OK, OK, OK. So Kathryn last posted a blog in June and it is now getting on for October. Time belts by at a fair old canter when you're having fun. We are now settled for a month - at Cerritos Beach, Baja - and looking forward to a change of pace whilst we learn to surf.
We have been on the road for five months and, whilst it is truly wonderful seeing so many places, a month in one place feels like bit of luxury. A bit of time to kick back, not think about where we are going next, and tick off a few "tasks" we have built up:
Learn to surf (a big reason for being in Baja!)
Sort out the thousands of photos and videos we have taken
Read an improving book each
Continue learning Spanish
Write some more blog posts about our Global Tour.
The Area
Cerritos beach is a few miles of beautiful sand on the Pacific Coast of the Baja Peninsula. We heard about it from a couple whose dogs we looked after in Todos Santos (small, slightly hippy-ish town about 20 minutes along the coast).
Like everywhere in Mexico, Cerritos beach is being developed fast, and we have arrived just before peak season. So restaurants and bars are just starting to reopen for the season, and the beaches are beautifully empty for big chunks of the day.
Most people drive here from other towns so the mornings and evenings the best time to hit the beach. These are also the times when you won't fry like a shrimp on a plancha grill, so that works perfectly.
The Accommodation
We have a cute little two bed place which is the perfect base for hitting the beach. It is in a new build complex with an on-site pool and pizza restaurant. There is a nice enough kitchen, roof terrace for sundowners, 3 bathrooms and an outdoor shower. I've embedded the link to their AirBnB page in case you are interested.
Southern Baja (Baja California Sur, or BCS) is, in the words of one local agent, "now becoming like California USA". Prices are high (more expensive than London for dining out). And the demand for property is sky high, pushing up rental prices. There is effectively a dual economy: prices for Mexicans and prices for foreigners. So it really helped to have a few days here to scout out places to settle.
This accommodation is at a much reduced price (so we are told) because of the building work being carried out nearby. The work doesn't really impact us, it isn't very noisy, and means we get top class accommodation for the right budget. If you are planning to visit us, don't worry: we get nice places for when we have guests! For us, it is not just a 2 week trip that has to be perfect in every way, so we can compromise a little. Not that this is any kind of compromise really!
The Surfing
We hit the waves at 8.30am this morning for our first lesson. Having searched around the web for a bit, it was quite easy to find recommendations for surf instructors, but they are just sitting on the beach and most are probably pretty good.
It costs about $US50 per 1 hour lesson, and we have bought 5 lessons each. We also hit a deal with the instructors that we can hire boards for US$5 per day each on the days when we don't have lessons, instead of the normal US$20 per day.
So how did it go? Well, we both rode waves into the shore, standing on the boards. I would say we are a little short of being pros, but it is was the first hour of the first day.
Hasta luego, muchachos!
The AirBnB listing...
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