becoming the fourth generation of economics graduates in the Cortes family.

Not content with burning up the track, Rogelio next took his quest for speed into the world of auto racing and in 1993 became the first Loretano to win a race class in the Baja 400. He also has the trophies to prove his most recent successes in the Baja quad bike races.

In 2006, the Loreto municipal council broke from the tradition of naming public buildings after (re)tired politicians and announced that the local soccer stadium would carry Rogelio’s name, in recognition of his stellar sporting skills and the honor he had brought to the community.

But there’s more……Rogelio and his family are talented musicians…hence the array of drums, guitars and other musical instruments displayed alongside sporting goods in his store. If you attended the recent Biker’s Band event at Del Borrachos you would have seen Rogelio playing bass in his band “Se ‘Cabó”, along with his brother, the architect Jesus Cortes. However as modestly proud as he is of his own musical accomplishments Rogelio takes particular pleasure from the budding success of his son, Oscar.

Drew’s recent blog, “Rockfest-Rock of Ages” lauded “serious talent amongst the younger generation in Loreto.” Well guess what? Oscar Cortes and his cousin are the backbone of the band “Hammer Hit’ who walked away as winners of the youth contest, beating out the competition from all over BCS. Meanwhile his charming young daughter is starting to display her musical talent while Rogelio’s wife, Maricruz is an accomplished singer.

In my follow up conversations with Rogerio I found him to be an engaging character, not carried away with his local celebrity status. He confessed that his knees are starting to complain when he takes part in intense tennis tournaments.

So next time you’re hunting for sporting goods or musical instruments take a look at the display behind the cash desk at Desportes Blazer and you’ll see evidence of someone who is very much part of the establishment in this community, someone who can truly claim to be “Living Loreto”!

A Red Letter Day in Loreto Bay

2011-02-27T12:01:00.000-07:00

As an indication of the significance of the paving project on the Paseo, or main road, that runs through our development of Loreto Bay, I return to the subject for the third time in as many months. This third (and I expect final) episode was prompted by an invitation last weekend from Homex to the Home Owners, to join in a ”Paseo Inauguration Ceremony” this past Friday.

A large group, consisting of most of the Home Owners who are currently in Loreto Bay, assembled in front of the INN at the south end of the Paseo where a PA system had been set up. Shortly after 4:00 pm Roberto Vez and Carolina Silva, both from Homex, made some opening comments welcoming the Residents and speaking about their company’s recent history in the Loreto Bay project and their plans for the future.

It was clear that for them, as well as for we Home Owners, the paving of the Paseo was both a tangible and symbolic example of their corporate good will toward the existing community and, they admitted that due to the complicated jurisdictional issues surrounding the road and it’s actual ownership, they had finally made the decision to proceed with the paving project on their own, without having received all the official approvals. A case of asking forgiveness rather than permission on a corporate level!

In an earlier posting I mentioned another example of Homex’s willingness to respect the interests of the existing community, when they initially had left a section of the road unpaved, due to the misunderstanding that this stretch was to be set aside for a landscaped area. However, when they realized that we Homeowners wanted the whole road paved, they tore up some of the concrete curbing they had already poured, and re-graded that section in preparation for additional asphalt paving.

After the brief remarks of introduction and welcome there was a symbolic ribbon cutting ceremony performed by one of the original Homeowner couples, Dottie and Mike, following which, about half the assembled crowd boarded a string of Golf Carts parked nearby, and the remainder walked or biked about ¾ of a mile from the INN down to just past the Golf Course Clubhouse, where we turned back on the opposite lane of the road and walked or rode back to the starting spot at the INN.

This in itself was a remarkable, albeit somewhat strange event, which could only be appreciated by those who were participating and had endured the dusty, pot-holed road that we have all lived with for the past five years. Picture about 150 people wandering down the center of a freshly paved road, led by a somewhat disorganized collection of Golf Carts, travelling at a slow walking pace, followed by the rest of the crowd, some of whom were on bikes. A parade with nobody watching, because everyone was in it!

As I took these pictures of the passing crowd and then walked through them to get to the front to take more pictures, I heard bits and pieces of conversations, many reminiscing about early experiences they had had in the adventure that we have all shared in acquiring our homes here. I was struck by the genuine celebratory mood of the group – everyone was happy and smiling and enjoying this big event in the recent history of our community.

When we had returned to the INN we signed off our names on the RSVP list in the Hotel lobby before passing into the central courtyard area where tables and chairs for over 200 had been set up with a PA system and several Buffet lines on the perimeter. After most people had a chance to visit the cash bar, Roberto and Carolina took microphones and welcomed us again as their Guests and talked further about Homex and their plans for the community.

Following this, they opened the Q & A part of the program and responded in a remarkably open and forthright manner to almost all of the questions they fielded. I very much respect their willingness to initiate this sort of give and take process with a largely unknown group of Foreign Homeowners who (they were well aware) have endured some serious challenges in the sometimes long process leading to the completion of their homes.

I also was pleased, and, dare I say, a bit proud, of the almost unanimously positive tone and attitude of those who raised questions, and the response of the crowd as a whole to the answers that were forthcoming. Without trying to present a complete report of what transpired, your Humble Blogger did make a few notes during the proceedings and I will offer the following observations:

- Homex continues to work behind the scenes with a number of Airlines to increase the air service to Loreto from various hubs in the US and Canada.

- They are committed to seeing Agua Viva I completed, and they plan to construct architecturally compatible homes on the bare land lots they have acquired there.

- They are now in possession of the two unfinished Posada buildings and are beginning the process of negotiating with the other stakeholders in those buildings to determine a course of action that will result in their completion.

- They are moving forward with the first phase of their own development with initial plans for over 200 homes beyond Agua Viva.

- They have purchased the proposed “Beach Club” parcel of land in Founders but have not made any plans as yet for how it may be developed, but they did advise us they did not see a Beach Club as being a viable option there for Homex, and that it would likely be some form of residential development at some time in the future.

- They have purchased the old Convention Centre shell in AV which will eventually be demolished and be developed residentially.

- Regarding the Golf Course, they stated that they intend to offer the same access, at the same cost, to Loreto Bay Owners as they will to their Homeowners in the future.

- They are conscious of the importance of the situation around the sewage lift station, and they are working with the several levels of government involved to come up with a solution for the future.

After answering all of the questions that were raised our Homex hosts invited us to start the Buffet lines and enjoy a Mexican themed meal of soup, salad, rice, beef and fish with deserts, all catered by the staff at the hotel.

Following the meal, as darkness fell the Homeowners drifted out of the Hotel courtyard where some Taxis were waiting to shuttle people down the Paseo, but most opted to wander back along their newly paved street in small groups, sharing flashlights and conversation as they retraced the path of our earlier “Parade” back to their own homes.

When 200 people come together to celebrate a couple of miles of paving, and make their own parade – with no one watching because everyone is in it – to be followed by a meeting with the Developer, who will move our community forward into a new and exciting phase, and have a positive exchange of information (something sorely lacking for the past several years) before finally sharing a delicious meal under the stars. That Parade marked a symbolically big day in the history of Loreto Bay, a day that many will remember who are lucky enough to be Living Loreto!

I would like to take this last opportunity to invite any Readers who are in or around Calgary on March 5/6 to attend the Mexico Living Expo being held at the BMO Centre on Stampede Park. I will be one of over 20 Exhibitors promoting the lifestyle options that are available for Foreigners here in Mexico and specifically, I will be presenting information on the homes now available in The Villages of Loreto Bay. I look forward to meeting you there and talking about the place I love to call home! Pre-register for free at: www.mexicolivingexpo.com