Adventures of The Love Bucket a 1966 VW Bus & the Baja Trek scout crew

It was that time of year again, Independence Day or so we were told. Well you're probably thinking what does that have to do with much of anything in the land of Baja Trek. You see, everyone else was out grilling and watching fireworks while we were out working. It wasn't a bad job. Searching for new cool spots in Baja California never is unless you are subjected to breakdowns, being stuck in the sand or lost for hours on roads that are not even on the map.

We took the opportunity of the long weekend to boogie down the Pacific coast
in search of cool new camping spots. We found many including a wind surfer's mecca and some pretty friendly folk in a remote fishing village 100 miles from the nearest town.

In any case, you don't want to read my blah blah. Here's the video that Steve made of the ride in.

Landscape Photographer Steve Sieren shoots Gus Adventures!

Check out some of the latest pics from our newest friend Steve Sieren, who came on board Gus through one of our shuttle trips to the best Baja hot springs up at Guadalupe Canyon Oasis!

We're honored to have Steve on board. His photos make us all melt inside. We're looking forward to having him come on a few more trips to help us document our madcap adventures and the beautiful wilderness landscapes of northern Baja California.

Also don't miss out on his feel-good video of some quality Baja Trek-style bus-surfing action.

And you can visit Steve's photography website to see more beautiful shots of Western landscapes in Calfornia, Baja and beyond!

Somos todos Bajanautas!

Practice your Spanish and learn about Baja's wilderness areas at the same time! Check out this awesome blog (albeit a couple of years past its prime?) by and for Baja-lovers (or shall we say, "Baja-nautas"!): http://bajanautas.blogspot.com/

They've got all kinds of things listed in there, from why we shouldn't litter plastic, to what's behind the mystery gate in Punta China. They've even got video footage of swimming with the whale sharks in Bahia!

Nature in HD

Check out this cool perspective on the recent Sandy River flood up in Oregon by Tyler Malay and Alexandra Erickson "Nature’s torrent rendered beautiful with a Canon 60d and Canon 7d…"


Source: Open Culture


Also, this is a neat little collection of timelapses shot by Mike Flores in Baja California:

Baja California Timelapses from Mike Flores on Vimeo.

Source: Thanks, Armando!

Christmas Toy Run for Tots!

As you may well know, every year, we organize a Tot Program designed to bring Christmas out into the streets of Tecate and Tijuana and to give toys to the kids who deserve them (i.e. every kid).

This year went very well. We loaded up our friendly VW bus with toys, engaged Santa to join us, and hit the streets!

A very big "Thank You" to Santa and the Christmas Elves, as well as to everyone who helped assemble toys and make this Christmas Run happen. You've put so many new smiles on children's faces!

 

Mexico Works for an Image Makeover

We at Gus HQ have been seeing tourist numbers steadily rising in Baja for a while now, and it's very encouraging. That's why I was interested to read this article from the Globe and Mail: Mexico battles ‘sun, sea and severed heads’ image. It says that the Mexican government is now trying to change its image - highlighting the country's safety and wonderful travel opportunities and trying to shake the stigma of violence. From the article:

Of 5.1 million visits in the past four years, only 20 Canadians have died while in Mexico, and almost all were accidental deaths, with alcohol playing a role in many (seven, he says, were falls from balconies).

This is the kind of thing that never shows up in articles about Mexico. All of us at Gus HQ have spent a lot of time in Mexico without experiencing anything but an incredibly beautiful country and kind, friendly people. And we know many people whose experiences have been the same.

We've seen a lot of news reports about tragedies in this country. But such stories never point out that, statistically, the country is actually not much more violent than many places in the United States. Nor do such stories describe what percentage of the people who've been involved in violence were directly involved in the drug trade. Nor do they point out that violence is actually highly localized in a few key areas, with most parts of the country remaining quite safe.

These days, it seems as though the media has decided that Mexico is an extremely violent place, and any story which can support that theme is splashed across the front page, while the stories of Mexico's awesomeness tend to fade into the background.

Meanwhile, those of us in the know will keep trekking through this incredible country, learning about its rich history and its incredible cultures, and meeting the millions of kind, generous, happy people who call Mexico their home.

Cabo Bob's Definitive Mexican Slang 101

We've just received the most delightful package in the mail: a short stack of the hilarious book: Cabo Bob's Definitive Mexican Slang 101.

Besides sitting here in our offices reading each other passages and giggling furiously (AND learning things too, of course), we're also thinking of ways we can get these books out into the wide world, where they belong.

These little books are for sale for $5 "Gringo Dollars" apiece.  We certainly plan to keep Gus stacked with this required reading so that you can take one home with you if you wish to update your rusty high school Spanish to street-smart Baja slang.

We also hope to run a few down to our friends at the hostels down the Baja coast, from El Sauzal to Cuatro Casas, so they can show them to their guests.


In the meantime, let us know if you'd like one!

Hanging with the Docile Whale Sharks in Baja California

The mighty Whale Shark is awesome. Known as the largest fish species in the world the docile Whale Sharks spends the hotter months in Baja California. Their conservation status and limited numbers in the wild places them on the "Threatened" species list. The largest specimen is known to have reached 36 tons. But, unlike other shark species the Whale Shark is a mellow filter feeding giant who allows divers and snorkelers to swim freely at it's side. Because of this the Whale Shark is also known as the "Puppy Shark" or "Teddy Bear Shark" by some of the locals. We were fortunate enough to be able to swim with them in the past two visits to Bahia de Los Angeles and they really do live up to their name. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CAMGI3rUmFA

Publish Post

Protecting the Wild

It's infographic hour!

This infographic to the left compares all kinds of wilderness metrics in North America.

Mexico wins on the Ecological Footprint front, but loses on the Wildness front, surprisingly.

And that's something we've been concerned about over here at BT for years... We'd love to find a way to funnel some funds into supporting Protected Areas in Baja. We've got a few National Parks already, San Pedro Martir and Parque Constitucion being two you'll recognize if you've been on a few treks, and also some Marine protected areas, both in the Gulf of Californias and on the Pacific coast of Baja.

But that's not enough! Not for us. We know (and you've probably seen) some of the incredible wilderness areas that Baja has to offer, and we certainly think there needs to be more resources put towards protecting them. Don't you?

The map also highlights Mexico's water problems. Although we've got the smallest per capita consumption, we've also got the smallest availability and the least margin for error! That's why innovations like Cuatro Casas hostel's passive solar water distillation system count with every drop of water they help us save.

Anyway, check out the party responsible for this cool image, The Big Wild, which is based in and focused on Canada and has all kinds of fun ideas going on.

Next, check out this awesome new interactive map of Marine Protected Areas in North America, part of the North American Environmental Atlas. They also have this hilarious, soundtracked promotional video of their map. Look for Baja!

Viva la Vaquita!

Though you may never have heard of them, the little white Vaquitas are one of the rarest and certainly the smallest of all whale species. And guess what? They're endemic to Baja's Gulf of California (that means this is their only habitat in the world)!

They live in the northern part of the Gulf, where the waters are warm and the small fish are plenty. They have always been a rare species, with a low population and rather elusive behavior, so much so that to this day, some Baja fishermen claim they're only legend! This, however, is quite untrue. They have been around for quite a while, and in fact are now in trouble due to overfishing in the Gulf, water pollution, and reduction of water flow in the Colorado River. They also occasionally get caught in fishermens' gill nets.

The last survey in 2008 put their numbers at just 250 individuals, which is hardly enough to maintain a stable population. It looks like the Vaquitas are once again on the decline...

There are a few organizations which are working to protect the Vaquitas, one of which is Sonora's Intercultural Center for the Study of Deserts and Oceans (CEDO), a non-profit research institute. We know these people personally and they're doing good work not just for the Vaquita, but also for the fisheries and ecosystems of the northern Gulf, from conducting coastal estuary conservation to working with cooperatives of fishermen to rotate their fishing grounds and manage the fisheries in a more holistic way. (You can visit CEDO in Puerto Peñasco, Sonora, for a tour of their visitor center and to get more info about the local Gulf ecosystems!)

The Mexican government has also created a protected area where the highest concentration of Vaquitas is supposed to be, so that fishing is prohibited within this area.  You can also visit Viva Vaquita, a non-profit website dedicated to raising awareness about the Vaquita's situation!

Here's a sighting of the Vaquita from 2008:


An Encounter with Vaquita. from Chris Johnson on Vimeo.

Fish Tacos!

I had the good fortune to chance upon this incredible-looking recipe for the Ultimate Baja Fish Taco today, over on The Paupered Chef. (I love their moto: "Shallow pockets, rich feasts.")

They'll have you prepare tortillas from scratch (flour ones), then make the creamy white sauce based on yogurt, mayo, and a whole bunch of yummy spices, and then fry your fish in batter. Looks pretty authentic to me!

So if you're sitting at home missing Baja and its tasty tacos, you should probably this recipe a try and see if it helps or hurts the nostalgia.

And then you should get on the bus for our upcoming Beach Break Trek down to Cuatros Casas this weekend! :)

Cheers!