Road Trip Baja California

I'm an atlas freak. One of the first things I did in Tijuana was buy maps of Tijuana, San Diego, Mexico and Baja California. I sat poring over them, and decided that while we're here, we should drive down the Baja California peninsula, which looks like it's made for a road trip.

The perfect opportunity presented itself when our friends from Abu Dhabi Shawn & Dawn came down to visit for two weeks (unfortunately at a time when Ahmed was back in Abu Dhabi, so next time, sweetie!). So I got my first real experience of travelling with a baby and the copious amounts of gear that involves. I think I did pretty well with one suitcase between us for clothes, two big bottles of baby water, one tin of formula, and one separate bag with bottles and sterilizer. And a car seat. And some toys. And her push chair, but being a Quinny, it's tiny and hardly takes up any space in the car boot. And of course, the precious baby herself, Princess Maya. We loaded into the car, Shawn in the driver seat, Dawn, his wing woman, and Maya and I taking up the back seat. We got as far south as Loreto, on the Sea of Cortez, in 40+ degree temperatures in a car with broken air conditioning. Maya, bless her sweaty forehead, hardly complained at all.

Here's the view for about a thousand of the 2,500 km we drove:



Here's Maya enjoying the view on the drive:


Here's our amazing baby learning how to hold her breath underwater: (Shawn took this picture, can't take the credit!)


I never realised it was so simple. When you blow on her face, her instinct is to hold her breath. At that moment, you can dunk her underwater briefly, and she won't breathe in any water. And provide a nice happy, smiling face when she comes up, so she's not too startled! Maya loved the pool & her dunkings. And Auntie Dawn coughing and spluttering in the water and swimming her around. Our little Pisces water baby.

Tips and hints if you too happen to be doing a Baja road trip one day:
El Rosario: stay at the Baja Cactus Inn, not the Hotel by Mama Espinoza's. Same price ($40 per room, but worlds apart).
Santa Rosalia: stay at Hotel El Morro (just south of town) Ph.(615) 152 0414. Nice rooms for $45 but the highlight is definitely the pool, where Maya did her impersonation of the baby on Nirvana Nevermind album cover.