BajaNomad - "I've been coming here since"

"I've been coming here since"

jrbaja - 7-6-2005 at 03:25 PM

One of the cute things I notice from the gringos down here is that they seem to think they are cool because they have been coming here for longer than someone else.
Thus, most every conversation or new acquaintance they meet starts with "I've been coming here since" or "I've lived here since", yet they have no Mexican friends. :?:

And they are usually surprised when the tourists actually know more about the areas these "been coming here's" live in as the tourists aren't afraid to look around some. Then it's "oh yes, we keep meaning to do some exploring" "but you know, if we leave, nothing get's done around here".
Funny thing is that the people who actually have lived here for some time and have Mexican friends and travel Baja don't use this "cool" approach as they have their priorities based upon an entirely different lifestyle. Most tried to leave the "cool" approach back in the u.s. where they came from and adapt a more "real" lifestyle.
Priorities and being cool to these people is minding ones business, helping when needed, relaxing, fishing, and not seeing any need for "looking cool" to those with less time here or whatever. It just doesn't matter.
And then there are the tourists. And you can hear them in every enclave yelling about "I've been coming here since" thinking that this is what life is about. And then, they actually feel a sense of accomplishment if they have been coming here since before any of the current group has. :?:

I just hope it doesn't go to any of their heads! :light:

fleas

yankeeirishman - 7-6-2005 at 03:32 PM

"I've been coming here since" or "I've lived here since", yet they have no Mexican friends

I hope that you dont mean this...all of us? Not me. I got more freinds in Tulume that a dog got fleas!

Oh good grief

jrbaja - 7-6-2005 at 03:46 PM

of course I don't mean everybody. Just the ones that go somewhere, think it's cool to talk about it (status) and have never REALLY even been there.

And try some PROGRAM or ADVANTAGE for that similar problem! :light:

[Edited on 7/6/2005 by jrbaja]

Bruce R Leech - 7-6-2005 at 07:20 PM

Jrbaja it is called the pecking order. hence chicken coopers.

exactly...

eetdrt88 - 7-6-2005 at 07:59 PM

yea,i've heard that phrase used a few times....it seems like some use it as a kind of status symbol,like they're trying to make sure you know that they were there before you....what i wonder is,how they cannot tell that i really dont care,i mean its pretty obvious aint it....the fact of the matter is none of us were the first ones to be where we are,even if youre in the most remote spot on earth chances are theres a guy waiting to tell you"i've been coming here since".... :lol:

Packoderm - 7-6-2005 at 08:09 PM

Jr, I think you would be using those phrases if you have been going down there since forever. I think the only time it is a real problem to brag about that is if the person is lying.

As for seeing the sights, there are people here stateside who have been here a long time, made a lot of local friends, and yet have never seen the big trees of Calaveras, Whiskeytown, Bolinas, The Sac Delta, and much more. Those people seem to make their lives rewarding in other pursuits. Which is better? It is not for me to say.

capn.sharky - 7-6-2005 at 09:14 PM

I don't have any real American friends in Mexico. If I wanted to learn something from them, I would not have to travel all the way down to Loreto. Besides, the Americans are always telling me how long they have been coming to Baja. Actually, the way most (not all) Americans act, I really don't want them for a friend.

Fatboy - 7-6-2005 at 10:14 PM

Interesting topic, wonder what brought it up?
I would have to agree with Packoderm's point of view. Some people live closer or choose to live there so they get to live that lifestyle much more. Maybe you right, Jrbaja, people do say it for reason and the reason is probably just that they are envious and not as a better than thou statement?
With the exception of Bolinas(what or where is that?) All those places that Packoderm mentioned have a lot to offer.
Darn I wish I could travel more!!! Of course I always go to Whiskeytown and been living here for years soooo there! :lol:

Pac

jrbaja - 7-6-2005 at 10:16 PM

It doesn't matter how long I've been here, what matters is that I hear it so often, generally under bragadoschious circumstances, that it gets just plain annoying. Seriously!
But, it's not just Baja. Seems to go along with many of the resort areas in the u.s. as well. Could be international, could be pride, could be very irritating when used by P-nche gringos :lol:

rpleger - 7-7-2005 at 08:04 AM

I came to Mulege to see a friend and I'm still here.

Good people here, cheap to live.

It happens to be in Mexico.

I didn't come to be with or associate with any group or culture.

I came here to live in peace and have a good time.

If someone ask me a question, I try to answer it as best as I know.

Bruce R Leech - 7-7-2005 at 09:45 AM

you are a good man Richard I enjoy you posts.

Don Alley - 7-7-2005 at 12:30 PM

I know some message boards that are kind of like that. "I've been posting here since..." Some even give you little titles like "newbie" or "elite."

:lol:

jrbaja - 7-7-2005 at 12:49 PM

:lol:

Doug, could you change my eliteness to Non Nomad?

and change mihne to....

Sharksbaja - 7-7-2005 at 12:53 PM

Gomad :lol:

PacO - 7-7-2005 at 01:00 PM

Sounds like you surround yourself w/some real dicks and or spend a tremendous amount of time anylizing them. I suggest you walk away so they don't get your goat.

If that was directed at me,

jrbaja - 7-7-2005 at 01:06 PM

I don't hang around them, just lived in a lot of resort areas including Baja. It is right in front of my face, every day. Especially in the gringo enclaves.
And I post about it with the hopes of opening some eyes. And perhaps make some think about what I say.
They do!

PacO - 7-7-2005 at 01:14 PM

Of course it was directed at you, oh ye of thin skin :biggrin:

I say get thy face in a different place. :light:

How's this for open eyes!

Pretty unlikely.

jrbaja - 7-7-2005 at 01:20 PM

In spite of the negative aspects brought by the P-nches, I still like it here.
After all, busses are being blown up in many neighborhoods in the modern world. Much scarier than a few shallow minded tourists.

PacO - 7-7-2005 at 01:47 PM

Well, it's like my mom told me;"if you can't say something nice about somebody, say something bad about them". :tumble:

Just yankin' your chain a bit.
Glad to hear there is something still positive there for you.

I'm not sure...

bigzaggin - 7-7-2005 at 02:05 PM

which is more bitter: actually using the, "I've been coming here since..." qualifier or calling out others for doing it. One resets the newcomers, the other resents that resentment: Both need a cold Tecate.

And to my way of thinking, both oppose the white-man-in-Baja aesthetic of "We're ENTITLED to nothing."

burro bob - 7-7-2005 at 02:59 PM

I find that when someone uses "I've been comming here since..." It means that I am supposed to be impressed. If they have been coming for a long time, then I am impressed... that their liver and kidneys still work. The only time I find that line appropriate is when someone is trying to describe what someplace like San Felipe looked like way back when.
The other variation on that line is " I have "x number" of SCORE finishing pins. Like running an off-road race is somehow the most challenging and intellectual thing you can do in Baja.
I don't care if someone has been here for a million years or it is their first time down here. If they have done something or been somewhere that I haven't then I can learn something. I use my own experiences and knowledge to filter out what is important and what is male bovine excreation.
burro bob

Dave - 7-7-2005 at 03:13 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by burro bob
If they have been coming for a long time, then I am impressed... that their liver and kidneys still work.

I can't go back because..........

Mike Supino - 7-7-2005 at 03:19 PM

How about you?
I've met a number of ex-pats that for some reason or another are afraid to return to the U.S.

Yep, plenty of them too.

jrbaja - 7-7-2005 at 03:34 PM

They just generally aren't as willing to talk about it :lol:

And Bob, that is funny! :lol:

Baja Bernie - 7-7-2005 at 05:28 PM

Well! I been coming down here since (fill in the blank) and have been guilty of stating that when a newby starts attempting to impress me with the fact that he went surfing way back in the 1990's--this makes me so insecure that I just have to put the twerp in his place.

One guy really peeed me off when he always started counting his time in Baja from the moment he was conceived on the beach in Punta Bandera.

He is also the same guy who would go on and on about the only Gringos who lived down here were drunks who were just waiting to die. Well, he used to be one--but he quit or so he says.

Don Alley,
Please note my status title on this board

Why, I remember Back When....................

MrBillM - 7-7-2005 at 08:11 PM

Yada, Yada, Yada. I'm not sure why someone would get so worked up about an awfully common social trait. Perhaps a Bamboo splinter got stuck in a tender spot and festered.

I hear people everyday say that they've lived somewhere in the U.S. or elsewhere for or since [insert date] and I've never given it any thought, negative or positive. As I said, it's a normal Human thing. I've got membership cards, including my Auto Club card that say MEMBER SINCE ......... My Bank statement says VALUED CUSTOMER SINCE ........... AND ON AND ON AND ON. I see people sport Bumper Stickers that say "Californian since [year]. I've always thought those kind of amusing since myself, both of my parents and two of my grandparents were born in Southern California, but So What ! It seems that there should be something more significant to whine about even in the Bamboo Jungle.

Speaking of Whining. I've noticed that there are a few posters who think that SOME PEOPLE are just SO mean and negative and it causes SO many HURT feelings and a deterioration in the level of social discourse. I'm surprised that anyone that tender could have survived for so many years. I surmise that most of those who feel so hurt are likely Left of Center. There seems to be something about the Lefties that just can't handle criticism. Get a grip. It reminds me of a bumper sticker and t-shirt I see now and then which says "Mean People Suck". The wearer or driver always looks like a refugee from San Francisco in the 60s. "All we are asking is give peace a chance" and other such drivel.

I'm proposing that Doug create a new category. "The Vintage Baja Whinery" so that there is a SPECIAL place for the tears in the beer crowd.

Who's worked up?

jrbaja - 7-7-2005 at 09:13 PM

I just posted that to make people think. And according to your reply, it even worked on you! :lol:

Even Me ??

MrBillM - 7-7-2005 at 09:27 PM

We may and do often disagree, but do you really believe that I don't THINK out what we discuss ?

Now I'm beginning to feel like the "Yanqui Mick". I'm Sooo disheartened by negative thoughts.

And I thought that was pretty funny.

jrbaja - 7-7-2005 at 09:29 PM

Still do in fact. But, time for a root beer float. Hasta ma?ana. :lol:

Haven't heard this phrase much

Gypsy Jan - 7-7-2005 at 09:42 PM

but I think I can understand a little bit where it comes from.

Most Americans are xenophobic. The culture does not encourage them to venture forth from their neighborhood.

Going across town is horrific, venturing to another country (especially a third world one with iffy plumbing) is something that can bring on cold sweats and nightmares.

So, this is a fertile breeding ground for the pontificater; the self-anointed Baja experts who sense and zero in on a newbie and swarm in for the kill, overwhelming and overstimulating the subject with their "expertise".

Diver - 7-7-2005 at 10:49 PM

I've been going to bahaa since........well, I know all about the place anyway.

Bahaa is a cool place but did you know.....
They speak a different kind of mexican over there than on the mainland ?
There is no potable water in the whole place ?
All the people are short ?
There is no electric power anywhere ?
Bandits roam everywhere looking for gringos to rob ?
They don't have toilets down there ? (only oothouses for the Canadians)
The beer and tequila will kill you ? (that one is true !)
Real Tequila makes your skin darker ?
Cuban cigars are really made in Mexico ?
There are no fish in the sea ? (because it's too salty)
All the beds have bugs ?
Jalapeno peppers cause cancer ?
Corona uses urine for color in there beer ?
Panga is mexican for "sinking boat" ?

Ask me anything, I know all about Bahaa !!

A thread that confirms what I've long suspected...

bigzaggin - 7-8-2005 at 10:20 AM

Baja needs new blood: young, unjaded "nomads" who can't pine for "the way it was" because they only know - and love - the way it is now.

As best I can tell, everywhere in the world used to be less crowded, less developed, less accesisble, less known, less fished & surfed and less noisy and if you want to, feel free to spend the balance of your life hiding in the next nook down hoping to go undiscovered by some offensively eager "newbie." May you and your buddies perfect the "Baja scowl."

"I've been coming here since..." Well, however long that is, congrats on still having both axles and have a wonderful rest of your trip.

just like i said before...

eetdrt88 - 7-8-2005 at 08:30 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by bigzaggin
Baja needs new blood: young, unjaded "nomads" who can't pine for "the way it was" because they only know - and love - the way it is now.

As best I can tell, everywhere in the world used to be less crowded, less developed, less accesisble, less known, less fished & surfed and less noisy and if you want to, feel free to spend the balance of your life hiding in the next nook down hoping to go undiscovered by some offensively eager "newbie." May you and your buddies perfect the "Baja scowl."

"I've been coming here since..." Well, however long that is, congrats on still having both axles and have a wonderful rest of your trip.

all those people who continually say that Baja is turning into Southern California obviously havent been in so. cal. in some time....every time i venture south of the border i am reminded of what a totally different world Baja is compared to the one i am surrounded by every day....just like the dude said there is probably no spot on earth that isnt more crowded than it used to be and there are still a ton of spots within the first few hundred miles of the peninsula that i've seen where you can feel about as far away as you want to

all those people who continually say that Baja is turning into Southern California obviously havent been in so. cal. in some time....

Don Jorge - 7-8-2005 at 08:42 PM

Amen! Geez Louise. First they wanted 30 amp service for their RV's, now they don't want us to tell stories. P-nche gringos!

Amen

MrBillM - 7-9-2005 at 11:06 AM

I hear people out here in the desert remark frequently that "It's getting as bad as L.A. out here". All it takes is a drive up to the city to know how WRONG that is.

Don Jorge

Baja Bernie - 7-9-2005 at 01:22 PM

Come to think of it stories are what makes Baja--well Baja!
Didn't start with "The Journey of the Flame" by Fierro Blanco but what a wonderful place to start. Don Jimmy recommended it to me what seems like a long time ago. And then there was "Camp and Camino in Lower California: by Authur North. And...................................the list goes on with each new wave of Gringo's traveling to "The Forgotten Peninsula" by Joseph W. Krutch. I'm sure we will be reading stories by Osprey, Sparksbaja, and Mike Humpresville sooner rather than later.

Yep! It is the stories and the beers that hold it all together for us to enjoy.

Another wave--well try "The Baja Feeling" by Ben Hunter or Jimmy Smiths "The Grinning Garygole Spills the Beans"

bajalera - 7-9-2005 at 09:00 PM

I don't tell anyone when I first came to Baja California unless they ask, but I think about it whenever someone mentions that everybody seems to want it to be just as it was when they first saw it.

There were two or three first-rate hotels at Cabo San Lucas when I first went there, but we were so grungy-looking they wouldn't have let us in. So we stopped at the only refreshment hut in sight and treated ourselves to some warm sodas. (They were out of warm beer.)

So color me deviant, but I like Cabo San Lucas better as it is today.

Lera

Deviants

jrbaja - 7-9-2005 at 09:54 PM

As much as I like the solitude of remote Baja, we had a blast in Cabo San Lucas when we visited. Something different and great food! Lot's to look at too!

Longtimers vs newbies, jaded vs eyes wide

Gypsy Jan - 7-9-2005 at 10:24 PM

Why do people who have minimal experience try to influence others? Gee, I guess that they need the attention.

Baja was a very strange place to me (as a young American) when I first visited.

I decided to shut off my preconceptions and listen and learn and work on communicating with those who work and live in my neighborhood.