San Ignacio lagoon, March 20, 2006
Early today there was expectancy in the air as we hurriedly had breakfast before taking the buses to San Ignacio lagoon, located on the Pacific side of the peninsula. The bright, low light of the morning made the Tres Vírgenes volcano look even more impressive, and the abundant Yucca trees shine, as we admired the beauty, solitude and rugged splendor of the Baja terrain. After a short stop at the oasis town of San Ignacio, where the old mission founded in 1728 by the Jesuits still stands, we continued our journey towards the unique lagoon, originally known as Ballenas but later named after the nearest mission. Once there, we soon boarded several sea-trusty pangas and sailed into a great experience. Only minutes after our arrival at the whale-watching area, a mother and baby pair of gray whales slowly approached our boat. Within an instant, their massive heads where sticking out of the water right next to us, and we were able to experience one of the most amazing encounters that a human being could experience with a wild creature! Our hands petted their smooth skins and even scratched their barnacle-encrusted backs, as the whales seemed to be engaged in some human-watching by themselves! Their eyes looked back at us with the same curiosity that we surely had and made us wonder who was watching who…
After several more similar encounters we reluctantly came back ashore and headed back to San Ignacio and then to the Sea Bird. The recent memories we just experienced kept us in a mesmerized state while we traveled across the desert. After a little while I fall asleep in the car and dreamt about baby whales rolling on their sides and looking back at me. Now, as I write this, the Sea Bird is on her way south to our next destination; I am sure that tomorrow we will enjoy new and exciting experiences, but now I just want to go to sleep and continue dreaming about baby eyes!
Early today there was expectancy in the air as we hurriedly had breakfast before taking the buses to San Ignacio lagoon, located on the Pacific side of the peninsula. The bright, low light of the morning made the Tres Vírgenes volcano look even more impressive, and the abundant Yucca trees shine, as we admired the beauty, solitude and rugged splendor of the Baja terrain. After a short stop at the oasis town of San Ignacio, where the old mission founded in 1728 by the Jesuits still stands, we continued our journey towards the unique lagoon, originally known as Ballenas but later named after the nearest mission. Once there, we soon boarded several sea-trusty pangas and sailed into a great experience. Only minutes after our arrival at the whale-watching area, a mother and baby pair of gray whales slowly approached our boat. Within an instant, their massive heads where sticking out of the water right next to us, and we were able to experience one of the most amazing encounters that a human being could experience with a wild creature! Our hands petted their smooth skins and even scratched their barnacle-encrusted backs, as the whales seemed to be engaged in some human-watching by themselves! Their eyes looked back at us with the same curiosity that we surely had and made us wonder who was watching who…
After several more similar encounters we reluctantly came back ashore and headed back to San Ignacio and then to the Sea Bird. The recent memories we just experienced kept us in a mesmerized state while we traveled across the desert. After a little while I fall asleep in the car and dreamt about baby whales rolling on their sides and looking back at me. Now, as I write this, the Sea Bird is on her way south to our next destination; I am sure that tomorrow we will enjoy new and exciting experiences, but now I just want to go to sleep and continue dreaming about baby eyes!
