 Off the Beaten Path in Baja by Joyce Hadley Copeland
This trip, we’d made a pact to venture beyond the gringo-style luxury of Cabo San Lucas and experience the “real” Baja—an area that has changed very little since its discovery by Hernando Cortez in 1535. Traveling highways paved only 30 years ago, we met fellow Americans who’d chucked the fast lane for the rutted roads of Todos Santos. We walked deserted beaches that would look familiar to Cortez, and downed “chocolate clams” at a roadside palapa. Each adventure took us no more than an hour or so away from the action—but closer to the traditional soul of Baja than we’d ever been. San Jose:
At opposite ends of the 32-mile Los Cabos tourist corridor—a swath of high-rise hotels and glitzy resorts—the cities of San Jose del Cabo and Cabo San Lucas are as different as night and day. Cabo San Lucas is where Americans go to party, shop in American stores, and eat in American restaurants. At legendary hotspots such as rock star Sammy Hagar’s Cabo Wabo, the music is loud and shots of tequila are plentiful. All well and good, until you’ve blown off some steam and/or passed the age of 35. Then, San Jose del Cabo starts looking pretty good. Its clean, tree-shaded streets are made for strolling. The traditional plaza twinkles with a necklace of white lights. Sidewalk cafes are made for lingering. Low-key shopkeepers are more eager to share stories about individual artisans than to ring up a quick sale. Within a few blocks, you’ll find glasswork from Tlaquepaque, woodcarvings from Oaxaca, Huichol bead art from Guadalajara, and natural colored onyx from Puebla—not to mention Mexican fire opals flashing with 28 different shades of red and orange. Of course, progress has made its mark here—but gently, in keeping with the character with the town. Half a dozen restaurants with sophisticated menus and prodigious wine lists are tucked away in old-world courtyards in the compact historic district. It’s the real Mexico you crossed the border for. The East Cape:
La Playita is the jumping-off point for a string of remote fishing villages to the east and north along the Sea of Cortez. Known as the East Cape, this area was accessible only by private plane or boat before Highway 1 opened in 1973. John Wayne lived aboard his yacht, The Wild Goose. It’s still a bumpy ride much of the way to Los Barriles (now a windsurfing hotspot). Tour companies such as Baja Wild offer day trips to Cabo Pulmo National Marine Park. The government-protected live coral reef is remote enough to discourage the tourist masses. You won’t see more than a dozen divers at a time, even during peak season. In fact, the coral grows so close to shore, you can almost see the fish from the white-sand beach. Even novices can stay well within their comfort zones, snorkeling in shallow, 87-degree water. With visibility of up to 100 feet, you’ll see a mind-blowing kaleidoscope of reef fish and marine animals, some found nowhere else in the world. Todos Santos:
On the advice of the executive chef at elegant Morgan’s Encore in San Jose, we pulled into this blink-and-you’ll-miss-it cluster of palapas on our way to Todos Santos. Run by Lourdes and her partner Alfredo Ruiz, the simply named Art & Beer is known for its “chocolate clams”—marinated in 17 ingredients and served raw in their Hershey-brown shells. We washed them down with a mug of tres jugos (“three juices”—four that day, because key limes were in season). More food—mermaid (seafood) soup and a steamed version of the clams—appeared on our open-air ledge. We rolled into our destination, the artists’ community of Todos Santos, well-fed and prepared for more irony. Christened the “next Santa Fe” by major travel magazines, Todos Santos (“All Saints”) is indeed home to 14 high-end galleries—most housed in faded colonial-style adobes along still-unpaved roads. The longer you stay, the more difficult Todos Santos is to pigeonhole. Some even it call it a state of mind. Browsing “El Calendario,” a free guide available at the bookstore, I found an ode to stepping off the fast track, along with scheduled yoga classes and meditation sessions. Expatriate Americans and Canadians have imported DSL. A handful of restaurants are lauded in the likes of Bon Appetit.
Current residents like to remind visitors of their own “la Coronela,” a celebrated heroine of the Mexican Revolution. Others remember the day a regional governor wooed a legendary beauty by hiring a plane to scatter flowers into her courtyard. Then, of course, there’s the legend surrounding the Hotel California. Sometime in the 1980s, a rumor caught fire that this Hotel California (one of dozens throughout the world) was the inspiration for the Eagles’ hit song by the same name. Despite vigorous denials by band members, believers continued to make the pilgrimage to this hotel, even during the four years it was abandoned and for sale. “I didn’t believe it was true when we bought the place, but now I do,” the new owner, John Stewart, told me. True or not, he acknowledges that the legend has a life of its own. That morning, a group of middle-aged lawyers and accountants—in leathers—had roared in on their motorcycles and talked John out of his personal copy of “The Eagles’ Greatest Hits.”
There may also be truth to another line from the song: “You can check out any time you like, but you can never leave.” Most day-trippers return to Todos Santos to stay for several days. The temperatures are cooler and the surrounding beaches secluded—most are at the end of sandy, single-track roads radiating from Highway 19. Just be careful. If you fall under its spell, you may find yourself shopping for real estate, like the couple we met over a creamy latte at Caffe Todos Santos. Sales took off after the 9/11 tragedy. But this couple admitted, “We need a change.” Then again, maybe the change you need lies in venturing off the beaten the path on vacation. Sacramento-based writer Joyce Hadley Copeland has been replaying her original vinyl version of “Hotel California” ever since her return from Los Cabos. Good To Know Getting around. Many day trips from Los Cabos combine Todos Santos and La Paz. If you want to stay longer than an hour or two in Todos Santos, rent a car. Despite the reference to the “dark, desert highway” in the song “Hotel California,” don’t drive after dark. Livestock frequently wanders onto the highway.
Money. American dollars and major credit cards are widely accepted close to Los Cabos. You may need pesos off the beaten path. ATM withdrawals are always in pesos. Food. Most restaurant food and water is safe. When in doubt, order bottled water and unpeeled fruit. Never order food from street vendors. That said, be adventurous when it comes to native flavors such as jamaica (hibiscus flower), huitlacoche (Mexican truffle) and tamarind (sweet fruit from the pods of a tamarind tree). Web Resources Originally Published March 2005
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After poking his head into a restaurant recommended by a local shopkeeper, my husband whispered, “I’m in the mood for something more romantic.” In the next block of San Jose del Cabo’s charming historic district, we found something truly magical. Stepping through an arched doorway into the candlelit courtyard, we accepted a “no pressure” invitation to climb an elegant curved staircase for a look at the restaurant’s rooftop dining area. We found a strip of candlelit tables, a fire dancing in the brick fireplace, and a breeze, soft as a caress. If we hadn’t returned with friends on the last night of our vacation, I’d be convinced I dreamed the whole thing up. 
We’d been browsing the charming shops and galleries around Boulevard Mijares for several hours when it struck us: Not a single street vendor had approached selling trinkets. We felt like a couple of celebrities who’d successfully ditched the paparazzi. 
From San Jose’s main shopping street, we followed signs to La Playita. A short drive through the desert landed us on the doorstep of Buzzard’s. Named for the ubiquitous turkey vulture, this laid-back open-air restaurant has a view of the beach and a menu you won’t soon forget. Over a Buzzard’s Breath Salad (lettuce, chicken, blue cheese, and bacon), a Bulimic Buzzard (quarter-pound burger) and a couple of Coronas, we considered the owner’s bumper-sticker-assertion: “It doesn’t get any better than this” and decided there is a certain logic there. After all, the only footsteps following us down Playa La Laguna before we scrambled onto a rocky moonscape cupping dozens of tidal pools were our own. 
“From the bar—don’t make a mess.” With an ironic half-smile, Lourdes Campos set a bowl full of peanuts and an empty one for the shells in front of us. Looking down at the dirt floor, we had to smile. 
Hard to believe that Todos Santos was a 12-hour, teeth-rattling drive to Los Cabos (now only an hour and a half away) before Highway 19 was paved in the mid-1980s. That unique incubator bred a cast of characters right out of a Gabriel Garcia Marquez novel. At Casa de Cultura, an eclectic museum on the main street, you can read charmingly translated stories—of Catalina, for example, who fell hard for the leading men in her turn-of-the-century romance novels. “She died of love, for sure,” dreaming of the hero of the novel resting on her breast. 
The newly remodeled hotel is a stop on all day trips. You can glimpse the lushly colored cascade of patios from the lobby, and if you’re lucky, hear the mission bell of the church next door echoing through its hacienda-style arches. 
Language. You can get by with English and a smattering of travel-Spanish in most places. Guides for reputable tour companies speak English.