Monthly Archives: April 2012

The Season Of The Festival In Todos Santos, Baja

Posted on April 30, 2012 by howardekman| 1 Comment

Really! I can’t even remember how many “festivals” we have had this tourist season. Let me try: Fiestas Tradicionales (Pilar Festival, long standing, yearly town festival), Shark Festival, Horse Festival, Music Festival, Art Festival, Film Festival, Mango Festival, Strawberry/Chili Festival, Reggae Festival – just to name a few off the top of my head. Next season I will lobby for the Turtle Festival, Whale Festival, Canadian Tourist Festival and Spring Fog Festival.

And now, May 20th, the first GastroVino festival in the main Plaza, featuring wine and food and music, the brainchild of La Bodega wine store. Proceeds benefit the Internado, weekday accommodations for ranch kids attending school in Todos Santos.

todos santos baja mexico food wine festival 2012

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Posted in todos santos, todos santos baja

Construction Update – Highway 19 To Los Cabos, Baja

Posted on April 27, 2012 by howardekman| 2 Comments

I made a run to Cabo on Wednesday, my first trip in nearly 7 weeks and I am happy to report that great progress (90% completed) has been made on the road construction. They are still in the early phases of a new bridge just south of Todos Santos, but the detour is asphalted, short and in good shape. The highway is 4 lanes all the way to Rancho Nuevo and the bridge there is completed but only 2 lanes were open when I drove by.

The first hassles show up in Elias Calles and it’s not that bad, a couple of dirt detours and some two lane sections but mostly asphalted and ready to go. Next problem spots are north and south of Migriño. The detours are very short and understandable – they are still carving their way through a small mountain to finish with a straighter road. The new Pastor bridge appears completed but traffic is still not allowed on it so there is a detour to the old bridge. It shouldn’t be long before the new bridge is in full operation. It looked ready to me from a distance. The section replacing the enormous vado at KM 93 is finished and a pleasure to drive. [ read more ... ]

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Posted in baja sur, los cabos, todos santos

Los Cabos US Consul Saga Continues

Posted on April 24, 2012 by howardekman| Leave a comment

This just arrived in this morning’s email:

The U.S. Consular Agency in Los Cabos is pleased to announce that we will be
open to the public by appointment from 8:00 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. on May 2 and 3
and from 8:00 a.m. to 11:00 am on May 4, to process applications for U.S.
passports and consular reports of birth abroad, and to provide notarial
services. A consular officer from the U.S. Consulate General in Tijuana will
be present to provide these services. If you would like to make an
appointment, please call 624-143-3566. The U.S. Consular Agency continues to
provide daily assistance to U.S. citizens who require emergency services. 

The Consular Agency is currently unable to provide routine passport and
notarial services outside of these dates, but will announce future
opportunities as they arise. In the interim, please call 624-143-3566 with
questions or to add your name to the waiting list.

The Consular Agency is located at:

Tiendas de Palmilla, Carretera Transpeninsular Km 27.5 
Local B221, San José del Cabo, Baja California Sur, C.P. 23406

Contact information:

Telephone: (624) 143-3566
Fax: (624) 143-6750 

Email: USConsulCabo@yahoo.com

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Posted in baja sur, la paz, los cabos, todos santos

Illegal Mexican Immigration To US Reverses Course

Posted on April 23, 2012 by howardekman| Leave a comment

In a surprising turnaround, illegal Mexican immigrants are leaving the US and (supposedly) returning home to México. Makes sense really, with the economic hardship up north, there are fewer and fewer jobs for those who risk their lives to cross the border in order to work and send dollars back home.

In 2007, some 7 million illegal Mexican immigrants were in the US. (Wonder where that number comes from? If authorities can count them, can’t they deport them? Not that I personally believe that is the proper thing to do.) In 2011, the number slid to 6.1 million.

You can read the entire story at the NY Times:

Méxican Immigration To The US Slows

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Posted in mexico news, todos santos, todos santos baja

The Sidewalks Of La Paz, Baja Sur, México

Posted on April 22, 2012 by howardekman| 1 Comment

Anyone who has ever spent time in La Paz, Baja, knows the perils of walking around. Crossing a street is an adventure as drivers play a deadly game of chicken while running the stop signs at most intersections. Traveling the sidewalks (if you are lucky enough to not be on dirt) is a circus adventure – potholes, canyons and steps that are nowhere near uniform in height or depth. You’re not in Kansas anymore!

Spud Hilton, SF Chronicle’s travel editor, shares his humorous perspective on the sidewalks of La Paz, Baja.

Watch Where You Walk

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Posted in la paz