Santa Rosalia: February 10th - 17th, 2024

We had heard that Santa Rosalia was a charming town but we still were surprised at just how charming & lovely it was! The marina does need some updating & I think that they are working on that. However, the nice thing was that the marina was close to town. So we could walk everywhere!

It was lucky that we got a slip. There aren’t many. Probably about 20 at the most. And it looked like some boats were permanently there. -Therefore, the availability is slim.

Once we got there, we took lukewarm showers. -In very dark restrooms. The navy is stationed there. So I guess things are made to be utilitarian? Not sure. But everything was clean & that is always nice.

In the evening, we decided to go out to check on the town. It’s pretty charming. Very different from other towns in Baja. There aren’t many gringos there. -Except for us! Although, what’s really crazy is that we went out to eat at this restaurant, Muelle, & they had Mtv on. They were playing British music from the 80s! And not many mainstream bands but bands like Alphaville, Ultravox & Soft Cell! I was shocked! Shout out to Carol! I wanted to tele-port you while we were there!

On Monday we went to look at the mining museum. Crazy thing happened though, right before we went inside. I heard someone shout at us from a car driving by. Matt thought there was some crazy person on the street. However, it turned out to be Steve & Sonia; our friends from Puerto Escondido! Now we were really starting to feel like local Bajaians. They parked the car & decided to go to the museum with us before driving on to their next destination. So fun!

Copper Mining Museum

Out & about in Santa Rosalia.

There were a some good restaurants in Santa Rosalia. And by some, I just mean all the ones we went to. We haven’t stopped at all the dining places. But we did find a favorite! -Ma Sabor! (In English this means more flavor.) It was aptly named. We went there a few times. And we got to know the owner Marco. Who, I hope we will see again. Who, I hope is reading this, if he still has our card. If you are in Santa Rosalia, this place is a must!

Ma Sabor - best restaurante in Santa Rosalia!

Matt & I don’t celebrate Valentine’s Day anymore. We celebrate our relationship every day! -Give each other gifts, serenade each other… I mean, we have our anniversary. And that’s not commercialized. -Which makes the celebration more fun. On the other hand, it was a nice surprise when he showed up roses that day for me! Thanks Babe! They actually stayed nice for over a week!

Surprise roses on Valentine’s Day! Thank you my love!

The church in the center of town was designed by Gustave Eiffel for the Paris Exposition in 1889 & then brought over to Mexico. Thought I’d be more impressed by a church that was designed by the creative mind behind the Eiffel Tower but meh. I think I could have done better! And probably anyone reading this. Sorry. Not sorry.

Eiffel Church

Matt: the problem solver/inventor!

One really interesting thing about Santa Rosalia, & why it’s so different from the rest of Baja, is that the buildings are made of wood. You won’t see this in other places in Baja. This is because the town would send the copper up to Washington State, via railroad. And in return, wood would be transported back down to this small town. So yes, parts of it feel a bit “wild west” like.

The one town in Baja where buildings are made of wood!

Matt’s walk above the town & to the cemetery.

So, Santa Rosalia is an old Copper mining town. It was founded in the 1880s. And you can see all the remnants of that industry by just walking around. We gave ourselves a little tour. There were a few buildings that I did want to congratulate for not toppling over just yet. I mean, storms do pass through here, wind blows… It’s pretty crazy!

Old remains of the Copper Mining Industry. No safety required.

We really loved our time in Santa Rosalia! We’ll definitely be stopping by again in November on our way down the Sea of Cortez. Praying that there will be a slip available for us. And hopefully, we will see all of our local friends again!

Zephyr & me dreaming of Mexico in May 2023!

Thanks for reading! We’ll be back next week with a video of our time in Los Gatos. Until then go out & get some fresh air! xxo!