Guys with Guns

 



Puerto Escondido

Departing Puerto Escondido

Village at San Evaristo

 

About this time of year cruisers plying the waters of Baja begin heading south to spend the winter months on mainland Mexico.  During the winter, the Sea of Cortez gets windy and turns cold by Baja standards dipping into the 60’s and low 70’s.  Of greater concern are the weather systems that form over the Gulf of Alaska and over the Four Corners of the U.S. which bring strong “Northers” that blow 20-30 knots.  Pleasure boaters typically return to the Sea of Cortez again in the spring to enjoy the nicer weather and to witness the incredible migration of whales.  We decided this was good advice so on December 10^th, we departed Puerto Escondido to head south once again.  Nine hours later we arrived in the bay of San Evaristo on Baja and anchored for the night.  Like so many villages in the Sea of Cortez, the small fishing village of San Evaristo is backed by beautiful high mountains.  This self-sufficient village has about 20 full-time residents with the conveniences of a tienda/store, a school, and a desalination plant.  We departed San Evaristo the following morning for the 6-hour cruise to La Paz where we took on fuel and water in preparation for the long crossing to Mazatlan.  We anchored just outside La Paz in Bahia Falsa located near the Baja Ferry Terminal tucked behind an adjacent cove.  Just before sunset, we saw five guys holding big guns approaching us in a panga; thankfully they were Marine Police and not drug runners! ha.  Java got a little excited at first, but when I picked her up she seemed to understand that guys in uniform mean business.  Actually they were quite friendly and simply wanted to see our boat papers, a formality for security.  The presence of Police throughout the populated areas and towns of Baja has been quite impressive.  We noted a variety of different police services:  city/municipality police, state/federal police, marine police, turista security police, and security police for major stores and banks; then of course there’s the Mexican Navy whom we’ve not had the pleasure of a visit.  I have to admit that we have not felt unsafe in Mexico; the powers that be seem to do an excellent job of eliminating the opportunity or desire to create mischief and support community activities that are enjoyed by locals and visitors alike.  It's also interesting to note that Mexico possesses very strict gun laws where most types and calibers are reserved for the military and law enforcement.  Citizens are not permitted to bear arms in public places, only in the privacy of their home.  Approval to obtain a gun in Mexico takes several months and there is only one gun store in all of Mexico.  By contrast, the U.S. has 49,762 licensed gun dealers plus 7,261 gun-selling pawn shops.  We have felt more unsafe in many cities of the U.S. than we have in Mexico.  I suspect we will feel equally safe on the mainland of Mexico as we have in Baja; we’ll soon see for tomorrow we cross the expansive Sea of Cortez.


Nearing La Paz

A Visit from the Marine Police

Guys with Big Guns

Stepping off our Swimstep

The Setting Sun