BajaNomad

missing Baja

security - 8-2-2010 at 05:16 PM

So.... we have been home for 3 months now and we still can't stop thinking about Baja and miss it immensely! For all those who have been, how long does it take before you don't miss it so much? Does that feeling ever go away? :( LOL!

gnukid - 8-2-2010 at 05:19 PM

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[Edited on 8-3-2010 by gnukid]

DSC_8663.jpg - 43kB

security - 8-2-2010 at 06:14 PM

Great shot gnukid where is that photo taken?

Osprey - 8-2-2010 at 06:37 PM

Missing Baja

Bernie Swaim has a book titled “Remembering Baja” or something close to that. I might write a book about what I don’t, can’t remember about Baja. Missing Baja might be appropriate; each trip down here, from 1969 on would find me at my favorite beach or resort usually with a fishing rod in one hand, a beer in the other. I do have a ton of fond memories but during a large part of each adventure I was in a state I call “Comfortably Numb”.

I was a teenager in the ‘50s but I couldn’t get the hang of pot, pills or acid – alcohol was my drug of choice. It was portable and affordable – that’s all I needed to know about it. When I drove down the peninsula I would stock up on the stuff at select stores on the way. One such stop was a liquor store in San Felipe where I remember buying 2 half gallons of vodka, 2 cases of beer, a gallon of wine, lots of mix and pop, 4 bags of ice, a liter of Gran Marnier, a liter of good Jamaican rum. The total bill = $30.40 dollars.

In the early days my favorite pop was Boing. It was pure fruit juice/nectar and the fructose kept me hopping and happy. By accident I discovered that if one drank Boing with vodka and moved at a leisurely pace one could maintain a respectable demeanor, an enjoyable feeling of well-being. If you drank a large amount, then swam or ran or played games it seemed to heighten your energy level but if you stopped, the sugar/ethanol combo reversed itself and you were instantly plastered – as in falling down stupid wasted.

Perhaps it is a convenient cop out that I do not recall my use of alcohol causing accidents, harm to me, others, equipment. Having said that I do wonder just how much I missed. I know I did a lot more sitting, listening to music or just the sounds of the day on the beach than I did swimming, snorkeling, diving.

I think, especially long, long ago, Baja and it’s beaches was a very forgiving place. A place where you did not have to worry about using good, sober judgment all day to keep yourself and your companions safe and happy. The worst consequences for over-imbibing were missed appointments, late comings and goings which did not seem to shatter anybody’s world – your plan was to get up early, drive to Mulege for ice – you made the trip but two days later. You planned to take 3 days to travel home; you put off your departure and drove straight through in 1 day and night……

So I guess, overall, I have few regrets about the drinking. My liver can’t argue – it is a mean organ and deserves punishment. I can say that if my remembrances are not well defined, clear and distinct, all things with perfect edges, the overall effect was relaxed and enjoyable. The words are lost on me but the tunes still play in my head, the colors still glow brightly in my memory bank if shifted just a tiny mark from the real spectrum.

Over time I have learned that it is necessary to continually give disclaimers. On this little piece I’ll remind you that my headstone has already been ordered. It is engraved: “Don’t go by Me.”

security - 8-2-2010 at 07:41 PM

Great writing Osprey! You should write a book! If its anything like the above I'd read it!

wilderone - 8-2-2010 at 07:49 PM

No. You start collecting maps and books, planning your next trip.

RnR - 8-2-2010 at 09:13 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by security
Great shot gnukid where is that photo taken?


I think that the photo is of La Paz. It looks like the new church (cathedral?) that is being built about eight blocks back from the malecon. The copper roof was just added last year.

Skipjack Joe - 8-2-2010 at 09:19 PM

I've got a friend who loves the northwest so much that he bought himself a cd of crying loons which he played at night before going to sleep.

To me it seemed like self flagellation.

Marc - 8-2-2010 at 09:44 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by security
So.... we have been home for 3 months now and we still can't stop thinking about Baja and miss it immensely! For all those who have been, how long does it take before you don't miss it so much? Does that feeling ever go away? :( LOL!


From northern California the drive is what gets to me. After most trips I swear never again. Not only Baja, but the Sierra Madre in Sonora and Chihuahua as well. After only a few days though, I get the fever to return. Most everything between is just waiting.

grace59 - 8-3-2010 at 06:43 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by security
So.... we have been home for 3 months now and we still can't stop thinking about Baja and miss it immensely! For all those who have been, how long does it take before you don't miss it so much? Does that feeling ever go away? :( LOL!

It never goes away! The longer you are gone from Baja the deeper the ache and the stronger the yearning! I suggest that you simulate the Baja experience to appease those yearnings by turning up the heat, playing a tape of the sea, fixing up some fish tacos and, of course, opening up an icy cold Mexican beer! I'm going to Baja in dos dias mas!:D Hope you get the chance to go back soon.

bajaguy - 8-3-2010 at 06:57 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by Marc

From northern California the drive is what gets to me. After most trips I swear never again.





Marc......we make the trip from Carson City to Ensenada in one day....what keeps me going is the cold Pacifico waiting for me in the fridge!!!! :P

bajaguy - 8-3-2010 at 06:59 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by security
So.... we have been home for 3 months now and we still can't stop thinking about Baja and miss it immensely! For all those who have been, how long does it take before you don't miss it so much? Does that feeling ever go away? :( LOL!





Nope, that's why we bought our place in Ensenada!!! :bounce:

BajaBlanca - 8-3-2010 at 07:14 AM

can I gloat about how lucky we are that Les found La Bocana and that we get to live in Baja Sur ... and that it is never really either too hot nor too cold .. and that I can count on one hand the number of cloudy days we have had in the last 4 years LOL ... and that our room has a 180 degree view of the ocean and the lagoon .... can I gloat ????

David K - 8-3-2010 at 07:46 AM

It's called "Baja Fever" and there is NO CURE!:o:coolup::yes:

grace59 - 8-4-2010 at 06:54 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by David K
It's called "Baja Fever" and there is NO CURE!:o:coolup::yes:

Which is something for which we can all be thankful!:bounce::bounce::bounce:
No one has been crazy enough to attempt a cure...no telethons, no fundraising car washes, no pledge gathering runs...the only thing we need to raise is a beer! :lol:

irenemm - 8-4-2010 at 04:56 PM

OH but there is a cure
It is called living here.
come and join the fun. If you stay in the Vicente Guerrero area sometimes we even have the great fog of My Home Town San Francisco so you can get the best of both worlds.
Get rid of the Baja Fever and at the same time that home sickness.
Stop by sometime
Irene

Mexitron - 8-4-2010 at 05:10 PM

I love how time stretches waaaaaayyyyy out in Baja...don't know why that is but it sure makes vacations seem a lot longer. We went to Marfa, TX last week...interesting vibe there, if you get my drift. Its the only other place where i've experienced time slowing down so much---I've even got that groggy all thumbs Baja type hangover. Marfa isn't Baja but it helps take the edge off my aching heart!

security - 8-4-2010 at 07:15 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by grace59
Quote:
Originally posted by David K
It's called "Baja Fever" and there is NO CURE!:o:coolup::yes:


So what you are all saying is it is hopeless, once you have the 'fever' you have it forever! I guess there are worst things to catch! I envy all of you who get to live in Baja!:(

For the time being it looks like the only cure for us seems to be a good dose of Baja every year!:tumble: