Dia de la Bandera

Rob arrived in Baja California Sur last Tuesday, followed by John a few days later. We have known each other for almost all of our lives, as the three of us went to Montessori school together. I have appreciated the opportunity to show my friends around this special part of the world, and having the chance for them to meet the people who I spend a big part of my life with. We explored all the mountain bike trails, visited all the taquerias, played croquet, ate ceviche and sashimi, watched the lunar eclipse and saw the full moon rise out of the Sea of Cortez, spotted an iridium flare (magnitude 8), and had a great time reminiscing.

It seems as though the weather has turned the corner, leaving Winter behind, and now we are enjoying warmer nights and hot, dry, sunny days. The water is still mucho frio, but it feels pretty good after a long mountain bike ride in the desert.


Sunday was Dia de la Bandera, which is Flag Day in Mexico. One of the biggest landmarks in the East Cape is the Monumento a la Bandera which is situated on a cliff just south of Los Barriles. Each year at this location we are treated to a wide range of festivites: singing, dancing, running races, food vendors from all over Baja, and many people wearing traditional outfits. At the end of all the ceremonies they raise the flag, which is about 50m long. It is so big that you can see it all the way from Punta Pescadero to the north. The wind was blowing very strong all day so the flag only went half-mast, then they took it down immediately so it wouldn't get torn. The last few years we have had a mountain bike race on this weekend, as many of our singletrack trails are situated just west of the monument, but it didn't happen this year. I think Leo was happy about that, as it was probably one of the hardest things he had ever done.



I am off to the airport this morning, unfortunately. Time goes by very quickly down here, our guests come and go all season long. But visits with friends and family seem so much shorter. One of the most common phrases, which we state almost daily, is "But you just got here!" I think that there are just so many things to do here in Baja, so many interesting places to visit, so much beauty, that it can be overwhelming and you never feel fulfilled. That is what keeps most people coming back year after year. I definitely value the time I have spent with everyone, no matter how brief it may seem.