Before, the downtown buildings were mostly shuttered and abandoned since the sugar plantations shut down decades ago. Now, the buildings are revitalized by shopkeepers selling coffee, pastry, books in English, trinkets and food. Baja is on my future trip list. Baja California is an ideal place for mountain bikes. Practically speaking, there is only one paved highway after you leave the border area.
Most roads are single lane dirt used sporadically by ranchos.
On a previous trip to Baja I waited all day with my backpack to get a ride on a dirt road without any vehicle going in my direction. So this trip I brought my mountain bike. It is a Ritchey with a Blackburn rack. A gallon of water and my sleeping bag went on top of the rear rack. My favorite spots were in crossing the mountain ranges at San Javier and at Narango near the tip.