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DESTINO L THE LIFESTYLE MAGAZINE OF BAJA CALIFORNIA SUR
12th Anniversary Issue!
GRAY WHALES
LORETO
MULEGE
SANTA ROSALIA
GUERRERO NEGRO
THE BEST PLACE ON EARTH SPRING | 2010
SPRING 2010
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PHOTO: ENRIQUE ACHOY
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DESTINO LOS CABOS |3
Baja Sur North Loreto to Guerrero Negro
The Quest for gray whales in remote territory NORTHERN BAJA SUR… OUT OF THIS WORLD By Susan Carol
The
Baja California Sur
SPRING | 2010
State of Baja California has rugged, immense natural beauty, including various mountian ranges, lush food growing valleys, vistas to the ocean or the sea, and a variety of wild life, animals and plants, thriving in this desert typography. A large majority of the people living here are sensitive to the environment and actively seek ways to preserve and protect it. Usually the government is pro-environment in managing their country. We’re also reminded daily that we are not alone, as we watch a massive turtle lumber up to the beach where it was born, lay around a hundred eggs, and then leave. How will the babies survive ATV’s on the beach and the dangerous journey to the ocean right after hatching? The Grey Whales hunted to almost extinction 150 years ago are now protected by international laws and local tour operators so the mating and birthing in the three major lagoons in Baja Sur can continue without man interrupting or invading. A few years ago many environmental groups from throughout the world, attracted celebrity spokespeople and huge sums of money, and hundreds of protesters, stopped the expansion of natural salt processing to the San Ignacio lagoon area. Using the gray whale to save, as their rally cry, the project stopped and now land is being protected by treaties, and purchase to stay undeveloped for the forseeable future. My journey is described in a variety of stories inside this issue. I’ll share in another issue my drive from Cabo San Lucas to Loreto, which is very beautiful and 9 hours long on mostly a 2-lane highway. So this issue will focus on Loreto to Guerrero Negro, with a few stops and observations along the way. The only road – Hwy 1 - is 2-lane, treacherous at times, winding through the mountains, with some long exwww.destinomagazines.com
panses of easy driving flat land, especially through the Vizcaíno Biosphere Reserve. The largest protected area in Latin America covering 2.5 million hectares is the natural habitat for plant and animal species found only in this part of the world. Its just a few hours from Sea of Cortez vistas to Pacific lagoon vistas, and the trip from Loreto to Guerrero Negro was about 6 hours. The hot inland deserts mixing with cool ocean air at night creates misty, thick white fog in the morning where land, water, sky have no edges. The vistas are breathtaking whether driving from the north or the south, and changes with the light as it reflects off the Sierra de San Francisco and Giganta mountain ranges. Ominous volcano movies come to mind as the Tres Virgines silent craters rise in the distance. Knowing that Loreto has been devastated eight times by earthquakes, floods and pirate raids brings up the awareness of how wild and rugged this land can be, and what force is in charge. There are many miles of nothing between towns but spectacular scenery, mountain vistas and huge green cactus covering the highlands, and palms of many varieties in the lowlands. The early Jesuits who optimistically landed here in the early 1700’s, made Loreto their first settlement and had to work extremely hard to tame this land to grow crops and convince the wandering Indians that settling down was a good thing. They were the ones who carved out the towns in north Baja Sur, built the missions, planted trees and started trade. As difficult as it is just to drive a car down one of the dirt roads, how difficult by foot, with supplies, no water, intense sun. Those were a strong, rugged group of people! This first adventure inspires me to plan regular trips back to the area to experience all the stories, past and present happening every day in our vibrant State, Baja Sur. More Adventure stories start on page 12 DESTINO LOS CABOS | 3
GOLF LAUNCHES AT Puerto Los Cabos A day with Jack Nicklaus By Chuck Kinder, CTC Editor, Golf Mexico Magazine
Charming
and enchanting, Jack Nicklaus was the guest of honor for the official opening and ribbon cutting ceremony for the grand opening of Puerto Los Cabos in February. After all, “The Golden Bear” has been a first day headliner for over 250 golf courses with his namesake worldwide; 23 in Mexico and now his fourth course in Los Cabos, in addition to Palmilla, Cabo del Sol and Club Campestre San Jose. Nicklaus was right at home in Los Cabos, sometimes called Cabo San Nicklaus, during his extended hour-long clinic as he entertained his enthusiastic followers with tales and flashbacks from his illustrious 50year career with 115 worldwide tournament victories, and as the all time leader with 18 Majors. At the completion of the ceremonial start of Puerto Los Cabos, with Alberto Trevino, the Minister of Tourism from Baja Sur, and the owners, proud father and son duo Eduardo Sanchez Navarro Sr. and Jr., Mr. Nicklaus teed off on the first hole of his new course. This was “Nicklaus of old.” Mr. Nicklaus exhibited shots utilizing his entire bag of Nicklaus designed clubs. He still has his game, although it far exceeds his modesty to compete on the Champions Tour for seniors. Arnold has his army...Nicklaus has his legendries and we followed his every shot. He drove well, chipped great, and never more than two-putted, preferring to pick up his third without a hint of guilt. The post round press conference highlighted Mr. Nicklaus and Sr. Sanchez Navarro answering questions and offering advice. “Mexico has tremendous opportunities”, commented Mr. Nicklaus, “in particular, Los Cabos that has positioned itself as a premier golf destination with world class fishing and a quality of life unique to the Baja”. He stressed, “Los Cabos doesn’t need a major golf tournament here, but the four years that the Senior Slam was here, Los Cabos benefited from the worldwide television coverage.” Sr. Navarro, who had been recognized as having the vision and the financial strength to create the dominant force in Mexico with his Questro golf organization, praised Jack Nicklaus for his contributions to golf in Mexico and Los Cabos. The celebration continued with a ‘night under the stars’ Mayan cocktail reception and dinner at the Cactus Garden that magically transformed into a stage with ceremonially dancers and music. Some of the best restaurants and chefs in Los Cabos catered the food.
(l) Jack Nicklaus, State Tourism Sec. Alberto Treviño, Eduardo Sanchez Navarro Sr. & Jr.
Contact Chuck Kinder at 949 494 8561 Ckinder@golfinmexico.net. 4| DESTINO LOS CABOS
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GOLD MINE STOPPED...FOR NOW At the urging of Congresswoman Esthela
Ponce Beltran, Governor Narciso Agundez Montaño finally agreed to meet with representatives of Agua Vale Mas Que Oro. During the meeting the group was able to fully express the concerns of the Todos Santos community and present the Governor with petitions that demonstrate wide opposition to the Paredones Amarillos mining project. Scientists also attended the meeting from the University Autonoma of Baja California Sur and CIBNOR, as well as representatives from SEMARNAT and aids to Congresswoman Ponce. At the end of the two-hour meeting the Governor announced that he would vote against the change of zoning in the Sierra de la Laguna Reserve that would permit mining. He also made a formal administrative request that SEMARNAT suspend permits allowing the company to initiate mining and that federal agencies formally extend the limits of the Sierra de la Laguna Biosphere reserve. Congresswoman Esthela Ponce introduced federal legislation to cancel the mining permits for the Paredones Amarillos mine, the Governor says he will support the legislation. Governor Agundez stressed the importance of developing sustainable projects in the mountain communities that will offer employment to the many families living in the Sierra de la Laguna Biosphere. The Governor’s announcement followed an intense week of protests and anti mining activities in Todos Santos, La Paz and Los Cabos. Congresswoman Ady Nunez Abin introduced a resolution in the state congress opposing the mine and Municipal President Rosa Delia Cota Montaño made public statements in opposition to the Paredones Amarillos project. Senator Josephina Cota Cota on the federal level also applyed pressure. Todos Santos Delegado Jose Luis Castillo Camacho spoke to defend the community, the aquifer and the Sierra de la Laguna. The Governor’s public opposition to the project is an enormous milestone
and a tribute to what a community can accomplish when they come together with a common purpose. Nevertheless, the community is keenly aware that the mining company will continue to fight to open the mine and that other mining interests are developing in the San Antonio - Los Planos area. Agua Vale Mas Que Oro and the Todos Santos and Pescadero communities are united to stop any projects that threaten water, health and the unique quality of life that brings so many people to Baja California Sur. If our precious natural resources are destroyed we compromise the very qualities that make Baja Sur so special.
COMMENTS FROM VISTA GOLD CORP DENVER, Feb. 19 (TSX & NYSE Amex Equities: VGZ) announced today that its wholly owned Mexican subsidiary, Minera Paredones Amarillos S.A. de C.V. (“MPA”) has received notice from the Mexican Secretariat of Environment and Natural Resources (“SEMARNAT”) that SEMARNAT has dismissed, on administrative grounds, MPA’s application for the Change of Forest Land Use Permit (“CUSF”) for the Company’s Paredones Amarillos gold project in Baja California Sur, Mexico (“Paredones Project”). Specifically, SEMARNAT dismissed the CUSF application, without a review of its substantive merit, for MPA’s alleged failure to satisfy certain procedural and informational requirements. The CUSF is required before the Company can commence construction of the Paredones Project. The Company is currently amending its CUSF application to address SEMARNAT’s specific procedural and informational requirements and intends to re-file the application shortly. While the Company believes these comments are without legal merit and that several of the comments are beyond the scope of SEMARNAT’s legal authority in connection with a review of a CUSF application, the Company expects the dismissal of the CUSF application will delay the commencement of construction, development and production of the Paredones Project. In addition to refiling its CUSF application, the Company is working with its legal counsel and political experts in Mexico on a broader strategy for the advancement of the permitting process for the Paredones Project. This includes a potential court challenge to SEMARNAT’s dismissal of the CUSF application.
PACIFIC BEACHES
To La Paz
KM 57
KM 60
KM 64
Todos Santos
6 5
San Lucas
BEACHES
3 4 2 1
KM 54
for
1 Punta Lobos Beach 2 Las Palmas Beach
Pacific Ocean
3 San Pedrito Beach 4 Los Cerritos Beach 5 Lovers Beach 6 Medano Beach
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DESTINO LOS CABOS |5
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DESTINO LOS CABOS LOS CABOS
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DESTINO LOS CABOS
SAMMY HAGAR
CABO WABO... the story
hollywood comes to cabo NEW real estate magazine! FALL 2003 Otoño
•
baja california sur
LATIN SUPERSTAR PATRICIA MANTEROLA puerto paraiso MALL opens LORETO & TODOS SANTOS AUTUMN 2001 OTOñO •
THE BEST PLACE ON EARTH
FROM THE PUBLISHER
It is a bit cliche, but WOW 12 years cer-
12th Anniversary Issue! THE ENGLISH MAGAZINE OF BAJA CALIFORNIA SUR
FREE
VIBRANT ART DISTRICT..San Jose Pottery Tour in the mountains SECTIONS: CABO • SAN JOSE • TODOS SANTOS • LA PAZ REAL ESTATE & HOME • HEALTHY LIVING
THE BEST PLACE ON EARTH Spring 2009
12th Anniversary Issue!
12th Anniversary Issue!
PHOTO: SUSAN CAROL
DESTINO abos Los C
tainly goes by fast. It has been 4380 action packed days and nights discovering and experiencing this beautiful land in this perplexing country. Our cover pages throughout this issue show the variety of topics and people featured on our pages. All of our stories were and are original creations and normally experiental, describing the local festivals, activities and adventures throughout Baja Sur. We’ve become the mirror for the community and our visitors to see the colorful and vibrant beauty making this “The Best Place on Earth”, as we have stated on our cover since day One. We’ve explored all levels of life styles scattered throughout Baja Sur, from the super wealthy resort life, to the super humble pueblo life. We’ve featured the sports: fishing, surfing, golf, off road racing, polo, soccer, kite surfing. We’ve visited the whales and swam with the dolphins. You’ve met many of the founding “Pioneers” of this area, who still live among us, as just one generation ago this entire area was sparcely populated and little known. They were usually pilots, larger than life, who started fishing camps, hotels, and built the infrastructure for what we see today. Of course the social events and celebrity presence makes Los Cabos pretty exciting and my job pretty fun! The Mexican mastery of creating parties coupled with the five star service levels and desires, generates fantastic events! I personally appreciate attending a wide variety of events: a party for President Fox at a resort on the Sea of Cortez was as enjoyable as a baptism party in the lot of a car wash. There is always a joy and warmth and celebration of life at each gathering, and that has been a huge perk of my job representing Destino Los Cabos.
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baja california sur
THE BEST PLACE ON EARTH
This issue our feature story is about my small number of boats are allowed personal adventure to the northern part of in the lagoons daily, so only a small Baja Sur. World adventure experts, long time number of people per season can friends Debora and Eric Edmunds of LA, experience this. We were lucky to booked a trip to Loreto and Guerrero Negro have two days, plus sharing the lato boat in the whale lagoon, then asked me goon with the President of Mexico if I wanted to join them. My goal-orient- and his family. I was also fortunate to particied training jumps at the chance to explore pate in some activities associated someplace new and “justify” it with a feature with the annual Amy Grant and story for Destino. Even better with friends! Vince Gill Fred Duckett golf chamI’ve been wanting this excuse for some time, pionship and fund raising weekso over a couple of weeks in February I fell end for the Los Cabos Children’s in love with Baja Foundation. I found Sur all over again. it very moving that The rugged, fortunate people unpredictable land, from the middle part the sweet, hospiof the USA..Minnetable people and the sota, South Dakota, sheer beauty of the Nebraska, Coloraentire State of Baja do....gave $900,000 Sur is what does “it” at this event alone for me. I never tire solely for the kids of the breathtakand families of Los ing colors of sunCabos. Their huge rise and sunsets, the hearts, hard work, beauty of vast miles generosity and comof cardón cactus, the mitment are true soaring and craggy gifts for our new mountain ranges community. We are with tightly twisting lucky. There roads and sea vistas have been huge never too far away. change in the past Traveling around is a good way to meet Susan Carol on the Guerrero Negro salt flats 12 years in this area. We’ve been telling new people and our stories and dishear new stories. tributing our magazines daily capI’m always entertained here with my surturing the vitality and creativity of roundings. the people drawn to this State. We You’ll read about our clam bake in Loreto and our amazing whale bonding experi- expect the next 12 years to present ence in the Guerrero Negro lagoon. Actu- equal growth and change. You’ll ally touching gray whales and feeling their see it on the pages of Destino Los spray on our face...this is a life memory Cabos as we continue to expericreating encounter. You can actually feel a ence this magical place. Happy Spring! recognition and connection when a whale chooses to explore and hang around your Susan Carol boat. You look each other in the eye. A very
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DESTINO LOS CABOS
THE NAUTICAL LADDER FONATUR CEO JOHN MCCARTHY shares the VISION
todos santos art colony loreto the first Mission AUTUMN 2001 OTOñO •
baja california sur
12th Anniversary Issue!
12th Anniversary Issue!
12th Anniversary Issue!
SPRING | 2010
Publisher’s Library
BAJA SUR BEACH MAP
Over the past 12 years that I have done business in Mexico, I’ve been very curious to understand the country. Books are the best place to find a wide variety of information, and I find I have acquired a good library that I would like to share. The best place to finds many of these out-ofprint books is amazon.com and the used book shelves around Baja Sur. Susan Carol;
BORDERING ON CHAOS by Andres Oppenheimer The Pulitzer Prize winning author compiled this action adventure story of Mexico’s political roller-coaster ride toward becoming a prosperous country. A revealing look at the secret and powerful political society of Mexico, it’s political break up during the 1990’s and the fallout we are witnessing today. Excellent writing, surrounded by compelling facts makes this book hard to put down. THERE’S A WORD FOR IT IN MEXICO by Boyé Lafayette De Mente If you really want to understand a whole deeper layer of communication in Mexico, this book is fascinating. Mexico has been described as a country, at times, more foreign to the North American mind than anything in Asia. It is an ideal introduction to Mexican thought and culture as well as a practical guide to anticipating and understanding Mexican behavior.
Save Swim
Isla Espiritu Santo Gas Station
El Coyote El Tecolote Balandra
Surf
Pichilingue
Windsurf
El Tesoro Marina Costa Baja Coromuel
THE BEAR AND THE PORCUPINE by Jeffrey Davidow Written as his testimony to history from his view as the US Ambassador to Mexico from 1998-2002, this crucial time in history takes on more vivid meaning. Full of delightful anecdotes, I was reminded of being in his home in Mexico City for a reception for Governor Jesse. He was clearly well informed and entertaining in his story telling. This book is open and frank and offers political perspective about the manipulation of US intelligence about the Mexican drug war, and the PRI power break-up with the Vicente Fox election. MIRACULOUS AIR by C.M. Mayo The author’s love of Baja is gracefully shared through personal stories of characters and places through many detailed experiences. Her grand unfolding of characters like daredevil aviators, starving Jesuit missionaries, expat artists, goat cheese makers, whale-watching ecotourists capture the unique personality of this remote part of Mexico. Famous writer John Steinbeck stated “the very air here is miraculous and outlines of reality change with the moment”. CULTURE SHOCK by Mark Cramer Presented as a guide to customs and etiquette it really provides interesting and practical looks at areas and customs throughout Mexico. Profiles of different States, different types of professions, social and business customs and interaction styles are all explored in a light, practical way. Really helpful for those wanting to live and work in the country. THE ADVENTURE GUIDE TO BAJA CALIFORNIA by Wilbur H. Morrison A good travel book that has histories, personalities and practical information about towns throughout the Baja peninsula. Full of maps and color photos, each area unfolds and reveals it’s unique personality.
Fishing
La Paz
Bahia de La Ventana El Sargento La Ventana
AIRPORT
Whale Watching Ensenada de los Muertos
HWY 1
Los Planes
BAJA LEGENDS by Greg Niemann This lifelong Baja traveler and writer has acquired interesting and informative short stories about the historic characters involved with founding the Baja peninsula. Padres, pirates and pioneers who scratched a living from the desert and the sea to carve out the world-famous destination known today. ALMOST AN ISLAND by Bruce Berger The eccentric characters that make Baja so extraordinary are the focus for the stories of the author’s three decades traveling and living the Baja life. Embellishing the characters with details of the peninsula’s history, politics and probable future, delivers a more intimate view of this remote place.
Airport
Isla del Carmen
Bahia de Los Sueños
Boca del Alamo San Antonio El Triunfo
Punta Pescadero
San Bartolo
HWY 1
Bahia de Las Palmas
HWY 19
Los Barriles Buena Vista
La Ribera Punta Colorada
Cañon de La Zorra Km 93
Pueblo Magico Km 55 Km 57 Km 59
Pescadero
Las Barracas
Santiago
Todos Santos Punta Lobos Las Palmas San Pedrito
Punta Arena
Agua Caliente
Cabo Pulmo
Miraflores Los Frailes
Km 65
Cerritos
HWY 1
Art & Beer
Boca del Salado Palo Escopeta
HWY 19
Vinorama
AIRPORT
Migriño
Cabo Pulmo Marine Park
Km100
San José del Cabo
La Fortuna
La Playa
Santa Cruz Punta Gorda Puerto La Laguna Los Cabos
Pacific Ocean
COSTCO
Cabo San Lucas
Costa Azul Km 28 Palmilla Km 27 El Tule Km 15.5 Chileno Km 14.5 Santa Maria Km 13 Monuments Km 5
El Medano Lover’s Beach
Destino Los Cabos S. A. de C.V. © 2010
Sea of Cortez
and there are many more to share. Look for future issues of Destino Los Cabos..... SPRING | 2010
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DESTINO LOS CABOS |7
LIGA MAC fundraiser events benefit local families Treasures Furniture provided the comfort and style
Known
for their years of helping the neediest families in Los Cabos, the Liga Mac group just completed their largest event annual fund raising event, the Jazz festival. Creating a fun and lively event for raising money, the community turns out by the hundreds to this event and the group successfully supports hundreds of low income families who have medical, housing or educational needs. This charity is a joint effort of American, Canadian, and Mexicans and volunteers follow their motto of “mano con mano”, personally getting involved with families to help them grow to lead productive, independent lives. Their educational ACE program is a good example. The group identifies smart young people who need the financial help for uniforms and books, and then track their report cards, and have them do community service to pay back the money given. A gathering of members at Treasures Furniture in El Faro Plaza at Palmilla brought the nowbirds and locals together to raise some money for their favorite charity. They also maintain a book store and clothes drop in San Jose, as an ongoing fund-raising venture, and needed niche in the community. To offer cash donations to this hard-woorking and very well run organization check out their web site at ligamac.com. LigaMac Book Store Directions: 1. Main HWY left Tues & Sat 9-1 at PESCADOR lights
San José del Cabo
2. De Pasada Café 3. BANORTE 4. Super Pollo 5. Video Centro 6. Clinic San José (Nun’s Hospita) 7. Rest. “El Matador” 8. ”Divertidos” 9. LigaMAC Used Book Store, Donations drop off and Fundraising Center
ROTARY INTERNATIONAL Meetings 8 am Wednesdays HOTEL FINISTERRA Cabo San Lucas
EMERGENCY NUMBERS
Police 066 Red Cross 065
FIRE DEPARTMENT
Cabo San Lucas 143-3577 San José del Cabo 142-2466
DESTINO LOS CABOS s a de c v
San José Del Cabo, BCS Ph/fax (011 52)
(624) 142-4949 email: destinoloscabos@gmail.com
www.destinomagazines.com ISSUE 43 Spring 2010 Printed in USA. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form without the written consent of the publisher. © 2010 Destino Inc.
CONSULATE of CANADA
Marie-Evee Pomerieau
Consular Agent Boulevard Marina Plaza José Green Hours: Monday - Friday 9 am - 2 pm Tel: (624) 142-4333 loscabos@canada.org.mx
Numero 43 Primavera 2010 Todos los derechos reservados por Destino Los Cabos prohibida la reprodución total o parcial del contenido sin previa autorización por escrito de los editores. © 2010 Destino Los Cabos SA de CV
CONSULATE GENERAL UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
DESTINO: LOS CABOS welcomes all written and photographic material. We cannot guarantee return. Rights to publish unsolicited material are retained for 12 months. Circulation throughout Southern Baja. For advertising rates and placement, Please contact our México office, Calle Hidalgo #2
Consular Agent Boulevard Marina Plaza Nautica Hours: Monday - Friday 9 am - 2 pm Tel: (624) 143 3566 usconsulcabo@yahoo.com
Trina Brown
8| DESTINO LOS CABOS
Build your Reputation Advertise with Destino Los Cabos Deadline for next issue May 15
Call today! (624) 142-4949 destinoloscabos@gmail.com
Los Cabos Seasonal Fishing Chart TYPE OF FISH
AMBERJACK BONITA CABRILLA DORADO GROUPER MARLIN, BLACK MARLIN, BLUE MARLIN, STRIPED POMPANO ROOSTERFISH SAILFISH SHARK SIERRA SNAPPERS SWORDFISH TUNA,YELLOWFIN WAHOO YELLOWTAIL
JAN FEB MAR APR MAY JUNE JULY AUG SEPT OCT NOV DEC
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An important history lesson!
This
is the story of women who were ground-breakers. These brave women from the early 1900s made all the difference in the lives we live today. Remember, it was not until 1920 that women were granted the right to go to the polls and vote in the USA. The women were innocent and defenseless, but when, in North America, women picketed in front of the White House, carrying signs asking for the vote, they were jailed. And by the end of the first night in jail, those women were barely alive. Forty prison guards, wielding clubs and their warden’s blessing, went on a rampage against the 33 women wrongly convicted of obstructing sidewalk traffic. They beat Lucy Burns, chained her hands to the cell bars above her head and left her hanging for the night, bleeding and gasping for air. They hurled Dora Lewis into a dark cell, smashed her head against an iron bed and knocked her out cold. Her cell-mate, Alice Cosu, thought Lewis was dead and suffered a heart attack. Additional affidavits describe the guards grabbing, dragging, beating, choking, slamming, pinching, twisting and kicking the women. Thus unfolded the ‘Night of Terror’ on Nov. 15, 1917, when the warden at the
Knowledge is Freedom: hide it, and it withers; share it, and it blooms” .
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New Arrivals: Air Purifiers, Alcohol Lamps, Scent Diffusers Many scents
Cabo show room: Mendoza & Obregon CSL
OPEN MondayFriday 9:30 - 6 Saturday 9:30- 1
(624) 143-0575
DecorAmerica
Cabo San Lucas downtown
Puerto Paraiso Mall
www.decoramericainteriors.com
N. Mendoza St.
why we VOTE!
Occoquan Workhouse in Virginia ordered his guards to teach a lesson to the suffragists imprisoned there because they dared to picket Woodrow Wilson’s White House for the right to vote. For weeks, the women’s only water came from an open pail. Their food--all of it colorless slop--was infested with worms. When one of the leaders, Alice Paul, embarked on a hunger strike, they tied her to a chair, forced a tube down her throat and poured liquid into her until she vomited. She was tortured like this for weeks until word was smuggled out to the press. All women who have ever voted, have ever owned property, have ever enjoyed equal rights need to remember that women’s rights had to be fought for in Canada as well. Do our daughters and our sisters know the price that was paid to earn rights for women here, in North America? 2009 was the 80th Anniversary of the Persons Case in Canada, which finally declared women in Canada to be Persons! We must remember to celebrate the rights we enjoy. The women in Mexico have the right to vote, but lack many other freedoms and protections. Their northern neighbors are actively organizing to change laws and protect women.
Transpenindsular Highway to San José
Mc Donald’s
FAMILIES IN LOS CABOS
Los Cabos Children’s foundation, funding the health programs in our community By Susan Carol
People from all over the world have ar-
rived in Los Cabos in the past 15 years to build and service the expansion this special tourist destination offers. Wealthy people and poor people with different traditions, education and age groups have invested in this land and established their families. The local leaders are struggling to manage the rapid growth and infrastructure needs as migrants from every State in Mexico blend with far fewer International arrivals, to create a new community. What we all seem to share is a love for this land, and an appreciation for the natural beauty, inviting beaches, abundant fresh food and a sense of possibilities for the a positive future. What was totally lacking just two decades ago were modern health care facilities and equipment in Los Cabos. The most sophisticated equipment in the State was found in La Paz. There were few ambulances, and few doctors. The all inclusive Mexican medical system became overwhelmed with the rapid arrival of up to 16,000 new people every week when construction was booming., and many people, especially children were dying of curable and fixable problems. When the golf communities of Palmilla, Cabo Real, Cabo de Sol and Querencia developed buyer-owned homes, and then luxury homes launched by Del Mar Development brought the very wealthy into the area, action started happening in the growth of local medical facilities. North Americans pride themselves on doing and accomplishing, and their influence in the health and social fabric of our newly developing community, is inspirational and impressive. Groups like Amigoes de Los Niños worked with various doctors who flew in from the north and donated their time fixing eyes, mouths, easy things. More complicated procedures required the patient leaving the State. As more people had contact with the Mexican community, more people with big hearts started using their resources to bring in more and more equipment and supplies, and pay for people to receive medical help in the north. One of these shining stars, a man named Tom Walsh from the USA State of South Dakota. His incredible contacts, organizational talent, amazing enthusiasm for enticing people to jump on board supporting his mission, and his heartfelt love for helping children using his extensive resources and a team of dedicated and like-minded people who also love Los Cabos.
The Los Cabos Children’s Foundation was created, and they have evolved to be the largest fund raising organization that funds the small, more specialized charity groups.. The 4th Annual Amy & Vince’s Fred Duckett Challenge golf tournament and fund raising event attracted mostly visitors from the middle part of the USA - South Dakota, Minnesota, Iowa, Nebraska - and raised $900,000 usd. The event named for successful real estate developer Fred Duckett who clearly showed generosity and love for the people of Los Cabos.. Famous singer musicians Amy Grant and Vince Hill are actively involved in the fund raising for this organization, and were the programs hosts and entertainers for the events surrounding the weekend.
10 | DESTINO LOS CABOS
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Local projects funded by Los Cabos Children’s Foundation AMIGOS de LOS NIños
Active in the community for many years, this organization helps children needing special medical assistance not available in this State.
LIGA MAC
Socially active with successful fundraisers like their annual Jazz Fest every March. Their mission is to help low income families and the elderly of San José del Cabo. They become personally involved with each family to ensure they are well nourished, have access to the medical care they need and supporting bright children and adults to better the education
MOBILIZE MANKIND
Tapping into the used wheelchair market in the USA, Greg and Gayle Edwards started transporting mobility equipment to the Los Cabos area starting in 2002. Finding a need for recycled therapy balls, leg braces, crutches, walkers and mobile chairs of all sizes and sophistication. Making huge project over the years to mobilize the people of Los Cabos while working with their mental and phyusical therapy. They are actively involved with a wheelchair accessible park in La Paz, and a wheelchair manufacturing and repair facility on the property of the new Children’s cancer hospital.
SANTA JOSEFINA BLOOD BANK
Before it’s recent opening there was no blood bank in Los Cabos. Before modern blood storage, anybody needing blood would either give their own prior to a surgery, or family members would be rounded up if there was an accident.
CASA SAN JUAN DIEGO
Located in the heart of the Cabo barrio, this place of laughter and activity helps the most needy families and immigrants providing a soup kitchen, shelter for battered women and education and training classes.
SARAHUARO
Providing personal attention to families providing basic hygiene and family skills, along with self esteem classes and inhome support. Helping over 100 single woman families with 100 more on a waiting list, craft items are being taught to create some future commerce for these new families in our community.
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DESTINO LOS CABOS |11
LORETO - the first Baja Sur Capital Surrounded
by the Sierra de Gigante mountains, the Pericú Indians were the ones occupying the area called Conchó which means “reddish mangrove”. The hunter gatherer Indians collected fruit, fished and hunted and were discovered by the Spanish explorers in 1533. The town has an exceptional territorial position. With 129 mules of coastline it lies at the crossroads of the Giganta Mountain range, the desert and the Sea of Cortez. It has five significant islands in the area, Coronado, Del Carmen, Canzante, Monteserrat and Santa Catalina (where the Blue whales are often sited). The town known today as Loreto, is located in the central part of Baja Sur, was founded by Jesuit Father Juan María Salvatierra in 1697 making it the first permanent settlement in the Californias. It was the political capital, a military center and a base for Jesuit operations. The Loreto museum has a nice representation of items from that era. A shipyard and school to teach Indians to handle sailing vessels were created. The mission, Nuestra Soñora de Loreto, was completed in 1752 and became the base for launching 18 other missions in the Baja peninsula, 10 of which are still standing today. A total of 185 Jesuits, Franciscans and Dominicans explored and colonized this peninsula and introduced religion and western culture to the region. They found it difficult to congregate the pericú, guaycuras and cochimies, all nomadic Indians and all hostile to the missionaries. The tenacity of these early religious adventurers allowed the work to continue in Baja without interruption for 150 years. However nature took its toll on this area. A hurricane in 1829 wiped out the town, and the capital of the State was moved to La Paz. Then in 1877 there was a severe earthquake that further devastated the town, and it slipped into decline for 75 years. Not really a Mexican pueblo or a fishing village but a character all it’s own that includes a lush Italian hotel in the town plaza, a major marina, golf courses spawning new communities, facilities and tours for regular cruise ship stops and an International airport. Even more importantly it is recognized for its enormous diversity of natural resources, a pleasant climate, a well preserved colonial village and a favorite destination for cultural and recreational tourism. Loreto is the closest town to base from to see the great Blue whales that winter in the Sea of Cortez, and the gray whale lagoons in San Mateos and San Ignacio. Wide variety of hotels, good, fresh local food, and calm, congenial pace. The fishing captains have decades of experience.
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1.Cochimi Indian lady 2. Loreto Mission 3. Jesuit Fr Salvatierra 4.leather clothes, cot, rope from 1700’s 5. Mission altar 6. Historic center Loreto 7. Wooden cross in the plaza 8. Posada de Las Flores hotel 9. Mgr Jose Luis, rooftop restaurant 10. Gigante mountains 11. Plaza restaurant worker
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SPRING | 2010
INTERIOR DESIGN MAKES A HOME In
Aida Balke adds stylish flair to Los Cabos
1998, the late Kenneth Schnitzer relocated Aída Balke to Los Cabos, Mexico where she worked as Design Director for the acclaimed resort development of Villas del Mar until December of 2002. This development is the premier, high end, full ownership project at Palmilla, She was born in Costa Rica, with a Costa Rican mother and a Dutch father. Aida’s fusion of nationalities colors her design experience. Her mother was a fashion designer, so Aida’s taste for textiles developed at an early age. Her father an engineer, and her grandfather an architect. She is primarily noted for residential design but her projects include country clubs, hotels and casinos. She has successfully completed international projects in Tanzania, Zanzibar, Africa, Canada, and Mexico. Her credentials; a Bachelor in Science, a degree in Fine Arts and professionally certified by the State of Texas as a full
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member of ASID (American Society of Interior Designers). On January of 2003, Aida and her daughter and partner Kelley opened their design studio in Houston and in San Jose del Cabo. Like her father before, Aida has offered her daughter the profession they now share: from the time she was little Kelley went with her to offices and building sites, helping with client presentations. Creating the level of quality and detail takes many contacts. Balke & Associates is a boutique firm; they take on no more than four to five projects per year: this is a clear-cut proposition. They keep no inventory of furniture or fabric, nor have they any desire to be involved in sales – they work closely, on a case-by-case basis, they customorder for each client’s needs, hand picking nothing but quality vendors. The result a firm that is internationally recognized for its unmistakable and colorful style!
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DESTINO LOS CABOS | 13
Loreto clam bake
Oasis Hotel creates the real thing BAKING ON THE BEACH
Place live clams, slit side down, in gravel
Cover the clams with the gravel
Cover clams with local brushes
A Roaring fire creates lots of heat and smoke
The story goes, there were thousands gath-
ered at the Oasis beach hotel in Loreto in the 1990’s, for a political party for Mexican President Carlos Salinas. According to Baja Sur State Secretary of Tourism Alberto Treviño, the President could hardly stop eating the flavorful clams full of smoked natural flavors and dipped in a mustard, pepper and olive oil sauce. In the future he would send his plane to gather more fresh clams, local brush the famous sauce and fly them to Los Piños, the presidential palace, for clam bake parties. What makes these clams so special was the question to Oasis Hotel manager Pascal Pellegrino, and his response was “you must try it”. So a clam bake was planned! The clams were gathered off the beach of the hotel a few hours before smoking them on the beach. Then the process to prepare for cooking engaged, the same way they did for President Salinas, though they say there were 20,000 clams that day. As the sun quickly set, the bonfire quickly warmed us, and the excitement of our dinner cooking right there, was simple yet so uncommon in the culinary world. Italian native Sr. Pellegrino was eager to present the three ways they offer fresh clams at the Oasis Restaurant. The first course were live clams. Some lime and hot sauce, and this is the freshest, simplest way to enjoy a clam, but had some at our table squeamish when the clam moved. However logic knows that this is a fresh, clean energy packed plate of sea protein and very good for the human body. The next course was clams au gratin. A mildly sharp cheese with delicate herbs wood oven broiled. These were very tasty. The final were the chocolate clams fire roasted and smoked on the beach. Part of the process was to leave the table and enjoy the cool night air by the simmering coals, and see the famous clams plucked from the hot gravel. The smoky flavor from the local brushes added the sweetest flavor, and when dipped in the mustard sauce the chewy clams are a taste treat that makes you want to keep chewing and chewing and enjoying the deep smoked flavor of the desert and the sea. This is an experience rarely found, but duplicated at the Oasis Hotel overlooking Loreto bay, on Saturday nights.
EATING CLAMS
Pascal Pellegrino explains the best garnishes
Live clams on the half - shell with lime
The
Muluge
drive to Mulege from Loreto takes a few hours. There is some tight-curve mountain climbing, then a number of beaches and little colonies along Bahia Concepcíon...a gorgeous bay surrounded by mountains and islands. One of these stops you’ll find a great beach restaurant Rancho El Gyote on Playa El Burro. There is a gas station stop on Hwy 1 and maybe a sign with a fork and knife indicating food. The beach is almost totally full of makeshift palapa houses. Mulege has been a tourist destination for years, and there a lots of cute B&Bs and restaruants scattered throughout this beach town. Devastated by a hurricane last year, the town is still cleaning up.
Celia, middle front, the owner of the beach restaurant serves home-cooked, fresh food, good prices, good drinks, in the middle of nowhere on a gorgeous beach!
THE FIRST SHIP BUILT IN BAJA SUR
Clams qu gratin
Chocolate clams smoked and roasted on the beach. The shells easily open and the clams inside taste like nothing else.
The Jesuits who first settled the rugged land of Baja Sur, were amazingly inventive, talented in many ways and tenacious, so they accomplished noteworthy goals. One of these early visionaries was Father Juan de Ugarte. After a particularly devastating hurricane in 1717 wiped out the mission at Mulege, he determined they needed to build a ship once they could obtain the lumber from the mainland. The Indians convinced him there were trees in the area that would work. He was lead to a tree grove of poplars called gueribo, around 90 miles from Santa Rosalía. Getting the trees to the shore was the challenge. Father Ugarte persuaded some lumber experts from the mainland, along with plank making equipment to travel to the tree grove and fell the trees and make planks right there, camping out over four months. Using a small group of Indians they built a road to the gulf. Then with his three loggers, five other white men and Indians from the area, brought the planks to the beach and built a ship. Named the El Triunfo de la Cruz - The triumph of the cross. It was the first ship built in Baja Sur and traveled as far north as the mouth of the Colorado River plus more than 60 crossings of the Sea of Cortez carrying supplies to a growing number of missions on the Baja peninsula.
Once the coals cool, gather the clams 14 | DESTINO LOS CABOS
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SPRING | 2010
Santa Rosalia: French copper town Odd
blue and green ball-shaped rocks found were un-coverd in the area of Santa Rosalia in 1868 by José Rosa Villavicencio north of his ranch. It proved to be a type of high grade copper carbonate and oxides known as “boleos”. Jose sold his stake for the immediate “good fortune” of 16 pesos. Geologists at the House of Rothschild in France noted the richness of the ore sample found. In 1885 the Mexican government allowed the French mining company El Boleo to set up business in the area if they promised to build a town, port and public buildings. In 1972 the town’s first constitutionally elected government was established. The town is very different from any other Baja Sur town, as it was heavily influenced by French architecture. Roads were constructed, wells were dug, ranches and farms were established to provide food and wood houses were built creating neighborhoods...a company town thrived in this remote area on the Sea of Cortez. The story of this town is also pretty amazing. Everything was shipped from Europe...the smelting equipment, the wood for the homes, the award winning church designed by Alexandre Gustave Eiffel (yes the same one of Paris fame). The church is the most unique in Baja. It was constructed of prefabricated case iron sections. Off of this was shipped around the Cape of Horn in South America...a very long journey from France. The Hotel Frances is also the most unique in Baja, as it is built all from wood. Floors, walls, ceilings...beautiful inported wood. It’s classic european style and comfort and stunning bay vistas, makes lounging a nice past-time. By the 1900’s Santa Rosalia was a major world copper producer attracting constant shipments from Europe carrying the coke needed to smelt the copper. Soot and gas from smelting made the town uninhabitable, so the smoke was carried out of town through an extensive duct system. You can still catch a wiff of smoke smell even today in the town. All of these European sailors arriving in town, made Santa Rosalia a destination for services desired by sailors. Colorful bars, restaurants, lush hotels like the Hotel Frances gave the town its character. Over the years and though a few world wars, the demand for Mexican copper was steady, however over time the quality degraded, and the world prices declined. There were a few millionaires from the venture, but most were not, and the company closed in 1954. All the French people left town then as well. New deposits of copper and manganese have been located in the area, and a Mexican company also known as Boleo is successfully mining it today. SPRING | 2010
1. Eiffel design church 2. Locals 3. Museum 4. Copper train 5. Local school boys 6. Taqueria 7. Copper exec 8. Posada de Las Flores hotel 9. Boat parked 10. Bay vista 11. Hotel Frances & staff
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DESTINO LOS CABOS | 15
LARGEST NATURAL SALT PRODUCTION IN THE WORLD Surrounding the northern whale lagoons and Guerrero Negro at the northern border of Baja Sur, are 100,000 acres of salt evaporation ponds producing natural sun-dried salt.
The Mexican government and Mitsubishi own the Guerrero Negro
Salt plant, and the natural part about drying out sun, needs technology to become a useful element for eating and manufacturing. If sea water was only dried in the sun it would still contain calcium carbonate, magnesium and sulphates. The process used at this company is to have five water master stations where unwanted ingredients are removed through a series of pond adjustment and evaporation. After 6 months of processing, sodium chloride ends up in the crystallizing basin and washed with heavy brine to remove impurities. Then scooped up, loaded into trucks where it goes to a washing station, then eventually to barges and transport to USA, Canada and Japan. To be out on the 300 kilometers of roads that are man-built and perpendicular and parallel, is to be in a whole different world. This area is flat, and the water is still and the dunes surrounding the lagoons lie low and the fog that forms in the morning makes visibility impossible. Guerrero Negro has attracted Movie film crews to the area, especially scary movies, because the background can be creepy...like some monster rising out of the lagoon. The salt company Exportadora de Sal started it’s operation in the mid 1950’s. Building a totally self sustaining salt evaporation and cleaning operation and the town of Guerrero Negro. by creating jobs in this very remote area. Its hours of driving away from any other town but over 1000 workers today, who work in the salt plant, call the area home. The salt industry has seasons where demand is greater, and one of them is winter in the north. The record snows in States not usually affected with ice, was good for the salt industry. Photos Top to bottom: - Greater and greater salt concentrations of water are moved from evaporation pond to pond. - The impurities removed, the pure salt is scooped up and trucked to the wash - Salt drops in to bins where it’s spread out for overhead spray washing - Salt is dried as it goes on final trip to ships - Salt piled directly onto a ship in bulk form where it will dry out further on its trip north to packagers and distributors. BELOW: Rare white pelican colony, far away from land and humans in the middle of the salt flats.
NASA
Guerrero Negro, a small town of 10,000 lo-
cated halfway down Mexico’s Baja peninsula, is a popular destination for ecotourists. They come to gaze at the gray whales, or to marvel at the diverse population of shorebirds. However there is more going on there than meets the eye. Dr. David Des Marais, senior research scientist at the NASA Ames Research Center in Mountain View, CA, and his colleagues started in 2001 to investigate an ecosystem of microbial mats: colonies of microscopic organisms 1-10-cm thick, inhabitants of a series of salt evaporation ponds that run along the Pacific shoreline near Guerrero Negro. Des Marais and his colleagues believe the mats may hold important clues to what life was like on early Earth. They also hope to gain insight into how to search for signs of life on planets around distant stars. Many scientists believe that for some 3 billion years after life first evolved on Earth, microbes were the only forms of life around. Only fragmentary evidence of that early life remains today,. “We focus on microbial mats,” Des Marais explains, “because we have specific geologic evidence for their antiquity. We can go back to rocks that are almost 3.5 billion years of age and see films and features that are strongly consistent with microbial mat ecosystems.” But it’s not that easy to find microbial mats these days. In most environments, microbes are eaten by other organisms or crowded out by plants before they can form stable mat communities. Only in certain extreme environments, too harsh for most of these grazers to live, can one find nearly pure microbial ecosystems. Guerrero Negro fits the bill because the water in the evaporation ponds is so salty that microbial mats can compete successfully. The mats under study live in water 2 to 3 times as salty as seawater. Because these modern mat communities are believed to function much like the ancient microbial communities from which stromatolites formed, says Des Marais, “they’re good test beds for understanding early evolution.” “For most organisms,” say Des Marais, “being in a pure culture is an extraordinarily stressful situation. It’s like putting you in a spacecraft and sending you to Mars with nobody around you. Extraordinarily stressful. You’re a social organism. These guys are social, too. Their version of being social is a bit different from ours, though. It has a lot to do with sharing sunlight and exchanging chemicals between neighbors.” Moreover, he adds, “We’re discovering that the very organisms that are the most important in this community are the hardest ones to grow in pure culture. Surprise, surprise: These are the best team players, therefore they have the hardest time living by themselves.” Life, fundamentally, is chemistry. All living creatures, from microbes to mammals, take in chemical nutrients and energy from the environment, and the salt pond groups will give us new insight about ourselves.
Guerrero Negro Black Warrior It’s history connected with whales and salt
At the 28th parallel where the States of
Baja California and Baja California Sur divide, marked by the 135 foot Monumento Aguila, is a modernistic sculpture of the Mexican eagle. Salt launched the Pacific coast factory town of Guerrero Negro, named after the British sunken ship, Black Warrior, leaving the lagoon full of whale blubber and gold. It’s also the gateway town to some of the most exciting natural experiences found in Baja Sur. The lagoons nearby are well known as the breeding and birthing destinations for the gray whales and the mountains nearby hold spectacular cave paintings from 500-600 AD. The unique geography of this part of Baja, creates an interesting character to its history and present. A range of mountains extends 40-50 miles toward the Pacific Ocean forming a bowl shaped headland where ocean currents from the south end in a huge eddy inside the Bahía de Sebastián Vizcaíno catches a massive amount of debris moving down the coast in the Pacific current. Reaching the remote beaches always rewards with a find from some far destination, like Japanese fishing buoys and a lot of deodorant bottles. The wind changes the surrounding dunes all the time
SPRING | 2010
uncovering sea traveling debris discarded or lost by man. There are three lagoons that open onto this bay. Mañuela lies to the north, Guerrero Negro lagoon is in the center, and the much larger Ojo de Liebre, or Jack Rabbit Springs or Scammons lagoon is at the east end. The entrance from the Pacific was not easy to see in the very flat, surrealistic ocean coastline, and Charles Scammon a whaling captain, is credited with the find, and the record slaughter of whales that happened
for many decades until the gray whales were almost extinct. The lagoon is ideal for the gray whale as there are shoals that enable the mothers to lie in shallow water and give birth, and the infant can easily rise to the surface to receive its first air. Grays are the only whales that seek shallow waters, as other whales often die in shallows suffocated by their own weight. The whales in such density in the lagoons were easy pickings for the whalers,
and always found there January – March. There are stories of whales attacking the boats that harmed their youth, and the whalers had to adjust their methods. Even today, the boat captains are very careful not to get between a mother and it’s baby, as the mothers will get immediately aggressive. One group described the mother going under their boat and lifting it up when she couldn’t see her young. Today the Mexican government carefully guards the lagoons and the whales. Tour operators are allowed only in small numbers with god training. International agreements signed in 1937 and 1946 forbid the hunting of gray whales and there are now over 21,000 gray living in the Pacific Ocean. The year round industry for Guerrero Negro is salt evaporation and harvesting. This is the largest producing sun-dried salt production operation in the world. There are 100,000 acres of salt evaporation ponds that are managed to evaporate away all the impurities like calcium carbonate, magnesium and sulphates from sea water to product 99% pure salt which is shipped to the USA, Canada and Japan. Mitsubishi is the production partner with the country of Mexico in the salt venture. The most amazing display of migratory birds can be found throughout the salt flats, as there is easy food for them to pick out of the evaporating water. The town of Guerrero Negro has about a dozen small hotels, and a Desert Inn a couple of miles from town, mostly full during whale watching season January - March. There is an airport for private planes, and it is located just off the only road north Hwy 1. Food consists of mostly home cooking in outdoor tents and carts, with the Malarrimo Restaurant at the hotel, gift shop and whale tour property of the same name, is known in distant places as the best place for food…three meals per day, and the freshest seafood.
VIZCAíNO BIOSPHERE RESERVE The Vizcaíno Desert is in the very north-
ern part of Baja Sur and part of the Mulege municipality. There are many animals and plants living in this part of the State of Baja Sur that are found no place else on earth, making this reserve immensely important. It has been named a Patrimony for Humanity, and in 1988 the region was declared a nature reserve making it Mexico’s largest protected area. There are over 4000 different types of flora living in this 6 million acre area. There are the endangered antelope-goat species (Perrendo maybe 300 letf), big horn sheep and many species of cacti and succulents like the boo-jum trees seen throughout the area.
Featured in this area are successful conservation efforts like the lobster fishery on the Pacific Coast of the El Vizcaíno with a huge production that has recently been granted certification as one of the few sustainable fisheries in the world, while constituting the cornerstone of the region’s economic activity.
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DESTINO LOS CABOS | 17
Baja Gray Whales By Susan Carol
In the center of the lagoon a massive, bar-
nacle-encrusted mother gray whale keeps a watchful eye on her young calf. At just 3 weeks old, the 15-foot, 2000 pound calf can barely make it alone in the protective waters. Thousands of whales have migrated from the Artic oceans, further than any other animal on earth, to arrive at the Mexican lagoons, difficult to see from the sea, but significant in the life of the Gray Whale. As one proud boat guide said; “all the Grays birth in these lagoons, making all the Gray whales Mexican!”. This yearly 5000 mile migration – one way - from the Alaska Bering Sea to the Baja Peninsula lagoons is undertaken by all Gray Whales every year for their life, and they never leave site of land. This predictable pattern has sometimes brought them almost to the point of extinction a couple of times, but has also made them accessible to biologists and whale watchers in our times. It’s a very special treat for all visitors to the lagoons, to commune closely with our mammal friends, whales and dolphins. Swimming with the dolphins in Cabo San Lucas brings easily accessible joy at the fun and intelligence these animals add to their encounters with humans. The existence of whale lagoons in our State of Baja Sur, and the small panga boats, close to the water that bring us in touching distance of these gentle giants of the ocean, are truly gifts and a rarity on the planet. When a whale chooses to play and interact with your
Destino Cover Photo and whale photos by Luis Enrique Achoy Cota, an avid photographer, historian tour guide and owner of Malmarrimo Whale Watching tours.
boat, you feel a sense of connection to a wild animal that you tend to feel proud and humble with the experience Gray whales are mammals like humans. They belong to the category called cetaceans that also includes dolphins and porpoises. They breathe with lungs, they are warm-blooded and give birth to live young that suckle their moms like other mammals. There are about 80 species of cetaceans living in the world’s oceans with sizes ranging from 4-100 feet and weigh from 70-300,000 pounds. All cetaceans eat other animals, but only the Orca or “killer whale” regularly eats warm-blooded animals and is the major enemy of the gray whale. The rest of the whales enjoy a vast array of cold blooded foods like anchovies, a shrimp-like krill, herring and even giant 50-foot squid along with specific bottom sand creatures. The favorite food of the gray whale – tiny amphipods - is found in the shallows of the northern seas where they have to suck the dirt through their baleen to get to them. Gray whales like humpbacks and the giant Blue whales are called baleen whales because they are toothless and use a thick moustache like material, the consistency of fingernails, to capture and strain krill and small swimming creatures and drifting or burrowing animals from sediments. In place of teeth on the upper jaw, the baleen hangs down from the roof of the whale’s mouth in a series of horny, overlapping plates. A feeding whale opens its mouth, takes in a huge mouthful of animal rich marine soup, then forces this mixture through the baleen which acts as a natural sieve, trapping the small animals inside the whale’s mouth while the water flows back out. A large whale can take in many pounds of food in a single gulp. Amazingly, the earliest ancestors of whales lived on land about 50 million years ago. What would make a land animal move into the sea? As they adapted to the water over many generations, they first lost their body hair. Then their nostrils gradually migrated from the tip of their snout to the top of their skull. Their front legs turned into broad, flat paddles and their back legs disappeared evolving into a powerful, muscular tail with two horizontal blades called flukes at the tip. Scientists have yet to find a link from the ancient whales evolved from land and today’s gray whale. Fossil remains found so far for the gray whale go back just 50,000 to 120,000 years and some speculate that like the walrus, the gray whale evolved in the north Atlantic and migrated to the north Pacific during warmer times and higher sea levels. So Scientists gave the grays their own family, Eschrichtidae. To-
day their home is only in the Pacific Ocean. The majority of whales migrate along the coast of North American and Baja Mexico, while a small group migrates to Korea. An adult gray whale is around 45’ long and up to 35 tons….the same weight of 10 good size elephants. A gray does not have a dorsal fin but a series of knuckle-like ridges, which is different than any other species of whale. A gray’s triangular craggy head takes up 1/6 of it’s body length. Eight feet from the tip of the jaw are the whale’s eyes, which are each about the size of a baseball. They do not have stereoscopic vision like humans with this eye placement, so have to move their heads from side to side to see the front.
Baja Sur offers the rare opportunity
to commune closely with these mammals of the sea.
The two blowholes on top of the whale are like nostrils, and a whale barely has to break the surface to breathe. These blowholes connect directly to the lungs so a whale can be feeding with a mouth full of water, and still breathe. Gray whales, more than any other cetacean, carry a huge amount of parasitic barnacles. Gray whales are in fact born black, but barnacle stains cause the skin to gray. Thousands of invertebrates of a special breed live permanently attached to the gray’s skin. Life aboard a gray whale is good. The barnacles do not feed on the whale but eat by sticking out feathery feet to grasp passing plankton. They form hard limestone shells in little colonies especially
on the whales’ head, flippers, back and tail flukes. The barnacle patterns are often how a whale can be identified year after year in a lagoon. Whale lice do feed off whales and damage their tissue. Up to one hundred thousand have been found on a whale. When the whales enter the Baja lagoons a naturally evolved whale skin-care fish, feeds on the whale lice and barnacles receiving an abundant source of protein rich food. These topsmelt silvery fish also help the whale by ridding it of it’s passengers which causes friction and drag as the huge whales slide through the water. Nature truly evolves in balanced and unpredictable ways that seems to work for all.
LIFE IN MEXICO The Gray whales are not the only animals migrating on their route annually. They are joined by other mammals…seals, dolphins…and smaller fishes, birds reptiles and insects. During the several months
they enjoy their mating and socializing time in Baja, they live almost solely off the fat they built up when feeding in the protein rich summer seas of the north. When in the Bering Sea they gain 16-30% of their total weight, sifting nearly 100 acres of bottom sediment to ingest 67 tons of food. Scientists have found that in some areas of the Bering Chukchi and Beaufort seas, 40% of the bottom has been scarred with sifting pits representing 156 million tons of sediment moving through whale mouths. Cows and bulls reach mating age from five to eleven years of age. Bulls and cows start flirting along the migratory path while going south and breed mostly in late November and December. They are basically promiscuous as cows outnumber bulls, and they mate with many partners. Rather than bulls fighting for cows, they build up massive amounts of sperm and try to outnumber a competing male’s sperm in the same cow. Scientists call this evolutionary “sperm competition”. The pregnant for 13 months cow,
seems to head to the lagoons when it’s time to give birth, though many stay out in the open sea. By January all the calving lagoons are full of whales, with the most northern one at Guerrero Negro birthing the first new whales. As the whale population increases, whales are also calving around Cabo San Lucas and as far north in the Sea of Cortez as Bahia de los Angeles. Most births occur between January 5 and Feb. 15. Few people have ever seen a gray whale birth, but general consensus is they come head first, and mothers are alone in shallow water, unattended by others. Newborns are about 15 feet long and 2000 pounds and practically helpless at birth. Their flukes are weak and curled from their tight stay inside mom. The mother supports her calf at the surface for it’s first few breaths, and within about three hours it can swim and keep itself afloat. There are recessed shallow folds on the mother’s belly, and muscles push a nipple out forcibly directing a thick stream of nutritious whale milk that is 50% fat. Calves drink around 50 gallons of this fat-laden milk every day. A cow is very close with it’s calf, and is even tender in human words. The the female “cow” frequently pulls the calf alongside, or on top for a ride. They are very protective of their young, and one boater described the mother whale lifting their boat up from below when it got between her and her calf. The whalers found out how ferocious a mother can get if her calf is threatened….thrashing tail, attacking and pummeling boats. The activity of the gray whales in the lagoons is more animated than in the open ocean. You’ll see whales extending their head vertically out of the water and looking around. Called spyhopping, you wonder how a whale does this with its huge body floating in one place. As a whale dives it flips it’s tail high into the air to increase it’s depth. Sometimes it uses it’s tail to smack the water, often repeatedly (21 times by one, according to my cousin whale watching off the coast of Cabo San Lucas in February) The most exciting-to see is a breaching whale, where it will leap 3/4 of its body out of the water and crash back down in a huge splash. Often it will breach 2-3 times, 15 seconds apart. This impressive show of strength could be part of courtship, or a warning, or an attempt to dislodge barnacles or just plain fun. Do whales sleep? Usually they are seen wide awake day and night when migrating. However, in quiet parts of the lagoon they have been known to lay close to the surface, floating like logs in what is perceived to be sleeping. Singing whales? Gray whales lack vocal cords but do have a voice. Biologists think they make sound continued on page 21
WHALE WATCHING EXPERIENCE Laguna Ojo de Liebre - Scammons Lagoon
By Christine Tolbert Santa Barbara, California
There are encounters with nature that
startle us out of our everyday routines. Whale watching at Laguna Ojo de Liebre was one of those experiences. Our group of six travelers climbed aboard the Malarrimo Eco-Tourism white van with our guide, Enrique Whale watchers, (Left) Tolbert family of Santa Barbara, Achoy to travel the short distance from Susan Carol from Destino Los Cabos, and Debora and Eric Edmunds from LA Guerrero Negro along city streets that turned into sandy roads lying between waiting for us to climb aboard. We hoped salt flats and undulating white sand dunes to view and actually touch the whales in that form a linear landscape reminiscent of their watery nursery. The lagoon was much the broad strokes of color seen in a Richlarger than I had anticipated. Perhaps, magard Diebenkorn painting. We were entering nified by the solitude and quiet as the Mexthe Biosphere Reserve that offers a peaceicans restrict the number of pangas allowed ful kingdom refuge for migratory birds and out at any time to protect the grey whales the giants of the deep, the grey whales. who come here annually to mate and con At 8:30 a.m., we arrived at the dock ceive then the following year give birth to where colorful pangas where moored,
their calves. We were well equipped with cameras and telephoto lenses, hopeful of creating memories that would appear on facebook and youtube, and we were not disappointed. The panga rose and fell with the slight chop that was left over from a storm in the Pacific the day before as we headed to the channel. In no time, we saw the spout of water like steam rising from a tea kettle in the morning. Then another and another. A procession of whales threaded their way along the top of the water, one after the other. The S curve movement of the whales along the surface gave the impression of a legendary sea serpent of enormous length, as it was not possible to tell where one whale ended and another began. As the whales swam closer, we could see their skin marbled with barnacles that had latched onto their host. Enrique delighted us with stories of the whales and a history of the lagoon. TThe whales migrate from the Arctic each year, returning in late December through February to Ojo de Liebre, San Ignacio Lagoon and Magdalena Bay. The topography and shallow depth of the lagoon keeps predators at bay. The topography and shallow nature of the lagoon help to keep predators at bay. The orcas and great white sharks tend to stay outside the lagoon, which protects the newborn grey whale calves. He explained that the high salt content of the water in Ojo de Liebre helps the newborns quickly rise to the surface in a matter of seconds; a necessary upward swim for survival, as all mammals need that first burst of oxygen into their lungs. What natural intelligence drives these primordial sea mammals in their annual migration to return to the same protected breeding lagunas in Baja California Sur from their feeding grounds thousands of miles in the frozen north seas of Alaska.
Gray whale mom with baby attached swam next to and under our boats “playing”.
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The clarity of light and color in the lagoon made the trip more spectacular. The water was the color of sapphires set in a mounting of white crystalline sand dunes and mounds of salt. Soon Enrique and our driver noticed another boat at rest with a mother whale and calf playing with the boat. We slowly pulled near, and turned the motor off to see if the whale would visit our boat to show off her new baby. It was a time for holding your breath as the pangas must stay a distance away from the whales due to strict enforcement of environmental protection regulations. We watched and waited. Within minutes, the cow and calf swam over to greet us, bobbing along the side of the boat, diving under the boat and rolling and playing. The mother rolled on her side to take a better look at these curious creatures who had travelled so far for this moment. I could see the mother’s small eye staring at us as she rolled on one side as her fluke touched the side of its mother, diving and playing with the boat as well. What a moment to look into the eye of this
primordial leviathan and feel a connection, mammal to mammal. It was a moment out of time. They must have stayed with us for twenty minutes and we wondered if they were as fascinated with us as we were with them. Surely felt that way. The grace and speed of the whales in the water was delightful to see. What amazing creatures. You could sense their curiousity and caution, and know that with a flip of their tail they would be gone, leaving the fluke patterns on the surface of the water. We moved on for other close encounters. One whale enjoyed floating upside down under our panga, rubbing its rather large tummy on the bottom of our boat. We were a floating itching post. Another came along side and spouted, with the water mushrooming over our heads. As the halo of water vaporized and floated down, rainbows formed in the mist. It was magical to see the cycle of whales rising to the waters surface, blowing, and creating rainbows. The outing continued and we saw whales spying, and tails thrust high in the air. The only noise was the clicking on camera shutters as the whales raised their massive heads to look at the world above the crest of the water. Two dolphins arrived to play along side of the whales. The whiskered head of a seal rose quickly out of the water to stare at us at length, then just as quickly disappeared below the surface. It would have been fun to bring some symphonic music along, and have our own fantasia of sealife on that beautiful day close to the water and sea mammals in our panga. After several hours, it was time to head back to shore. We left the whales to care for their young. Enrique pointed out the wealth of birds on the shores. There were segrated choruses of terns and seagulls, dressed in their matching suits of feathers. We saw osprey nests, and pelicans flying low over the water. There were peregrine falcons, and many species I could not name. It was quite a day for animal encounters. According to our guide, the gray whale evolved as land mammals and at one point entered the sea equipped for their long migration. They always travel close to shore and do not swim out to sea, but hug the shores on their continental journeys. We spent a morning in communion with them, sharing the planet both species inhabit. It was a perfect day for whales and humans in a peaceful kingdom.
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SPRING | 2010
continued from page 19
HUNTED TO EXTINCTION The gray whale’s predictable migratory path, and highly visible breathing spout pattern made it an easy target for the first whalers. Evidence uncovered on the Aleutian Islands of Alaska points to whaling cultures thousands of years before the first European whalers arrived. The Nuchanult or Noootka on Vancouver Island and the Makah on the Olympic Peninsula were well known for their whale hunting abilities. The Makah called the gray whale, sih-wah-wihw, the “beings with itchy faces.” Using canoes and mussel shell blades on their spear sticks, a team would hunt the whale, and a catch was cause for a village ritual of thanks. Other tribes would soak their spears in poison, and wait for the dead whale to float to the surface after death. Whale hunting today is still practiced by the Inuit of Alaska and Canada and the natives of north Siberia. The most well known whale hunter in the usa is Charles Scammon (18251911). As captain of the whaling ship Boston he discovered the shallow Laguna Ojo de Liebre or “Jackrabbit Spring Lagoon” in 1855, named by the missionaries and later referred to as Scammons Lagoon. In this lagoon and two others further south, whale hunters from Hawaii and San Francisco found gray whale mothers and calves easy prey for their harpoons. Whaling ships flocked to the area, and the slaughter continued killing over 10,000 whales in the next 20 years just to harvest their blubber for lamp oil.
The Guerrero Negro lagoon and town was named after one of these whalers. The names translates as Black Warrior. The whale oil laden ship smashed against the shore as it was being towed out of the lagoon in 1958. By 1880 few whales had survived this slaughter, Siberian natives suffered massive starvation and luckily inexpensive kerosene was invented and used to replace whale oil. The last gray whale was killed off the Pacific Monterrey coast in 1905. However 700 humpbacks were hunted down for their blubber used in soap until the industry died in 1925. The last of the gray whales fled to the seas off the coast of Korea and Japan, and were rediscovered there in 1912. Then efficient, whale processing ships were launched by Norway, joined by the Japanese and Americans killing 181 gray
whales from 1924-1929. An international agreement in 1937 supposedly put an end to whaling on the planet, but whales were still hunted until stiffer laws finally protected the few remaining gray whales in 1946. The Soviet Union still hunts gray whales each year killing them to feed their aboriginal Siberian natives. There are about 22,000 gray whales today, and they are still endangered.
Identify whales by their blow & dive pattern blue whale gray whale humpback
Thousands of birds follow migratory paths with the whales as they also have lucrative food sources that they have followed for generations. Plus the evaporating salt flats that surround the lagoons for hundreds of miles, expose a massive amount of small organisms that are easy pickings.
POWERFUL BULLS CAPTURED IN ART Galeria de Ida Victoria in the heart of the
San Jose historic district, is excited to announce a solo exhibition for artist Andres Garcia-Peña and his wildly popular series “Revenge of the Bulls.” Andres Garcia Peña began his bullfighting series in 1993
while living in Barcelona, Spain. The scene is Bull Heaven- the bulls from past fights who died in the ring are now angels, smoking and drinking, whooping and hollering, cheering for the bull. This series proved to be highly successful and in 2003, at the
grand opening of Galeria de Ida Victoria, they became the most sought after pieces in the show. Maia Norman, wife of famous British artist, Damien Hirst, purchased two for their personal collection. A year later his Bulls Solo Show was a huge success, selling over half of the 20 pieces on opening night! Now more than 15 years after he began this series, the bulls are once again returning to Los Cabos! Andres will unveil the newest paintings from his on-going series in an exhibition entitled “Venganza! The Bulls are Back.” Thursday, April 8th, 2010. It will be a grand homecoming celebration and all are welcome. Andres Garcia-Peña was born in Milan, Italy of Columbian parents and raised in the United States. After attending the prestigious Cooper Union School in New York City, he began his career as a muralist and prominent figure in the East Village art scene of the 80’s. Since then he lived and worked in Barcelona and his current studio in Brooklyn, NY. World renown as the “Central Park Gondolier,” he has exhibited internationally, with shows in Columbia, Holland, Spain, Sweden and throughout the United States. He continues to work extensively in public art and has completed commissions for the Children’s Aid Society in New York. Two of his works are part of the permanent collection at NY City’s Latin American Museum on 5th Avenue.
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SPRING | 2010
OFFER TO PURCHASE REAL ESTATE UNDER MEXICAN LAW by Javier Troncoso, Esq.
It
is typical that real estate transactions are initiated with the execution of an offer to purchase a specific real estate. The fact that an offer to purchase has a determined purchase price and an identified real estate it constitutes a binding sale purchase agreement pursuant to the Baja California Sur civil code regardless the fact that the real estate and the purchase have NOT been exchanged by the parties. The fact that an offer to purchase is considered a binding sale purchase agreement means that the offer to purchase may only be terminated by a court of law after exhausting the breach of contract judicial process. The judicial process may be avoided if the offer to purchase has the proper language allowing the affected party to terminate the agreement with no liability whatsoever. However, besides having the proper provisions to terminate an offer to purchase there should be additional language establishing the precise obligations of both parties. Additionally, pursuant to the Baja California Sur civil code, closing costs should be split equally by both parties unless the offer to purchase establishes otherwise. Another consideration to take into account is that an offer to purchase is the agreement whereby the terms and conditions of the real estate transaction are agreed by the parties and more likely new items, conditions or terms not considered in the offer to purchase may not be included unless otherwise agreed by the parties. It is our experience in real estate litigation that when a dispute is deriving from breach of contract typically the obligations of both parties are vague since the offer to purchase is kept very simple since such document is only being used as a negotiation vehicle to agree in a price without having the proper defined terms and conditions of the transaction. It is recommendable that any party executing an offer to purchase realizes that from a legal point of view a definitive agreement is being executed producing binding legal effects for both parties. A vague offer to purchase may harm a seller by committing the real estate and not being able to terminate the agreement until a court process (lawsuit) is exhausted. A purchaser may also be harmed with a vague offer to purchase by not having precise terms to request specific performance. Finally, it is advisable that before executing an offer to purchase a Mexican licensed attorney is consulted. For more information please contact: Javier Troncoso, Esq., Bufete Troncoso, S.C. Tel (624) 142 4435 jtv@btlaw.com.mx SPRING | 2010
JAZZ COSTA AZUL Cabo
Surf Hotel’s, 7 Seas Restaurant is gaining the reputation for attracting great “revival” bands to their cozy beach boutique property right on the best surfing beach in San José. They’ve hosted the Beach Boys among many others that enter-
tain the over 40 crowd who also want good food with their music. Known for consistently good food from their multiple chefs and the casual, elegant, open environment, locals have this place on their regular radar screens. A recent jazz grouping brought over 80 music lovers to eat, drink and be merry!
Hunting
Mexico
has abundant wild life, and you just need to know where to find it, and where you can legally shoot. Los Cabos business leaders and world adventurers, attorney and President of the Legal Association, Javier Troncoso (left below) and Real Estate Mogul Chris Snell recently flew the short flight across the Sea of Cortez, to a game resort outside of Los Mochis. There was an abundance of birds and open spaces, and the hunters used their guns a lot during their outings.
Values
A group of students was asked to list what
they thought were the “Seven Wonders of the World”. Though there were some disagreements, the following received the most votes: 1. Egypt’s Great Pyramids 2. Taj Mahal 3. Grand Canyon 4. Panama Canal 5. Empire State Building 6. St. Peter’s Basilica 7. China’s Great Wall While gathering the votes, the teacher noted that one quiet student hadn’t turned in her paper yet. So she asked the girl if she was having trouble with her list. The girl replied, “Yes, a little. I couldn’t quite make up my mind because there were so many.” The teacher said, “Well, tell us what you have, and maybe we can help.” The girl hesitated, then read, my ‘Seven Wonders of the World’ are: 1. to see 2. to hear 3. to touch 4. to taste 5. to feel 6. to laugh 7. to love.” The room was so quiet you could have heard a pin drop. A gentle reminder... the most precious things in life cannot be built by hand or bought by man. Each day comes bearing its own gifts. Untie the ribbons.” www.destinomagazines.com
DESTINO LOS CABOS | 23
LIVE MUSIC Cabo San Lucas
THE OFFICE daily 7-10 pm Daline Jones, Diego Ramirez & Luciano Callado Tue/Wed Shalom with Tito Rodriguez Fri, Sat & Sun. AMARONE RISTORANTE Diego Ramirez and Daline Jones Sat. 7-10 pm BAJA BREWERY in Cabo Villas Sexto Sentido every Friday, 8-11, dinner, drinks, & salsa dancing. CABO WABO CANTINA, Sammy Hagar’s legendary night-club in Cabo San Lucas. Tel. 624-143-1188. SOLOMON’S LANDING on the marina. Monthly concerts. MAMBO CAFÉ Salsa, cumbia, meringue & disco every night 10-2 closed Mon LAS QUESADILLAS The Edgar Mendes Group with Francis Mendes. BAJA CANTINA Daily 7-10 PM. www. bajacantina.com
Cabo San Lucas On the rooftop of Cabo Villas Resort at Medano Beach
Reservations: 624.143.9199 ext. 2026 www.BajaBrewingCompany.com
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VILLAS DEL PALMAR Tues. Edgard Mendes keyboard, Memo Ruiz guitar, Pedro Cervera drums EDITHS Restaurant Traditional Mexican music every night 6-10 pm
LA CASONA Restaurante (inside Villa La Estancia) Medano Beach Vocalist Wendy Tosoff, Sat 10:30-2:30 Mexican by Luz de Luna. LATITUDE+22 Peter Bacon Thurs, Fri, Sat, 7-10 pm. FIESTA AMERICANA Salon Rosatto LoungeRestaurant. Tel. 145-6200. LA FRIDA Pueblo Bonito Sunset Pianist Ricardo Ramirez, Lunda Itzel traditional Mexican songs; Trio Ornelas daily ex Sun. TATWANA Pueblo Bonito Pacifica (world music) Wed. -Sun. 7:30-10 pm, SPA Sat. 10:30 interactive meditative concert. James CABO LOUNGE Jorge Cu Piano Thurs, Fri, Sat. 8-11 CASA RAFAEL Romantic ballads in Spanish and English Wed-Mon. 6:30-10 ROMEO & JULIETA Pianist every night except Mondays 7-10 pm 143-0225. BAROMETRO On the marina front, next to the mall. Changing performers SAND BAR Playa Medano, Gilberto “Hill” Garcia. Standards classic rock. Vocals and guitar Mon/Wed /Fri
WESTIN REGINA Las Cuerdas Clasicas, Chamber music al fresco. Everyday but Wed & Thurs, 8-11am LAS VENTANAS Marci Castro piano Wed&Sun 7-10
LIVE MUSIC
San José del Cabo HAVANA’S SUPPER CLUB Nightly (except Sun) great jazz and music. TROPICANA Grupo Cubano Tropicana Cuban music. Wed thru Sat 10 -1. Friday Dinner Show. CASA NATALIA Weds. Howie Clifton on sax, Nahuel Bailo keyboard, Pedro Cervera drums VOILA Marcie Castro, piano Fri 8-11 BAJA BREWING Live music after ART WALK Thurs. RED Wine Bar DJ, electronic and pop music. Behind Mega. SHOOTERS BAR AND RESTAURANT. Tel. 1469900 across from Municipal Hall in San Jose del Cabo. OLD VILLANO, occasional live music.
CABO REY Dinner Cruise Dining, dancing, floor show. Call 624-143-8260.
RAICES Y BRAZOS Wed live music, Thurs. Open mike. Changing schedule so ck web www.raicesybrazos.org.
LOS CABOS WINERY Tel. 143-8088. For musicians who feel like jamming.
LIVE MUSIC
HARD ROCK CAFÉ Rock-n-roll in English & Spanish Fri & Sat, 10-12 pm. Plaza Bonita Mall
LIVE MUSIC
CERRITOS BEACH CLUB Daline Jones & Diego Ramirez Sun 2-5 PM
ESPERANZA The Roberto Blanco Trio Fri. & Sun 8 pm. Km 7,
HOTEL MARQUIS Memo RuizGuitar. Jazz, romantic and the American song book. Evenings 7-10 except Mon,
SANDBAR Gilberto ‘Hill” Garcia Classic rock. Sat/Sun
TWO FOR THE ROAD in Tesoro Hotel Tues -Sun, after 6 pm. Montana, keyboard, and vocalist Kathy Daniels.
Corridor
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Pescadero
LIVE MUSIC Todos Santos
HOTEL CALIFORNIA Flashback band Sat PM For additions or corrections to this schedule, please email destinoloscabos@gmail.com
SPRING | 2010
Good flavors to put in your mouth!
The Sea of Cortez cakes at
Local 8, Plaza Mision, are crab, scallops and shrimp cake over black bean puree & chili sauce. With creamy avacado sauce. La Choya Burguers San José
San Jo
- “Ticlosa”, cooked with marinated steak, grill onion, green pepper, cheese, lettuce and tomato. The marinated ground skirt steak cut in small pieces then cooked in a wok with special sidesauce called “placoso” made of chipotle and tomato. Honey-soy marinated arrachera steak skewers with local colorful vegetables centered by creamy garlic-mashed potatoes.“ Baja
Brewing, San José & Medano Beach, Cabo.
sé del Cabo
The daily chef’s special at 7 Seas Restaurant at the Cabo Surf Hotel, Costa Azul, is always the best, however the baked red snapper over a light risotto with fresh green beans, is something you could eat every day.
Bed and Breakfast Great Food & Hospitality 8 AM - 8:30 PM Mon-Sat
Buzzard’s in La Laguna: Fresh shrimp, dipped in tempura, dusted with shredded coconut & panko . Fried crisp, with a Pina Colada dipping sauce!
Denny & Judie, hosting since 1997
On the East Cape 15 minutes from San José. Follow Puerto Los Cabos signs from San José toward El Encanto, about 4 miles.
www.buzzardsbar.com
SUNDAY BRUNCH 9-2:30
Manuel’s warm chocolate brownie with vanilla ice cream. Yummm
1 Local 8 Restaurant 2 Pasquales Restautant 3 Tommy’s Roadhouse Restaurant 4 Segusinos 5 Destino Magazines & Discovery Center 6 Cielo Spa & Pacific Dental Care 7 Container Food Stop 8 Mollys Restaurant
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Destino Los Cabos S.A. de C.V. © 2010
Sea of Cortez SPRING | 2010
Mayan Palace
Presidente Intercontinental Hotel
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DESTINO LOS CABOS | 27
Manuel s ’
Following his Culinary Dream
Manuel’s Restaurant is located in San José
del Cabo in a high end plaza, the Shoppes of Palmilla and is the inspiration and presentation of master chef Manuel Arredondo anddaily managed by his wife Virny. Already disacovered by loyal patrons after just a short time in this location….excellent food is spreading the reputation. Changing the menu daily based on the freshest seasonal foods available, keeps his regular clients enjoying his creations food multiple times per week. Manuel and family arrived in Los Cabos in 2009 after living in Italy and the USA for many years. Originally from Guanajuato, Jalisco Mexico, he becan his culinary career at 18, joining Hilton Corporation in California. He traveled up through the ranks of master chef training holding many positions as Executive Chef in a variety of hotels and restaurants. After 25 years of organizing events for US Presidents, corporate conventions, visiting dignitaries and every event that exists, he decided to follow his dream of obtaining a culinary degree from a European school. In 2005 he lived in Italy for a a few years,
receiving a Certified Master Chef designation from ALMA, La Scuola Internazionale de Cucina Italiana in Colorno, Italy, and perfected his Italian craft at Flipot Restaurant in Piedmont, Italy under renowned Chef Walter Eynard. He came back to Mexcio in 2007 with the opportunity to open his own restaurant…Manuel’s Creative Cuisine…in Ajijic, Jalisco on the Riviera of Chapala, and now Manuel’s in
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Palmilla, San Jose. Attracterd to the abundant fresh seafood and the variety of natural organic foods available in Babja Sur, Manuel’s fusion of Italian, Mediterranean and stimulating herbs and flavorful sauces creates a new dining experience with each dish. Creative presentations that stimulate the eye with color and design, adds to the fresh, never overcooked flavors of Manuel’s menu. There is a lovely outdoor patio area, and colorful interior seating, with a park-like setting and even a peak at the ocean. There is only one exit for Palmilla, KM 27.5, turn away from the ocean, so it’s easy to find, and lunch and dinner daily is what to plan for this destination location. Also ask about their cooking classes, and capture the wisdom of a true Master Chef, Manuel.
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SPRING | 2010
news around town
PRINCE FELIPE AWARD FOR EXCELLENCE IN TOURISM Sol Melia is the first Company to attain this reward two times. The first time was in 1993 and since that time they say they had a revolution at the management level, brands, and values. Founded in 1956 in Palma de Mallorca (Spain), Sol Melia is the largest resort hotel company in the world. It has more than 300 hotels in 28 countries on 4 continents, marketed under their brands: Gran Meliรก Melia ME Innside, Tryp, Sol, Paradisus and Sol Melia Vacation Club. VILLAS DE MEXICO completed their first phas of building and celebrated with a ribbon cutting and cocktail party. Managed by the tourism division of Mexican building giant HXM (Homex) FEDERAL MONEY FOR ROADS Mexocan congress approved $115 million for roads and infrastructure in Baja Sur. The Governor announced that $100 million would be used for roads with $38 million of that for the La Paz-Cabo 4-lane highway already under construction. The remaining money will go toward a hospital in La Paz WELK RESORTS OPEN IN CABO Hotel Sirena del Mar officially opened in late August on the beautiful Cabo Bello peoperty. Started by famous Lawrence Welk in 1964, Welk Resorts have properties in Palm Springs and Escondido California and Branson Missouri. BARCELO HOTEL A grand opening party in March launched the luxurious SPA LIFE, a pillar of their newly renovated beach front resort. Part of a major chain based in Spain with extensive properties in Mexico. Hotel Director, Hernan Vanegas with SPA Mgr Nelly Morales (middle) and therapist Livia Terrer
,
TEAM DESTINO Just $200 USD sponsors an entire soccer team for a whole year. With the team sponsor name on their shirts, your support of the program is visible.
A NOTE FROM RAY THOMAS The food programs are at 300 kids with 2 Kitchens in La Paz. We are constructing a new kitchen in San Lucas at Leonardo Gastelun Colony and in May will start with 300 there. Remember 600 pesos or $ 50.00 feeds your sponsored kid for 3 months. SOCCER We have 3 Schools in La Paz 4 in San Lucas with a total 2500 kids in the programs plus Our GART /OXXO Soccer League has 200 7-16 year old in 9 La Paz colonies competing weekly. April starts our new Kinder School Co Ed Soccer league with 4 schools in San Jose of 4-5 year old kids-too cute. BASEBALL: We have 5 Acres of prime land in San Lucas to build a state-of-the-art Family Sports Center .Our Baseball school is growing every Saturday it is free for the kids. We still need some help 2 hours a week. DONATIONS: www.raythomasgroup.org
SPRING | 2010
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DESTINO LOS CABOS | 27
Paid Advertisement
Return Home Looking Years Younger Local Laser Med Spa receives the 2009 Mexican Association of Medical Tourism
Turning the
Back Clock
The non-invasive approach to skin rejuvenation
“Best Medical Spa Award”
/VERALL #USTOMER 3ATISFACTION s Laser Skin Rejuvenation This recognition comes following 7 years here in the Los Cabos area serving locals and vacationers alike. Spa Cielo specializes in what they call “rejuvenation vacations” offering vacationers services that allow them to return home with a more youthful appearance. “People want to look better, but they don’t want to give up any time from their daily lives or vacation,” said Cathy Dammann, Medical Aesthetics Practitioner and Owner of Spa Cielo, a Laser Medical Spa that offers the newest in safe, non-surgical, non-ablative, painfree, no downtime cosmetic skin treatments. “The public is demanding, transformation without pain or downtime” states Dammann. Spa Cielo specializes in laser skin care with light and laser skin treatments including non-surgical face lifts, nonsurgical body sculpting, spider veins of the legs and face, varicose veins,
melasma treatments, rosacea, skin hyperpigmentation, age spot removal, acne, acne scars, sun-damaged skin and laser hair removal. Many of Spa Cielo’s treatments have been recently featured on “E!”, 20/20, Dr. Phil, Doctors, Dr. Oz, Oprah, and Quien Magazine. Cielo starts the rejuvenation process with VISIA recently seen on Oprah and Dr. Oz. This computerized skin scan records surface and subsurface skin conditions such as wrinkles, spots, pores, evenness, early skin cancer and photo damage from too much sun exposure. The VISIA gives Spa Cielo the information necessary to determine the best treatment options, yielding the most rejuvenation in the shortest amount of time. Vacationers, who return here to Spa Cielo year after year, to take advantage of the AAD recommended annual UV skin scan. The personalized annotated skin scans are securely stored on Spa Cielo’s
computers, and allow Spa Cielo to follow changes in their patient’s skin from year to year. Spa Cielo uses the combination of Laser Genesis and Limelight IPL for patients which may not need skin tightening, but are still showing the signs of aging from excessive photo sun damage and for other skin conditions as well. Laser Genesis was the recipient of Aesthetic Trends and Technologies Choice Awards “Best Non-Ablative Laser for Collagen Remodeling” 2005-2007. Used together, the Laser Genesis and Limelight are a very effective treatment for Rosacea, acne and acne scarring. Laser Genesis is also very effective in reducing enlarged pores, texture and fine lines and wrinkles, providing multiple benefits beyond using IPL or photo facial alone. The LimeLight is used alone to treat age spots, hyperpigmentation and diffused redness in the skin. Cielo’s most popular service among vacationers is a new light-based technology for tightening lax skin, a nonsurgical face lift, the Cutera The Titan ProcedureTM. Titan, an alternative to facelift surgery, has received much notoriety including, the Baazar Magazine, which found this new technology so impressive they allotted a complete feature article in their fall issue. Prevention Magazine named it “The Best Beauty Breakthrough.” Titan has been the recipient of numerous other awards including: 2008 Aesthetic Medicine Award for “Best Customer Experience and Satisfaction” and Aesthetic Trends and Technologies “Best non-laser for skin tightening and wrinkle reduction”. The Titan ProcedureTM is virtually painless and delivers a more youthful appearance by tightening skin on the face & neck, or on body areas. It delivers remarkable skin tightening results all without the downtime, scars or excessive costs associated with surgery. “This procedure is ideal for patients of almost any age, race or type of skin,” said Dammann. “And,
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Consultations are Complimentary s Open Daily from 10 am-6 pm. Appointments s From the United States and Canada 425-216-3019.
www.spa-cielo.com
the results are incredible. It’s the most advanced technology available today to deliver dramatic results without pain or downtime.” The Titan nonsurgical facelift, represents a real breakthrough because it’s risk-free and delivers excellent results. The Titan is a useful tool for someone in their 30s to 70s who wants to improve their appearance with a noninvasive procedure that yields very natural, but noticeable results.Appropriate candidates could include someone whose face and neck are beginning to sag, a new mother whose tummy isn’t as tight and smooth as it used to be, or a patient who has experienced significant weight loss and needs to tighten loose skin. How it Works With age, the collagen that provides volume and structure to our skin, or dermis, begins to break down, resulting in sagging and wrinkles. The Titan uses an infrared light source to safely apply heat to the dermis, causing collagen contractions that stimulate long-term collagen rebuilding. The Titan’s proprietary light source emits a range of infrared wavelengths that are absorbed by water, providing a safe and comfortable solution for
tightening the skin. Since the skin is protected through continuous contact cooling, it requires no anesthesia and no downtime. Spa-Cielo uses a 3-D approach to their signature non-surgical facelift. Cathy explains, “first we restructure the dermis or structure of the skin with our Radio Frequency (much like Thermage, only not painful) and the Titan for deep
dermal contraction. Next we treat the skin’s surface with the laser Genesis and LimeLight IPL which together work to shrink pore size, reduce fine lines, wrinkles and age spots. We then
complete our treatment by strengthening the muscle structure with Medilift electro-stimulation. In addition to their laser skin care treatments, Spa Cielo offers permanent makeup, Botox injections, Restylane injections, dermal fillers, facials, micro-dermabrasion treatments, hyperbaric oxygen, infrared detoxification, bio-identical hormone replacement, bio feedback, body sculpting, and endermologie treatment for cellulite. When asked about prices, Dammann replies, “prices vary based on procedure, and are generally about 1/3 less than State side. My clients often say, “I am so surprised, this cost me no more than a round of golf or a day of sport fishing, and I have something to show for the money I’ve spent.” People can now enjoy their vacations and return home looking years younger! Cathy Dammann-Fleishman is a Certified Advanced Medical Aesthetics Practitioner and has certifications in Aesthetics, and Light and Laser Therapies. Spa Cielo Physicians and staff are bi-lingual, trained and certified in the U.S. and Mexico. Spa Cielo has the experience you look for in a laser medical spa, with 7 years in the Los Cabos area, 4,000 patients and over 20,000 procedures performed. Spa Cielo is located in San Jose del Cabo, Plaza Los Portales, 3rd Floor next to Mega and McDonalds, just above Spiderweb Book Store; call us at (624) 105-2209.
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SPRING | 2010
THE PHYSIOLOGY OF STRESS by Dr. Bill Sniechowski DC
Stress is defined as an adverse condition or
circumstance that disturbs normal physiological functioning. There are several types of stressors: environmental (i.e. air, water and noise pollution), mechanical/structural, chemical/nutritional, mental/emotional, psychological etc. and they all induce what has come to be called the “fight/flight” or alarm response. Back in the good ol’ hunter-gatherer days, when the saber -toothed tiger leapt out of the tree, scaring the bejesus out of us, the alarms went off and this is how we responded physiologically: the eyes widened, nostrils flared, we began salivating, heart rate and blood pressure increased, blood was shunted from the core to the muscles, and we ran like the dickens looking for safety. Kind of reminds me of the first time I met my wife. All of these actions are involuntary and involve what is called the sympathetic portion of our autonomic (or automatic) nervous system. These activities use tremendous amounts of energy and deplete us of stored nutrients. Then, when we found the shelter and safety of a cave, the other part of our autonomic nervous system, the parasympathetic portion, came into play: heart rate slows, blood pressure lowers, blood moves to the internal organs and rest and regeneration takes place. We replenish and rebuild. Ah, just another day in paradise. Even though, today, we are still basically the same, physiologically, as our hunter-gatherer ancestors, our stressors have become more insidious and we rarely get back to the cave to rest, regenerate, replenish and rebuild. Physiologically, it’s one foot on the gas and one foot on the brake 24/7 and leads to a whole host of maladies culminating in premature aging and death. Let me run you through a typical stress-related scenario. As mentioned above, stress causes sympathetic nervous system overload (called sympathetic dominance) which suppresses parasympathetic activity. Because parasympathetic activity is primarily concerned with replenishing and rebuilding, its most significant action is digestion. And the most important aspect of digestion is the production of stomach acid. In fact, your body spends more energy every day lowering stomach pH than any other activity. We need stomach acid to digest protein and absorb calcium and iron. Calcium is the primary trace mineral in nerve and muscle function. Insufficient acid means now you’ve got one nerve left and everybody’s getting on it. And you’re sore and achy all over. Iron carries oxygen to all your cells. So about 3-4 in the afternoon, you can hardly keep your eyes open, you can’t think straight, you’re cranky and those 2 or 3 cups of coffee just don’t seem to be doing the trick anymore. But wait. There’s more. Because you SPRING | 2010
are deficient in stomach acid, the protein you eat sits in your stomach and putrefies, the carbohydrate ferments and the fat becomes rancid…all of which produce their own organic acids giving you gastric reflux so you take Tums or Prylosec which absorbs the already inadequate amounts of stomach acid and makes the whole thing even worse…so now they call it G.E.R.D. and prescribe even harsher drugs. Gas and bloating are some of the other notorious symptoms of lack of stomach acid. When the food gets out of the stomach and into the small intestine, it is at the wrong pH. Liver and pancreas function are regulated by pH so they take the day off. This results in downstream problems like belching, constipation, diarrhea, irritable bowel, colitis, crohn’s disease, leaky bowel syndrome, hemorrhoids etc. Leaky bowel syndrome has been implicated in autoimmune disorders like asthma, hypothyroidism, lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, etc. Have you ever gotten dizzy bending over to pick up something or getting up from lying down to a standing position? That is called orthostatic hypotension and is diagnostic of acute adrenal insufficiency. Your adrenal glands respond to stress. Some symptoms of adrenal fatigue are lassitude, hyper-irritability, compromised immune function, susceptibility to chronic degenerative diseases, etc. When your adrenal glands are exhausted, the thyroid gland tries to help out and, over time, it becomes overworked leading to fatigue, weight gain, hair loss, sexual dysfunction, etc. Overall endocrine system and hormone dysregulation are the result. Stress impairs physiological ability to neutralize free radicals which interfere with RNA and DNA synthesis which leads to premature aging, compromised immunity, birth defects etc. Not a pretty picture. And, yes, there is something you can do about it. Begin to eliminate or neutralize stressors you can control. For instance, look under your kitchen and bathroom sinks and throw out any container whose label has two or more words you don’t understand and you can’t pronounce. Exercise for 30 minutes four times a week (Yes, you do have the time. What you don’t have is the commitment.) Get regular Chiropractic adjustments. Give yourself an attitude adjustment i.e. stinkin’ thinkin’ no longer allowed. Learn what and how to eat (Again, you have the time). Get some sound, un-medicated sleep. Get a coach. In other words, support your overall physiology with healthy balance. If you would like to learn more about Foundational Therapy and physiological support call 624 118 1603 or email: drbill.baja@yahoo.com www.destinomagazines.com
DESTINO LOS CABOS | 29
Fat Loss and Anti-aging the “Easy” Way By Robyn Littlewood- Personal Trainer for the Desert Spa Villa del Arco
OK, OK.
I know you’re getting fed up with reading my articles telling you that the only sure-fire way to slow down the aging process in your face or to permanently lose fat is by proper diet and exercise. So, I will give you the good news first: The Los Cabos area has a growing variety of nonsurgical techniques available to those of us looking to get rid of belly fat, tighten up our skin and erase wrinkles. For a change of pace, I am going to write a couple of articles about fat loss and beauty short cuts for you, (later on I will give you the bad news). I am not going to tell you about any service I haven’t tried myself with some success. As an overweight teen and as a younger adult, I have tried many things to lose weight; a few of which were safe and effective and many, many others of which were not. Now in my mid- forties, I study and experience many products and services that claim to make your skin look younger and also to “spot reduce” fat pockets in the body. Hey, I have to cheat a little bit, no one hires scary-looking, middle-aged personal trainers. Here is the scoop on non-surgical procedures I have had done to my own face and body here in the Los Cabos area over
the past two years: 1) WRINKLES: I have an M.D. who injects my brow lines and crow’s feet with Botox. I love it. Botox is about one half to twothirds of the price here in Cabo, compared to the US and Canada. In addition to getting rid of wrinkles, it makes the skin look healthier and smoother. The pain factor I would rate as a 2 or 3, on a scale of 1 to 10. No down time is required after the procedure and you can head right back to work. 2) BELLY FAT AND SAGGING SKIN: The MD mentioned previously, has a radio-frequency machine, (the Accent machine was invented in Israel). The machine tightens up the skin, burns fat and reduces wrinkles from sun-damage. Going in I was very skeptical. I am now a regular customer and continue to get great results. The pain factor is a 2 or 3 for me and there is no downtime. Another woman I know told me she thought it was painful, but I actually enjoy it. Sometimes I even fall asleep during the procedure. I lost 3 inches off directly off my waistline and it has drastically improved the sun damaged skin on my upper chest. My little bit of “turkey neck” disappeared also. 3) BRA FAT: Lipostabil injections work for any subcutaneous fat, but the bra fat is where I tried it. I was ultra-skeptical on this idea but I have always had this annoy-
ing little fat pocket that sits over the back of my elastic sports bras, no matter how thin I get. One painless treatment with the short needle and I saw a noticeable difference. The after pain factor: Owww! I give it a pain factor of 8 out of 10, but it only lasted for 2 hours and then the pain was gone as suddenly as it had appeared. Downtime was zero and I was back at work the next morning. The Lipostabil, (a product developed in France), works slowly over an 8 week period. Other local anti-aging and weight loss product/service providers I use myself and I recommend to my clients include: The Oxygen Café/Spa Mar y Dentro Phone: 172-0129. The products/services I buy at this complex, located near the El Camino school in Pedregal, include hydrotherapy for the colon, fresh organic produce, fresh baked goods and a FAR infrared sauna that promotes inner body cleansing and weight loss. I also drink the high alkaline water they have just started selling. They have a host of other services pertaining to inner health, beauty and wellness. The AMI Holistic Center Phone: 143-7705 This new wellness center is located across the street from TELMEX on Hidalgo St in Cabo San Lucas and features an M.D. supervised rapid weight loss program. They also offer Botox, Restylane and many other medical and beauty services. Now for the bad news I promised you earlier on in this article: None of these miraculous little techniques will work for you permanently unless you start to exercise properly and eat healthy food! (Yep, I am chewing on that same old bone again…). Consider this analogy: If your home has a fundamental structural problem, you can renovate the façade of the house and it will look better for a while. But unless you deal with the underlying problem, your house (body) will soon look even worse than before. If you, like 37% of US citizens, have a Body Mass Index over 30, you are likely to suffer bad health. If you continue to work 80 hours a week, smoke, drink too much alcohol, stay up all night watching TV and overeat, you will probably die young. Even worse, the medical establishment will try to keep you alive with pharmaceutical drugs, chemotherapy and surgeries and you will just wish you were dead.
THE DISCLAIMER: Please note that what I am writing in this column is about my personal experience and my OPINION. It is not to be considered a medical recommendation, (my post-secondary educational training was in Business Administration not medicine). Also, if you have a health or beauty business in Los Cabos that I haven’t experienced yet, and you feel snubbed, please feel free to write or call me about your product and services. I will try to fit you into the next article, assuming it has proven to be safe and effective.
If you are ready to make a lifestyle change but you don’t know how or where to start, come and watch my Weight Loss and Anti-aging Seminar from 4-5 pm on Sunday Desert Spa in the Hotel Villa del Arco. Call 145-7200 Ext 686 You can email me with your beauty, fitness or fat loss questions at rlittlewood@villagroup.com.mx or robynlittlewood@hotmail.com 30| DESTINO LOS CABOS
Foods that can make you look younger
By Susan Biali, M.D.
Certain
foods cause inflammation, disease, and aging in our body cells and in our skin, while other foods reduce inflammation and may even reverse some of the damage. Foods that get quickly converted to sugar in your body are said to have a high glycemic index (GI). White flour, sugary foods, white rice, potatoes, sweet drinks and juices, and even sweet fruits like bananas and mangos fall into this category. The high levels of blood sugar that result when you eat these foods cause inflammation in your cells and can lead to acne breakouts, premature aging, and damage to your body’s organs. That sugar enters your skin cells and starts cross-linking your collagen - this heralds the first phase of wrinkle generation. On top of that, the high sugar levels suck water into your cells, causing your face to puff up, most noticeably around your eyes. Whenever you can, eat highfiber foods. Most vegetables, other than potatoes and sweet potatoes, have a low GI and are powerfully anti-inflammatory in their own right, thanks to high levels of antioxidants and other nutrients. Eat as much as you want of low GI fruits, including apples, berries, cherries, plums, peaches, oranges, and grapefruits. Did you know that in addition to protecting your heart, your mood, and your mind, salmon and other fish rich in omega-3 also prevent inflammation and aging? Every forkful of fish that you eat comes loaded with high-quality protein, healthy fats, antioxidants, and other vitamins and minerals. Finally, research has shown that people who eat more olive oil, vegetables, and high fiber (low GI) legumes such as beans and lentils, have significantly less wrinkled skin. As well, people who ate less butter, margarine, milk products, and sugar all enjoyed better skin. Choose your foods carefully – you’ll look better and feel fabulous!
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SPRING | 2010
4 St. Jude Thaddaeus, Brother of St. James the Less, and one of the 12 Apostles of Jesus. He is often shown with a flame from his head which represents the Holy Spirit.
8 St. John
9 8
Dos Glorias
Topete St. El Perico Azul
10 St. Paul
Son of Zebedee, and the brother of Saint James the Great, was called to be an Apostle by Jesus in the first year of His public ministry. He was the only one of the Twelve who did not forsake Jesus when he was arrested.
The Apostle of the Gentiles, was converted from Judaism on the road to Damascus and preached in the synagogues that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God.
7 6
Brilanti Jewelry
3
Manos Mexicanas
4 5
Hidalgo St.
Theatre
Marquez de León
7 St. Francis Xavier
Buena Vida Mangos Cactus Art
1 2
Joined Ignatius Loyola and became one of the
seven who in 1534, at Montmartre, founded the Society of Jesus.
Benito Juarez - HWY to La Paz
A religious devotion to Jesus’ physical heart as the representation of the divine love for humanity.
The first of the Apostles and was a member of the inner circle of Jesus, with James and John. Saint Peter was recognized as the first Supreme Pontiff.
10
Caffe Todos Santos
Juarez St.
Heart
6 St. Peter
Charles Stewart
Caffé Santa. Fé
3 The Sacred
Gives relief to those who are oppressed. He brings wicked people down to the ground.
Centenario St.
Canonized less than one year after his death is the patron saint of doctors.
9 The Lord of the Afflicted
Born in Lima, Peru, in 1579. He was canonized on May 6, 1962 and is the Patron Saint of Barbers.
Police
2 St. Anthony
5 St. Martin de Porres
Plaza
Born in Assisi, Italy, in 1182. Embraced poverty and lived a life evangelical preaching and is considered the patron saint of travelers
Legaspi St.
1 St. Francis
Casa Cultural
DISCOVER THE SAINTS IN TODOS SANTOS
THE EFFECTS OF COLOR ON A PERSON
Colors are vibrations just like humans are vibrations. Basic physics proves that one vibration can change another vibration. Everyone and everything has a different basic vibration and rhythm. This is the reason certain colors are more comfortable than others. RED: Stimulates, energizes, motivates. Builds stamina and strength. Passion. Power. Moves stagnant energies. ORANGE: Joy, happiness, anti-depressant. Stimulates enthusiasm. YELLOW: Wisdom, mental stimulant, and aids memory. Color of gold represents wealth. GREEN: Harmony, balance, calming, cooling, healing, relaxing, expansion and
SPRING | 2010
BLUE: Sedative, relaxes the mind. Intuition. Expression of faith. INDIGO: Concentration, gives energy VIOLET: Meditation, intuition, purifier, euphoric, and spirituality. WHITE: Neutral color, purity, cleanliness. BLACK: Concentration.
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DESTINO LOS CABOS | 31
Frida and the Mayan Calendar: Foretell Rebirth, not Destruction
and foresee another polar shift and/or super sun activity to come on one of the two dates stated above. The Mayans calendar is based on 13 and 20 and multiples there of. As we get closer to the “end of times” they say we will experience a sensation of time speeding up because the vibration level of the earth is changing from a gross material world to the lightness and purity of a more spiritual oriented world. Frida is surrounded by 13 triangles (pyramids) on each side. Pleiades constellation is in the sky and the Mayan symbol for Venus is beside the inscription. When Pleiades and Venus rise almost together this will symbolize that a new “time” has begun. Mayan Calendar’s purpose was to give the world a time frame about the cycles so that we could not only foresee the future, but more importantly use our allotted time wisely to better ourselves and our societies. According to the Mayan calendar we have but a little time to transform ourselves. Our egos must transcend to pave the way for love to manifest for all living things.
By Nanette E. Hayles
Frida
is pictured here surrounded by nature, our friend. I choose Frida because she represents to me, a person who tried to know herself and express herself according to who she was. She made efforts to overcome her own pain and ego; to emerge in life maybe tired, but in triumph, with love in her heart. All around Frida are symbols of some of the warnings the Mayans tried to give the world. The Mayans some how figured out that the cosmos is cyclic; some cycles are long and some short. The Mayans are most noted for the end of times dates, some experts disagree on the dates but the dates are approximately within a year of each other (December 21, 2012, and October 28, 2011). “End of times” as some refer to these above dates are not supposed to be interpreted as the end of time, but the end of the material age where time is of the essence in completing things, making datelines, running a business, essentially coordinating life with others. In the world more alligned with a spiritual purpose, time ceases to exist because we have learned how to “be”. The Mayans were also accurate in recording earthly cycles as well as universal cycles on their long count calendars. They have accurately dated the last four polar shifts and the Big Bang. Many interpret
NANETTE HAYLES
Originals, Fine Prints, Icon Ican banners, Individual banners, Epson prints, posters and more. New location: La Cañada del Diablo the beautiful sky lite warehouse en Todos Santos, La Paz entrance of town.
www.nehayles.com nehayles@gmail.com
GREEN LIVING
PAPER HOMES? By Randy Echter Editor NOTE: Throughout Baja Sur there are creative people looking for ways to survive in our high desert land with constant sun and little rain. This State in Mexico is considered somewhat poor, and at an early stage of infrastructure development. There is little tax money for the municipal governments to use for providing utilities and services, so maybe now is the time for some creative thinking. Randy Echter is typical of the independent spirit of the foreigner migrating to Baja Sur to make a life. Following a path outside the “normal”, he and his family work their Rancho Los Quijotes in San Juan de los Planes, north of La Paz, and daily look for way to stretch their resources in a green and land balanced way. Randy will share his discoveries with Destino Los Cabos throughout the year, and offers workshops at his ranch to actually train more people on his green techniques.
When seeking a way to build in a more “green” way I worked
with recycled paper to create something called “papercrete” . This involves mixing various forms of newspaper and magazines with concrete creating a remarkably easy to work with, lightweight material. Whole houses have been made from paper blocks. Here at the ranch, we have poured 2 roofs, 5” thick using the papercrete material. We laid the material on heavy steel mesh in several layers. The papercrete needs to 32 | DESTINO LOS CABOS
El Canada del Diablo Nanette Hayles, Linda Hamilton & Barbara Perkins Combining all their talents under one roof. Its a wonder to see. Randy on the left, with his family in San Juan de Los Planos
have a seal so water doesn’t enter. We coat the outside surface with either a thick paste of cement and water or what they call “impermabilizante” here, which is an elastomeric paint that seals the pores. The cement way is better for fire prevention and water concerns as well. I buy paper from the Sudcaliforniano newspaper in La Paz in nicely prepared bundles of 15-50 lbs. at a peso per kilo. It is easy to handle and store. The Destino magazine should work well but would be a bit slower to break down than the Sudcal. type, being higher quality paper and tougher to digest. I haven’t had the heart to mix the Destino, it’s too nice to treat that way!! Paper offers insulation and a flexible form of strength, not completely unlike the white foam we see being sold for use in roofs here in Baja California. The cost savings of using recycled paper will vary based on the amount of cement desired for the mixture. It seems there is no recipe, and is up to the “chef” to create the consistency needed. There is significant information on the internet about papercrete, and could provide a good use for recycled paper providing low cost building material for simple homes. www.destinomagazines.com
SPRING | 2010
Happenings
Planting Seeds with the Beca Program
in Todos Santos 2010 spring By Nanette Hayles
When
Karla Crystal Canedo Castillo graduates from college in July, she’ll make history — and realize an improbable dream. “I’ve learned that nothing is impossible,” says Karla, who will receive a bachelor’s degree in Education from Benemerito Escuela Normal Urbana in La Paz. For Karla, the diploma represents the culmination of four years of hard work, lessons learned and opportunities seized — all made possible by The Palapa Society of Todos Santos, A.C., a multicultural, nonprofit Mexican Civil Association, founded in 2003, dedicated to the development and administration of scholarship, education, medical and environmental programs for the benefit of local children and their families. Five years ago, The Palapa Society’s founders went to CECYT, the local high school in Todos Santos, in search of deserving students who would benefit from a beca (the Spanish word for scholarship) — students who otherwise couldn’t continue their educations due to their families’ economic hardships. The group chose 10 becarios (scholarship holders) — including Karla — and the Beca Program was born. Today, the program supports 30 high school students and 11 university students, and has a waiting list of youths anticipating more donations. As the first Beca Program scholar to earn a college degree, Karla is about to become one of The Palapa Society’s most prominent success stories. Not that it has been an easy path. “I have to work hard,” she says. “There is time to play and time to study. It’s a balance”. After graduation, Karla, 21, plans on continuing her studies by pursuing a master’s degree. She wants to become a kindergarten teacher and also study music, photography and other languages. Karla said that having the Beca Program support has motivated her to set and obtain her goals, and helped her continue to dream of what she might accomplish in the future. She’s grateful to those who have made it all possible — not just for her, but for her fellow becarios. “I want to thank them (Beca Program donors) for this opportunity,” she said. “Because of their support, they helped us (the becarios) reach our dreams and have broadened our horizons. This has changed our lives. No matter what, you have to have money to study, but as students we want to help our parents, too, and we think about dropping out of school because of economic hardship. It is a struggle, but when we have a beca, it is a relief and it motivates us to continue working hard on our education.” Karla’s mother, Senora Evangelina SPRING | 2010
ANNUAL FESTIVALS: Heriberto Parra and the Art Festival committee presented the 14th Art Festival of Todos Santos the first week of February. Then the first week of March Sylvia and Leonardo Perel and their committee organized a fabulous 7th Film Festival and Youth in Film program Both festivals are the same time next year….
Karla Castillo,, the first college graduate in the Palapa Society’s Beca Program.
Castillo spoke softly: “The only real inheritance that we can give our children is an education. It would have been impossible without the beca. “Even before Karla received the beca, her father had told her that an education was the most important thing to have. We did not know how we would do it, but we knew we would have to sacrifice. Even with the support of the beca, we still have to sell hot dogs to help Karla out.” Erick Ochoa, the President of The Palapa Society, said, “I see a lot of potential in these students. They are really bright kids but they have no opportunities. I see in them tomorrow’s great leaders, doctors, teachers. They have the desire to be someone, to help someone, but they are going through such hard times. An education in Mexico means everything.” Tuition for one semester at the high school level is approximately $65 usd, an impossibility for many economically challenged Mexican families. Without a beca, the majority of these students would drop out of school. The Beca Program is totally financed by donations made to The Palapa Society, and administered entirely by volunteers; therefore 100 percent of the donated money goes directly to the students. To donate to the Beca Program visit the website of The Palapa Society at www.palapasociety.org, e-mail info@ palapasociety.org or call 612-145-0299 or 612-140-3990. Said Ochoa: “Once you give someone an opportunity, a chance, you never know. It’s like planting a little seed. It might change your town, your country, or the world.”
may 1 • get famous
call destino with ad (624) 142 4949 destinoloscabos@gmail.com
the hotelito www.hotelitotodossantos.com B & B A/C Wi Fi Ph. (612) 145 0099 15 meter saltwater swimming pool. walk to the beach and the town of Todos Santos.
RANCHO PESCADERO Now open. Snacks, drinks or a great meal in an elegant, off the beaten path, Morrocan/ Mexican style atmosphere. With 12 beautifully appointed beachfront rooms style like this sets the bar For This Remote Beach area. IGNACIO ROBERTO MARQUEZ OROSCO is in Mexico City right now being scouted by five major Mexican professional soccer teams. The teams that are looking at our fine athlete from Todos Santos are: Toluca, America, Pumas, Chivas and Cruz Azul. We will let you know which team. ANNUAL EVENTS: When visiting Todos Santos keep in mind some of the town’s established events: 5K walk/ run (early January), Arts Festival (early February), Film Festival (early March), Art/ Studio Walk (mid March), Strawberry Chili Festival in late March in Pescadero, Mango Festival (July) and the town’s Traditional celebration (early October). Other great times to visit places in Mexico are the Day of Independence 16 of September and 30 of October, Day of the Dead. NEW LUXURY HOTEL: Welcome Guaycura Boutique Hotel and Spa located in the heart of Todos Santos colonial district. The hotel features exclusive suites, fine Mexican and European dining, sky bar and pool, spa and assorted activities. LA CAñADA DEL DIABLO Owner Barbara Perkins welcomes artist Nanette E. Hayles to the warehouse family. She will be displaying some of her latest works www.nehayles.com The elegant warehouse is also home to Linda Hamilton’s fine furniture and home accessories. Linda’s sense of design brings only the best furnishings from all over the world. Linda@lindahamiltondesigns.com Barbara Perkins has her own furniture business featuring furnishings from Puebla Mexico. www.lacanadadeldiablo.com. Pedro Solis has the best blocks in town many say, located in back and to the side of the building is his company. He has the equipment to help make building a little easier. 61212 71734. Gabriela Prujillo Coronado specializes in insurance auto, theft and home. Civil Engineer Alejandro Flores 612 1402360 can do everything, literally, when it comes to your building needs: building permits, architectural plans and building contracting services. STILL FOOD! Last but not least, every Thursday evening is steak night; every
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Saturday 9am to 1pm is farmers market day located on the spacious grounds of La Cañada del Diablo located on the La Paz entrance side of Todos Santos. WOOD CABINET MAKER New wood/cabinet makers are in Todos Santos. Welcome the Mejîa family originally located in Tijuana but are now full time residents and builders of fine wood cabinets, floors, furniture, doors and windows, (sliding and traditional). You name it and they can build it. They have a fully equipped shop with state of the art machinery. They worked for many years in Los Cabos manufacturing furniture and one of kind doors and accessories for some of the finest hotels in the area. Now on their own they are happy to build, help design or copy some of your favorites. Israel and his father, Jose Antonio and staff await your call 612 105-2481. HOTEL CALIFORNIA has new baseball caps and Tshirts in more colors. Rosy Ramirez has new clothing, which includes her own designer line of clothing featured in the boutique Emporio. Restaurant La Coronela has more delicious dishes added to their menu. Head Chef Danny has also included some great take home items. These stores offer discounts to locals (any resident of Baja California Sur). RENOVATION: Pueblo Magico project continues with the restoration of the town’s theater, Manuel Marquez De Leon, named after one of Mexico’s historical generals. The plaza and the surrounding area are also being renovated under the Secretary of Tourism Pueblo Magico (Magical Town) program. Patience rules
DESTINO LOS CABOS | 33
EARTHSHIP ...
Todos Santos
by Nanette Hayles Earthships, ever heard of them? Neither had we until one recently arrived in Todos Santos. You’ve heard of trash though… old used tires, aluminum cans, old wine and tequila bottles? Well have you ever thought of building a house with these trash items? Michael Reynolds of Taos New Mexico has such a vision, that not only includes a house built with recycled materials (trash), but he has designed a home that can be totally self sustainable! What are some of the tricks for living off the grid? To start, part of the earth is Michael Reynolds, center with hat and Patricio Sorrentino Amblosi, in blue shirt, with volmoved to create a dirt wall. Then erecting unteer workers. Below, room with tire walls and bottle and can wall, entrance and exterior. the important walls full of used stacked tires mixed in with adobe uses hundreds of tires and makes the house earthquake proof. All the rooms are built in front of this earth/tire wall with aluminum tubes placed deep in the earth which cools the air for the interior rooms. Neatly stacked aluminum cans are held together with cement and divide the rooms. In front of the rooms there is one long hallway with space for growing plants and food. The other side of the hallway is a long wall of paneled windows. Some of the windows are stationary and some open and close. These windows can be opened to let the rising hot air out. The vents that are placed in each room help push out the air. Of course, the energy from the sun gathered by solar panels is used to run whatever appliances are needed. The water supply, its collected rainwater. The roof is laminated channeled steel and or plastic with a gutter at the low end of the slanted roof. to funnel water into underground cisterns. It appears that Earthships fit into our new emerging paradigm pointing to another way to build and live. Many countries and devastated areas like Haiti could recycle their crumbled cities to make stable, cheap housing. Consider the following benefits: lessening the burden on land fills, recycling, utilization of rain water, 4 tank sewage treatment system and water recycle use, growing your own food, cooling and heating controlled by a few strategically placed windows, a structure that ”floats”so less structural damage and threat to life during earthquakes. Architect Patricio Sorrentino Amblosi from Mexico City was inspired by Michael Reynold’s Earthship concept when he saw the Earthship program on the Discovery Channel. Patricio contacted Michael and they began to make plans and coordinate to make Mexico’s first Earthship on Patricio’s family property in Todos Santos. The Todos Santos Earthship took approximately 20 days to make. The crew was made of volunteers from all over the world. They wanted to learn first hand 34 | DESTINO LOS CABOS
and experience the making of an actual Earthship. The Earthship was almost completed when we asked Patricio about his next step; “I plan on inviting the local authorities from the municipals of La Paz and Los Cabos to view the project. I hope that they will consider these structures as an alternative way to provide housing.” There is a growing need for housing as the homeless population rises in our world. Patricio also plans to go to Haiti soon to build and instruct others in building their own Earthships. There isn’t a lack of trash in the world, but there is a lack of innovation and imagination in using what we already have to create something of use. Visionary Michael Reynold’s Earthships are providing such an answer that covers a lot of interconnected and overlapping areas when considering housing, the economy and overall social and health conditions world wide. It takes other visionaries like Patricio and his family who care to go the distance to connect with the world and make a difference to help others. Our interconnectedness is becoming more obvious. The effects of these visionaries, if given a chance, trickles down and help us all and our planet. Google: earthship.org and click on the You-tube interview with Michael Reynolds as they build the earthship in Todos Santos, Baja California Sur, Mexico and see for yourself the future of housing.
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SPRING | 2010
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