We succeeded in resisting the siren call of Concha’s fish tacos last night, and stayed “home” to cook in our campsite. Later we sat in our Lafuma chairs by the beach, drank a glass of wine and watched spectacular lightning flashes across the water by distant islands. It had been another hot day, but the evening, with a nice breeze, was comfortable.


Today we drove the truck into town with a 35-gallon plastic jug we borrowed from Mike, our next door neighbor, to get water. There is not, technically, a municipal water system as we know it in the U.S. However there is a spring at the edge of the hills, and the government has installed a 4-inch diameter hose, a tiny office, and an employee who staffs it until 10am each day. Trucks drive up, wait in line, and fill their mostly 500 to 1000-liter plastic jugs and drive away, paying a pittance for the water. Our 35 gallons cost 2 pesos, or about 15 cents. This is the source of water for all “suburban” residents of Bahia de los Angeles (and the main method of providing water for  most of the non urban parts of Baja.)

Hurricane Rick has diminished from a category 5 hurricane to a category 3 hurricane, and is now forecast to hit in the La Paz to Cabo San Lucas area Wednesday morning as a category 1 storm. We’re told the only effect that might be seen here in Bahia de los Angeles is some rain, which would make residents here quite happy as it’s been a long, hot dry summer. We plan to stay in place until more is known about whether it veers further north (as Hurricane Jimena did last month, hitting Mulege and causing quite a bit of damage, not from winds but flooding).

Today we drove the truck to La Gringa, a “place” on the beach about 5 miles north, 4 of those on a rough dirt road. We took a picnic lunch and sat on the beach to eat after discovering there’s really nothing there. Two dilapidated and locked-up shacks, several seemingly abandoned RVs, and an absolutely lovely beach littered with zillions of clam shells is the sum of La Gringa. We’re told this is where Larry and Raquel’s restaurant gets their clams, when they have them.