Los Barriles, Baja, Mexico

We left Cabo and drove about 90 minutes to the popular fishing town of Los Barrilles on the East Cape. This place is famous for kite-surfing and windsurfing in the winter, but we had hoped that the infernal wind would finally cease blowing now that we were officially in the spring season. The wild winds make fishing, snorkelling, and kayaking almost impossible and certainly less than enjoyable. Luckily, there are calm days in between the windy ones and we try to take advantage of flat seas to get out and explore the area.

One major advantage of Los Barrilles is that Mark can put his boat in the water on his own by launching from the beach. This means that he can head out fishing most mornings if the weather is agreeable while the girls are busy with schoolwork. Despite the easy access to the sea, the fishing has been disappointing. This place is renown for its abundant fish stocks, but that is very dependent on the time of year. Migrating fish fill these waters in the late spring and early summer to create an incredible bounty for anglers, but we are still a little early in the season to reap those rewards.

Even though the fishing is a bit disappointing, the snorkelling is phenomenal. Needlefish, trumpet fish, angel fish, grouper, and moray eels swarm the reefs, rocks, and caves nearby. The water is teeming with manta rays that leap into the air, just feet from shore. A family of sea lions were barking last night getting everyone's attention just 20m from us and the whales can be seen from the beach. 

Los Barrilles can be a kayaker's dream with miles of turquoise waters to paddle. We were inspired to get out on the Sea of Cortes to do some paddling, so we picked up an open kayak at Costco. Even though the water was choppy, Heidi mastered it right away. When she came back to shore, Mark hopped in, grabbed his fishing rod and paddled off. I guess I'm going to have to fight them off, if I hope to paddle away on my own.

Blue skies and abundant sunshine make Los Barrilles the ideal place to soak up some warmth if you are on vacation, but the heat can be intense if you are camping for a month. The sun is scorching hot here and we are constantly seeking shade to avoid being burnt to a crisp. The key is to be active early in the morning and late in the evening. The middle of the day is blistering hot, but a spot in the shade is at least five degrees cooler. Life in the trailer is sweltering, but we have fans and an outdoor awning to escape the worst of it. Whenever the Mexican sun gets to be too much, we simply jump in the ocean or the pool and life is instantly more agreeable.