Getting to Baja

     Friday – the first day of my Lindblad Expedition trip – was simply a travel day. My America West flight from New Jersey to San Jose del Cabo via Phoenix departed at 7 a.m., and I happily waved goodbye to the seven degree weather. I was glad to escape the cold temperatures of the tri-state area, and looking forward to stepping off the plane in Baja California.

      Baja California or “lower California” isn’t really in California – for those of us who aren’t geography experts. It’s a peninsula in Mexico that was separated from the actual state of California in the late 1800’s. The peninsula is divided into two states – Baja California, which is the upper half, and Baja California Sur, which is the southern half. During the “Among the Great Whales” itinerary that we’ll be following for the next week aboard the 70-guest Sea Lion, we’ll venture into the lagoons of Baja and the Sea of Cortez (known as the Gulf of California) and discover its many little islands and various species of life.

     I stepped of off my second flight directly out into the sun and warm 80 degree weather of southern Mexico. It’s a desert out here, so the only hat I’ll need during this trip is one that shields the sun. Ahhh – no wool hat and gloves for me this week!

     Conveniently, after I grabbed my luggage and went through customs, representatives from Lindblad Expeditions greeted me with open arms, took my suitcase, and lead me to the motorcoach that would take me and the other 43 Lindblad participants from the San Jose Airport to La Paz, where we had reservations at Hotel Los Arcos for the night. Our ship, the Sea Lion, was on the other end of Baja peninsula in San Carlos, but we wouldn’t actually board it until our second day of the expedition.

     Unfortunately for Lindblad, and its guests, Air Mexico no longer offers a flight from Phoenix to La Paz, so a three hour bus ride from the southern San Jose to the east coast of La Paz is necessary. Why? Because this is a cruise-tour, and a hotel stay in La Paz is part of the land tour.

     After driving many miles on windy narrow roads through a desert landscape – all while being entertained by our extremely knowledgeable Lindblad guide, Jose; we stopped at a roadside rest stop for a break and a stretch. Buying refreshments here wasn’t necessary because the bus was fully equipped with complimentary waters, sodas, and snacks for us to munch on along the way. But for those who wanted a fresh Mexican tortilla with the fixin’s, this place was key. For the rest of us who wanted a quick bathroom break on land, it was hard not to hold our noses for the occasion.

     To make a long bus ride short – we ended up at Hotel Los Arcos in the center of La Paz at around 6:30 p.m. – where we watched a lively Mexican Folkloric Ballet (a cross between Mardi Gras and Indian chants); ate an authentic Mexican buffet; and had a good night’s sleep in comfortable accommodations.

     Look forward for more on La Paz tomorrow!

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Ahoy, Sea Lion 1/31/03

     When we arrived at the barren port of San Carlos, Lindblad Expeditions’ Sea Lion was waiting. The staff and naturalists were on deck, waving and smiling – as happy to see us, as we were to get off of the bus and onto the ship, and greeted us with glasses of champagne.

     The 21-year-old Sea Lion carries 70 guests in 37 cabins – 32 of which are outside, and 26 of which lead out to the ship’s decks. The doors slide open, sort of like opening the door to a van. It’s an expedition ship, so it doesn’t have any breathtaking bells and whistles. It doesn’t have Internet access or television service. There’s no rock-climbing wall or elaborate spa and fitness center. Instead it carries a fleet of Zodiacs (motorized raft-like boats that Expedition Leader Tom O’Brien describes as the “key to their operations”), 18 kayaks, snorkel gear and wet suits, and two exercise bikes onboard. The seas and oceans are the real playgrounds for the Sea Lion’s guests and naturalist. Our voyage has about 50 guests, six naturalists – all with their own specialty, an expedition leader, an expedition leader to be, a video chronicler, and about 24 other young staff and crew members such as officers, stewards, service staff and deck hands. We’ll tell you more about them as the trip goes on.

    The main deck houses the ship’s small open seating dining room and bar/lounge, which also plays the role of library and lecture room; and during two nights of our seven-day voyage, it partially transforms into a gift shop selling local made trinkets and Lindblad logo items. Both rooms are cozy, but not fancy in any way. The bar/lounge is nautical with small wooden tables and taupe leather chairs; a few book shelves filled with maps, historical reference books on Baja California and Alaska as well as whales and birds; a coffee bar; and two televisions for videos only – there’s no satellite TV connection here. The room also houses a computer with e-mail access only, and the transmission is sent via satellite through London. The rate is $4 for the first 1,000 characters and $1 for each additional 1,000, but basically it’s the only way guests can communicate with those back home while onboard the ship. Being removed from the everyday occurrences and stresses of reality is the best part of this trip. After all, on this “Among the Great Whales” itinerary we’re here to see whales.

     The Sea Lion’s cabins are small, but have all the basics an adventure cruiser needs. There’s plenty of storage space – a closet, cabinets and under-the-bed drawers – as well as night stands, a vanity and sink area; a shower and toilet; single beds in some cabins and double beds in others; and complimentary soaps placed in a cute rubber model zodiac. The only shocker for me – someone who has never sailed with Lindblad Expeditions – is that the toilet and shower are all in the same corner of the room. I don’t have to actually stand over the potty or anything though, there’s a curtain that creates the shower space, making it a separate cubby to shower in. Something the folks at Lindblad take very seriously is environmental protection and conservation, so the staff does encourage guests to use water sparingly while showering, and not to request new towels daily. Each cabin also has individually controlled thermostats.

     Sea Lion has plenty of open deck space for whale sightings and watching the dolphins ride the bow, as well as lounging in the sun on the teak deck chairs, and reading a book at a table under the canopy. The ship’s “open bridge” policy allows guests to join its friendly officers – Captain Jamie Delisle, First Mate Rick Brewer, Second Mate Scott Brewer, and Third Mate Rick Pilkington – in the bridge to chat about the Sea Lion’s technology, the day’s events, or anything else. “Stop on in,” says Captain Delisle. Thanks – I will!

     Over the next several days we’ll keep you updated on our voyage through Baja California and the Sea of Cortez, as well as give you profiles of the ship’s extremely knowledgeable and fun naturalists and staff, and anything else we discover along the way. Also remember to check out our link to Lindblad Expeditions’ web site, www.expeditions.com, to read the naturalists’ accounts of our ecological findings!

Whale Watching Galore

     Today was truly a full day of whale watching. It was our second day of a smooth anchorage in the Boca de Soledad, one of the entrances to Bahia Magdalena, and we were once again woken up at 7 a.m. by our Expedition Leader Tom. There’s no sleeping past 7:30 on this trip, but getting up early is the kickoff to each fabulous day of exploration here.


     We split up into two groups according to odd and even number cabins – the first group went whale watching first, and the second went for expedition walks on the beach. This occurred twice throughout the day. It was really exciting being in the first whale watching group.

     Our Zodiac set out about a half a mile or so away from the ship. We started seeing Gray Whales immediately. It was so exciting – momma whales with their calves were all over the area. Their large patchy gray bodies were easy to identify, as they revealed their backs to us frequently. The calves are a bit darker than the moms, and don’t have any of the barnacles on their skin like their aged moms. In some instances the whales would come up for air very near the zodiac, and in others, they could be seen at a distance rising above the service, flashing their flukes as they went down for a dive, blowing water from their blow holes, or sticking their heads above water to check out the scene above – a behavior called spy hopping.

     Every other minute someone cried out, “Over there – I saw a blow over there,” and we would all gasp and scurry to focus our cameras and snap a shot. In between the blows we were all so quiet, just waiting for a whale to emerge from the protected waters of Magdalena Bay. The naturalists communicated on their walky talkies (which are always wrapped around their necks in a protective plastic pouch) to report the latest sightings. David, our Zodiac’s naturalist would interrupt the silence with explanations of the habits of the Gray Whales around us. “Watch how the calves swim right next to the mother,” he said. One reason is for protection, and the other is so the mom can teach her calf how to swim and survive.

     Although we were close enough to the whales in some instances to feel the spray of their blow, we couldn’t maneuver the Zodiac to get too close. Mexican conservation laws prohibit whale watchers from getting closer than 30 meters from the fascinating mammals. But if the whale happens to come closer than that to our Zodiac, we’re in the clear. Thank goodness for that, because a few whales got closer to us than that.

     Because Magdalena Bay is a protected area – as is the majority of the Baja California – permits are needed to go whale watching here. Lindblad doesn’t have the permits, but the local “pongeros” do. The pongeros are the Mexicans that captain the Ponga boats, small fishing boats. For us to whale watch here, Lindblad has formed a bonding agreement with the local government where by the company can use the Zodiacs to whale watch only if they have a Pongero aboard. In short, every Zodiac had a pongero onboard to make sure the rules of the whale watching in the area were being enforced.

     After about two hours of whale watching, we went back to the Sea Lion and headed out again – this time for our beach walk. William and Claire were our Naturalists. We briefly walked around the shoreline with them, examining shells and the sand dunes. We encountered a live lobster and crab, and both William and Claire were descriptive in their species evaluation. They warned us not to take anything we found off of the beach because of conservation laws. Everyone was very respectful of that, and have been the entire trip this far.

      After lunch the whale watching and beachcombing were repeated, and passengers were excited to go out a second time. “I can’t get enough of this,” said one passenger. “This is fabulous.” All the others around him agreed.

     That night for dinner, a group of locals from Restaurante Bellena Gris (Gray Whale) in Lopez Mateos came onboard and prepared us a Mexican Fiesta dinner! The dining room was festive – decorated with sombreros and colorful tablecloths and settings. Four local Mexicans were playing guitars and singing native tunes as the rest of us lined up at the buffet to taste “real refried beans” – as William said – and large freshly caught and prepared grouper, lobster fra diavlo, tortillas, and more. I think all of us went up for seconds!

     Our Hotel Manager Paul and our Purser Katie set up the gift shop in the lounge after dinner. A variety of handmade items, such as journals, photo albums, jewelry boxes and soaps were set up on tables and other areas around the lounge along with Lindblad logo items, shirts, hats, and other garb. One of the locals from Lopez Mateos was also onboard selling shirts, on a cash purchase basis. Of course, I couldn’t resist buying some souvenirs – and by the looks of it neither could anyone else!

     Stay tuned for more whale watching, kayaking and much more!

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Nightly Recap

     Before dinner Saturday night we had a detailed introduction to the ship’s six naturalists – Bill Bushing, our Undersea Specialists and avid diver; Carol Keiper, our marine biologist and whale expert; Clair Klock, our Systems Ecologist (and bird specialist); mammalogy expert William Lopez-Forment, our vampire bat and plant specialist; Chris Lindberg, our poetic environmentalist; and David Stephens, our animated all-around naturalist who is visiting the Sea Lion while its sister-ship Sea Bird participates in some beach clean-up this week.

      Dining onboard is just like everything else on the Sea Lion – very casual. Jeans, shorts, and T-shirts can all be donned in the open seating dining room, but no one ever looks sloppy. I’m finding it a nice change of pace from mainstream cruising where dressier is better.

      Dinner choices are pretty basic and homestyle – a fish, a meat, and a vegetarian option – served with vegetables and a type of starch, with either a soup or salad before hand. I chose the Halibut, which was served in a mango-ginger beaurre sauce with roasted potatoes – a very tasty dish. Others at my table selected the rib eye steak. Selected pairing red and white wines are offered at about $6 a glass per night, or around $18 per bottle. Dessert so far – apple cake and blueberry cheesecake – has also been very yummy. Our wait staff – a group of very pleasant and fun 20-something year olds – aims to please. They’re under the direction of our Italian Hotel Manager Paul Ghisoi, who also will jump at any passenger request.

     Everyone retired to bed early our first night aboard, as we headed for Magdalena Bay to anchor the Sea Lion.

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Our Journey Begins

     We awoke to the voice of Tom O’Brien, our Expedition Leader, at about 7 a.m. Sunday morning. “Good morning ladies and gentlemen,” he said softly. “It’s a foggy Sunday morning here in Magdalena Bay.” And it certainly was. The Sea Lion was anchored inside the barrier of Isla Magdalena, in the middle of a thick fog that took about an hour or so to start lifting.

      After a 7:30 a.m. buffet breakfast of French toast, eggs, fritata, an array of cereals and fresh fruit, coffee and freshly squeezed juices, we prepared for our venture onto Sand Dollar Beach. This beach on Isla Magdalena was coined Sand Dollar Beach by those at Lindblad, namely because the attractive echinoderms are scattered all over the area’s dramatic sand dunes and shoreline.

     Following a short Zodiac briefing, we climbed into the Zodiacs (10-12 people per landing craft) and quickly sailed over to the beach. It was a “wet landing” so we were directed to wear either Teva sandals, aqua socks, or go barefoot. Luckily I bought aqua socks for the trip, as well as a water resistant sports watch, because they’re both coming in handy.

     Carol guided our group around the beach, stopping every couple of minutes to pick up exoskeletons of crabs, bird feathers, sand dollars, and other remnants of animal and plant life that’s commonly found on the beach. Her scientific knowledge of everything we encountered just amazed me. It’s really astonishing to me how much these naturalists onboard know about the botany, ecology, and the beings of nature in general. During our beach combing and sand dune climbs we encountered many interesting fossils that washed up from the Pacific Ocean side of the beach, including a dolphin scull, turtle shell, fish skeleton and more, and noticed coyote prints in the sand. We also found some not so exciting things in my opinion – such as dead birds. Colleen Laffey, the ship’s video chronicler also joined our group for a while, taking footage of us on our walk to use for our expedition video. The video will be shown to us at the end of our trip, and of course we’ll have an option to purchase it for about $40.

     After a couple of hours of beach combing we headed back to the ship for our daily 12:30 lunch. Served family style, head Chef Lynn Geldert cooks up a tasty variety of homemade soups, salads, focaccia pizzas, sandwiches, light pasta dishes and desserts.

     That evening Carol introduced us to the world of whales during her “Gray Whales A-Z” talk, preparing us for our week of whale watching. Among the many things we learned, is why we’ll have such a great opportunity to see many Gray Whales during our trip. For those of us who don’t know too much about whales – although a good amount of the passengers adore the mammals – Carol told us that the toothless Gray Whales travel 3,000 to Baja California from Alaska this time each year – one of the longest migrations of all whales – to breed their calves close to shore where the waters are warm and threat of predators is null. I can’t wait to see them tomorrow!

     During pre-dinner cocktail hour, the naturalists gave us their recap of the day. Chris wrote a riddle about the sand dollar; William introduced us to the baleen (used to filter and trap fish) of a Gray Whale and passed around a sample of one; David used creative construction to dress up as a male Frigatebird and tell us about the species’ habits. He made a long black beak out of construction paper; used a red balloon for the bird’s flashy chest pouch; and attached two forks to the back of his shirt to resemble the bird’s fork-like tail. It was all quite amusing and educational at the same time. The way that these naturalists educate us on these animals, mammals and plant life is quite spectacular. They act like elementary school teachers – and it works!

     It was Super Bowl Sunday, and while I’d like to say that nobody onboard was thinking about the big game, that wasn’t the case. The ship doesn’t get any TV reception, but our Expedition Leader Tom did manage to get the line’s local Mexican pilot friend Alejandro Camacho to tape the game for the sport enthusiasts on our trip. Alejandro guided the ship through the Hull Canal – a natural waterway which winds through mangroves between the peninsula and Isla Magdalena. From there we proceeded through Devil’s Bend and Colina Coyote in the region of Puerto Lopez Mateos. We anchored at Boca de Soledad, where Alejandro delivered us our Super Bowl tape. Sports enthusiasts’ hearts were content.

     Meanwhile, I just stood on the deck outside my cabin, breathed in the fresh air, and stared at the millions of stars lingering the night’s vividly clear sky. Ahhh. . .to be in the middle of nowhere.

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Day 5 – In the Boca

     Tuesday was our second day of anchorage at Boca de Soledad. It was once again a foggy morning that took about an hour and a half to clear up. The diehard whale watchers of the group were woken up at 6:30 a.m. with a knock at their doors by Tom, who had posted a sign-up sheet on the bar the night before for those who wanted to catch one last glimpse of the Gray Whales via Zodiac. The fog lifted, and they were off. Those who went reported that the whales were quite active that morning. Many breaches and spyhops were sighted!

     We departed the Boca around 9:30 that morning and made our southern transit through the whale nursery area of La Florida and Colina Coyete, through Devil’s Bend and the Hull Canal. Along the way our well versed naturalists pointed out the many birds we saw while soaring over the ship and on the mangroves of the canal, including the Magnificent Frigatebird, Red-Billed Tropicbird, Brown Pelican, Osprey and many more. Mangrove forests are one of the most productive and biodiverse wetlands on earth, and are home to many plants, birds, and marine animals.

     It was a beautiful day for an open deck barbeque – warm, sunny, clear and breezy. Paul, Lynn, and the rest of the dinning room and galley staff set up a table filled with burgers – chicken, veggie, and beef – potato salad, tossed salad, chips and all the fixin’s. The Sea Lion’s upper deck was the perfect place for us to gather for the lunch because half of it is open to the sun with many teak deck chairs and places to sit and lounge, and the other half is covered so those who wanted to stay out of the sun could sit at the tables there and eat in the shade – or read a book for that matter.

     After lunch we had two options for exploring the “El Barril” mangrove area in the Hull Canal – via kayaks or Zodiac. The majority of us chose to venture out on the kayaks. Fortunately the Sea Lion is equipped with a set of six single-man kayaks and 12 double ones. We took the Zodiacs over to one of the islands in the mangrove area where Chris, Bill and Carol were waiting with the kayaks that they transported from the ship. After a brief lesson on how to use the kayaks and paddles, along with some sea urchin and sea star findings, we buddied-up and set out for the mangrove channels. We paddled around for about an hour, enjoying nature and all of the birds around us. As the tide picked up it got harder to keep the kayaks straight – my buddy Kristan and I couldn’t keep our kayak in a straight forward motion for the life of us! But we finally mustered up the energy to paddle back to land, and laughed the whole way back.

     Back onboard, William enlightened us with his knowledge of plants during his “Plant Adaptations to Desert Living” lecture and slide presentation. He’s more than a teacher and flora expert – he’s an animated storyteller. He exuberantly told us all we needed to know, and more, about all the varieties of cacti found in the Baja California region, including Cardon, Strawberry, and Pencil, as well as other indigenous plants of the region, including the agave plants – the producers of tequila.

     We also heard from Randy Puckett today. Randy is an absolute whale lover and loyal Lindblad traveler. So much in fact, that he makes his living sculpting whales of all species and sizes. His limited edition bronze sculptures of gray, blue and humpback whales are displayed on all of the tables and shelves in the Sea Lion’s lounge. Sven Olaf Lindblad, Lindblad Expeditions’ founder and president, has commissioned Randy to sculpt a few whales for all guests of this year’s “Among the Great Whales” trips. The whale models – a humpback, a gray, and a blue -- will be voted on by the guests of this cruise and others, and given to us (and them) as a gift from Lindblad. What a treat!

     Randy showed us a video of the molding, sculpting and casting process and footage of his home studio in Salinas, California. The detail and positions of his whales are incredible, and beautiful. Randy’s two largest sculptures are a 39 foot sculpture commissioned by Scripps Institution of Oceanography in La Jolla, California; and a 24 foot high whale commissioned by Pacific Life Insurance Company in Newport Beach, California. Wow! We caught the 2001 installation of the latter on tape. Put it this way – we were all gasping.

     We’ll bring you more on Randy in the March issue of CruiseReports!

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Day 6 – A Day in Cabo; An Evening with Humpbacks

     Nicknamed "Marlin Alley" in the 1950's and '60s during its life as a sleepy fishing village, Cabo San Lucas became a tourist destination in the 1980's following the opening of the Los Cabos International Airport. Located at the lower tip of the Baja California Sur peninsula, Cabo San Lucas' stark, yet beautiful scenery has been tamed a bit over the past two decades because of upscale resorts and golf courses. It’s bustling with cruise ship passengers and other tourists, and its streets are lined with jewelry and souvenir shops, bars, and restaurants – but it’s also filled with local Mexican feel.

      For many of the Sea Lion’s passengers, including me, our three-hour stop at Cabo meant a slight dose of reality. We were actually going to see other people other than our fellow passengers and crew. Not to mention that we could use a phone, and check and send e-mails too! Whoo-who! Would we be able to handle the shock?

     Okay, I’m exaggerating a little bit. After all, I absolutely loved being out of touch with reality on the Sea Lion. It was peaceful and relaxing, and frankly, quite amazing being in the middle of nowhere on this trip, visiting remote islands and bays where nothing else but the birds and whales were our company. But being in Cabo did cause a bit of a rush for us I think. And many of us did find Internet cafes, and places to buy calling cards to make quick “I’m alive and well” calls to home.

     After several failed attempts, I finally found a pharmacy/convenient store on one of the main streets in town that sold international calling cards -- $10 for 12 minutes. I darted towards one of the pay phones that are located on just about every street corner, put the card in the slot and dialed away. I think I actually got more than 12 minutes out of the call too, or maybe it just felt longer! As a side note: It’s almost impossible to use cell phones in Mexico, unless you call your provider before you get there to arrange a special connection for your time there. The pay phone rate for those who use calling cards or credit cards is $5 per minute – outrageous! I suggest buying pre-paid International phone cards if you’re planning a trip to Cabo. On the other hand, the Internet rates were pretty reasonable – 5 cents per minute, or $3 per hour – and you can access the web quite easily.

     After my contact missions were complete, I strolled around the streets, stopped in some stores, and of course, bought some silver jewelry and other trinkets. I also strolled by the little whale museum a few blocks up from the marina, where other Lindblad guests had gone for a visit as well, but from the outside it didn’t look like the museum was actually open. Before I knew it, my watch read 11:50 a.m., and it was time to head back to the ship.

     Others onboard had used their time in Cabo to go snorkeling at Pelican Rock. They encountered many varieties of fish and marine life, including the giant damselfish, Cortez angelfish, bull’s eye ray, and rainbow wrasses as well as creatures of the invertebrate family such as sea stars, gorgonians, hydra and corals.

     On our way out of the harbor we got a close-up view of the magnificent “Land’s End” rock formations (they look like rock ice-bergs in the sea) and the infamous “El Arco” (arch rock) formation that are synonymous with Cabo San Lucas. Unfortunately, because of some personal technical difficulties, I didn’t get snap a shot of it, but I did get the cave side of the arch.
We headed into the Sea of Cortez and Gorda Banks, a shallow area off Punta Gorda that’s alive with many humpback whales. It was a smooth ride and we spotted many flukes on our journey. Our sail into the Sea of Cortez also marked the turning point of our voyage and exploration because we venturing into an area with desert beaches surrounded by pristine blue and aqua waters on the opposite side of the peninsula than we previously had stepped foot on. We were also in humpback territory. I had actually planned to depart today – but I’m glad the naturalists convinced me to stay onboard for the next three days of the voyage.

     After lunch – an awesome Mexican taco buffet and make-your-own sundaes (yum!) – several of us spent the rest of the afternoon lounging on deck, taking in the hot rays of the Mexican sun and warm breeze of the ship’s trail. Tom, Carol, David, and the rest of the naturalists made periodic announcements on the ship’s PA system from the bow. “Please come join us at the bow – there are many humpbacks out here,” announced Carol. “We see lots of flukes out here – you might want to see this,” she encouraged.

     Everyone at the bow was hovering over the ship watching dolphins ride the waves of the ship – “getting a free ride,” says Carol – and waiting for humpbacks to show their backs or flukes so they could snap a good picture. On occasion we would move to the stern of the Sea Lion to capture glimpses of whales in the distance behind us.

     But the real excitement of the day came just before sunset, after Carol’s talk on “The Science Behind the Sightings: Ocean Productivity and Whale Biology.” The whales’ ears must have been ringing. All of us at the bow were witnesses to an amazing trio of whales. They were slapping the water with their flukes in unison, literally putting on a show for us. It was amazing. Ooo’s and aahhs were coming from all over the bow. None of us took our eyes off of the water in front of us. Then suddenly the whales breached – jumping out of the water, spinning, and showing us their bodies. All of this and a majestic, breathtaking sunset of magenta and orange put us all in a euphoric state of whale watching. It was simply perfect. And then the whales breached again, and again, giving us a spectacular finale. Even the naturalists were in awe, and said they had never seen a performance like this one on any of their expeditions. Timing is everything, I guess.

     But the best part about it all is that Colleen, our video chronicler, got it all on video. So now we can watch it over and over again, or at least those of us who bought the tape ($35) or DVD ($45) can. Needless to say, none of us on this trip will ever forget this night!

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