Ensenada - La Bufadora (Short Video)

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While we still had the car until 11 a.m. the next day, we decided to drive out to La Bufadora.  We're not mappy guys so we just hop in and off we go asking along the way or following signs.  I assumed that since it was a blowhole in the shoreline cliffs we would be driving along the coast  Well, not so.  I was an inland route and it is the only one.  Bufadora gets its name from the Spanish verb "bufar", to blow extremely hard as some animals do.  There are only three in the world. 

We started out early as it was at least an hour drive.  Nice drive, quiet, early morning and some traffic.  Ensenada is not a large city.  Ensenada is also the county of Ensenada.  Baja California is the state and Mexicali is the capital.  Two states on the peninsula; Baja California and Baja California Sur. 

It was very foggy and the road was twisty and curvy.  We took it slowly towards the end as it was like pea soup.  

This is a must-see although I wouldn't spend all day here.  When we arrived we beat even the merchants that sell their souvenirs along the entrance to the Bufadora.  Parking was 50 pesos and there isn't any other place to park.  There is an rv park before arriving at the entrance, nothing fancy at all, in fact, rundown, but the view is spectacular from any of the sites. 

I assume this fella was hoping for some crumbs of some kind.  He didn't have to wait long.  Cars started streaming in from both the merchants and tourists.  It was just after 9 a.m.  We couldn't offer anything as we only brought a banana and some yogurt for breakfast. 

So much stuff, I guess they sell a lot.  Not my kind of business.  I watched these stalls open up as we walked to the water.  These people work so hard for such little money.  It's just not worth it.  One of the issues with Mexico is that people just don't want to go to school and the chain of poverty, so to speak, just continues.  They could all do so much better and also help bring Mexico into the 21st century.  Our current president has given short-term scholarships to 900,000 teenagers who don't study or work.  He wants small business to hire them and teach them how to do things like make bread, fix a refrigerator, minor electrical repairs, and other bull shit jobs.  We need people with higher education that can help Mexico compete with the Chinese, but I digress.

I love the coast of Baja and we are hoping to do a winter trip here in the near future.  I fell in love with Baja when I traveled in 1976 with my brother who was working on his PhD at the time.  We shared an apartment at the beach in Encinitas and I helped him in his office until he went to work at UC San Luis Obispo and I went to work in Sequoia Natl Park. That was a magical trip and that's when I fell in love with Mexico.  A beat-up 62 VW bug with the fenders tied on with clothes hangers. No pictures, but it's all in my head, even to this day.

Here is the bufadora in all its splendor.  It is constant and blows as high as 30 meters.

A short but enjoyable video that Juan shot of La Bufadora.

Your typical tourist with backpack and sunglasses. 

And who's this good-looking guy always with a smile on his face.  

With only three of these natural wonders in the world, you would think this place would appear similar to the wine museum I posted the other day.  Instead, because it is run by the Mexican federal government, the place is a dump.  This is why I believe in neoliberalism.  A concession could sold to a company, individual, or even world heritage site established, and we could all make money, provide jobs and maintain part of Mother Nature.