Chilli, Skulls and Tequila: Notes from Baja California

Iconic Baja California, surrounded by the pounding Pacific Ocean and crystal calm Sea of Cortez, is an isolated and proud land woven together by ancient myths, legends and amazing true stories. Zoë captures the spirit of this beautiful, awe-inspiring and intriguing place on a solo 3000 mile adventure “on the roads less travelled,” encountering a myriad of surprises along the way.

She quickly falls under its magical spell and discovers the authentic and unique side of Baja and its people, who are so culturally diverse and proudly different from the rest of Mexico.

The landscapes are extreme, sometimes unforgiving, but always spellbinding. Rich fertile valleys merge into arid cacti-strewn deserts. Mountains melt into forests and the wildest beaches and bays, home to the richest diversity of marine life.

Reflecting life "out on the road," Zoë also digs up a treasure trove of her other travel story gems and cleverly intertwines them with this story.

Zoë Cano was born in Hereford, England, in the wonderful ’60s and has had the spirit for adventure traveling from an early age. In the 1980s, needing to find work and stand on her own two feet, she moved to Paris, bought a scooter, and lived there for a decade, working in the film industry and the international events business. For the next fifteen years, Zoë traveled extensively for diverse projects, taking her across the world into Europe, Asia, and the Americas. During this time, she resided in New York, and Boston. She eventually returned to England to continue working in events. Zoë started rowing competitively and took the challenge to skiff the entire length of the Thames from its source in the centre of England to Greenwich. She recently crossed the Peruvian Andes on horseback. She still travels extensively, often taking her beloved Triumph Bonneville motorbike. Zoë lives in West London, close to the river and never far from the next adventure.