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Published: November 10th 2008
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Hello!
Here I am reporting from hot, sunny Mexico.
On arrival in La Paz just over a week ago, I actually wasn't very well, and had to spend a day in bed sweating off my mysterious illness - nothing life-threatening, luckily! That evening, I met my kayaking group for our briefing and the next day we set off on the speed boat for Isla Espiritu Santo, which is a totally undeveloped, volcanic island 18 miles away from the seaside town of La Paz, on the Baja California peninsula. The plan was to cicumnavigate it in our kayaks, camping on a different beach each night. Luckily, I managed to forget about feeling poorly for most of the time, and in the second half of the week I was almost back to my normal self, albeit with a cough and a croaky voice which is still croaking even now!
Unlike my Yosemite group, which consisted of people from countries as far flung as Taiwan, Switzerland, New Zealand and Israel, this group consisted entirely of Americans and Canadians (except for me) and they were incredibly friendly and helpful, everyone supporting each other as we got through this adventurous week. There were
three other couples of about my age, and a couple of middle aged ladies, one of whom had brought her 13-year old son, who was a sweetie. Our guides were Leah, a fun-loving Canadian with a huge smile and very jolly, cheerful personality, and Axel, a Mexican guy who was also very friendly - both of them were very knowledgable about the island and the marine life.
What really made the week different from anything else I had ever done before was the incredible sense of 'back to basics' - there is nothing on the island whatsoever so we were carrying all our drinking water and food and kitchen equipment in our kayaks, which we all had to take responsibility for re-packing each day. New supplies were brought out to us halfway through the week and the food was always plentiful. We would kayak each morning in the clear, turquoise waters, admiring the pink limestone cliffs looming dramatically beside us, and in the afternoon we would do lots of swimming, snorkelling, hiking through the hot desert landscape (cacti aplenty) or just relaxing on the beach, until it was time for Happy Hour, when Leah would concoct delicious cocktails for
On one of our hikes
You can see our little camp set up on the beach in the distance everyone. We would then start chopping and preparing dinner while the sun set over the Sea of Cortez, and we would eat in the fading light before playing silly games in the sand and then retiring to our tents. One night, I didn't even use my tent - it was warm enough just to sleep on a thermarest in a silk liner, watching the brilliant moon turn orange and descend to the horizon, the Milky Way clearly visible above. It is the first time I have slept out under the stars - what a special experience. On our last night, as I brushed my teeth on the shoreline with my toes in the water and the warm breeze on my skin I wished to myself that the week could have lasted much much longer.
The kayaking itself was brilliant - we moved along as a group all the time which was fun, and often we would all have a big singsong to pass the paddling time! I enjoyed using my upper body after all that cycling, too. Mostly, the waters were calm, but a couple of times we encountered waves, and on one day they got as large as
Me and Sandy..
..who was my roommate in La Paz pre and post-kayaking week 12 foot high, which was challenging! At this point, I was sharing a double kayak with the boy, Colin, and I did my best to reassure him as these monstrous walls of water rolled their inevitable way towards us - he may well have realised that I was trying to calm myself just as much as him! Leah decided that the wind was picking up too much for us to be able to reach a safe place before the waves started moving with more force, so she turned us back and we took a more sheltered route down the other side of the island. She was always super safety-conscious and very experienced so I never worried that we wouldn't live to tell the tale.
One of the highlights of the week was snorkelling with the sea lions on the north tip of the island. They were so cute and playful, and would spin and dart around in front of us and come right up close. The other fish we saw were incredibly colourful and beautiful too - it was the best snorkelling I've ever done (although admittedly I haven't done much) and the water was so warm that we
were able to stay in it for ages at a time. I did get stung by a jellyfish once but it was not as bad as you might imagine! From the kayaks we also saw a whale - I have never seen one that close before, and it looked huge and impressive.
No one showered for a week except once, at a freshwater well where we each had a bucket of water poured over us! We also spent the whole week with sand everywhere - on us and our belongings - it was like having a permanent exfoliation treatment! Overall this was one of the most relaxing, happy holidays of my life and I would recommend it to anyone who likes the idea of getting back to nature for a while. It was a real paradise.
Back in La Paz, I have said goodbye to my kayaking buddies so I am on my own again for a few days. Luckily, La Paz is an extremely pretty seaside town with a gorgeous waterfront and tons of places to eat and drink and plenty of benches and small beaches to sit and watch the sea. Everywhere you go there are
lots of people about, so it feels very safe, and there is music and dancing in the streets and a generally happy atmosphere that feels holidayish but not in a tacky touristy kind of way. I am staying at a Bed and Breakfast that would have to be described as charming, with its spotless rooms, bright white walls, winding staircase, open courtyard and pool, colourful flowers and lots of light airy spaces to sit and relax on sofas or on the balcony. It has oodles of character and very friendly people running it. I am planning to rest here a while and shake off the last of my virus or whatever it was. Last night I bumped into Leah and ended up going to the movies with her and some of her kayak friends, so that was a treat! I am also considering fitting in a mountain biking day trip before leaving here (for Mexico City) on Friday - watch this space! Definitely time to get those legs moving again, I think, and explore some more of Baja before I go.
Well, keep sending me your news, everyone - it's easy to miss home when I don't have the
Tim and Lena..
.. with one of the best views of the islands behind them paddling to keep my brain occupied!
Lots of love xxx
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Kate
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Hi Laura - So glad you enjoyed the island - it's always a pressure recommending something. Relax and have a few tequilas for me! Kate x