Mexico

When we crossed the border to Baja California, we immersed ourselves for the first time on this trip in a culture we had never known before. We could hardly speak Spanish and heard a lot of good things but also some robber stories about this rather barren peninsula. In any case, we were very curious as to what we would expect and already had very concrete plans. For us it seemed to be the perfect place to camp wild and surf on deserted beaches.

As so often everything turned out to be a bit different - surfing was hardly possible because of the missing swell and we had to do without camping in the wild because of our car. Nevertheless, Baja was an adventure. We drove partly over never-ending straight roads, some of which were in an unbelievably bad condition. Once we had to drive 80km in the 1st and 2nd gear with a lot of dust and a burning heat, which took more than 4 hours. The potholes were sometimes so deep that we thought we lost the front axle.

But our van held up very well - also thanks to the amazing repair work of SouthWesties in San Diego. For the first time we had to get our van out of the loose sand. An experience we don't want to repeat so quickly. We camped several days in beautiful bays (Bahia de Los Angeles and Scorpion Bay). In Baja de Los Angeles and also in La Paz we could swim with seals, dolphins and whale sharks. An absolute highlight.

On our way from Tijuana to La Paz we also saw a lot of police and military presence and passed several military checkpoints. But in these 20 days we always felt safe. The people were always very friendly and helpful. Unfortunately, our Spanish skills are still a litte to short.

Especially those four days at Tecolote Beach were unforgettable. Probably the most beautiful beach with crystal clear water we've ever saw. And we got to know many interesting people - travelers as well as locals. In summary, we had a great time in Baja and are very much looking forward to the mainland of Mexico.