Mew-ledge doesn’t rhyme with Mulegé

Mulegé isn’t the best small town on the Baja, but it has a certain charm for anyone who takes the time. Here there is an actual river, lined with palms and dotted with pelicans and other seabirds. It’s on the coast, almost, but not a coastal town. The Jesuits were here of course and there’s a mission somewhere nearby (not right in town unfortunately) that’s probably worth a peek. I don’t know why exactly but I get the feeling of a pirate outpost, a safe haven up a languid waterway. Except it’s tidier than that, the air fresh rather than thick and sweaty, and of course we’re on the Baja.

There’s not much to do it town, so don’t worry about it. Walk around. Get some ice cream and some fish tacos at the little stand in the square. Head out to the river’s mouth and take a look. We found horses lazing by the banks, snacking. Our hotel was comfy and secure.

Next, we stuck to the plan (my plan, Sarah would not have planned such torture) and found a place to camp. Only a short way south (twenty minutes), you’ll get to Bahia Conception and a string of camping spots. The bay runs parallel with the shore, north to south, and is for once easily accessible from the road. Most of the “camp grounds” are just beaches, maybe some palapas, and someone controlling access and charging you money to park. Vendors will come around selling food, ice, and fresh water, but basically you’re on your own. It’s a popular choice for RVers coming down for the winter. I suppose they appreciate the freedom and the simplicity.

One of the first spots is Playa Santispac. It is also the best equipped with a restaurant, big barrels of water delivered (if you pay for it) and toilets. These are manual flushers: there are buckets of water at the ready for you to dump into the bowl, water pressure and gravity doing its thing to take it all away (presumably out to the sea you’ll be swimming in so decide on your level of squeamishness – it’s a big body of water, don’t worry). We were lucky to snag some shade for our tent and were happy to explore the beautiful beach and water.

There’s another side to the experience. By the end of two nights we were keen to get out of there, blasted by wind, all our belongings dusted with a layer of super fine sand. Wind has been the story of the trip so far, right from Day 1. Here, we felt oppressed by it. On the second day, as the wind picked up all the RV campers retreated inside. The beach was quiet. We had nowhere to hide and were left to contend with the scouring sand. That fight was in truth lost soon after our arrival. After setting up the tent, we made plans to go back to town for food and sights. Being too clever for my own good, I kept some flaps up to keep things aired out. A tent full of sand never even occurred to me… Later, we retreated to Mulegé Brewing (very highly recommend, you can’t miss the location on the highway 2 minutes south of town). Here we could sit comfortably, get out of the sand and entertain ourselves for a bit with wifi and beer.

Despite the camping drag (and there was good fun amidst the sand blast), it really feels like we’re getting places. Already we’re a long way south down the Baja, but this is where things start to get interesting – warmer water, warmer nights, beaches and towns that make you want to stick around. Bahia Conception was just not for us. There were lots of other Canadians nearby (we had BCers on both sides), there to spend a week or more. Some had their kids, others were retired with no fixed schedule. Either way, it was a bit dull, lacking privacy, grimy, and not quite warm enough (maybe a perk for some).

It was an interesting stop; a good primer for Loreto, not too far down the road.