Good morning and good-bye Magdalena Bay. Thanks for treating the Conway family so well.
I strolled the beach with my companions: a steaming cup of coffee and a groggy four-year-old Faye. It was our final morning at our Magdalena Bay campsite and Faye and I quietly walked the shoreline as the sun burned off the last of the early-morning clouds. Our stride was slow. There was no rush. We dipped our feet in the water, carved our names in the sand with our big-toes, picked out the most brilliant and beautiful shell on the beach, then immediately found another (and another and another) to replace it. Faye and I did everything we could think of to linger just a bit longer.
Our bags were packed and waiting for us in the boat. We hugged the crew and said our grateful good-byes, thanking everyone for taking such great care of the Conway family during our time on the Bay. Chef Hubert tossed Samuel into the air and gave him a tight hug. During the week, Samuel and Hubert bonded over a similar sensibility that bested their language barrier. But Magdalena wasn't done with us yet. Life jackets on, we boarded our faithful 'Carla' once again and made wake to the sand dunes.
The horizon of Magdalena Bay is ever-changing. Shaped and sculpted by the Pacific wind, the Bay's massive dunes are constantly manipulated into new, rolling forms giving a pulse to the stark and stunning landscape. We anchored in the backdrop of the blue sky and golden sand, and shared the shoreline with a dozen cormorants who were completely indifferent to their new visitors. I took a few pictures of the birds, but like the cormorants was a little indifferent and, like the kids, was eager to explore the dunes.
Sand dunes insist on playtime. The entire group took turns leaping off the steepest dunes. Our landings weren't always pretty, but they were soft. The kids did a few sandy rolls and learned quickly to keep their eyes and mouths shut. Aaron and Gabs nailed a few back flips.
Magdalena's sand dunes - serious playtime!!
Flips and leaps out of our system, we continued to cross the dunes. A 45-minute walk brought us to the Pacific coast and to an entirely differently environment. The lush mangroves that lined the Bay were replaced by stretches of soft white sand. The beach was covered in shells foreign within the Bay. We cooled our feet in the cold Pacific waters and wandered the shore. We came across a turtle shell and part of a whale's backbone - both white with wear from the sand and sun.
Picnic lunch on the beach? Yes please.
The sun was heating up and it was time to turn back. The warming sand quickened our pace - so did the thought of the picnic lunch waiting for us back at the shoreline. Fresh ceviche (and an excellent vegetarian version made from jicama for this grateful vegetarian), tortillas, fruit and hibiscus tea were promptly consumed. Bellies full, we boarded the boat. Samuel was last to get in. He was distracted by his recent marine discovery: a living sand dollar nearly the size of a dinner plate.
We disembarked back in Lopez's marina and said good-bye to the rest of our fantastic crew. The three-hour drive back to La Paz was quiet. I sat in the back of the van with my three kids who fell asleep leaning against each other like a toppled row of dominoes, and dusted the last of the sand off my toes.
To read additional entries from our family Mexico adventure, click here.
The holiday of a lifetime. The company is Alaksa-owned and thhat makes a big difference to the experineces you get i.e. meet genuine First Nations tribes people. The amount of wildlife was beyond my expectation, and seeing everything on sucha small, intimate boat made it even more spoecial and unique.
Liz O
2 days ago
Adventure Life covered all the details in planning our trip to Ireland. Any questions we had were answered immediately. Any trip glitches, which always happen when traveling, were resolved immediately. There were no worries, just fun!
Kathleen Weller
2 days ago
It was an outstanding, up-close, educational vacation of nature, culture, history, animals and geology! It was everything they promised! Binoculars were plentiful on the boat, but I'm glad I brought my own. Food was excellent. Rooms had black-out shades. Pack/wear multiple layers of clothing (I carried a small backpack when off the ship). Crew were delightful and very accommodating! Remember to jump FEET FIRST first when taking the optional polar plunge! Spend as much time outdoors as you are able and ENJOY!!!
Janet Dutton
1 week ago
Excellent travel advice and service
This is my second experience working with Adventure Life. I’m sold. Jess Heuermann is an experienced traveler and provides a lot of useful information when planning a trip. These are the questions I like to ask at the outset - What’s it like to go here, there, what would you suggest, what do people report, can we add any additional side trips? Jess took the time to answer my questions and seek additional information to share with me. Petchie Colina is outstanding in helping with travel logistics and final preparations. Adventure Life has excellent guides and offers private guides and small group adventures. We enjoyed the opportunity to talk with the guides and drivers to learn more about their countries, cultures and histories. A highlight was having the guides pick local restaurants where we could share meals together. Highly recommend.
Claire Cordon
1 week ago
Our six-day tour in Iceland went smoothly with one exception. We had asked for two rooms each night. Somehow we were booked with one room with three beds. It could not be fixed at the first hotel in Reykjavik because the hotel was fully booked. Once informed of the problem, however, Adventure Life rebooked for two rooms for the remainder of the trip. As an 85-year-old traveler, I appreciated that one could participate at different physical levels at many of the stops. Iceland is a great place to visit but on the expensive side.