Rosarito and the Guadalupe Valley

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Stephen Fischer Photography

The next morning on a Saturday we explored one of the local street markets further south in the town of Primo Tapia. Here we found a number of street vendors setup up, catering to the locals who come here to shop and an excuse to mingle with others on the weekend. Again, our small group of photographers fanned out, exploring the various stands of this market, blending in and trying to capture candids of the people and the different settings of this typical seaside Baja town. We seemed to be the only Americans present, which further added to the authenticity of this particular visit.

After the Saturday morning market visit, we then headed inland into the Gaudelupe Valley, for what is known as the wine country of Baja California. As we moved inland, I also noticed that countryside tended to be cleaner, with less litter strewn about that is more typical closer to the coast. We explored four different wineries, having an excellent lunch at one them. Most of us raved about how good the food was, with the conversation drifting toward the less manufactured way in which food is raised in Mexico. We also noticed that most of the visitors here were of a much higher class than the people along the coastal towns. Most looked to be more aristocratic or well off, dressing in fancy clothing and riding luxury cars. Apparently the Guadalupe Valley is one of the popular vacation or weekend destination locations for the more successful of the region. Just past the town of Guadalupe, we also were able to get in to the stables of a more exclusive hotel after another talk with the guard at the gate, photographing various horses and the elegant settings of the riding area.

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