Lera Michael: Guerrero Negro | Baja trip

Continuing the rant about this restaurant. Don't hope that I'll ever shut up about it. That's not going to happen. I have fallen in love with the family that owns it and we'll be visiting them again this spring and any other time we happen to be in Guerrero Negro.
Ojo de Liebre can be found on iOverlander, Google Maps and Facebook. 😉

That sunny crisp morning started very playfully. There were a few people camping in the parking lot. Between all of them, there was a total of 4 dogs. We had a great time playing and running around with them while waiting for the restaurant to open.

We rarely eat in restaurants, but this time couldn't resist treating ourselves to a big breakfast. First of all, it felt right since the owners were extremely generous to all the campers. Second of all, - and I think I already mentioned it once or twice - their food is amazing!

We got coffee for us and hot chocolate for Sofi.

What we have here, I believe, are Huevos al gusto.

Memo went for Chilaquiles.

We shared it for the three of us, which I always recommend since the portions in Mexican restaurants are quite large.

Got a fruit plate as well for extra nutrients on top of all the calories.

One of my daughter's favourites are kiwis, which she consumes with this face:

Good luck trying to look away now. Personally, I can stare at this face forever.

I'm sure, you've already spotted the horses. There are two of them. I'm not sure whether somebody actually rides them or if they're simply a pet that visitors can enjoy interacting with.

The spotty one, as we were told, loves children.

Sofi was welcomed to sit on it. Imagine the level of excitement.

Initially, the only thing we wanted to do in the town is visiting the salt factory. It's not exactly the most exciting thing in the world, but it sure is unique. We quickly found out that it's not as simple as we thought. You have to make an appointment and hire a guide that has permission to enter. That guide drives your car while showing you the parts that you are allowed to see and lets you get out of the car and walk around in a designated area. You might also find a guide that already has a car, but we were told it's much harder and more expensive.
Anyways, we wouldn't be able to do any of it, since we were there on the 31 of December. Literally, no one worked.

Then we discovered that it was whale season (they come to Guerrero Negro to give birth from January to April). What a lucky coincidence, right?
Well, we couldn't do that either. From what I heard, you need to book it from one of the hotels and then have the whole day on a boat - 2-3 hours to get to the place where whales might be, spend some time there and then the way back. It's quite tough for a 3-year old, so we rejected that idea almost immediately. Besides, the idea of being in a small boat for half a day in near open ocean and not being able to get out of it triggered my anxiety. I will do it one day. I'm certain. Just not this time. Maybe, when Sofi is slightly older and I'm slightly braver, I'll dare to challenge my anxiety. But for now, it'll remain on the list, patiently waiting for its time.

We went back to the restaurant, very disappointed with ourselves. And then the owner suggested looking for berrendos.
First of all, we had no idea what those animals are. They are pronghorns, by the way.
Second of all, the place is so low key, it took us a long time to find it. We went through military zones, asked random people on the street, found a tiny airport and missed the turn so many times, we nearly gave up on it.
If you are looking for the conservation of pronghorns in Guerrero Negro, here is the link to its location on Google Maps. It's right after the airport and has no signs whatsoever. Kind of looks like a private road to somebody's house. You just take it until you see the fence.
If you see this, you're in the right place.

It's the same deal: the man that works there will sit in your car and direct you where to drive. If you have enough people, he might ask you to hop on his pickup.

It doesn't cost anything. They essentially work for tips.

A few decades ago pronghorns were endangered due to poaching and habitat destruction. But thanks to many conservations in Central America their population has been completely restored.

I would encourage you to read about these animals because they are fascinating.
The National Wildlife Federation - https://www.nwf.org/educational-resources/wildlife-guide/mammals/pronghorn;
WWF - https://www.worldwildlife.org/species/pronghorn.

It was a very interesting experience and I'm really thankful for now being aware of this conservational effort. Also, explaining words like "endangered" and "extinction" to your child, answering questions, telling him/her that the majority of these things happen because of humans and then seeing a face full of compassion and remorse for what we, humans, do to the world around us is such a special thing to witness. To see how the realisation of one's responsibility happens little by little through interactions like this one. To know that the person you are bringing to this society is conscious and kind.

Other than that we didn't actually do much that day. We went to the store and got ourselves some wine and snacks to make sure we don't meet 2019 on an empty stomach.
Had lunch. Just some rice with vegetables. Can't go wrong with that.

The owners of the restaurant invited us to spend the New Year with their family at a traditional Mexican celebration. And we really wanted to go (even though I nearly had a panic attack just by thinking about it), but the circumstances weren't right. First of all, early next morning we were heading back home and had a 5-hour drive ahead of us. Second, Sofi goes to sleep at 9 p.m. at the very latest and all good parties only start at 9-10 p.m. So we declined the invitation.