Cabo San Lucas
After spending the night heading south from Magdalena Bay, the Green Flash phenomenon occurred as we saw the very first rays of the sunrise. At that moment we were approaching Cabo San Lucas, the southernmost point of the Baja California Peninsula. We looked at the very known Friar's rocks, the granite formations that characterize this location, as well as its hundreds of frigate birds, pelicans, boobies and several sea lions. Later, we docked and moved east on buses for a couple of interesting activities: snorkeling and birding. The snorkeling party refreshed with interesting observations of morays, sea urchins, sergeant major fishes, corals, sea stars and other marine creatures. Birders delighted with observations on cardinals, mockingbirds, ravens, vultures, wrens, woodpeckers, Xantus hummingbirds (endemic to Baja California), flycatchers and many more species.
For those who decided to have a "shopping hike" in town, some surprises awaited them. In fact, most people has corroborated that Cabo San Lucas is a very commercial spot, but readily few know that there are some hidden places that are representative of the Old Mexican style. In fact, as we went through an art gallery we discovered fine silver jewelry, museum quality masks, handicrafts of all sorts, and Huichol Indian stuff. We also found that color is always present in the life of most Mexicans, as testified by the preference of vivid colors in the pottery, glasses, bowls and ornaments.
Later on, after leaving Cabo, we continued our sailing to Gorda banks, a series of deep undersea canyons that provide continuous and sufficient food for humpback whales. In fact, as we approached the undefined limits of the bank, we detected one of these wonderful giants. It showed its exhalations, flukes and pectoral fins. Half an hour later we found more individuals, one of which was hitting the fluke against the water surface with great power and fierceness. As the afternoon was coming to an end, a third group of three humpbacks displaying a variety of behaviors, including courtship and probably mating, was seen. Understanding that we might intruded on their intimacy, we left quietly and slowly in route to the Sea of Cortez, our next destination, to allow Nature to perform the needed ritual to create the next generation of these fascinating animals.
After spending the night heading south from Magdalena Bay, the Green Flash phenomenon occurred as we saw the very first rays of the sunrise. At that moment we were approaching Cabo San Lucas, the southernmost point of the Baja California Peninsula. We looked at the very known Friar's rocks, the granite formations that characterize this location, as well as its hundreds of frigate birds, pelicans, boobies and several sea lions. Later, we docked and moved east on buses for a couple of interesting activities: snorkeling and birding. The snorkeling party refreshed with interesting observations of morays, sea urchins, sergeant major fishes, corals, sea stars and other marine creatures. Birders delighted with observations on cardinals, mockingbirds, ravens, vultures, wrens, woodpeckers, Xantus hummingbirds (endemic to Baja California), flycatchers and many more species.
For those who decided to have a "shopping hike" in town, some surprises awaited them. In fact, most people has corroborated that Cabo San Lucas is a very commercial spot, but readily few know that there are some hidden places that are representative of the Old Mexican style. In fact, as we went through an art gallery we discovered fine silver jewelry, museum quality masks, handicrafts of all sorts, and Huichol Indian stuff. We also found that color is always present in the life of most Mexicans, as testified by the preference of vivid colors in the pottery, glasses, bowls and ornaments.
Later on, after leaving Cabo, we continued our sailing to Gorda banks, a series of deep undersea canyons that provide continuous and sufficient food for humpback whales. In fact, as we approached the undefined limits of the bank, we detected one of these wonderful giants. It showed its exhalations, flukes and pectoral fins. Half an hour later we found more individuals, one of which was hitting the fluke against the water surface with great power and fierceness. As the afternoon was coming to an end, a third group of three humpbacks displaying a variety of behaviors, including courtship and probably mating, was seen. Understanding that we might intruded on their intimacy, we left quietly and slowly in route to the Sea of Cortez, our next destination, to allow Nature to perform the needed ritual to create the next generation of these fascinating animals.
