Post 13- Baja California

Efrat abramson
Jan 22
9 min read

1/21/26

One who did not return

This post is dedicated to a man named Dan Ben Ari.

Dan was a big man, with arms, legs, a bald head, and a huge heart who worked hard for almost 90 years.

A man of clusters, a man of land, a man of knowledge, travel, family.

A man of trees, of settlement, of hard work, of roots.

Salt of the earth, in the full sense of the word.

A man who, over the years, went from being a patient to a dear friend.

I enjoyed sitting with him and talking, even when the words no longer flowed as usual.

I learned through him that deep friendship can transcend age,

And exist even when there is no "normal" conversation between two people.

I received countless gifts from him in various forms, including-

Plates of peeled pecans with different types of pomegranates and peeled pomelo.

Every fruit in its season, with great investment, patience, and love.

Dan founded a magnificent, large, and vibrant family with his beloved Dalia and lived a full life.

His spirit and memories of him will continue to accompany me forever.

Bahia De Los Angeles

We woke up in the morning to leave and discovered that the car battery had drained overnight because we had connected the Starlink to the car and forgotten to disconnect. Now we know that communication takes a lot of electricity, and we shouldn't take it from Sylvie (the car). James the Angel, who was parked next to us, immediately came to help. It took many minutes because we were standing right on the beach, the access between the vehicles was complicated, and also because Sylvie, with her unwavering strength, was not easily convinced to put her battery back into operation. After the correct connections, waiting, and a little persuasion, the car started like new, and we were on the road again.

https://video.wixstatic.com/video/dbedc6_ffba987a54c74d998354b09a469b95f9/1080p/mp4/file.mp4

We've made it

Guerrero Negro

Today we crossed Baja and moved to its southern side. This included signage, a stop at a military post, where the soldier took 20 pesos from us to wash our wheels with an unidentified substance, maybe it's just water. And the clock moved forward one hour, without us noticing.

It's an industrial town built around the vast salt mines that exist in the area. An important transit point for travelers crossing Baja. Functional, rugged, and not particularly pretty.

We arrived here from the beautiful Bay of Angels to a less-than-ideal parking lot in the back lot of a restaurant, crowded and not the most pleasant, but we had to come to terms with the reality that included electricity, sewage, and water. And we were happy to receive all of that there.

We still get into trouble here, and everything takes us a long time. Finding an ATM, for instance, many of the businesses here work with cash and not with credit cards, so you have to carry a stack of cash, but not too big, and not too small, that's the balance we're always looking for. Luckily, we have bicycles. We get on them and ride around looking for the ATM. Usually, you can find one or two inside a supermarket called Ley, but this time it wasn't working, and the bank was hard to find. We found it hiding inside a complex of stores that sell motorcycles, mattresses, and other unrelated items.

The ATM stories will continue to accompany us.

The puddle outside the restaurant, and behind it, we parked

Cruise and encounter with gray whales

We met Zihul and Blanca through Eddie's recommendations (remember? from the beginning of our journey in Baja).

We arrived at their place in the morning, together with Noa, and drove with them for about 45 minutes in their car to a lagoon in a nature reserve, passing through vast salt fields. At the lagoon, a guy was waiting for us and took us on a boat for a cruise. It was just us, Noa, Ziyaul, Blanca, and Maya, their young daughter. We sailed quietly and slowly in the lagoon, surrendering to the silence, the beauty of the mountains around us, and the mesmerizing landscape. This is such a special and beautiful area that it was chosen to be featured on the 500-peso bill. We sailed a little further and discovered them, even though it is still a little early in the year, and here we are watching a mother and baby swimming in the lagoon, and accompanying us, or are we them? The baby is probably very young, because it is close to its mother. Every few minutes, they rise above the water to take a breath, and then we meet them. They are gentle and powerful together, and not afraid of us. Zihul has a lot of information and tells us many stories about the whales, his experiences with them, and one trip he took to Israel 20 years ago as part of his military service. What does he remember most from that successful visit? The Israeli breakfast.

Zihul hosts us in his house, and in the backyard, there are lots of chickens and dogs.

Zihul, Blanca, Maya, Noa, and us, and our driver's back

Gray whales

Here, in the shallow, warm waters, they mate, give birth, and raise their first pups.

This is one of the longest migratory journeys in the world that allows for a particularly close, gentle, and moving encounter between them and us.

It was a quiet experience, not at all dramatic, and very moving.

A retreat in the middle of the lagoon.

https://video.wixstatic.com/video/dbedc6_3a0473e9cba247d69e27fc46e2011bdf/1080p/mp4/file.mp4

Mom goes out for some fresh air.

Mulege

After three days in Guerrero Negro, we continued on, intending to reach another bay with a beach that should be even more beautiful. We moved down the desert peninsula, passed a cute town called Mulege, and continued on. After a few minutes, we stopped to use the bathroom and discovered that the wind was so strong it was really difficult to stand outside. We turned around and returned to Mulege, where we found a nice campground, surrounded by trees that protected us from the strong wind.

It's a really small town, an oasis, located next to a stream, decorated with colorful houses and palm trees.

We stayed there for two nights, hoping the wind would die down. I feel frustration creeping up the tips of my feet. We waited and waited for the weather to improve, from a cold winter, snow, rain, and now wind. The weather teaches me a lesson about uncertainty, about flexibility, about taking a breath and being patient.

Bahia De Concepcion

On the third day, the weather app showed the wind was weakening, so we decided to head to the beautiful beach. When we got there, we saw how beautiful and special it is. We parked right on the beach, in the sand, went outside, and the wind almost blew us somewhere. It was really impossible to be outside. So we sat inside and saw all this beauty from afar. It's very strong, blowing sand, which gets into the eyes and all the other openings, including the Bear (campervan). The sun was setting, and it was still blowing hard. Somewhere in the darkness of the night, it calmed, and we woke to a quiet morning with a spectacular sunrise. Even before the sun rose, the eastern sky was covered in stripes of gold, shades of shades, changing every moment. The moments before the sun rises are magical, spectacular, mesmerizing. Moments of pure happiness. We managed to do yoga and fitness outside, the sea was calm, and the water was not too cold. I went for a walk, and everything is in the right measure, precise. There is a stretch of beach in front of us that disappears and reappears with the tide.

After a few hours of kindness, she returns, in a big way and quickly, we got inside and once again observed the beauty from within the camper van.

After two nights with the wind, we decided, to move on...

palapa - This is the cute shed next to us, only we couldn't use it because... the wind

But in the morning, breakfast on the sea

Loreto

A slightly larger town, calm, pleasant, with a beautiful square, promenade, and church in a Spanish style.

This is our stopping point before a long five-hour drive to La Paz.

We arrived at a small, crowded parking lot, the trailers parked like sardines next to each other, and the last free spot was waiting for us. We stayed there for one night and set off early the next morning.

Sometimes this is what we see from the window, not everything is perfect.

La Paz

The big city of southern Baja is very spacious, with a long promenade and designated bike lanes that we enjoy pedaling on. But don't get too excited, some of the streets are still unpaved, and the roads are dotted with potholes.

We arrived there in the afternoon, after a long drive, to a small one-room apartment that we booked through Airbnb for three nights to rest a bit from the road and prepare for the move to Mexico.

We enjoyed a bed with white linens, a large shower, a kitchenette, and a cozy sitting area outside in front of the pool (the water is too cold for a dip).

The landlady's dog came to visit.

We have had a few tasks to complete in La Paz. For those who remember, we were missing a document called a TIP, which is a temporary import permit to drive a foreign vehicle in Mexican territory.

The next day, we had a productive day - we drove to the port, got the tip, but before that, we waited for 40 minutes for the clerk to arrive from somewhere. She looked at our passports, and her eyes widened. It turns out her life's dream is to reach Jerusalem. We told her a little about Israel, showed her a map, and explained some more about the situation there. It's possible that after the conversation, the dream will move to the back of the brain's dream shelves.

We discovered that right next to the Banjecito office, where we got the tip, is the ferry company's office, from which we want to cross to Mexico. We entered the office, received information that, of course, was not accurate in real time, but she registered us for the Monday evening ferry and instructed us to arrive at the port at 2:00 PM.

About the ferry, weighing and crossing in the next post.

Google Translate

Almost all communication with Mexicans goes through Google Translate. They also use it frequently to communicate what they want to us. And so we find ourselves moving the mobile screen from one to the other to communicate. The strange ways of the world. Until we all walk around with headphones that will simultaneously translate our lives. Will we be happier and more satisfied? I don't know.

Bear stickers

Back in the United States, we dreamed of making stickers of the "Wandering Ripples" logo and sticking them on the bear. We found a small office in La Paz, and they were happy to print us two large stickers and 50 smaller ones at a ridiculous price compared to the United States, where they asked for $100-120. Here we paid $25.

It came out a little small, but we're happy, and I'm handing out Ripple stickers to those we meet along the way.

The weather is gradually warming up, and we find ourselves dressed in shorts after long months of winter, rain, snow, and wind, coats, and wool hats.

We enjoy riding around La Paz on our bikes. While pedaling, we find a real cafe that sells coffee beans and drinks on the spot.

Todo Santos

A town of surfers and artists, with galleries and cafes. Americans and Canadians love to come here to spend the winter months, and it is very touristy.

We traveled there for two days and slept with the cacti in the deser, we return to the port to board the ferry to Mexico,t, met a lovely Israeli family in the evening who have been wandering in those areas for several months, sat with them on the beach at sunset, exchanged experiences from our wanderings, and received a bucket full of recommendations for Mexico from them, since they are after two years of living in Mexico City. The next day we returned to the port to board the ferry to Mexico - where a new chapter will begin.

3 Week Summary - Baja California

Roads that become unclear paths
Unstable weather - at first rain, then strong winds, desert dryness
Desert, vast, quiet, and wild
Life in a trailer is wonderful, until we encounter problems, and then we encounter ourselves...
3 weeks doesn't scratch the tip of the iceberg of Baja's beauty, but the roads call us to move on
Preparing for Mexico, why? Because we still hear English from time to time in Baja, we are told the roads are much better here... and what else? The unknown awaits us...