Baja is a wonderful place, full of hidden places just waiting to be found.  On weekends, I love to drive around and search for lonely beaches and quiet villages, full of stories and history.  One of these is El Triunfo, a small village that you may  stumble upon on your way from the East Cape to La Paz, Baja California Sur’s capital.

In 19th century, Baja was well known for its silver mines in San Antonio and El Triunfo.   The most productive mine was called El Triunfo de la Cruz, which gave birth to the mining town of El Triunfo.  One of El Triunfo’s landmarks the “La Ramona” chimney was designed by French engineer, Gustave Eiffel (the man that designed the Eiffel Tower in Paris).  At its height, El Triunfo had a population of 14,000 people briefly served as the capital of Baja California Sur in 1828 and 1829.

Gradually, the quality of the digs declined.  In 1918 a hurricane flooded the mine, and after several failed attempts to resurrect the operation, it was abandoned in 1926.  With it, El Triunfo’s glory began to fade.  Today the chimney, the memories, and stories told by residents, remind us of the silver age of El Triunfo.

If you would like to learn more of Baja’s history, visit El Triunfo.  The ruins of the silver mine are still there and serve as an excellent picture of 19th Century Baja. Just talk to your Capella Pedregal Personal Assistant about organizing a trip!

I have already told you a story about one of Baja’s most amazing natural phenomenons – the whale migrations to our warm lagoons.  This time, I am very excited to share with you a story about my personal encounter with these amazing mammals.

Whales can be spotted in Cabo San Lucas and at Capella Pedregal resort as well, but one of the best areas to experience them is at Magdalena Bay, where they come to give birth, mate and play. A recommended starting point for a whale-watching trip (and to spend the night) is Puerto San Carlos, a small fishing village of around 3,000 residents and a beautiful coastline on Magdalena Bay.  The village is 5 ½ hours from Cabo San Lucas, but it is well worth the visit.

I decided to make the trek and signed up for a guided tour. Captain Luis, who led the adventure, explained that whales are very curious creatures. I was anxious to discover this myself as we pulled away from the dock. Suddenly a shadow in the ocean could be seen approaching the boat. Everyone put their hand in the water and coaxed the whale towards us. And there she was, a beautiful giant whale! She came right up to the boat and we were able to touch her! But the experience didn’t end there. Next we encountered a mother and her calf. The mother proudly showed off her baby, lifting his head so that we could see him. I couldn’t believe the show I was getting!

It is difficult to fully express my whale experience, Puerto San Carlos and Magdalena Bay, but I would like to invite you to experience it in person. It is truly an event of a lifetime. Save some time between January and March next year, come visit Capella Pedregal and the whales.

Capella Pedregal, Cabo San Lucas’ premier luxury resort and residences, is bringing together master chefs for its inaugural wine and food festival, A Taste of Capella, July 11-15, 2012. By booking the A Taste of Capella package, guests will spend five unforgettable days sampling exquisite cuisine and taking part in educational gastronomical experiences at the 96 room and suite luxury resort in Cabo San Lucas. Activities include cooking demonstrations; wine and cheese tastings; 5-course dinner (each course expertly prepared by a different chef); parties on the beach with chef-prepared food stations, and more.

For their inaugural wine and food festival, Capella Pedregal will tap the talents of top chefs from across the U.S. Rounding out the festival’s culinary A-team is Chef Kent Rathbun, owner and head chef of restaurants Abacus, Jasper’s and Rathbun’s Blue Plate Kitchen, with locations throughout Texas; Chef Johnny Iuzzini, Executive Pastry Chef of restaurant Jean Georges and Perry Street in New York City; Chef Kevin Rathbun, renowned for Atlanta-based restaurants Rathbun’s and Kevin Rathbun Steak & Krog Bar; Capella Pedregal’s own accomplished Executive Chef, Marco Bustamante and more.

“A Taste of Capella” Package (July 11-15, 2012) includes:

• Four Nights and Five Days in the Room or Suite category of your choice
• Full Breakfast each morning in signature restaurant Don Manuel’s
• Welcome Wine and Cheese Tasting Reception Under the Stars with the Celebrity Chefs and the Cheese Maker
• Four Cooking Demonstrations throughout the weekend, one with each Celebrity Chef
• Two Wine Tastings with amazing Mexican wines
• Party on the Beach with each of the Celebrity Chefs preparing a Food Station
• Five Course Dinner with one course prepared by each Celebrity Chef
• After Party with the Celebrity Chefs including live music
• Round Trip Airport Transfer to and from the Cabo San Lucas Airport
• Welcome Bottle of Taittinger Champagne
• Gift Bags with products from each Chef and Sponsors of the event
• Nightly Turndown Gifts

Pricing begins at $3,475 USD

While it is still winter for much of the Northern Hemisphere, spring has arrived in Cabo San Lucas!  As with every season, Executive Chef Marco Bustamante has re-imagined the menus of all the Capella Pedregal restaurants with fresh, seasonal ingredients. Marco’s (and my!) new favorite is the “Red Eye Ceviche” or “Ojo Rojo.”  This is a mixed seafood Ceviche made with local seafood in a red marinade.

If you are anything like me, you are already craving a taste! I was able to convince Marco to share the recipe with us:

Ingredients:

Marinade

• 1 C. Tomato Juice
• ¼ C. Orange Juice
• ¼ C. Lime Juice
• ¼ C. Red Pepper Juice
• 2 oz. Clam Broth
• 1 oz. Tequila Reposado
• 2 dashes Worcestershire Sauce
• 2 dashes Tabasco Sauce
• 1 ea. Jalapeño

Seafood Mixture

• 12 ea. Mussels
• 2 oz. Lump Crab Meat
• 2 oz. Diced Tuna
• 2 oz. Calamari
• 2 oz. White Fish, Lime Cured
• 12 ea. Medium Shrimp, Peeled and deveined
• 1 ea. Tomato, Diced
• ½ ea. Yellow Onion
• ¼ Bunch Cilantro
• ½ ea. Avocado, Medium Dice
• 1 ea. Celery Stick
• 1 C. White Wine

Directions:
Begin by preparing the marinade. First mix all the liquid ingredients of the marinade and season with salt and pepper.
Then add the whole Jalapeño to the marinade without cutting the chile so that it is not too spicy.
Reserve marinade in the refrigerator and keep cold until ready to serve.
To prepare the seafood begin by placing a large pot of water on the stove and bring to a boil.
Blanch the calamari and shrimp separately in the pot of water for 1-2 minutes until cooked. Once they are cooked put them directly into ice water to stop the cooking process.
In a deep sauté pan, sauté half of the medium diced onion over high heat. Add the mussels and white wine. Cover with a lid and allow mixture to steam for 1-2 minutes. Once the mussels open, quickly remove them from the pot and cool them in the refrigerator.
To cure the white fish, cover it in lime juice and allow to sit for 1 hour. This will “cook” the fish for the ceviche.
Once all of the seafood is prepared and cool, place all of it into a large bowl. then add the diced tomato, onion and cilantro. Season with salt and pepper.
Rim a chilled glass with salt and fill half way with the seafood. Top with the marinade and garnish with diced avocado and celery stick.
Serve with your favorite chip or cracker!

Buen provecho!

Every winter in Baja California Sur we are a witness to an amazing natural phenomenon, that we all look forward to with great enthusiasm and expectations – the arrival of the whales.  Every year virtually the entire population of Grey Whales makes a 5,000 mile migration from the cold waters of Alaska’s Bering Sea to the warm water lagoons of the Baja Peninsula.  Grey Whales, often accompanied by Blue, Fin and Humpback Whales, come to Baja waters, where from mid-December to mid-March they feed, give birth, nurse their offspring and play.

Grey and Humpback whales delight people by spouting and breaching, leaping almost completely out of the water.  It is such a pleasure watching how the moms teach their babies to jump and play!  Last winter a whale came very close to Capella Pedregal beach, and together with the guests, I was amazed to see her breach and play in front of us.