Andrea
Meling led me to room 5, which was to be my home at Meling Ranch
for the next three nights, and when I asked her for the key,
she replied, "We don't use keys at Meling Ranch. They're
not needed; we have zero problems with anything getting misplaced."
I was surprised, as you don't find many places where you
don't have to lock up your belongings, and where you can leave
your door open, if you choose, and sleep blissfully in an unlocked
room.
Photo:
Cuerto numero cinco, my room where I enjoyed 3 pleasant
nights at Meling Ranch. Note the table and chairs on the
veranda, and the beautiful landscaping.
If
I could only use one word to describe my motel room, the word
"rustic" would immediately come to my mind, as that
generally describes the room. Its also very large for
a motel room, as it measures about 15 by 20 feet, not including
the spacious bathroom, complete with house-size shower, which
is an oddity in a motel room. However, Meling Ranch is not just
a motel, it's a guest ranch, at a real, working cattle ranch,
located in the foothills of the Sierra San Pedro Martir, in Baja
California, Mexico. The room features a shiny tile floor,
and the windows are adorned with homestyle white curtains, which
add a very homey touch. The king-size bed is covered with
a attractive comforter, and towels, soap and shampoo are placed
on the towels. The towels impressed me, as they aren't
those tiny, paper-thin, variety of towels found at most motels;
these towels are large, thick, and just the sort that you'd
find in your bathroom at home. Oh yes, you can drink the
tap water at Meling Ranch, as the water comes from a nearby
spring.
Photo:
This lovely veranda enjoys uncluttered, spacious seating,
with a view of the mountains in the distance.
There
is no air conditioning at Meling Ranch, but since the ranch
is located at the 4000 foot level, its not really needed. If
your room gets too hot, all you have to do is to open the door
or the windows, and enjoy the breeze. Or better yet, sit
outside of your room, under the covered porch, and gaze at the
beauty of the Sierra de San Martir in the distance. Since
you're facing east, sitting outside in the afternoon will be
very pleasant, and you're guaranteed shade. Room heating
is accomplished by a wood-burning stove! As you walk into
your room, you'll notice the faint aroma of wood smoke, which
is present in every building at Rancho Meling.
Photo:
Looking at the dining room and the distant Sierra San
Pedro Martir from the doorway of my motel room.
Next
to the bed, on the night stand, is a kerosene lamp and a book
of matches. As mentioned in a previous chapter, the ranch's
electrical generator shuts off at 9 O'clock in the evening,
and if you want to read a book or whatever, you'll be doing
it by kerosene lamp. Forget about television, as Meling
Ranch doesn't have any, and if you desire to listen to the radio,
be sure to bring along a battery powered radio that receives
the old-fashioned A.M. band, as you'll have to rely upon receiving
distant radio stations via skywave reception at night. To me, the
wood stove and the kerosene lamp
makes a visit to Meling Ranch more fun.
Photo:
Check out the thick, towels, the sort that you'd find
at your grandmother's, as oppesed to the small, thin typical
motel towels. How many motel rooms feature a kerosene
lamp on the night stand?
Meling
Guest Ranch's accomodations aren't fancy, but they're charming,
clean, comfortable and very rustic, and they ranch is unlike
any other place where I've had the pleasure to stay in my travels.
Photo:
Looking from the bed, this photo gives you an idea of
how large the room really is.
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