Baja Nomad Dia de Reyes Toy Drive 2009

I'll probably be at the game.

[Edited on 12-28-2008 by Ken Cooke]

Long story - either get food and drink, or skip to another post

Thank you very much for all of youre efforts, sounds like you had fun phone shoping

Miette,
Just so you may avoid future gaffes: I live near a Marine Corps Air Station and work with several "no longer active duty" Marines who liked the desert and settled here.

THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS AN EX-MARINE

Or as the bumper sticker many sport says:

"Not so lean, not so mean. Still a Marine."

How many toys do you still need?

Please, we have a Mexicoach City Tour bus to take us to deliver the toys. Please let me know if youre coming.

First of all, Thanks for making the 3rd annual toy drive posible. We have well surpassed (taking into consideration the toys that we have been promised) the number of toys needed for the all the children of the toy drive.
Now for the fun part, the fiesta and toy give away.
The event will be at a little chappel called" De los Santos Martires" located in Lomas Taurinas in Tijuana.
Lomas Taurinas is located between the airport and the UABC.
We would like to know who would like to attend the event.
It will be at 12 noon and we will have tamales, hot chocolate and Rosca de Reyes for everyone.
We have the Mexicoach City Tour bus and police escort



Meet early at the Mexicoach terminal on Avenida Revolucion, 9:30Am and take a tour of the city, visit the Tijuana Cultural Center and toy giveaway at noon and return you to the border.
You do not need to bring a car.
Tijuana and Rosarito area Nomads are encouraged to participate.
Please U2U me if you would like to attend so we can have enough tamales.
Saludos, gracias y Feliz Año Nuevo
Fernando Garcia y familia



[Edited on 1-3-2009 by fdt]

[Edited on 1-4-2009 by fdt]

Quote:

Originally posted by Oso Miette, Just so you may avoid future gaffes: I live near a Marine Corps Air Station and work with several "no longer active duty" Marines who liked the desert and settled here. THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS AN EX-MARINE Or as the bumper sticker many sport says: "Not so lean, not so mean. Still a Marine."

Muy bien, amigo

Nos veremos la 1era de Ene.

Chris and I will definitely be ready and waiting in Tijuana to catch that Mexicoach just like we did when Antoñio and you had your "Taste of Tijuana" tour in Nov. '06. So, look out for us - are we to meet again at the CECUT parking lot the morning of the event? Please let us know...

Here's pictures to remind you when you see two hitchhikers -- to please STOP and let us on the bus.

Chris & wife Miriam @ Santini Gallery




Ken (showing his Nomad affiliation 1/2way around the world)

My amigo Chris will be there, too.

Feliz Año Nuevo

What are the rules governing videotaping in public places?

Bump to the top, brother...

I'm pulling out tomorrow morning, and I can't wait. I will call you, Fernando when I roll into town.

Ken

Cool. Its packed, and ready to go.

I'm leaving later this morning, amigo. Can't wait!

Free tour, free food and drinks and best of all very happy children

we have the bus, we can just go pick you up

Next year.

Dia De Los Reyes Toy Drive w/FDT

On Saturday morning, I left for T-I-J-U-A-N-A. You know, that place, full of killings, mass murder, for what could be described as an event which showed the positivity and cariño y amistad of two neighbors who live side by side, but rarely venture out to greet each other.

At 11 a.m., I left my safe, predictable neighborhood in central Riverside for what has been described in the Los Angeles Times as, "...second only to Baghdad in kidnappings." I drove to Tijuana regardless the latest crop of news articles describing a mega city in decay.

I arrived at my friends home in Soler after stopping for insurance at Instant Mexico in San Ysidro. Business there has been off, with the parking lot remaining mostly empty throughout my time there visiting with my friend Janice.

Two lanes entering Mexico were closed, and a soldier holding a semi-automatic rifle stood at the entryway, waving motorists through the countrys once cheery entrance.

When I arrived at my friend Chris' home, his wife was finishing up a late lunch she had prepared for us. Steaming hot vegetables, baked fish, rice, beans, and tortillas (which we picked up at the neighborhood store). After lunch, we ran a few errands, returning to his house with the local police tracking down a criminal - sirens blaring, pickup trucks flying past us at 40-50 m.p.h. on a 20 m.p.h. street.

We stayed in and by 9:15 a.m. the next morning, we were driving to Discoteca Leyva's underground parking lot on Calle Revoluccion - directly across from a patient Fernando who was puffing on a cigarette and talking logistics. We left by 10 a.m. for a brief tour of Tijuana - visiting highlights such as the Jai-Lai Palace, The CECUT Museum, L.A. Cetto Winery, Tijuana Brewery, and Fernando's hillside home. Fernando's Hillside Home?

Fernando's wife Simone, daughter Sylvia, son Fernando Jr., joined Fernando's other daughters (whose names evade me at the moment), and we loaded up the Mexicoach motor coach which doubled as a Dia De Los Reyes pickup truck. With bicycles and gifts finally loaded (with help of Nomad Scott who was shuttled across the border from San Ysidro, CA), we continued on to Lomas Taurinas - the cite of a horrifying murder of a candidate for the Mexican presidency in 1994. Fact: Luis Donaldo Colosio Murrieta (February 10, 1950 – March 23, 1994) was a Mexican politician, and PRI presidential candidate, who was assassinated during a meeting on his presidential campaign in this mostly poor Tijuana colonia.

As we turned our last turn and headed towards the tiny Catholic church which housed our group for roughly 2 hrs., children stood in the tiny park, waiting for our arrival). Smiling, pointing to their parents, the children began to run alongside the Mexicoach until we came to a stop at the bottom of the steep hill. Finally parked, it took roughly 20 minutes to unload the bus. Once inside, the children were hardly able to sit still, unable to contain their enthusiasm and excitement that so many Nomads packaged (with the help of Mrs. FdT's gift wrapping/labeling abilities).

As a form of welcome, the children performed a special dance they had learned, and with packages sorted into age groups, and boys or girls gifts, the excitement began. As I videotaped the event, off towards the main entrance, a special excitement brewed - DOUG MEANS entered the building! Driving directly from El Rosario that morning with Michelle and his little son, Doug looked road-weary, but satisfied to have made this important once a year event from such a long ways off.

First toys, then bicycles were given out to children of this hard-scrabble Lomas Taurinas area. A special corn and Chocolate drink was served along with a sweet Mexican pastery to the families and children, then Tamales and Coke Classic to the Nomads and staff who organized this event. The church staff, parents, and children thanked us for our generosity. The photos show the happiness we were able to spread to our neighbors south of our international border.

After our brief lunch, we borded the Mexicoach, and promptly dropped Scott at the pedestrian line before returning to Calle Revoluccion where we had to return the bus by 2 p.m. From there, Chris' family and I said goodbye to Fernando and his excellent staff he assembled for this successful day. Everything went smoothly - reminding me of David K and Antoñio Muñoz's "Taste of Tijuana" 2006 event.

From el centro de Tijuana Chris' family carried me to Restaurante China de Oro an excellent Chinese buffet in the center of Solern (directly across the street from Smart and Final). For $5, I had a complete buffet meal - just like the old days in 'Vegas! After typing this article, I plan to walk to the neighborhood market for a few cervezas and call it a night...or weekend - since, tomorrow I return to the land of predictability. Good thing I live so close to Tijuana.

[Edited on 1-5-2009 by Ken Cooke]

Good report Ken

A great big thank you to all Baja Nomads that once again made the Dia de Reyes Toy Drive a huge success. 121 children received toys and we had extras. Wow over 200 toys were delivered yesterday on a beautiful sunny day.

We had the big Mexicoach bus loaded with presents, bikes and Rosca de Reyes, we started out at 10Am with a tour of the city and a little before noon we were unloading the gifts at Lomas Taurinas.
Scot, Ken, CG and family, Doug and family and myself y familia were there. Ket took video and Doug pictures that I'm sure will be posted soon.
Again thank you so much for all that you did.
fernadetijuana y familia

Thank YOU

Thanks fdt et al. for all your hard work. Fernando, sorry I couldn't make the festivities this year. Next year, I promise. I was grateful just to play a small part.

Also thanks to my brother, Kurt, a principal at Escondido High School and former Spanish teacher/translator, also a long time Baja explorer/surfer, for coming with me to bring some of the bikes across. His wife had a nightmare the night before about him getting kidnapped in TJ and almost forbade him from coming. He is in more danger from some of his gangbanger students. (Oops, hope you are not reading this Gina).

Thanks to Grover for making the bikes look so shiny and new.

A great start to the New Year. Let's hope for more positive stories like this out of TJ/Baja in 2009.

smiling kids are good!!!!

Thanks Fernando & Doug for setting up this great program!

I got a big hug a "Thank you"! from a little girl that did my heart good

Thanks to all the Nomads that helped these wonderful kids out & I hope next year you all can come and get a big hug of your own!

It was great to have been involved in this project

I'll post more as soon as I'm able to....

Here are a few...visit Baja Gallery for more.

Dia de los Reyes video

The video is complete. It will be uploaded by 8 p.m. on YouTube.

Is that you, Fernando? Hey, it is you!

I worked like crazy to put this project together yesterday. Now, I'm off to the desert to visit with some of my Baja Grande friends and weld some parts together on another guys Jeep. Enjoy the video, everyone. The title song, "Cuando Vuelvas" is performed by Felipe Pelaez. He is one of my favorite singers.

Enjoy everyone!

-Ken

Those kids sure look happy. Fdt you did a wonderful job, A+. Ken that was a great video. Thanks to everyone who participated in the third annual Baja Nomad Dia de Reyes Toy Drive.

Excellent video, Ken. You should consider a career as an indie film producer. I got a kick out of seeing those round wrapped packages

Quote:

Originally posted by Oso I got a kick out of seeing those round wrapped packages

No one could tell what was inside.

Ferna

some of those funny round things.....

HEY - who are these two ??? - and why are they laughing ???

(Fernando's youngest, Sofia - and my youngest, Ryland)