After leaving La Paz where we spent Thanksgiving (we will do La Paz in another post since we are going back again to ship to the mainland), we headed to Todos Santos. I was not sure what to expect from this town, it was described as the “Laguna Beach” of Baja. Having grown up right next to Laguna Beach, CA, I was slightly intrigued and also somewhat worried about what we were going to get.

Was is going to be a town selling over priced crafts, expensive organic food and art focused on marine life like the Laguna Beach I knew and loved? Well, yes it was.

The funny thing was that just like Laguna (which started as an artists colony), Todos Santos ended up being charming in its own way. My favorite parts of Todos Santos were that many of the shops were in old historic colonial buildings which retained their charm, there were still Mexicans who lived in the town balancing out the “gringo hippie parts”, there was some really good food, great local markets, beautiful beaches nearby and nice people. Also, I was relived to find that there was no Wyland Gallery yet (those of you who have been to Laguna will understand that one)!

Everyday I am learning more about Mexican food, and I am obsessed. In Todos Santos we ate delicious Tacos al Pastor, discovered a man who made homemade cactus fruit ice cream, and went to the regional sweet market just outside of town that specializes in some treats that are only made in this part of Mexico. I am obsessed with Oblea de Cajeta  (goats milk carmel cookies with thin wafers). Yum.

Tacos al pastor. Roasted pork with a slice of BBQ pineapple. The best!

These tacos cost $2.50.

Dates were from the local date palms and the cookies I love (upper left) were homemade and divine. Goats milk carmel has an earthy tang to it. I love it!

Sam and I ate the mango empanadas for breakfast for two days. I wish they sold them everywhere, but they are a regional specialty.

This is the beach next to Todos Santos where they release sea turtles. Inquire in town to the times they let them go. We were alone on the beach.

Sam on the beach near Todos Santos. We buried the XP in the sand up to the differential here. Opps! It was easy to dig out.

After Todos Santos we all headed down to Cerritos Beach,  a popular surf beach on the Pacific Coast, where we watched surfers, visited a fancy hotel on a cliff, and found a beautiful nearby free camp spot on the beach.

The Pacific Coast is so different from the Sea of Cortez side, it was fun to see waves again, watch the sun set over the ocean, and enjoy the different feel of this coast. We also woke up to a pod of whales swim by in the morning and later that day I saw one breach, it blew me away!

This hotel was beautiful. I think it cost about $375 a night. Our weekly budget almost.

I won’t even tell you how much we paid for the margaritas here, but it was fun to hang out near the pool.

Sea urchins at Cerritos beach.

Our free camp spot for the night. The waves crashed so loudly we all had trouble sleeping. We were VERY close to the water.

Our camp spot for the night.

Finally after over a month on the Baja peninsula, we were headed to the southern most tip, Cabo San Lucas, probably the most built up place in Baja right now. Many overlanders drive right through it, but I wanted to see the beach and check out Land’s End. The beach at Cabo San Lucas is just stunning. I see why people flock to this area. The water is crystal clear, the white sandy beach just flows into the ocean and the rocky end of the peninsula with its famous arch gives the bay a dramatic frame.

Boat ride to see Land’s End with Desk to Glory.

The famous arch of Cabo San Lucas.

There are also imposing timeshares and hotels on every inch of the beach front, huge cruise ships that fill up the entire port, too many hawkers trying to sell crappy jewelry, time shares, boat trips, hideous bars along the main drag…. It is the hardest part of seeing a paradise like this, once it gets discovered it does get slightly overwhelmed. But even with all this, Sam and I both said we would come back one day in a second and stay in a fancy hotel on the beach if we could ever afford it. Because even with all the high rise hotels, when the sun set on the beach, it was so spectacular, that we did not even take a picture, it was enough to just watch it in awe.