Dia de Reyes Toy Drive

It's only 2 days away.

how many

nomads are coming down from north of the border?

how many are going from ensenada?

inquiring minds want to know

This event is on come hell or high water! Bring your umbrellas and rain slickers
and don't forget that India Bonita is BYOB if you so choose.

Thanks Nomads

Sorry, but no... I am sick with a cold so I will not bring my germs to Baja... You guys have a great day... the niños are sure lucky to have you thinking of them! I nominate you Saint Ferna

Quote:

Originally posted by David K I nominate you Saint Ferna

but there already is a san fernando

oh yeah. this will be santo ferna.

missed that

Quote:

... the niños are sure lucky to have you thinking of them! I nominate you Saint Ferna

Feliz Dia de Reyes a todos

Dia De Reyes. Remembering the day when the Three Wise Men following the star to Bethlehem, arrived bearing their treasured gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh for the Baby Jesus.


Ay, ay, ay, ay, Feliz Dia De Reyes


Feliz Dia de Reyes to all the wonderful people who gave from their heart and also to those who couldn’t but were there in spirit. And to all the behind the scenes people who travel to and fro picking up the gifts, delivering them, cataloging them, wrapping them. To those who stay up late nights fretting if it will come off or not. To those who do anything to bring this day forward you deserve a round of applause for your hard and dedicated work.

Quote:

Originally posted by fdt For those in Ensenada preparing all of this, gathering children, preparing the gathering place and meal and organizing everything on that end.

Thank you for those in Ensenada preparing all of this, gathering children, preparing the gathering place and meal and organizing everything on that end.

[Edited on 1-8-2008 by fdt]

Informal Dia de Reyes Report/w-pictures

Dia de reyes report

Thank you all.
Before anything else, I'd like to thank everyone that made this years Baja Nomad Dia de Reyes Toy Drive a success, again it is just an idea that took form and hopefuly it will be always an annual event.
We had our first event in Lomas Taurinas (Tijuana) and this second one in Punta Banda (south Ensenada) and it was decided that way with the feedback received from you. This toy drive was for the children whose families lost everything due to the mudslides that were followed by the October fires and for some very very needy children some of wich had never been inside a restaurant.
The Punta Banda nomads were / are great, they organized the kids, the restaurant and made it all posible on that end. The Nomads up north provided us with toys and some even provided us with economic support $ that even thou was not required, insisted and yes, it did come in handy. Without the help of all of you this would not be possible, you are all one heck of a bunch of beautiful people. Thank you all, thank you all.
I don't want to exclude any names so I am not going to mention them. I have to wait for Simone to post her message. but I can say that from the bottom of my heart I love you all.
I'm going to post a few pictures that Simone took at the event, I'm sure Doug and bajamigo who were also taking pictures will post soon (it took Doug 2 months to post last year's pictures ) And once again I can say proudly that I forgot to take pictures because I was to busy giving out toys.
This was also a great opprtunity to put faces on the names we all know from here and I have to say, they are all beautiful ones. One Nomad had a special gift for me, an official boy scout knife, beautiful, and then I got all emotional, you see, just to see those wonderful children, to see in theire faces and feel with them the expectation and share in the joy of the new toys is something that tops even the greatest earthly experience. I sometimes have said that touching a whale is something everyone has to experience in life, well join us next time on the Baja Nomad Dia de Reyes Toy Drive and you'll know what I mean
fernadetijuana

We all met at Lloyds parking lot , loaded the bikes on to the trucks, stoped at Hotel Pueblo Amigo to pick up the freshly baked Rosca de reyes and of course took the free road south, no armed comandos to be seen, thire scared of rain.
Those on this trip learned how to avoid the Rosarito toll booth by entering the infamous toll road in Puerto Nuevo.
As the proposed tour stated, our first stop after entering Ensenada on 10th street was Chapultepec hills for the view.





Then it was on to the Riviera del Pacifico for a historical tour and then the must have tacos before hitting the road south to Punta Banda. Once there the kids were already beeing served, the introductions were made and it was on to eat and afterwards hand out toys

Here is grover, Danielle, Fernando and in the background Doug, Ryland and Sofia



Danielle sorting out gifts



Kids getting in line (very orderly) to start receiving gifts



Bike recepients getting ready for theire surprize



Outside for the bike giveaway, grover making some final adjustments

Everybody lgathering arround to get theire bikes, WOW
( Dennis, notice the back pants pocket, is it a wallet or a can? )



One happy little person



Another




Hmmm? Should I have picked a different color?



Getting a good fit



Check out this small future Motocross Champ getting ready, look at the expresion on his face.



Look at him hit that curve

Looks like a can of pepper spray in the right pocket.

Thank you, Grover!

The kids are getting excited.


Saying grace. (Many never saw the inside of a restaurant in their lives)


Dennis, Bob and Big Mike enjoying a champurrado


BajaCat arrives with some of the loot!


Let the games begin..


BajaCat makes a kid happy as Grover looks on


Ferna tries to make a getaway!


Thanks also to Cardon for the great video on multiple posting.

A HUGE thank you to Fernando, Simone and family for all your efforts to make this happen now for two years straight.

As well, enough can't be said about the fine location, abundant Dia De Reyes food, and gifts provided for the kids yesterday by those in the Punta Banda area. That was great! Thank yous (and kudos) certainly to BajaBound2005, Bajamigo, and Dennis for championing things locally. You certainly went above and beyond with all your efforts, leadership and support.

Thank you to the Pueblo Amigo in Tijuana for providing 2 large Roscas de Reyes for yesterday's event. Very much appreciated.

And more than anything else, THANK YOU to EVERY BAJA NOMAD that participated - one way or another, large or small, in-person or simply through your good thoughts for the day. Your support is what made this a successful event again this year. What a wonderful way for us all to come together.

And now, some more photos....

There was a substantial cloud/fog bank along the toll-road at El Mirador. This is on the way down the hill from El Mirador, past Salsipuedes.




The stop for the view on the way into Ensenada:




The bikes in the back of Bajacat's truck...


Inside the room of the Riviera where the casino action took place...


Detail of a painting on the wall at the Riviera...


Old photo on the wall showing the Riviera at the time was beachfront property....


And a picture yesterday showing a mutli-story building being built on what was formerly the beach (or in the bay?). Anyone know what they're building? Just curious.


















A plaque at the Riviera states the Margarita c-cktail was invented at the bar here in 1948 (there are many claims as to where this drink originated however):


The outdoor patio and fireplace...


Bajacat checking the tire pressures on the bicycles when we arrive...




BajaBound2005 (pink shirt), Bajamigo (standing, blue shirt) and Dennis (seated, right)




































Sylens:






MrsFDT:


FDT / MrsFDT's son Fernando - taller now than both mom and dad:










View of the mountains in the vicinity with the clouds along the peaks...


[Edited on 1-8-2008 by BajaNomad]

Just wanted to recognize Grover as well, who spent significant time in 2007 acquiring bicycles from others - and then fixing them up to be in very good, usuable condition... and then made multiple trips to Chula Vista to drop these off in the past few weeks.

Your contributions and efforts were truly above and beyond. It was very good to have you join us yesterday. Thanks so much.

--
Doug

Ok, It's time for the truth to be known, last year we had an annonimous bicycle donor and that donor has now come out in the open so I have to tank Nomad grover as he was also the bike donor from last year

So Grover has come out the closet? thats what you mean FDT

Radio Show

I'll be talking all about the toy drive in tonights show.
Conected and ready to go.

You are Beautiful!

Im sorry for having been so scarce on here since Dia de Reyes. Many of you know I have begun the new year with a new job, which has me leaving in the early morning and returning late evening. But I would like to add my thoughts.

It was a wonderful day. We, the Nomads, accomplished what we set out to do, but I still cant help but feel that I could have done more.

I was very sadened to see children so close to the richest country in the world with no shoes or coats. Those are so basic of necessities that we take them for granted. It was certainly a wake up call for me. I will never complain about my children wearing handme downs again. They are warm, safe and happy and now complaining about anything seems so petty.

Some of the wonderful pictures were a raw reminder for me. Im just now seeing them.

Im on a new mission: I am going to take the picture of the children with no shoes or coats to my new office and hit everyone up for their goodwill stuff.

If any of you want to send your giveaway stuff too I would most humbly except it. I will put a list of most needed items at the end of this post.

Even now it's raining and I think about these kids and theyre families in soggy wet shanties doing their best to keep the fire, while avoiding filling the place with smoke.

The honest truth..... I remember rainy days in a tent watching my father do the exact same thing for me. I was just a kid and he did the best he could. And no, we werent camping, we were living. I had shoes and a coat.....So we werent that bad off. But no child should have to think about things like that.

While we were there, Doug and I chatted casually with the woman who runs the orphanage with her husband. She filled in a lot of the back ground of who and where these kids come from. They are the children of mostly Oxacan indians that are here working the fields. They setup make shift homes right in the fields and do with what they have. Which obviously isnt much.

The orphnage is pretty much a day care with only a few children that actually live with the couple. None of them are actual orphans, from what I understood.

I feel badly that I havent contacted her, since I promised when we were there. I will do that right after I post this.

She does read this board from time to time and was very happy and surprised to find out that it was the Nomads that had come that day to give gifts to her kids.

See... you never know who you are giving to. It I suppose it doesnt matter who, so long as you recognize the need and if you are in the capacity to fill it, then you do. Life can be so simple if you let it.

Blankets or sleeping bags
Cloths
Childrens shoes all sizes
Coats
Gloves
Socks

These are the most basic and immediate needs for the kids and theyre parents. Remember that they are small people so even older childrens (teenage) cloths would do well to fit the parents.

The orphange will have a website soon, that will list these and any other items they have an immediate need for. I will post any new information in a new thread, after I have had a chance to talk with them.

Thank you so much. ALL OF YOU! Fernando and I started with an idea but YOU brought it to fruition. He and I in no way would have been able to come up with so many items on our own let alone find these people, transport and give.

The blessings are yours, my hope is that you see them returned to you throughout the year.

Thanks
Simone