Isla San Marcos/Santa Rosalia
The rising sun cast a warm glow across Isla San Marcos and the distant cliffs of the Baja Peninsula. The broad, black back of a fin whale broke the sea’s surface and the cetacean’s tall blow refracted into a rainbow. Not long after that, a humpback whale caught our attention before arching tightly for a dive.
As the wind freshened a bit and naturalist Linda Burback talked to us about the incredible, edible desert, our ship made its way around to a sheltered snorkel spot on the southwest side of San Marcos in sight of a gypsum mine. The rest of the morning was spent swimming, beach combing, or going for a Zodiac cruise along the colorful island cliffs.
Near the end of lunch, a very large group of long-beaked common dolphins were spotted. Soon we were in their midst. Shutters whirred as pixels and film hopefully captured the action. Pelicans, boobies, and gulls joined the melee. Suddenly the dolphins regrouped, spread out in a long line, and began leaping and diving in a frenzied manner. The sea was churned up as though a blender had been switched on. The photographers tried their best to capture the moment, but then came shouts of, “I’m out of film! My digital card is full!” Which, in the end was probably okay, since then we could simply watch in wonder at this remarkable natural phenomenon.
By mid-afternoon, we were docked in the old copper mining town of Santa Rosalia, where the original discoverer of the deposit was paid a mere 16 pesos. A short walk into town brought us to a simple, prefabricated galvanized iron church designed by Frenchman Gustave Eiffel and shipped here in the late 19th century. From there, we wandered uphill to the charming Hotel Frances to enjoy margaritas and guacamole on a grand covered porch with a view.
Much too soon it was time to head down the hill and back to the dock. But no doubt more adventures await us tomorrow.
The rising sun cast a warm glow across Isla San Marcos and the distant cliffs of the Baja Peninsula. The broad, black back of a fin whale broke the sea’s surface and the cetacean’s tall blow refracted into a rainbow. Not long after that, a humpback whale caught our attention before arching tightly for a dive.
As the wind freshened a bit and naturalist Linda Burback talked to us about the incredible, edible desert, our ship made its way around to a sheltered snorkel spot on the southwest side of San Marcos in sight of a gypsum mine. The rest of the morning was spent swimming, beach combing, or going for a Zodiac cruise along the colorful island cliffs.
Near the end of lunch, a very large group of long-beaked common dolphins were spotted. Soon we were in their midst. Shutters whirred as pixels and film hopefully captured the action. Pelicans, boobies, and gulls joined the melee. Suddenly the dolphins regrouped, spread out in a long line, and began leaping and diving in a frenzied manner. The sea was churned up as though a blender had been switched on. The photographers tried their best to capture the moment, but then came shouts of, “I’m out of film! My digital card is full!” Which, in the end was probably okay, since then we could simply watch in wonder at this remarkable natural phenomenon.
By mid-afternoon, we were docked in the old copper mining town of Santa Rosalia, where the original discoverer of the deposit was paid a mere 16 pesos. A short walk into town brought us to a simple, prefabricated galvanized iron church designed by Frenchman Gustave Eiffel and shipped here in the late 19th century. From there, we wandered uphill to the charming Hotel Frances to enjoy margaritas and guacamole on a grand covered porch with a view.
Much too soon it was time to head down the hill and back to the dock. But no doubt more adventures await us tomorrow.
