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Paco Facullo
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Location: Here now
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Mood: Abiding ..........
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A funny story of Pancho
I was reading some vary old post's and found this gem that was posted by Davidk
Pancho of Bahia San Rafael by Carl in Ca
I was cleaning up my email files when I came across a letter sent to me after my New Years 2003 trip report. We helped Pancho get back to his truck,
10 miles away. That promted 'Carl' to tell me a bit more about Pancho's truck. If Carl is reading this please contact me, your email was not attached.
This was a great story, and I think the gang will enjoy it.
I left your last name and city off until hearing from you.
------------------------------------------------------
I've been visiting San Rafael for several years and have gotten to
know Pancho fairly well. One afternoon I was fishing for halibut about
a half mile north of Pancho's. I happened to look south toward the fish
camp and noticed a truck weaving its way up the beach where I was
fishing. Pancho waved then noticed who I was and he stopped to visit.
Poor fella was stumbling drunk. We visited for a while and then Pancho
said he'd better be getting back to his casa. Good plan but
unfortunately he proceeded to get stuck in the sand with the tide
coming in.
I jogged back to my camp and got a shovel and we were able
to get his truck rolling but for some reason Pancho thought he could
make a U turn in the wet sand at the water's edge. Well, he misjudged
his turning radius and instead of completing his turn he drove straight
into the Sea of Cortez where the truck soon died in four feet of water.
I couldn't bear to see the tragedy unfolding before my eyes. It was
painful to behold. I have a little Ram 50 4by4 and I knew I wouldn't be
able to help him out.
So we watched the tide come in while Pancho
waxed poetic about how losing his truck didn't really matter that much
to him. We removed all of his tools and tire repair materials from his
truck and took them back to my camp. After a couple of beers I drove
Pancho back to his casa.
Before going to bed I returned to the site of the mishap and could
barely see the top of Pancho's truck peeking its head above the lapping
waves.
The next morning I returned again to the site of the accident and
shortly thereafter Pancho arrived. The next part is Divine
Intervention. The truck was now in water only up to his hubcaps. He
suggested that we get my little truck and pull him out in true Mexican
"can do" fashion. I told him that I didn't think my truck could
possibly pull him out of harm's way, but I agreed to try. I aired down
to 15 pounds and drove out to the spot. After snapping the rope Pancho
had brought several times in our attempts to pull him out Pancho said he
could get a strong rope from one of the pangueros at his casa. We drove
down the beach, got the rope, and returned to the truck. Incredibly I
was able to pull the truck out of the water and up the beach until the
sand got soft and I couldn't budge him another inch. Of course his truck
had been in salt water for several hours and was going to need major
work.
The next day Pancho got someone from the fish camp to see if they
could pull the truck back to camp but after moving several yards they
too were unable to pull the truck back.
This all happened in April of 02 and in August my brother and I
returned and went to visit Pancho. His truck was parked next to the cafe
but it looked pretty sorry. He said that he was not able to get it
completely out of the high tide line for another two weeks. He was
confident that with the help of some of his mechanic buddies he would be
able to have it rolling soon.
We had to start heading back but we wanted to do something for
Pancho and the young couple who live at the nearby ranch before heading
home. I asked Pancho if there was something I could bring him that
would make his life easier and more enjoyable. He said he could use an
inverter, a colored TV, an antenna and a backpacking tent for the young
couple with a baby. ( I guess the bugs are a nuisance and the tent would
allow them to enjoy the cool evenings without getting eaten alive.)
In November I returned with all the requested items, all brand new,
and Pancho was very appreciative. He gave me a perfect obsidian spear
point as a token of his appreciation. ( I donated it to the L A Bay
museum without telling Pancho) His truck still was not working but it
was getting close. Well, after reading your post I guess he finally got
his truck sort of working, but the saga continues.
I think its great that you are using the internet to draw attention
to the needs of all the wonderful people in places like Playa San
Rafael.
Carl in California
Since I've given up all hope, I feel much better
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Archie
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He was quite a character.
I met him in 2004, while i was doing some work in the area. The day we got to San Rafael he was drunk, of course. That same day he was trying to get
his panga to the beach and got stung by a ray on his left foot, he limped back to his shack and tried to use warm water to ease the pain, but instead
of carefully pouring it on his foot, he thought it would be better if he dip his toes on the pot of boiling water. 
That didn't went well, of course. We had a small first aid kit, but not enough for second degree burns. Then he resourced for another home remedy:
tooth paste on the burn. We had a trained paramedic on the crew, he cleaned and wrapped his foot the best he could but it was painful just to look.
Next day we had to leave, but left him all the painkillers we got and a full bottle of jimador.
We were going N to S from LA Bay to El Barril, but had to track back
because of mechanical issues on the jeep. That afternoon when we got back to his camp, he was (you guessed it) drunk as a skunk singing a very happy
song sitting on his whale throne, his foot the size of a watermelon and red as a boiled lobster. We offered to take him to Bahia to see a doctor, but
he refused. He will be fine, he said.
That was Pancho "El Correcaminos", more famous than flour tortillas.
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basautter
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I only had the honor of meeting Poncho once, and that was 2 years ago. We stopped for a break on a dirt bike trip, and one guy had a bottle of rum.
Poncho's eyes lit up when we poured him a glass, and then he launched into his stories. Great guy, and he will be missed 
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advrider
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He was always good to visit with and get a story from, going to miss that stop. Hope someone else will move in, but that is a hard place to live.
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JZ
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We rolled in on bikes and a truck in late December. Got in about 5pm or so. Pancho came out and we cracked some beers with him. My MX friend broke
out the vodka and made a c-cktail for him. One led to another.
We left Pancho and went down on the beach to setup camp. Shot off a bunch of big bottle rockets around a fire. It was around 10 or 11pm and I was
pretty drunk by this point.
Out of nowhere Pancho appears. He's falling down drunk. I shot a bunch of video of him, my kid, and friend. I was telling him I was gonna set him up
with my widowed mother-in-law. I haven't laughed so hard in a long time.
It got pretty late and my MX friend decided to drive him back up to his house. The dumb@ass got my truck stuck up to the axles and ended up having to
walk Pancho back to his house.
Was a great time. I'm gonna miss him big time.
[Edited on 5-28-2018 by JZ]
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mtgoat666
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From the stories it appears he was an alcoholic.
Sad
If you have friends who are alcoholics, get them help, dont spend your time getting blotto with them, not good for you or the alcoholic.
They may be fun drunks. But they are simply drunks
Woke!
“...ask not what your country can do for you – ask what you can do for your country.” “My fellow citizens of the world: ask not what America
will do for you, but what together we can do for the freedom of man.”
Prefered gender pronoun: the royal we
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motoged
Elite Nomad
Posts: 6481
Registered: 7-31-2006
Location: Kamloops, BC
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Good point, Goat.
Getting drunk isn't what it's cracked up to be ....interesting how people will brag about their state of intoxication due to alcohol....and condemn
pot users.....
I once heard a guy say, "People who get drunk like to hear themselves talk....people who smoke pot like to sit back and listen....".
Use vs abuse....
[Edited on 5-27-2018 by motoged]
Don't believe everything you think....
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willardguy
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Quote: Originally posted by motoged  | Good point, Goat.
Getting drunk isn't what it's cracked up to be ....interesting how people will brag about their state of intoxication due to alcohol....and condemn
pot users.....
I once heard a guy say, "People who get drunk like to hear themselves talk....people who smoke pot like to sit back and listen....".
Use vs abuse....
[Edited on 5-27-2018 by motoged] |
what do think Pancho would say....as if he cared!
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bajadogs
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Since this has been brought up, the alcoholic issue, I would like to opine without judging. Pancho played host to many wayward travelers who were on
vacation in a land where a cold beer between your legs was (is) the norm as the driver pays more attention to the music than the road. I am guilty of
this since I was on vacation 15 years ago and at 10AM, the first time I met Pancho I saw no reason to not open the cooler full of iced Coronas. Can
you imagine how many people like me encouraged his drinking? We did it on vacation, he did it full time because everyone he met was on vacation,
bringing booze, tobacco and pringles and who knows what else?
I was lucky to see Pancho this past November. He looked much better than the last time I had seen him 8 years prior so I had hopes he was healthy. Of
course, I was on vacation and drinking his cold Pacificos. I don't remember him drinking alcohol when I was there. He was charming, gracious,
hospitable, coherent, very engaged and quite sober. Better than me. I was on vacation, pounding his Pacificos while he gave me Spanish lessons. UGH! I
am still stunned at this loss and had not thought of the "alcoholic" thing so much. Thanks GOAT and GED. Beers on me. haha.
Tears dropping.
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BeemerDan
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| Quote: Originally posted by motoged | Good point, Goat.
Getting drunk isn't what it's cracked up to be ....interesting how people will brag about their state of intoxication due to alcohol....and condemn
pot users.....
I once heard a guy say, "People who get drunk like to hear themselves talk....people who smoke pot like to sit back and listen....".
Use vs abuse....
Whatever you say Ged, It's all good, I'm here to listen.
[Edited on 5-27-2018 by motoged] |
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TMW
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As old Blue Eyes use to say "people that don't drink only feel good when the wake up in the morning".
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motoged
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Got me....lapping up a marg at the Serenidad pig roast...thanks for listening 
Don't believe everything you think....
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AKgringo
Elite Nomad
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I never saw Pancho drunk
I first met Pancho in 2012. It was several years before I discovered this forum, and I was navigating by using a AAA road map and asking questions
along my route.
I had given up alcohol several years earlier, and Pancho never had any when I got there, so they were all sober encounters.
I was aware that he liked to drink, so on my way north in late March I included a six pack of Corona with the supplies I brought him. He invited me
to join him for dinner, and had just one beer with the meal that evening.
I am in no way disputing the stories reported here, just adding mine!
If you are not living on the edge, you are taking up too much space!
"Could do better if he tried!" Report card comments from most of my grade school teachers. Sadly, still true!
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BajaTed
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Alcohol and Machisimo, just the way its always been.
And its always ends the same.
Es Todo Bueno
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JZ
Elite Nomad
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Registered: 10-3-2003
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| Quote: Originally posted by AKgringo | I first met Pancho in 2012. It was several years before I discovered this forum, and I was navigating by using a AAA road map and asking questions
along my route.
I had given up alcohol several years earlier, and Pancho never had any when I got there, so they were all sober encounters.
I was aware that he liked to drink, so on my way north in late March I included a six pack of Corona with the supplies I brought him. He invited me
to join him for dinner, and had just one beer with the meal that evening.
I am in no way disputing the stories reported here, just adding mine! |
It's because you brought him Corona. No self-respecting Mexican is gonna drink that.
[Edited on 5-28-2018 by JZ]
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David K
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Pancho was always hospitable and friendly rather drunk or not. I only saw him drunk once, so for me that was not his typical m.o.
That time was in September 2016 and he was down towards the beach with some commercial fishermen. He seemed a bit embarrassed when our four Toyotas
pulled up... but he put on his charm and presented the ladies in our group with gifts of shells. Everyone in our group gave Pancho top marks later
when chatting about our trip.
I first met him in 2002 but had already heard how cool he was from bajaboy Zac, who had been camping there before.
In 2003, my kids and I stopped by after searching for the lost mission to give him some business. Fish tacos and sodas were great. My daughter won't
eat fish... no problem, Pancho made her chicken tacos. It was a great moment and I always let people know it was a worthy stop to make.
Cameron Steele made Pancho's a regular stop for his tour groups and featured Pancho on an episode of his 50 Best of Baja tv show.
He is missed...
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advrider
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I would have to agree, in the 15 or so stops I made over the years I never saw him drunk! Not that it matters to me, he was always quick to greet and
offer a cold beer. In all of those stops I never saw him even drink a beer. Maybe I'm a drunk too, I like to have 3-4-5 beers after a long days ride
in Baja, but can do just fine with water if that is all that is on hand!
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motoged
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Clearly those of us who have had the pleasure of meeting Pancho appreciated his hospitality and resolve in maintaining his home and environs. I don't
think anyone has tried to besmirch his character when commenting on how alcohol abuse shortened his life.
Good times may often include intoxicants....managing that use is what we need to keep track of...
Don't believe everything you think....
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TMW
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I would normally only stop by his place a couple of times a year at most and I don't ever remember him being drunk. We would usually have a beer while
visiting. I have never stayed overnight, I was always on my way to somewhere else. One time I stopped and he needed a battery for his solar system so
I drove to GN and purchased one and took it back to him.
Some times when you are alone for long periods of time having one too many can happen. To help him with those long lonely nights I gave him a Sports
Illustrated swimsuit magazine.
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motoged
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| Quote: Originally posted by TMW | | .... To help him with those long lonely nights I gave him a Sports Illustrated swimsuit magazine. |
Got any more? 
Don't believe everything you think....
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