June 2025

This trip is the impetus for creating this website. It was a spiritual reset. For reasons that currently elude me, it made me realize that I cannot continue to live in the space my consciousness currently occupies--in a vacuum of drudging monotony, in a space devoid of color and energy, the depth of simple daily despair that plagues all I know. I need something colorful. I need to create.

What was it about this trip to Mexico that made me realize I have to create, and not just create, but to put it somewhere? I am not sure. Hopefully, by unpacking and waxing-poetic about this trip it will help me understand, or perhaps an imagined, unlikely reader might understand better than I can (understanding nonetheless).

The Flight

There is always an anxious energy to flying. It is not out of fear as, since I am someone who commutes over 4o miles a day by car in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, I understand that my daily method of travel is significantly more dangerous than flying ever could be. I believe the anxiety comes from the sense that as soon as you step off the plane you have just boarded, everything will be unfamiliar. For some reason, however, this flight was different. I felt a distinct calmness throughout the boarding process. Maybe it was the fact that we got to the airport around 5:00 AM so I was still a little sleepy; maybe it was that the first album I listened to on the plane was the calming, warm bedroom-pop of Clairo’s Immunity. Whatever it was, even though I was going to be in a different country when we landed, I did not have any of that usual anxious energy.

Upon landing, I realized why Los Cabos gets such credit as a tourist hub. They have everything perfectly streamlined and efficient to get you into the country and get you on a shuttle to your resort or rental car company. Once we scanned our passports, we were ushered into the rental car area where more than a dozen workers asked every person they saw (some of them multiple times) which rental car company they were using and guided them into that company's shuttle area. We boarded our rental shuttle, rented our car (which was not the car we had reserved, of course), and were on our way to San José del Cabo to spend the day shopping and exploring.

San José del Cabo

San José del Cabo was a disappointment. From everything I learned in my research about Los Cabos, it seemed as though San José was the artsier, more sensitive brother to the loud, partying Cabo San Lucas. I’m sure this is true, but unfortunately we visited San José on Sunday when all of the art galleries are closed. At least there was good shopping right? If you like the same cheaply made, questionable-origin goods being sold in every store, then yes, San José has fantastic shopping. Oh yeah, don’t forget all of the Ozempic and Viagra that you can buy from street pharmacists at half the price as in the U.S. and without a prescription.

The first thing we did was go to La Panandería for brunch, which was fantastic. All of the food we had on this trip was fabulous and the food in San José was no different. From there, the plan was to go to Lab Coffee, but they too are closed on Sundays. Luckily, we did get to stop at Lab later during the trip, and the coffee was leagues above any other coffee I had while in Mexico.

We ended up leaving San José earlier than planned to check into our ‘lodge’ at Nest Baja in East Cape because there just was not much to do/see/buy. I am sure the art galleries would have been amazing had we been able to see them. San José was just the very beginning of our trip, though, there was plenty of time to experience the spiritual reset I alluded to earlier at Nest Baja and Rancho Cacachilas.

Nest Baja in East Cape

Down the road we went--Camino Cabo Este--East Cape Road. You hit this road and feel like you’re the only one who has been on it in months due to its rough, unmanicured nature. After traveling on it a few times, however, I realized that there are a lot of people gravitating towards this area even though it is distinctly “out of the way” from Los Cabos. It is surprising then, that the roads are not maintained a little better considering that there must be a decent amount of money coming into the area, but then I realized the type of people that gravitate to this area; these are surfers, and surfers seem to prefer the off-the-beaten-path nature of this area.

Entirely unbeknownst to me, East Cape is home to world-class surfing. I booked a stay at Nest Baja due to its seclusion, tranquility, and fantastic ocean views. Most people who stay here stay to ‘shoot the curls’ (I’m sorry, I’m not a surfer). Nonetheless, Nest Baja gave us exactly what we were after--relaxation, views of the ocean, great food and no resort-induced environmental guilt.

Nest Baja bookended our trip. We stayed here for one night, went to Rancho Cacachilas for two nights, and returned to Nest Baja before departing. Nest Baja proved to be the perfect choice for this task. Yes, it was a little bit of a trek, but the amenities and peace that were on offer fit the bill perfectly, especially on our second stay. More on that when we get back from Rancho Cacachilas.

Rancho Cacachilas (Sierra Cacachilas)

Rancho Cacachilas essentially was the trip. It was the entire reason I wanted to come to Baja California Sur, and it exceeded every expectation I could have had. Remember the ‘spiritual experience’ that I keep referring to? Rancho Cacachilas continually showed me why some people might believe in God.

We arrived a little early, so we had to wait for about 30 minutes for our guide to get there to unlock the gate and take us to our camp. From the moment she arrived, though, we were seemingly receiving this incredible, intimate exploration of the local land and community as she showed us to our palapa casita. It helped that Maria and I bonded over our love of Caetano Veloso and annoyance (hatred?) with the current U.S. immigration situation. Oh yeah, we were also the only guests staying at the ranch.

*Our Palapa Casita at Rancho Cacachilas*

Once again, something I did not know is that the best time to visit Baja California Sur is during the winter. Apparently tourism really starts drying up (no pun intended) during the heat and drought that comes with summertime. In fact, Rancho Cachilas does not accept guests during August because it is too resource intensive. We were there the first week of June, but the weather could not have been more perfect. It was by no accident that we felt like such honored guests during our stay--we were the only guests.

The first thing that gave me that spiritual experience was the food. From our arrival snack to our last lunch, everything was farm to table, creatively designed and lovingly prepared. The arrival snack was focaccia topped with chorizo, cherry tomatoes (the best tomatoes I’ve had in my life), goat cheese and a hibiscus reduction. All of this is made by hand at the ranch with ingredients from the ranch. The food only continued to get better throughout our stay. My favorite thing about the food is that the kitchen staff comes out to explain what you will be having for each meal, and it is clear that they are passionate about food and enjoy sharing it with others.

On our first night, we hung out at the pool and relaxed in preparation for the next day, which was an artisanal goat cheese making seminar. They taught us how to make the very cheese we had eaten the day before. We also got to meet the goats and got the milk we needed for the cheese by actually milking the goats! We walked around the ranch’s seed gardens and were shown how the compost system works. We even got to try some of their aged goat cheese with Mexican-made wine, ranch-made honey and plum marmalade.

On a normal schedule at Rancho Cacachilas, once you finish your daily excursion, you get back, eat lunch, and hang out around the ranch (pool, relaxation, reading, etc.) for the rest of the evening. Since we were the only people visiting the ranch (and maybe because we built a bond with Maria), she offered to take us on two more mini-excursions in the afternoon/evening.

First, Maria took us to the ranch where they keep the horses and mules (Rancho Cacachilas is actually several ranches and preserved land covering more than 60,000 acres). We learned about how past explorers, cowboys, and ranchers got around in the harsh desert ecosystem. We also got to meet all of the mules and horses (including a baby horse!), see their greenhouses and continued to learn about what it takes to live on and preserve this land, which is becoming more and more difficult due to the effects of climate change.

At sunset, we hiked to a higher elevation to get a truly unbelievable view of the ranch, the Bay of La Ventana and Isla Ceralvo at sunset.

After watching the sunset we returned to eat our dinner while looking out at this fabulous view.

The nights here gave me an appreciation for stargazing that I hadn’t had before, as even when we go camping in Texas, we are usually close enough to a city that the light pollution makes the stars dull or completely obscured. On our second night at the ranch, Maria identified the constellations and the brightest stars in the night sky. She even brought out a telescope so we could look at the moon! It was amazing to see Maria’s variety of knowledge about the flora and fauna of the area, the conservation efforts made by the ranch, the stars and constellations, etc. (We also learned that her boyfriend is a Brazilian wildlife photographer who listens to Bob Dylan. (Could these people get any cooler?)

On our last day, our excursion was a ~2.5 mile hike that usually takes around four hours but took us about two. Once again, this experience was a wealth of education about the ecology of the area and how the ranch conserves their most precious resource: water. Everything from the bucket showers at the ranch to learning about the arroyos reminded me of the importance of water and how much I take it for granted in my daily life. In the arroyos at Rancho Cacachilas they’ve built several gabions, which are large ‘cages’ filled with rocks that serve to slow the flow of water down an arroyo during flash rains/hurricanes to help replenish the soil, retain water and limit erosion. These are incredibly important for the conservation of the area. We were shown aerial pictures of the ranch that demonstrate clear delineations of Rancho Cacachilas’ boundaries because of how much more foliage and greenery have been able to grow due to these conservation efforts. Along with the hike being beautiful, it reminded me once again of the importance of conservation and renewed my energy and desire to be a strong advocate for climate reforms.

An arroyo is a dry watercourse that temporarily or seasonally fills and flows after sufficient rain. There are arroyos all over Baja California Sur, but they were all completely dry while we were there as they have not had significant rain in over two years, especially in Sierra Cacachilas.

*Pictured here is an arroyo that has retained enough water in the soil due to the gabions that it appears almost tropical!*

As we prepared to leave, I knew that this was an experience I would not-soon-forget. This spiritual rejuvenation for conservation, for life, for beauty will affect me profoundly as long as I will let it. Keeping Rancho Cacachilas in my memory, thoughts and actions is why I am writing this. Now it was time to make the 4 hour drive back to Nest Baja before it was time to leave.

Return Stay at Nest Baja (East Cape)

The only interesting thing I have to say about our return to Nest Baja was just how perfectly everything timed out. I had scheduled a massage for our return to Nest Baja, which was really nice after a somewhat difficult hike earlier in the day. We arrived at Nest Baja, received our welcome drinks, and by the time we had finished them, were brought to our room where the masseuses had nearly finished setting up for our massages. When our massages were over, we stepped out of our room directly into an incredible view of the sunset over the ocean. Breathtaking.

*Our room setup for massages after returning to Nest Baja*

Return and Conclusion

Coming back to the U.S., to the authoritarian takeover we are currently experiencing, to the division and hatred, was sad for more reasons than simply ending vacation. I am certain that Mexico has its own social and political issues. In many ways, of course, the United States has it much better than Mexico, but I would not be human if I did not see what others have and desire to improve my own situation--or the situation of my country. On the ranch, concerns are about honoring the land and preserving resources, an important and sincerely difficult struggle, but coming back to the U.S., my concerns are about whether or not I am complicit in the human rights abuses that are committed on my behalf by my government. How much of the luxuries I am able to experience, visiting other countries, getting massages, private meals, welcome drinks, etc. are because my government is bloodthirsty and remorselessly capitalist? What blame do I have as an American for the climate change that makes the places I’ve visited more difficult to live in?

There is some level of complicity to be sure, but I also know that there is little that I can do. I have tried and will continue to do what I can, within the laws of the country that I have no choice but to call home, to make it a better, more equitable place. I will remember the lessons I’ve learned on this trip. I will take them with me. I will learn more about the ecology of my own home and what it takes to conserve and preserve the land and the way of life for the most vulnerable people. This trip opened my eyes; now it is my job to keep them open.

Albums of the Trip

Clairo - Immunity

The Beatles - Rubber Soul

The 1975 - Being Funny in a Foreign Language

Book of the Trip

Michel de Certeau - The Practice of Everyday Life

Baja California Sur, México