The wildlife on this journey that you are likely to see are wild horses, burros and cows with their babies, and so many birds: Caracaras, Ravens, Cardinals, Doves, Egret, Heron, and Road Runners.  There’s the backdrop of the mountains, the fauna and flora, and then when you come around the bend and see the ocean for the first time as a backdrop to acres of large old cactus, oh, my, god.  As a grand finale to the drive, “where the desert meets the sea”, Boca de Vinorama.
Vinorama, a small self-sufficient community using solar energy, wells and desalinaters, satellite Internet and cell phones, far from the maddening crowd. Considered to be within the Tropic of Cancer, the East Cape climate is an arid and tropical mix.

The life style of this region is very rich with recreational activities; the most significant is surfing “Punta Perfecta”. The southern swells come starting around April and stay through summer, the biggest waves comes with the hurricanes.  On windy days you’ll see someone windsurfing, on the calm days kayaking, and most days there are fisherman fishing right off the beach. There are oyster divers and tales of underwater caves full of lobster; the leatherback turtles even come here to lay their eggs.

Since the Sea of Cortez is the most food rich ocean of the world and supports the largest number of sea creatures, eight hundred varieties of fish, seven varieties of whale, leatherback turtles, dolphins, manta ray, sea lions.  In the winter, January through March the Gray Whales arrive in these coves on their journey north to the lagoons to calve.   They back by the East Cape on their way back to Alaska.  This journey from the Bering Straight to Baja and back is the longest migration of any mammal known to man.  When the whales are present, they are the main attraction.

I’ve had a couple of extraordinary whale days there: one day I stepped out of the car and looked to the water just on time to see a baby whale swimming through the crystal clear curl of a wave headed out to sea with it’s flippers extended like wings.  The next time I looked that same whale was rolling around 10’ offshore, wallowing in the ocean bottom.  Upon research I found that the gray whale is a bottom feeder, the only whale in that species.  Eventually, this grand creature disappeared into the surf.

On another day at the end of March or this year, it was the end of whale season, and there were whales everywhere.  My friends the Microbrewers were visiting and we were standing on the edge of a cliff watching the whales jump and play, it was so quiet that day that you could hear them breathe and the sound of their slapping tales.  We watched them for hours and when the sun started to set and as the sky turned layers of pink and blue and the water the color of champagne you could see a pod of whales skipping along the horizon.  We stood there in a deep silence, like we’d had a spiritual experience.  We were awe struck and speechless, we got in the car and drove down the coast with the full moon beaming on the ocean, silently and at some level of inner peace that you rarely get to.

The nights on the East Cape quite spectacular; the stars form a dome in the sky that goes from the horizon line over to the mountains in the back ground. What’s even more amazing about these stars is that they actually twinkle.  It gets very quiet there so quiet that sometimes a couple of Hermit Crabs will come to visit.  In June, you can sit on the beach in the dark and watch the Leatherback turtles lay their eggs.  My neighbor has actually helped the baby turtles get out to sea.

So taken with this area, was I, that this is where I decided to start my next project.   I looked for a piece of property with beachfront and road frontage for commercial and residential development. I found an 8-acre piece and began incorporating, and filing for my resale license and my immigration permits (green card/FM3). Over the course of three years we have been developing this property into residential and commercial lots.  The infrastructure, water, septic, & beach access are now in place and it’s time to start building those businesses.  The goal is to make this development into a gathering place, like a community center.  A place to sit and read, have a drink with friends, celebrate happy occasions, etc.

My job here is very difficult, my days on the property are spent in the hammock watching the ocean, or riding the ATV around the property.  My office days are spent on the couch with my laptop, pool and Jacuzzi standing by at all times.

So let’s review why the Los Cabos area and more specifically the East Cape make great destinations for vacation, retirement or for just an investment.

For a vacation the Sea of Cortez has everything to offer, fishing, diving, snorkeling, surfing, whale watching.  The language is no longer a barrier, for the businessperson or the traveler. The service businesses are all geared toward the English-speaking visitors; you can get your American newspapers and also local American papers.  Shopping can be done with the gringo buck or pesos.  Banking has become much easier and less risky because Americans have dollars accounts and the dollars are sitting there in a vault where you left them.

The exchange rate right now is very good for the American, 10+ pesos to the dollar.  There is now a huge selection of American products, imported meats, pasta’s, imported cheeses, locally grown organic vegetables, tofu and soymilk.  There is literally something for everyone.

Of course one of the greatest things about this area is the ease of getting here.  You can drive here from the US, you can ferry over from the mainland, or you can fly from anywhere in the world.  Airfares from the East Coast have gotten very competitive, as low as $329 roundtrip from JFK to Los Cabos Airport.  That’s the same price as San Francisco to Los Cabos.

Los Cabos is not just a great area for the retiree, but is also a wonderful area to raise American children; they learn another language and culture, currency and exchange rates.  The entire area is a course or several courses in marine biology.  The weather is so fabulous that, here’s the kicker, the kids stay outside all day.  The area is also safe for children and for woman, with very few violent crimes reported.  I feel perfectly comfortable in my home, with my family being in the US all the time.  I also feel extremely safe while sleeping in my RV on the beach on the East Cape.  Americans really need to feel safe now a day and this is a great place to have that feeling.

One thing that should not go unmentioned is the charisma of the Mexicans that live in this area, helpful, hard working people.  They don’t seem to mind sharing their paradise with us and enjoy some of the cultural contributions; we’ve made, like foods for instance.  I’ve noticed in the last year that there has been a tremendous push to learn our language here.  I’m sure the push was due to the effects of 9-11, followed by Hurricane Juliet, and then compounded by the complete loss of tourism to the aftermath of 9-11.    It took Baja a long time to come back from that. Or maybe it was the local’s way of preparing for the APEC conference that took place here last month.

In closing I’d like to say that I could go on forever about this area, and have.  The beauty of the ocean, clean fresh air, fantastic food especially the fish, never ending recreation and seemingly endless opportunities.  If you think you need a new life, this one is very easy to wrap your mind around.  Just put your office in your briefcase with a pair of shorts a toothbrush and your binoculars and you are ready for the Los Cabos experience.