Lupe's Rellenos!


Today is Thursday, May 24, 2012, and we’re currently anchored in Bahia Coyote, located in Concepcion Bay. Since leaving Candeleros on May 8th, we’ve made stops in Puerto Escondido & Loreto, Puerto Balandra, and Caleta San Juanico, before arriving here in Bahia Concepcion. I will go back and write about these fabulous places when I have real internet. For now I’ll share what we’ve been up to for the past week or so, as we have limited access to limited internet here at a café called Estrella’s.

Concepcion Bay is located about 80 nautical miles north of Loreto, and appears to be the hottest spot in the Sea of Cortez, averaging right around 100’, with the water temperature between 83’ and 89. Our first stop within in the bay was Santispac, a quiet anchorage with a beautiful 360’ view, a fabulous little restaurant called Lupe’s, and a wide expansive beach popular during the cooler months with the campers and RVers. This time of year is pretty quiet with only 3 boats in the anchorage and a few campers. The hospitality at the restaurant is above and beyond. When we brought the dinghy to shore to investigate, we met Russ, the owner of the establishment. Even though they were closed, he opened up the doors and offered us a cold beer. When I asked about transportation options to town for provisioning, he offered to take us himself the next morning. The town of Mulege is located 14miles north on HWY 1 and to my surprise was much larger than I anticipated. He took us to two markets; Saul’s Tienda and the Mini Super Ayleth, better known as The Orange Store. After we were stocked up, he offered to take our purchases back to the restaurant, refrigerating the perishable items and cold beer, while we have lunch and a look around town. He recommended we have lunch at El Candil, which we did and ate way too much, and then took a taxi back to Santipac. Later that evening we came back to shore and enjoyed Lupe’s incredible Chili Rellenos! Muchas gracias Ray & Lupe!

After a few nights, we made the 2 mile jaunt to our current location of Playa Coyote. We’ve decided the crystal clear turquoise water of this bay is our favorite and we may never leave. (It’s also free of those biting salt water catfish in Santispac!) From our cockpit we’ve enjoyed watching Sea Turtles and the Spotted Eagle Rays who jump out and do belly flops, slapping their wings on the water’s surface. While snorkeling and kayaking we see schools of the yellow and black striped Sergeant Majors in various sizes, spotted Boxfish, and my favorite, the Cortez Angelfish. We’ve also seen a few Cortez Garden eels, several stingrays, and the occasional Cornfish that we refer as the pencil fish. We’re still holding out for at least a sighting of a Whale Shark, but ultimately we’d love to get in the water with these enormous docile creatures.

To beat the heat we try to start school and tackle chores a bit earlier so we can spend, literally, the rest of the day in the water. I’ve gotten in the habit of preparing dinner in the morning so in the evening we can cook or reheat the meal outside on our bbq. Since we live in our swimming suites, laundry has been light duty and in this heat, dries on the line within 30 minutes! The wind generally picks up in the afternoon giving us a nice reprieve until the sun goes down, at which time we take a final plunge off the boat, before showering with fresh water on our swim step.

The boys don’t seem to have any problems falling asleep in their stuffy cabins but Sydney and I have made the cockpit our sleeping compartment. Before sleep we read, watch an outdoor movie on the computer, or just enjoy the vast stars and fresh air. In the morning as the sun rises, we slowly do the same, and start our day all over again.

There are a few more anchorages in Concepcion we’d like to check out before making our way back south sometime next week. We’ll be in touch again at the next possible internet café. Adios!