‘The aquarium of the world’
Turquoise waters and remarkable marine life await on an oh-so-easy Baja getaway Sharon Lindores
Nestled on a peninsula that’s both sandy and rocky, bridging the Sea of Cortez and the Pacific Ocean, Baja California established its credibility as an exclusive enclave years ago.
Jacques Cousteau once called these biodiverse waters the “aquarium of the world,” but today, with the likes of Scarlet Johansson and Jennifer Anniston frequenting the area and John Travolta celebrating his 50th birthday here at the One& Only Palmilla, the region maintains a reputation as Hollywood on Sea.
Nevertheless, it’s still possible to be completely under- the- radar on this beautiful sliver of cerulean coast, which offers visitors the chance to unashamedly relax. And, as I discovered, it’s oh so easy to do on this perpetually sunny tip of cape.
The Canadian winter melted away the second I stepped on to the cactus dotted cape and was greeted by the sight of the Sierra Madre Mountains.
The landscape gently gives way to plains, desert and sand dunes during a 35- minute drive southwest of the airport to Cabo San Lucas.
Many people flock to the touristic town, which along with souvenir stalls and mariachi bands offers everything from whale watching to deep-sea fishing excursions.
I came to see what Cousteau was talking about and spent most of my time underwater. The diving did not disappoint.
RICH MARINE LIFE
Sam Worthy, a dive master with Manta Custom Scuba Diving, took our small group around Pelican Rock and Lands End.
“Biologically speaking, the Sea of Cortez is the richest body of water on our entire planet,” says Worthy, who’s been a dive master and instructor for nine years working in Greece, Spain, Thailand and the Caribbean before coming to Mexico.
“This diverse sea supports more than 900 varieties of fish and more than 2,000 species of marine invertebrates,” he says.
I saw octopus, lobsters, two white tail sharks and a baby whale shark – which will grow into one of the planet’s largest fish, with an average length of 40 feet and weight of 40,000 pounds.
Plus, there were schools of jacks, giant groupers and sea lions – which are ever so graceful underwater even when play- fighting amongst themselves, or swimming and twirling a couple of metres away from me. We also passed through a Japanese shipwreck from the 1960s.
When we surfaced, our boat lazily motored by Lover’s Beach – a golden stretch of sand framed by tall, eroded granite rocks.
Next we saw a dozen sea lions suntanning and occasionally barking from a rocky islet, and then the stunning El Arco – a limestone rock arch jutting out of the water, which marks the point where the Sea of Cortez becomes the Pacific Ocean.
Whether you want to snorkel, sail, or swim there are beautiful spots along the peninsula to enjoy.
If you follow the coastline northeast for about half an hour you’ll come to San Jose del Cabo. The historic town has a more authentic Mexican feel to it. Here you’ll find little cantinas, jewellery shops and art galleries.
GALLERY WALK
On Thursday evenings through to June the town has an art walk – showcasing not only 15 interesting, little galleries, but also local food and music.
Art lovers will be pleased to discover everything from traditional embroidery to mixed media, alongside works by renowned artists such as the Mexican painter and sculptor Vladimir Cora.
Mexico’s Ivan Guaderrama, a contemporary artist, also has a studio/ gallery here – with innovative pieces that play music when you touch them, or change when you hold an app in front of them.
About 10 minutes south of San Jose del Cabo you’ll find one of the most exclusive resorts on the peninsula at One&Only Palmilla.
White colonial style buildings with terra cotta roofs are set amongst palm trees, tropical flowers and infinity pools – all with sweeping views of the sea. As if that weren’t enough, the resort has four excellent restaurants (including Michelin- starred chef JeanGeorges Vongerichten’s Seared), a beautiful spa and two private beaches.
MEXICAN TRADITIONS
And the resort does it all while seamlessly blending contemporary and traditional styles.
With a nod to time-honoured Mexican practices, it recently started offering Temazcal, a sweat lodge cleansing, at the spa.
Raul Retana, the resident shaman from the south of Sonora, leads groups through two- hour sessions with hot volcanic rocks, herbs and music. I joined a group of about 14 people in a small, stone hut to experience the ceremony, which is meant to purify the body and mind.
The idea is to feel renewed afterwards.
With that in mind, I went from the Temazcal to surf school.
Mike Pinneo, the coach at Tropicsurf on Palmilla Beach, assured me that anyone can learn to surf – with practice, the right conditions and a good teacher.
“Surfing is a very difficult sport, but we make it easy,” he said, handing me a nine-foot, two-inch soft board. Long boards offer beginners more stability and make it easier to catch waves.
To be honest, surfing is harder than it looks. But Pinneo, who learned to surf off of Tofino, on Vancouver Island about 12 years ago, had some top tips, a sense of humour and a lot of patience.
And, miraculously, he managed to get me to go from lying down paddling on the board, to popping up into a crouched position and riding some waves. Not only was it a lot of fun, but I had a huge sense of accomplishment afterwards and would hap- pily do the sport again.
To celebrate, I went for a recommended tequila tasting later that night at Agua by Larbi.
“Tequila is one of Mexico’s greatest gifts to the world,” said Philippe Zaigue, the mixologist and bar manager, who set out to banish my reservations about the spirit.
The drink, made from the blue Weber agave plant, has been around for more than 250 years, Zaigue said. The Aztecs used to make a ceremonial wine named Pulque from the plant, and when the Spanish arrived they brought distillation techniques and turned it into a spirit.
Today, tequila is approved of by the CRT, an appellation board. It can be produced only in Jalisco, Guanajuato and Michoacán, and basically comes from either the highlands ( having a sweeter more complex taste) or the lowlands (having a more masculine, mineral and full body taste).
The secret to finding a good tequila is to look for spirits that are made with 100 per cent blue Weber agave.
We tasted: Casa Dragones Blanco, paired with seabass ceviche; Maestro Tequilero Reposado, with chicken tiquito; Don Julio 1942 Añejo, with mushroom empanada; and Jose Cuervo Reserva de la Familia Extra Añejo, with dark chocolate.
Zaigue had a wealth of expertise about the subject overall and each drink in particular – but he summed up the tasting by comparing it to the four stages of life – starting with a new born baby, then a child, an adult with experience, and finally a wise, old man.
It gave me a whole new appreciation of tequila.
And much like Baja, left me savouring the tastes, experience and culture of it all.