NOTES FROM THE ROAD
BAHIA KINO, SONORA, MEXICO
We arrived in Kino Bay, our second visit here, on a balsamic moon, just before a solar eclipse. Balsamic moons tend to be quiet times. I think there is no quieter place on the planet than this small little fishing village on the Sea of Cortez, which was just what we were looking for. It was early evening, the Sun had just set with the new Venus Star in Capricorn. Though we wouldn’t be able to see Venus in the evening sky for some weeks now, we knew it was there, marking a significant passage from morning star to evening star. Then Jose says: “there’s a very bright planet just getting ready to set, within an hour or two. What’s that?” I excitedly replied, “if it’s bright and it’s not Venus, it’s got to be Jupiter.” Sure enough, it was. So, even though we would not get to enjoy the dazzling brilliance of Venus on our trip, Jupiter would be there in her place.
Kino Sunset
We have an unobstructed view of sky and sea. The little island straight across the water from where we are camped (called Alcatraz) is where the pelicans and many other species of birds and fish that inhabit this place hang out, and Jupiter is setting just above and behind it.
From our vantage point, just south of Alcatraz island, the bright orange ball of winter sun is setting, now fully visible just to the north of the island. Had we been here a week or two ago, or at solstice, the sunset would not have been visible, still remaining at its most southerly point. Daily now, we are able to see the sun creep north, bit by bit, and are simply amazed to see just how fast it is making its way back north toward Tiburon Island, the larger of the two islands facing Kino Bay.
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Wednesday morning I spent whiling away the hours observing the flight pattern of pelicans and the throat and neck motions of egrets passing by. Everything moves so slow here – time is not an issue. And that’s how it is on this little slice of heaven on the Sea of Cortez, facing Alcatraz Island.
There is nothing but silence here all day, truly one of the quietest places I’ve ever been.
Kino Pelicans
Although twice a day there is a whirlwind of activity with Chevy pick-up trucks loading and unloading the fishing boats into the bay. A risky enterprise with the kind of trucks they have. No fancy 4-wheel drives, these trucks are old and weathered and their tires spin out and burn tons of rubber, making it up the steep, rocky pier that is just adjacent to our campsite here at Islandia Marine Park. To the south of us is the town’s fishing pier. The boats come in, clean the loads of fish, and deliver them to the local fish market, just behind us a block or two. The wives and children all come down to the pier and watch the fishing boats come back in each night. It’s a small, simple and traditional life, something these men have been doing since they first arrived. It is not what you would call a gigantic industry, but it is the town’s main livelihood.
Shells from the beach in Kino
That, and tourism. But in the last two years, the turistas have stayed away, partly due to the economy and partly due to the drug cartels in Mexico. Robberies have become more of an issue in recent times, but the locals take these thefts very seriously. Today, the local gendarmes arrived to scope out the place. The kids who steal risk a lot to rip someone off. They get two to three years imprisonment for robbery, with no chance of early parole. The locals are hurt when tourists are robbed, so they show no lenience.
There are two Kinos – Kino Viejo and Kino Nuevo. Viejo is where we’re staying – the old Kino where the locals live and work. The new Kino, a couple of miles north of here is where most of the gringos hang out in their million dollar RVs or homes they’ve built along the waterfront. That part of town rocks all winter long. But like every city which has a twin, there is the kind of rivalry between the two that helps reinforce for people why they’ve chosen the one they’re part of. Here in Old Kino, it’s more authentic and much more laid-back. This is true. I haven’t been this laid back in a long time. In the new Kino, things are brighter and shinier, and more expensive and trendy. We are camped between two fairly long-time frequenters of Kino, and they are filling us in on all the local gossip. You get to know the locals pretty well at this end of town.
Birds on the beach in Kino
Tiburon Island, just across from Kino Bay, is the largest island in Mexico. The Seri Indians, the original inhabitants of Kino, have been given stewardship of the island.
Most of the days we were here the weather was perfect – sunny, warm, windless, in the 70 degree range. Not bad for January. But for two days, when a storm dumped tons of rain on California and rain and snow in Arizona, we got hit with 50 mph winds (which felt more like 100 mph) but if you can trust the internet weather, it said 50mph. It felt like we were actually in a hurricane. Our camper was rocking all day and night.
Just after the new moon solar eclipse, the crescent moon and Jupiter were in such close proximity in the evening sky, hanging out and setting just over Alcatraz. What a sight. Of course, Orion and the Pleiades were straight overhead each night as well. It makes you really appreciate having a clear and unobstructed view of the sky, watching this night action. I’d trade this in for city lights any time.
Signing off in Kino Bay – January 25, 2010 – Arielle & Jose
Kino Sunset