I Do, You Do, They Do Baja

The first morning we opted for a sea kayaking expedition with a local guide named Francesca. I was a bit wary of the venture, but the water was relatively smooth, and my friend Whitney was an able paddler and partner. We saw plenty of sea otters and even a whale -- plus, we got a chance to snorkel, which gave us an opportunity to see fish and lobsters.

A day after kayaking, I was ready to be truly daring. Joined by my friends Sarah and Sonja, I decided to partake in what Baja is known for: surfing. Once again, Francesca would be our guide, only this time she had some help -- Juan, her business partner. After donning wetsuits and doing a few pushups on the beach, we took to the ocean.

Juan made it his mission to help me, an inept Anglo trying to master a new sport. It was a serious challenge. Again and again, Juan held my hand and coaxed me back out into the waves, instructing me to balance myself on the surfboard and paddle furiously at the onset of a wave. This part I excelled at.

It was the second part -- jumping up and balancing on the board -- where I faltered. I don't know what to say, except that it was just . . . hard. But on a few occasions I managed to stand upright, balancing myself for a few seconds before toppling over. While Juan was trying to lend me a hand, Francesca was having slightly better luck with Sarah, who managed to stay upright longer than I, and Sonja, a natural athlete who kept laughing each time the surfboard eluded her grasp.

"We're not going to be starring in 'Blue Crush 2,' but I've never smiled so much while swallowing an ocean," Sonja said. "I think I drank half of the Pacific."

Mercifully, the beach was relatively empty, so there were few spectators to observe our flailings.

As Nina likes to say, Todos Santos "ain't no Acapulco."

Instead, it's an oasis in the desert, a site of plenty amid a dry peninsula. It's not fancy, but it has the air of a true community, and through the years, it has become a haven for artists and those drawn to meditation and contemplation. That's what brought Alvaro Colindres, a native of El Salvador and a former waiter from San Francisco, to the area. He and his partner, Robert Hall, moved here in 2001 and established a meditation practice and an event-planning business.

"A lot of people come here for spiritual practice," Alvaro said. "The area is very conducive to healing."

A ranching and farming community sits in the nearby mountains; visitors can take eco-tours to meet villagers and taste locally made goat cheese. And there are plenty of organic farmers: Catherine Edwards, a hairdresser, manicurist and lettuce grower, came to Todos Santos more than a dozen years ago, "when there was nobody here." Now there are about 500 Americans and 6,000 villagers.