Baja Bound 2023 (Part 12)

This entry is part 12 of 23 in the series Baja Bound 2023

April 16, 2023

By Simon J. Lau

Today, I visited Mulegé on my way to Santa Rosalía. Mulegé is a lush oasis town located at the northern tip of Bahía Concepción. Jesuits founded a mission here that overlooks the river. It’s the best view in the area!

Fun fact: The palm trees found here are not native to this region. 🌴 The missionaries ate dates and fed dates to their animals, and upon passing these foods, the seeds would sprout. Now Mulegé is filled with palm trees from the excrement of their colonizers and pets. 😅

Separately, I’m sure I’ve been eating these tacos and quesadillas incorrectly. Essentially, I fill them with condiments (or whatever the equivalent is), and I eat them in chunks with a spoon. In fact, I saw my server laughing at me today as she watched me eat. 😅 Still, I thought the meal was delicious! 🤤

Thrifty Ice Cream, for whatever reason, is still popular in Mexico. I gave in and had some. Weirdly, I spent 20 minutes going back and forth on Google Translate trying to get a waffle cone. The girl said 2 scoops was too much for a waffle cone, so I asked for 1. This is 1 scoop. 😅

The Church of Saint Barbara, the main church in Santa Rosalía. This church was designed by Alexandre-Gustave Eiffel in 1884 (the same Eiffel who designed the Eiffel Tower). It was built in 1887 and showcased at the 1889 Paris Exposition. Eventually, it was purchased by the Boleo Mining Company, and the building was moved to Santa Rosalía in 1897.

This morning, upon my departure from camp, there was a ton of activity. All the cats came out, hunting for grasshoppers or trying to enter my Airstream, and Trixie asking for attention. It’s as if they knew that I was leaving. 🥺 I’ll miss you all! Especially you, Trixie! 🫶🏼

Finally, my route from Bahía Concepción to Santa Rosalía (90 km or 56 miles).