Southern Exposure

Saturday and Sunday, November 22 and 23

From Santa Rosalia we only had about 40 miles to go to Mulegé which was our weekend destination where we planned to spend a day enjoying the beaches of the Sea of Cortez. We had a leisurely morning around town, spent a few hours at the Internet cafe and came back to the hotel to pack, only to discover that we had missed the check out time by an hour. I made a deal with the hotel guy by giving him $2 dollars, which he gladly accepted and we were almost on our way. Right before we got on our bikes, he came up to us with a cute, mid-size short brown-haired dog on a leash. He told us that the dog somehow fell out of an American RV and was left behind by the owners. The dog had a collar with a number to call in case it was lost, so we spent the next half an hour trying to make the the 1-800 call to US, with no luck. We finally called Matt’s parents, gave them all the information and the location of the dog, hoping that it will be reunited with it’s owner, but knowing that the the chances were pretty slim. We later found out (from the parents’ communications) that the dog’s name was Lucy and her owner was a veterinarian who was traveling in Mexico performing veterinary services pro bono. We very much hope that Lucy finds her family soon.

Mulegé is a small village-town with about 5000 residents, with some of the best beaches on the Sea of Cortes within a 10 mile distance. We settled in the charming Hotel Hacienda, ran by a very genial and hospitable señor Alfonso. He has owned the hotel for 44 years (and married to his señorita for 54!). He has five sons and one daughter, all highly educated professionals. We were probably one of only three residents at the hotel. (The tourist season is just starting and the business has been down because of the deteriorating US economy). We were able to park the bikes right in the courtyard of the hotel, which is always a big plus.

In the evening, we rode to the beach where we had a very romantic candlelight dinner on the beach – our table was located literally five feet from the water. The restaurant was owned by (you guessed it!) an American couple, and we found out there was a sizable community of American retirees and American RV travelers in the area.

The next morning we rode along the coast for about 15 minutes to a remote sandy beach, and spent the whole afternoon frolicking in the the sun. I love days like this, nothing to do or worry about, just enjoy the calming sound of the rolling surf and feel the warmth of the sun on your skin.