Sea of Cortez pearl harvest 2015

[kojimapearl]

We are home now, but still glowing from our amazing time in Guaymas, Mexico at the Sea of Cortez pearl farm harvest.
The first day there was a wonderful breeze and I had a great time squishing oyster guts, delighting in each and every pearl that was harvested.

It was such a treat to see Douglas, Enrique and Manuel in their "natural habitat".. they were the perfect hosts!
We walked deserted white sand beaches, visited "drinking villages with fishing problems", and spent a good amount of time in the warm water. We ate delicious smoked marlin tacos, ate way too many cookies, and enjoyed ice cream made of fresh local fruits. We played Marco Polo in the hotel pool with Douglas' daughters, and toured the market with his amazing wife Elizabeth.
We collected thousands of sea shells off the beaches, and watched stunning sunsets with the happiest families on earth, gently bobbing in the waves.. surrounded by laughter.

The farm is a BEAUTIFUL place, nestled into Bacochibampo Bay, the waters are calm and the dramatic contrast of the desert mountains on the horizon of the deep blue waters is truly something to behold.

If you have ever thought about going to visit the Sea of Cortez pearl farm.. I urge you to BOOK NOW!
It is a such a peaceful place, the people are warm and friendly and how ever long you stay will feel like it was not enough time!

It was such a joy to be there for the harvest. Such a great way to be reminded of how much work and love goes into the production of these very special pearls.


So far I have written two blog posts about our time there.... part III is still in process.
http://www.kojimapearl.com/blog/


I know you are all very well informed on Sea of Cortez pearls.. so I will simply leave you with a bunch of photos I took. (there are hundreds more where these came from!)

Enjoy!

 

[Hanaleimom]

Thank you for sharing Sarah. The bay looks so calm and inviting. You look stylish harvesting pearls (earrings, hat, colorful top), although it's a "messy business" .

 

[Marianne]

Our Sarah looks stylish no matter what she is doing

 

[CathyKeshi]

Sarah, your report on Douglas' Sea of Cortez pearl farm is such a delight; photos are beautiful ... and you already know how badly I want to go there, sigh ... THANKS for taking us along on your trip!

 

[pattye]

Ahh, thank you for the great photos and report! I will visit there one of these coming years; I just know it! We've talked of getting a group together to go down.

How was the temperature during your visit?

 

[CathyKeshi]

Pattye ... field trip ?!?

 

[JerseyPearl]

Those shells are just beautiful...thank you for posting these photos!

 

[BAS]

Oh, these photos really made me smile. Thanks for sharing, Sarah! I can hardly wait to see everyone again at the end of next month. Yay!

 

[pattye]

Pattye ... field trip ?!?

Cathy, let's plan to chat about it next month, ok?

 

[Katbran]

Ooh those photos !! Those pearls! Those shells ! What a fabulous looking spot !! Thanks so much for posting the photos Sarah !!

 

[Tucs]

Lovely photos, thank you for sharing. What a beautiful spot!

 

[CathyKeshi]

For sure, Pattye !

 

[newberry]

Cathy, let's plan to chat about it next month, ok?

Me too, me too

 

[CathyKeshi]

We'll have to have a seminar or something, Newberry LOL!

 

[kelluvpearls]

Wonderful blog, thanks Sarah. I love those shells.
You're also wearing my favourite earrings!

 

[Happy Huku]

Oh! Travel envy, pearl envy, thank you for sharing!

 

[CathyKeshi]

The best thing about this thread, and your blog Sarah, is seeing friends

 

[pearl-man]

Way up here in the northern flyover country the word about Mexico is it "is too dangerous " for Americans to travel to. I'd have
visited when at Tucson but.........please comment. I'd love to see it.........

 

[kojimapearl]

Pattye:
When we arrived it was just following a tropical storm and the clouds were thick and full, the air moist and the breezes made it feel about 70 degrees.
I won't lie, it is NOT cold in Guaymas this time of year. I would say it was 75 degrees at 6AM and by mid day it made it to the mid nineties. (there were plenty of ways to cope with this.. like planning ones days around the heat
All exercise must be gotten in the early morning and late evenings!
Hydration is key, and although I generally eschew it, air conditioning is an indispensable necessity for sleeping soundly
The sun is pretty fierce there, but the water is the perfect balance. There was a couple of times when I felt myself melting, but Asia is often much the same
As I understood, it will get much hotter there.. egg frying on pavement hot
We stayed for a week, and I think we were the longest staying guests at our hotel for many many years. So we had the pleasure of having the place virtually to ourselves, and watched it swell up on the weekends. On Friday and Saturday around sunset I bobbed in the waves with huge families. It was so fun to be in a water with so many aunties who seemed to laugh all of the time. Oh they were such happy people.

Everybody, thanks.. I am glad you enjoyed the photos!

Pearl-man :
I am NO authority on the subject.. but I will say I have done a fair amount of traveling.. and I felt completely safe the entire time we were there. Upon arrival we felt completely safe at our hotel (they even upgraded us for free).
It is a true shame that the tourist industry is not thriving in the Guaymas area! We found many many American and Canadian "tourists" in San Carlos (about 20 minute drive away). Many of them rent houses/condos, drive down from the Southwest in RV's and either live there year round or stay for many months at a time. I spoke to a guy from Taos New Mexico while I was in the water in San Carlos, he had been spending three months a year there for 35 years, and had just recently retired and moved there full time. He was probably the happiest retiree I have ever met.
It is not a built up "tourist trap" kind of place... you do not get "hassled" to buy things on the beach. In fact there is a amazing lack of gift shops , really NOTHING to buy except for pearls of course.
While we were there we watched the Golden State Warriors in the finals.. I found myself explaining how good it would be for Oakland to win, as it is a city that has had such a tarnished and violent reputation for so long... having lived in Oakland for decades I know that you can live there quite peacefully and the same is most certainly true for Guaymas.
It was a very peaceful place for us to visit... and I look forward to returning. People went out of their way to help us and were always ready to laugh and smile.

 

[GemGeek]

It is wonderful in Guaymas. And I used to spend summers with my Grandmother who lived on Park Boulevard in Oakland. I am still very fond of it.