Laguna San Ignacio, BCS, Mexico
We started this morning with a wonderful breakfast prepared by the galley, and then off we went in the vans to San Ignacio. As we left the National Geographic Sea Bird behind, we passed through an area that in its day was bustling with the mining of copper. When the copper mines closed they left behind the quaint little town of Santa Rosalia.
Traveling away from the Sea of Cortez on Hwy 1, we ascended into the desert mountains, seeing the green vegetation and pretty desert flowers that made us forget we were actually in a desert. The El Nino has allowed for the beautiful scenery we enjoyed today including green and full cardon cactus and colorful sand verbena. As we continued on through the mountains we saw the lava flows that looked like someone had just dumped them in piles not so long ago.
About the time a break was needed, an oasis formed before us. The little town of San Ignacio, with its beautiful date palms that were brought over by the Jesuit missionaries, welcomed us into its relaxing midst. The local women provided us with a great little snack of date breads and empanadas with coffee and water. After we enjoyed a quick stretch it was time for the last leg of our journey to the Pacific side of the peninsula. Back into the vans we went, adequately refreshed and expectations high with the sunny warm weather, to view the magnificent gray whales.
When we arrived at the camp where we were to board the pangas, the hotel staff provided us yet with more snacks and drinks for us to take on our expedition with the whales. It took about 15 minutes after we boarded the pangas to reach the whale watching area and when we got there, immediately we were greeted by a mother and calf which seemed as if they were waiting for us. They both were very friendly and were as interested in us as we were in them. Many of the folks on our expedition had personal encounters with the baby and the mother as they made themselves available to us many times. We enjoyed our time with the pair and when we said good bye to them we knew that our lives had been forever changed by the experience.
When arriving back to camp, the hotel staff once again came through with a great lunch, to reward us for a great day of whale watching. When we got back into the vans that would take us back to San Ignacio town we shared whale stories and pictures that would keep the excitement of what we experienced alive forever. The local gals of San Ignacio town greeted us with a great spread of salsas, guacamole and chips with, of course, the cervezas that go with this treat. Then it was off again for our last trip of the day back to our home aboard the National Geographic Sea Bird.
For this writer as I reflect on the day, I think that being with these enormous animals and looking into their eyes is truly one of the most amazing life experiences I have ever had. I do believe it is not we who touch them but they, that touch us, not only physically but spiritually.
