Baja Day 29: Agua Verde to The Desert

This beach that we arrived at yesterday was a destination I’ve been eagerly awaiting. Friends and acquaintances and You Tubers have raved about it. What we learned today was, this place that was once a hidden gem, has indeed been discovered. And it felt as though the locals weren’t thrilled about it. 

There are many factors that make for an awesome campsite and at the top of that list is “do we feel safe?”.  There wasn’t one single thing that happened here that would cause us to leave but a few things stacked up in a short period of time and they each chipped away at our feeling of safety. 

The warm, friendly, welcoming people of Mexico play a large part in a trip like this being so enjoyable. Not feeling safe or welcome changes the dynamic of a place entirely. Of the dozens of places we’ve camped around Baja this year and last, this was a first. We figured why stay here and be on edge when there are so many other places to be. So we packed up and made our way back up the narrow, winding mountain road passing several other campers headed for the beach. With each camper we passed we felt even better about our decision to leave as there was barely enough room to accommodate everyone. 

I think it’s possible that the social media exposure of places like this combined with Starlink and people’s ability to get internet anywhere is causing a strain, and drain of resources, on small fishing villages such as this. I could be wrong on that, but it’s the impression I get. After today I hope to be more aware of our impact. It is a profound privilege to be here and to travel in this way but I want to be certain we go about it with consideration and respect for the Mexican people.