Christmas Week in Loreto

As much as Millie and I loved Playa Santispac, the lack of phone or internet signal would be just too big a barrier for the upcoming Christmas holiday.  I looked forward to video chatting or calling my family, and wanted to be somewhere with good connectivity.

Loreto was happy to oblige! 

So, I packed and headed back down Baja Highway 1 to return to Loreto’s Rivera del Mar RV park for a week.

 

We took Hans & Ursula’s old spot in the center of the park and had a nice little garden and palm tree right outside our door.

Then I got busy hanging our Christmas stockings…and getting Millie decked out in her jingle bell collar for her annual Christmas portrait.  It sure didn’t come close to last year’s amazing photo on the beach in Mazatlan, but at least we still had sun and warmth!
 

Christmas morning dawned with an amazing sunrise over the palm trees.

But, the day itself was rather disappointing.  Instead of the friendly, social truck camper RVers we’d encountered here a week earlier, the RVers this week seemed to just be overnighting on their way to somewhere else and not too interested in chatting with neighbors or sharing much holiday spirit.

To make matters even worse, the internet connection was overloaded most of Christmas day making even audio calls to the US short and frustrating.  Video chats this Christmas would now be impossible.

Millie and I made the most of the rest of our week, though.  Getting lots of chores tackled, catching up on blog posts, and taking a few outings to the wonderful, empty Juncalito Beach south of town (part of the Loreto Bay National Marine Park).

The entrance to this beach is down a bumpy dirt road and long gravel arroyo.  Free camping is available here for those who have high-clearance vehicles.  The cove is ringed by tall mountains and palm trees, and waters are clear and refreshing.   A great place to take long beach walks and let the pooch go for a swim!

As Millie and I were walking around town a few days after Christmas, I discovered that the taco place was finally open again.  El Rey del Taco (“The Taco King”) is claimed to be one of the best taco places anywhere, but it had been closed every day Hans, Ursula and I had tried to go previously, and closed again over Christmas.

In my quest for the best fish taco in all of Baja, Millie and I quickly joined the line at the carry-out window in hopes of finally getting a few of these rare eats. 

Some folks in line would finally give up and walk away after waiting over 10 or 15 minutes, but Millie and I continued to wait patiently.

And wait, and wait….

Finally, after 30 minutes, it was our turn to order!  Tres tacos del pescado, maize, por favor!   As I waited for my order to be cooked and packed up, the door to the restaurant closed.  The food for the day was now nearly sold out, and it wasn’t even 1:00pm yet!  Yes, this place is that popular.

 

Cost per taco = 27 pesos (US $1.85).  Taste?  Muy Delicioso!  The best fish tacos I had yet to eat in Baja.

A few more bike rides down the malicon, and walks around the square, and our week in Loreto had soon come to an end.

It was now time to continue further south to La Paz to meet back up with our friends Hans and Ursula for New Year’s Eve!