Our new home in Todos Santos is about a 10 or 15-minute walk to the edge of the Pacific Ocean. But those waves hit that shore like a series of earthquakes and can be heard as a distant steady thrum from our patio.
But other than that steady roar, there is only the birds, the butterflies – so many butterflies! – and the occasional bark of a dog.
It is quiet here. Dusty dry and oh-so-quiet. Rabbits silently hop through the cactus. Tiny hummingbirds dive at the flowers. The night sky is crazy. Blazing white stars through pierced velvet. Often there is the smoky incense smell of burning mesquite mingling with the salty air.
I feel like we have landed in a desert nature preserve, but we have only moved into our lovely new casita at Calycanto.
Luckily, there is a blender here so that the sacred art of the margarita ritual can continue.
There is also a hammock that swings gently in the breeze on the top deck, an outdoor shower and a sofa with a chaise lounge area that has already seen some serious siestas.
It is a crazy dusty drive into Todos Santos, but one we gladly do each day.
How else would we get to see all those tourists lined up to take their photos in front of the Hotel California?
Or have some of the best fish tacos on the planet?
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Hola, Colleen,
My wife, Gail, and I are happy residents of Todos Santos four or five months a year since 2006. We have a casita in the Las Brisas barrio. We love the time we spend in this wonderful community. There are surprises around every corner and I am having fun drawing and writing about places and people there. Right across the street from the pecaderia you can dine at Alma and Many’s where you will find the best tamales in all of Christendom and a lot of other delightful dishes at bargain prices. We hope to meet you at some point. Somehow my blog entries (mongrel4ublog.wordpress.com) occasionally get linked to yours. I am not sure how that works but it’s Okay with me if it means more people get to see and/or enjoy my work. If you want to see my cartoon and prose observations on this lovely part of the planet please check out my blog. Todos Santos material will be located between November and March most years. The rest of the time we reside in Monte Rio on the Russian River, CA Enjoy your time in the Pueblo Magico!
Love it! That would be great. Last time we went in there Frank was sporting a new–and very pregnant–wife, about 20 yrs. old. I’m sure there’s a tawdry story to be told, or made up, about that situation. Some other chapter, maybe!
Oh Mandy, the story just gets better eh? I think that might describe a few situations here in Mexico 🙂 We went by yesterday but it was closed. We’ll give it a whirl soon and report back!
So, when we were in Todos Santos with Sharry and Thane Miller, there was a little hamburger/cantina joint there called Shut Up Frank’s. It was owned by an American ex-pat. He claimed that, after having gone to Mexico one too many times without the Missus, he came home and told her he’d bought a bar in Todos Santos. Since she had put up with his baloney for many years, she just replied “Oh, shut up Frank!” Of such are legends–and legendary hamburgers–made. Look around for it will you, and if you find it, let me know.
Hey Mandy. Shut-Up Frank is still on the corner. We haven’t eaten there yet, but there are a few pick-up trucks around town that are sporting the Shut Up Frank stickers 🙂 I’ll take a photo for you 🙂
I’m glad to hear you’re maintaining the sacred art of the margarita ritual. Puerto Escondido misses you but it sounds as though Todos Santos has welcomed you warmly!
Michele, it’s been a struggle to adapt to the new dry desert heat but this is another reason why rituals and tradition are so important in one’s life.
We miss Puerto too, especially the fabuloso musica that we stumbled into on so many evenings…but at least we can find solace with a lovely salt-rimmed glass.