playa El Tecolote

As I reached the city of La Paz, I knew it wasn’t going to be my final destination. The town was nice enough, but with the hustle and bustle of the work day happening, I wanted to find a more blissful and solitary location.

So I found the coastal highway, and followed it out of town. Everything disappeared as I went over the mountains, and the road was winding around cactus landscapes and run down seaside bars and surf shops.

I kept driving until it was only me on the highway. In the desert, I see a man riding a bike with a dog running alongside. I make out the shapes of a building or two in the distance.

As I pull up closer and park the car in the empty lot, it seems like another run down and abandoned seaside shanty. Slowly though, a few people emerge to check out the new arrival. I’ve found the hidden gem of El Tecolote.

A place where white beaches meet up against the Baja mountains. Isolation is the name of the game here in this paradise. RV campers are hidden in the sand dunes, their patrons in beach chairs with a book and a beer. As I walk past I get a hand raised in acknowledgement, then they go back to being lost in literature.

A young boy has drawn an incredibly detailed piece of art into the sand. He calls for his Mother to come out from the local bar they own to see his masterpiece before the incoming tide washes it away. She smiles at his work with the appreciation only a parent has, then goes back inside.

I carry on down the beach, making it as far as one can go. I observe a lone vulture overhead, scouring for a meal.

The crashing of the waves lulls me to sleep and dream the peaceful thoughts that come with worry free days.