Rancho San Carlos cuddles to a green valley deep in the mountains. The owner built two big and three small pools with different water temperatures. The concrete tubs arent distinctive beauties, but the constantly flowing thermal water is pleasant and smells healthy slightly like sulphur. There are no tourists here these days, but the site more and more fills up with local families. For some of them its just a Sunday outing, but many families prepare for Semana Santa, the Holy Week. Easter isnt only the most important Christian holiday, in Catholic Mexico it is at least as important as Christmas. Mexicans celebrate during the entire Holy Week, and many of them take vacation and come in droves from the mainland over to Baja California to spend a beach holiday.
Back on MEX 1 we turn off to the peninsula Punta Banda not far to the south. The town La Bufadora in the end of the blind alley hosts the worlds second largest blowhole. Incoming surf pushes the waves into an underground canyon and up through a hole in the rocks. Water and spray spurt explosively up to 30 m high. The attraction is free of charge, but there is a parking fee of 20 MXN.