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There are lots of little tiendas selling, on the whole, quality souvenirs.
Blankets, small toys and piñatas abound. At one little shop I found a great
pair of those enormous Elton John style dark sunglasses adorned with Baja
shells. I tried them on and to no surprise, my head grew heavy and my
sight grew dim. Further down the street you can move upscale, to ceramic
and art galleries that rival many in Laguna Beach. You will never find me
claiming to be an art critic, despite my creative background, but I liked
the what I saw.
 Probably
the best bookstore for information on Baja is Tecolote Books. (Owl Books) in
English and Spanish on the history, geology and culture can be found there.
Todos Santos is an old Baja town, founded in 1723 by Father
Jaime Bravo. The mission of Nuestra Senora del pilar de La Paz was founded
here later to be renamed Santa Rosa de Todos Santos. The mission was moved
back to La Paz in 1749.
 In
the mid 1800's sugar became the core of the local economy. For nearly one
hundred years sugar money build fine brick homes and put bread on the table
for residents. Then in the early 1950's the water table dropped dramatically
and sugar prices fell world wide. Todos fell into a period of disrepair.
Completion of the Trans-Baja Hwy in the late seventies and highway 19
(the spur of Hwy 1 that travels along the west coast to Cabo) in the
80's opened both the tourist market and the commercial agriculture
market full throttle on Todos.
Today, Todos Santos is know as a cultural and artistic
community. Annual events include the Todos Santos Art Festival in February
and the celebration of the founding of Todos in October. There is also the
Todos Surf Fest and Reggaefest but you can often find smaller events
happening in the parks and squares on weekends. The Reggae/Todos connection
is one I discovered almost by accident last fall when I got a late start out
of La Paz headed to Cabo and I had to stop for the night.
As I recall Reggae was every Wednesday night last fall but you had better
check with Santana's restaurant to be sure.
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 Now
we get to the important part to someone who hadn't eaten since breakfast in La
Paz, the food. The culinary presentation was as appealing as the hotel interior.
Having been a food photographer for many years, I always appreciate this kind of
attention to detail. The service was prompt and professional and the table
accouterments all added to our luncheon experience.
 My
lamb burger was a delicious, lightly seasoned patty on a fresh hard roll bun,
served with grilled onions and a vegi garnish. Very good indeed. My guests
enjoyed their salad and grill selections from the menu too. Prices were in line
with what you would expect at any quality restaurant, lunch and drinks for three
came
to around $50 and the staff certainly earned their
propina.
 With our desire for comeda satisfied for a time we resumed our tranquil stroll
of the quiet Todos Santos streets. We passed by many a door leading to an
intriguing art gallery, craft store or restaurant that afternoon that our frugal budget of time didn't
allow us to explore. Todos Santos is not to be missed on your baja vacation. We
had to make the hour drive on into Cabo So I guess we'll just have to pack our
appetites and bring you along on another adventure in Todos Santos in the
BajaInsider.
Tomas
*By the way, when doing research for this article I found a gut busting
unmasking of the lyrics to the Eagles hit song "Hotel California".
Click
here to know the true meaning of "warm smell of colitas,
rising up through the air"
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Interesting Books on Baja
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