LA76 photography in new issue of ESCAPES magazine

This time we'd like to showcase some work we did in the field of photography. We are happy to say that ESCAPES magazine chose us as their main photography contributor for their current edition, which is going to be out all around Baja California Sur from November 2009 to February 2010 in 15,000 pieces, as well as on-line.

What we did? As the magazine is focusing on the promotion of Baja California Sur, living, culture, traditions and places all around, we created for them: the cover, which is an illustration, based on Pineda Covalin artwork; the cover for real estate section, taken in a beautiful modernist home in Los Barriles. Then we participated with some images in 10 Top Escapes section... We gladly did a reportage from an exotic garden in Todos Santos, and toured an organic coffee roasting factory of Cabo Coffee Company in Cabo San Lucas. It was addictive to be there, believe us... And if we weren't their fans before (but we are from very beginning), we'd become ones.

We're showing our work for the cover here, and for other work we did for ESCAPES we invite you to flip through this digital magazine or send an email to escapes@pedregal.com, they can send you a printed copy.

If interested, you can contact us for any photo-purchase inquiries.

CONTEMPORARY URBAN-COASTAL SPACES

In the first half of the XX century, cities were thought as a clear organizational scheme, with a simple and predictable order, capable to be designed and planned in such way that the life quality of its residents could be modified manipulating the physical shape of the city. The result was a tragic social engineering effort, fueled by a scientific method in the form of urban planning that have dominated western societies the last 60 years, and now, unfortunately, the developing world. Urban systems everywhere, are just way to complex to be reduced to what conventional science can focus on.

The Contemporary Coastal city is the amalgam of invisible fluxes and visible materialization of information that operate simultaneously en spaces of global nature as also in spaces of local nature. To recognize this forces, fluxes and potentials is the challenge of any contemporary urban design or planning.

Related to this, in September (2008), the city of Dalian in China hosted the 44th International Congress of Urbanists, organized by the "ISOCARP". The main subject of this event was "Urban Growth Without Sprawl", one of the fundamental problems of urbanism practices these days.

To make an example about how cities behave, we must say that New York City, although having around 16 million inhabitants, don't have severe problems for its development and governability, in contrast Lagos, the capital of Nigeria, has 12 million inhabitants and it is sinked in a severe state of underdevelopment and crisis without mentioning the very low life quality. In Mexico (as a country) one of the main problems has been the indiscriminated territorial expansion and the occupation of natural areas, originally designated to forests or agriculture, destroying at the same time very important natural resources. The lack of long term projects for the distribution of the population has also been the cause of so much floating population.

Fortunately seems action its being taken, at least in some cases. In this past International Congress of Urbanists, 7 projects were presented addressing Mexican development plans (none from Baja California Sur as far as i know). The group of mexican experts shown an interesting study realized in 2004, proposing an innovative "Metropolitan Management Model" which was applied to specific cases mainly in some areas of Cancun and the Yucatan Peninsula; all of this projects share a common interest in the sustainable development of the territory and the usage and preservation of the natural resources in the areas that this are developed.

The project for de Development of Lazaro Cardenas Municipality (Playa del Carmen), in Quintana Roo by CANO VERA + Territorios + AUS, takes as starting point the concepts of City and Region, generating its proposal based on identity at different scales: neighborhoods, parks and dwellings with simple solutions and with a low execution cost integrating innovative construction systems with the use of local materials and workers as also eco-technologies like re-feeding the underground natural water networks with rainwater, natural ventilations, optimized orientations and integration of the infrastructures with public spaces. They also make a big emphasis in promoting the pedestrian mobility, by planning the different areas of the plan not more than 5 minutes far from each other (housing from parks or commerce, and vice versa), the urban development will enhance the social interaction.

The STRATEGIC PLAN FOR URBAN DEVELOPMENT 2030 for Cancun was also presented. This plan was awarded with the EXCELLENCE IN URBAN PLANNING prize in this same congress; Its main aspects are the master plan for the Hotel corridor in cancun as also the integration of irregular housing settlements and to add its territorial reserves designated for housing up to year 2030, without forgetting to connect and revitalize downtown and its connection with the hotel strip. In terms of mobility, the plan contemplates to improve the vehicle infrastructure and the integration of bicycle paths (linked to public sport areas and infrastructures) and the update of the public transport system. On the environmental side it aims to protect the wells areas and the generation of a series of lineal parks to communicate the city, favoring once again the public space as the articulation of the city.

This interesting proposals are just a small spark of what we could expect in the near future for the development of urban strategies which will deliver better and more efficient urban areas, specially for those of us who live in a coastal setting which involves specific situations and agents that are not related to macro-scale urban settings like Mexico City of New York. In this case i should mention the massive emergence of new groups of study about the Coastal Cities, specially in Spain (no wonder why Spain is the number one country in tourism profits, and also no wonder why they have more than 60% of the investment in the area of Cancun), academic institutions like the IaaC (with their research about the Mediterranean coast of Africa), the Intelligent Coast group (and its proposals for the Mediterranean Spanish Coast) and the SUPERSUDACA collective (with the analysis of the latin american Caribbean) are some of the groups of research and analysis in sustainable urban development for tourism-based areas.

In our own very area of Los Cabos the young CAPA collective (formed by 3 young offices of Los Cabos area with international credentials) has been studying new alternatives for the sustainable development of our Baja territory, and im sure soon will be hearing more of them soon and hopefully we will show you some of the work that this research-based collective has been generating, if you wish to get more info or in contact with the guys at CAPA, visit their website at: http://www.capalab.net/

From all of this analysis we should realize that most of this proposals are still in their theoretical stage but they form a big database of proposals for the future of human settlements and territories. The urban strategies should always think ahead the administrative territorial capacities, in the cities it has become urgent to implement strategies for its economical and social development, unfortunately, most of times there's no effective political and legal frame for the management of the urban settlements and its resources (natural, economical, social, etc); Today's territorial management should be based in collaborative and relational processes which wont compete but complement each other, the coordination of local governments, social participation, the common project view, strategies and the efficient instrumentation is basic for the successful development of this new plans.

The sometimes huge difference between socioeconomic layers in the area, makes all of this even harder to manage, most of urban strategies and plans fails for lack of proper management and not because of a wrong planning. A good planning without proper management becomes "plain good ideas". And good management without good planning only generates wrong realities.

ESCAPES magazine issue #3 is out

Open publication - Free publishing - More architecture

Here it is; new issue of ESCAPES magazine is in print and about to come to the streets of Baja in couple of days. Many sleeples nights, long hours trying to find the inspiration for words and stories, running around for photo-shootings, gathering material for stylings, then sitting together with the designer moving things around and trying to find the perfect place for words & pictures. But, it wasn't all that 'hard'. We enjoyed photoshoots at El Rincon, where we wnjoyed the views and watched whales jumping out of the water; and in Los Barriles, a small pleasant town in East Cape of BCS.
Check the magazine, photos will say more.

p.s. Most of the text and photos in the magazine are by LA76. The cover photo is from the winner of ESCAPES in Baja Photo Contest. Dunes from Guerrero Negro.

life is a beach!

today, i don't have too much to say. just wanted to share some photos with you. to watch and enjoy. pure pleasure indeed. taken at CostaBaja Beach Club, La Paz, BCS, Mexico.

ESCAPES magazine, 2nd issue is out!

Get your own - Open publication

Being considered as my 'baby' and one of my favorite projects (and there are more of my favorite ones) i'm working on at Grupo Riveras, i'd like to share with you the new issue of ESCAPES magazine, which came out today.

ESCAPES is a magazine which wants to share with its readers the best escapes, places, towns, beaches, cuisine in Baja California Sur, the culture, tradition, fiestas, social responsibility projects and all those things that make Baja so special. These are also the things that make me like this piece of the world so much.

I hope you enjoy it as much as I do!

Interior design with Mexican flavour

In the past eight months I moved three times. You probably know how it is, boxes in, boxes out, unpacking, arranging, and so on. The most attractive, exciting and challenging for me though is the decorating part.

When I first came to Mexico, there were not so many places where you could buy nice (and affordable) furniture, but things are changing for the better. There are more and more attractive furniture stores opening in Baja, and I was lucky enough to meet Maria Luisa Reynoso, a wonderful person, interior designer and owner of Simmetria, furniture and decoration store in La Paz, which offers a wide selection of Mexican furniture combining colorful tradition and contemporary style, and individual personalized consulting. Malis, as her friends call her, is also an excellent interior designer and decoration consultant, and if you need a tip for what to do to give your home, an office, a store or a hotel, a special touch of your personality, she’s the one to help you with that and beyond. I had an interview with Malis for a Baja California Sur magazine Home, and here is an excerpt from the article.



Living in Baja is like a dream come true. Sunny weather, amazing contrasting nature, oceans, pristine beaches, friendly people and so much more. There is this Mexican flair in the air, which you can bring also to your home with lovely strong colors, exotic details, and a touch of passion and emotions. At my visit to La Paz, Malis took me to see one of her recent projects, a case study and example how a Mexican home can be elegant, classy and comfortable to welcome the family home. We visited a model home of Villas Aguamarina, a development of 28 beautifully crafted Mexican villas in Pedregal de La Paz, a home to which she gave that style and that special Mexican personality.

Malis explains her work: "When thinking about a decoration for this project, I wanted to give the house a touch of elegance, style, quality and simplicity, yet in a Mexican way. It is really important, that the quality of the construction goes hand in hand with the furniture that you pick. And in Pedregal de La Paz, where influence of nature is essential, I was able to focus on natural material and fabrics, which are also my favorite: wood, wool, cotton and leather among others." She continues: "I was looking and thinking about each space individually, I wanted to create an ambient which is cozy, not too crowded, with the right amount of furniture and accessories, so people would enjoy living here."

A model home of Villas Aguamarina feels very cozy indeed, in fact, it feels like a home. It makes you want to pack all your belongings and just move in. The play of colors, materials and details is what you will find fascinating in this home. Colors are very important, says Malis. They give the house a touch of personality, and make the space warm and appealing. "When searching for colors to match the house with the ambiance and environment, I walked the neighborhood around the house, I took a piece of dirt, desert, sand and stone and created my ideas and colors based on them," Malis explains. The composition of the ground in Pedregal de La Paz for example is completely different from the one in Pedregal de Cabo San Lucas, in Cabo it is brown, and in La Paz it is pink, an amazing work of the nature.

Playing with materials and matching them with colors creates a unique combination and connects the space together. And details, which you might not even notice, but would miss them if they were not there, they add the flare to the house, that special something that catches your sight everywhere you turn and bring out the beauty of the house; even if it is for a simple thing like placing a candle in a special place.

Interior of the house has some special features, like a beautiful tall, thin and elegant palm tree in the centre of the house, smart and functional arrangement of rooms (I would say it is family-friendly) and terraces from every bedroom with their own personality, but also matching the adjacent room. Every terrace and outside space has a special ambiance. It is connected with the inside of the house, but different. The concept for the outside spaces has aroused from the imagination what would people like to do outside their rooms. Have a breakfast at the terrace perhaps, or a dinner at the sunset; maybe relax or read a book, or entertain with family and friends at the patio with community pool and palapa, overlooking the aguamarine waters of the Sea of Cortes.

It is true what they say, the home is where the heart is. And by adding to your home your favorite color or some special detail it will make it more personal, more ‘you’. Visit Malis at Simmetria, she will welcome you friendly, show you around her beautiful store stocked with plenty of ideas and many of details you’d love to take home with you immediately. She will share with you stories about her decoration projects, give some valuable and useful advice, and if you want, she can help you transform your house to your special home, too.

Swimming with the dolphins

There are (currently) 10,100,000 hits in Google on 100 things you need to do before you die. I haven't made up my list yet, but, swimming with the dolphins is one of the things I warmly recommend.

I've always liked dolphins (remember Flipper?). While living in Slovenia, I wanted to adopt a dolphin through organisation Morigenos. Adoption of a dolphin of course doesn't mean that you'll have him in your bath tub or swimming pool - it means that with a small yearly fee you can contribute to the research and protection of the dolphins. And besides that you will be also able to learn more about the dolphins and their way of life, follow your dolphin in his adventures etc.

Here in Baja California Sur, living so close to the ocean, and being able to see them from Pedregal or my favorite beach in Zacatitos, I finally might adopt a dolphin. I just need to find where. You can adopt a shark in La Paz, but I still want my dolphin. Last Sunday I went to get to know them a little bit better, and see, if they are indeed as nice as they seem. And they are. I was swimming, playing (and kissing) with Monet (or shorter Mo), the dolphin from Cabo Dolphins, a dolphin center in Cabo San Lucas. If you have the chance, go swim with them... They are so soft, gentle and amazing. I'm looking forward to my friends visiting me in Cabo, as I promised I will take them swimming with Mo and his friends too.

The only things I was missing in Cabo Dolphins is a research center, or some other dolphin-firendly activities, which would enable you to learn more about them, give a contribution to research of their lives and preservation. But, I hope this will change soon too.

If you like dolphins, you might like also:

- Le Grand Bleu, the movie, amazing movie by director Luc Besson, with Jean-Marc Bar and Rosanna ARquette... check the trailer

- Deep Blue, the movie by BBC. They say: 80% of life on earth lives in ocean, yet more people have walked on the moon than have seen the ocean's deepest floor.

You can see more photos of my swimming with the dolphin experience here.

Suckers for sunsets

One of the most amazing things about living in Baja California Sur are sunsets... They are incredible, every single day they change their shape, color, intensity... they are different, but always amazing. Our balcony at night becomes a theatre for performances of the dancing sun. And we can never get tired of it.



Sun performance from our balcony, Cabo.



@ Buzzard's beach, San Jose del Cabo.



@ Pueblo Bonito Pacifica, Cabo San Lucas, with a setting for a private dinner at the beach.



@ Pueblo Bonito Pacifica, Cabo San Lucas.



@ San Jose del Cabo.

ESCAPES

We all need to escape from time to time. Be it an escape for vacations, summer retreat to your second home, for a weekend, a day, or even just for a moment, escaping into another dimension, another imaginary world, escape into dreams which give us enthusiasm and joy for life.

In Baja California Sur we have many places we love to escape to - and that's what this magazine is all about. ESCAPES is a magazine - or better your getaway guide to Baja - which I am doing with my company Grupo Riveras.

I hope you like it. Next issue is coming out in September, your comments are welcome.

Beautiful, exotic and magical Mexico

Mexico lindo, exotico, mistico

A place like no other

There are many places in the world we desire to see, visit or even live there. But there is only one place in the whole world so unique that unites an incredible history, rich nature, inspiring flora and fauna, colorful culture and opportunities to live your life fully. Experience Mexican free spirit in Baja.

It was the daunting combination of arid land, the scarcity of water and the hostility of the natives towards the Spaniards who were searching for famous pearls of the land that made the colonization of Baja California Sur extremely difficult. Baja’s first inhabitants are thought to have arrived to the peninsula at least 11,000 years ago. In around 1700 B.C. four different ethno linguistic groups were encountered, Pericú in the south, between Cabo San Lucas and La Paz and on several islands in the gulf; the Guayacura from La Paz to south of Loreto; the Monqui, around Loreto; and the Cochimí, in extensive areas throughout the middle of the peninsula. You can still catch some of their spirit in caves at Cueva de Palma, San Gregorio, Sierra de San Francisco and Sierra de Guadalupe.

The European discovery of Baja happened in 1530-ies, by Fortún Ximénez, Hernán Cortés and others. Over the next century and a half many of explorers and pearl hunters came to the shores of peninsula, but had no lasting impact until late 17th century, when a missionary in Loreto was established. Later, in 1768, Franciscans took over the control of Baja California Sur, and in 1773 Dominicans. Their influence had a significant effect to a decrease in the population of the indigenous people.

After the Mexican War of Independence (1810-1821), Baja was divided into four municipalities. Loreto, the oldest settlement of the region with more than 300 years of history, served as the capital until 1830, when heavy rains destroyed the city and forced the government to be moved to La Paz. The territories of Baja California Sur and Baja California were formally established in 1888, and Baja California Sur became a state on October 8, 1974. That year the first trans-peninsular road was completed, followed by the airport and … you know the rest. Beautiful but remote Baja came within reach and in the last two decades it has become the most rapidly developing area in all Mexico. Once a fisherman’s dream, beautiful, exotic and mystical Baja became one of the unique places in the world we can never get tired off.

Some of the amazing facts about Baja (and that’s only some of the reasons why I love it):
· Extreme desert conditions of Baja have produced thousand of endemic species of plants and animal life found nowhere else in the world.
· El Vizcaino Desert with the average rainfall 5 cm (2 in) per year is the largest wildlife refuge in all of Latin America and certainly the most diverse. (virtual tour)
· Baja California Sur, bordered by two seas, has the longest coastline of all Mexican states at more than 2,000 km (1,243 miles).
· Baja features more islands than any other Mexican state. Although most of the islands are located in the Gulf of California, the largest one is Margarita Island, on the Pacific side.
· Sea of Cortez is the most biologically rich body of water on earth. So much in fact, that Jacques Cousteau proclaimed it “the World’s Aquarium”.
· The cardón cactus, the world’s largest species of cactus, grows on the Baja California peninsula. It can reach heights of 21 meters (70 feet).
· Rock shelters in the Sierra de Guadalupe and Sierra de San Francisco feature larger-than life cave paintings of humans and animals.
· Every year from mid-December to mid-April, hundreds of grey whales arrive off the coast of BCS from the Alaska shores. Whale-watchers are proud to see whales jumping up to 40 feet in the air.

Stormy weather

Following the storms, which were affecting the US last week, we also got a few raindrops last Thursday - something rarely to happen in Cabo at this time of the year. And on Friday, on our way to La Paz for an opening event of Villas Aguamarina in Pedregal de La Paz, we were followed by a big dark cloud above the Pacific. It looked as we're going to be swallowed into the dark. It reminded me of good Etta James and her song Stormy weather.

My Night is Your Day or Ya es mediodia en China

Today I encountered an amazing artwork of Johannes Wohnseifer that I’d love to have in my living room or working room. With it I’d be able to follow up on my friends’ days and nights all over the world.

On the large wall map of the world at Karriere Bar, the earth is defined by vertical light tubes which, by getting brighter as the sun’s position changes relative to the earth, track its diurnal rotation. This means that in the early hours you will be able to see dawn approaching and on afternoons when time seems to stand still, you will see that it is indeed progressing. The play of lights in this artwork is amazing. Or as our local TV host would say “Ya es mediodia en China”, don’t know where they’ve got the title, but it always makes me smile.

La Vita è Bella

Friday, at last. I'm looking forward to a relaxing weekend, which will be probably too short (again) for my wish list of things I'd like to do: I wish for 10-hours sleep to make up for all these short nights during the week, a relaxing massage, discover some new cool music, read a book (at least a few pages), watch a Wong Kar-Wai's movie, go to the beach, take some nice photos (and arrange my photo-library) and try a recipe from my new Mexican cookbook ...

And, if I had a house like this, I would do all this from my terrace, with a view to the Pacific, jacuzzi on, firepit on, sipping chilled wine with my boyfriend... What more can you wish for?

On the photo is Villa Cantamar, at El Rincon del Pedregal, luxury real estate development, Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. Photo by Francisco.

Inspire Within, El Rincon del Pedregal

Before I write about Mexican wedding we attended last weekend, I would like to share with you the latest news: I just received a fresh copy of an invitation I made for our development in Pedregal de Cabo San Lucas, called El Rincon. El Rincon is a collection of 26 beautifully crafted luxury villas combining Mexican richness with contemporary amenities. The view is just amazing! You can see the whales and enjoy the breeze of the Pacific ocean.

Inside photos of the invitation are taken by me.

Weekend getaway to a Mexican wedding

Today we are changing Los Cabos's village surroundings with urban zones (full of traffic, smoke and dust) of Mexico City and beautiful city Cuernavaca. I might sound a bit too excited about this trip than I usually would be, but this is the first opportunity to travel somewhere outside Baja in half year time, and I'm eager to learn and experience more of Mexico. The reason for our weekend getaway is our friends' wedding in Cuernavaca, a beautiful city one hour outside Mexico City. Cuernavaca is a town with ethernal spring, and the wedding will take place in traditional Mexican Hacienda.

At this moment I am full of expectations and colorful images in my head filled with comments from my colleagues and friends about Mexican weddings. Nothing like weddings in Slovenia I suppose? I will keep you posted in following days.

On the sunny side of the world

This week I'm celebrating my first 6 months of living at the end of the world, or more precisely, at Land's end. I changed my beautiful European country Slovenia for something spatially much bigger and larger - Mexico.

I get many questions about Slovenia, so let me explain in short who we are: no, we are not Eastern Europeans, we were not a part of Russia nor Checkoslovakia. We are proudly located in the Centre of Europe, connecting West Europe to the East and Balkans. We were part of Yugoslavia (some of you might remember Tito, and we are neighbours to Italy, Austria, Hungary and Croatia. Currently we are leading the presidency of EU. There are only 2 million people living in Slovenia, and you can cruise the country from sea-side Primorska to the very north-east part in Prekmurje in some cozy 3 hours drive. We have the sea, mountains, lakes, beautiful green plains, lots of forests, and so much more. The whole Europe in one country!

There are many things that Slovenia and Mexico have in common, except for those few Slovenians that live here. Our history started many years ago in times of Habsburg monarchy, when we shared the same emperor, emperor Maximilliano.

I now live in Cabo San Lucas. The weather is perfect, sunny all the time (in fact we have only about 15 rainy days). I live by the ocean, as I always wanted. The landscape around here is amazing, desert clasping into the ocean, or more exactly two oceans, Pacific and Sea of Cortes. You can see the dolphins and whales swimming by the shore...
But, I'm still tripping for all that urban & European vibes (design, fashion, music, architecture, photography ...), all the things that make your heart beat faster. On these pages I will share them with you.

Hasta la vista!

Enjoy,

Romana