OH MY GOD! Mexico is soooo dangerous!!!

I'm sure that subject line caught some eyes.

Just returned from almost 6 wks traveling in my little 4WD truck in Baja-riding mules and visiting ranchero friends in San Ignacio and the sierra San Francisco, playing lots of music (ranchero stuff!!) and finally had to return to the other side cuz I have to work and make money to return in October.

As some of you know I am not a guy and I travel Baja alone (oh my!) in my truck. Been doing this for 40 yrs sometimes with kids now just me.

This trip was another incredible journey that included kissing 7 baby gray whales (2 trips-Ojo de Liebre and L. San Ignacio), meeting Shari, finally successfully learning to play music with the vaqueros -bajo sexto time!!! (I carry 2 guitars-a mule one and my "special" one), taking part in the first-ever Baseball world series competition in the canyon (La Pintada-Cacarizo) with our team playing against Eve Ewing's team (it ended in a tie cuz our pitcher ran out of tequila too early in the morning pre-game), with the vaqueros taking 27 kids from the ranch boarding school in Santa Marta to Laguna San Ignacio for their first-ever whale watching trip for 2 days, giving a special presentation at the school to the kids on their genealogy and family history in the region, visiting w friends at the Amigos de Californias clinic, camping absolutely alone on the far point at Ojo de Liebre and playing music for the whales, meeting San Ignacio's new "horse whisperer", visiting Juanita's work at the mission rose garden (San Ignacio), doing a 9 day mule trip, more learning to rope from the "experts", meeting new cousins (I am a Marron), giving 3 hrs of ingles lesson to Lupita at R. San Gregorio and reading Dr Seuss in Spanish to the kids there, getting fed way-to-much goat and goat cheese at least twice daily, hauling a vaquero friend north to a dr's appt. in Tijuana, getting lost in the ghetto at night, getting really LOST in Tijuana, eating wonderful shrimp tacos with Antonio "Superman" Munoz and a wild adventure w a little born-again Mixteco Indian woman who was supposed to be my guide at 9pm at night Tijuana (for a 30 minute ride!!!) and then finally with Andy Schouten's help -I dared to CROSS the border at 11 pm...oh my, and I came back with my head attached!!!

As usual I plan my next trip while doing the present trip so this fall its 1 week of English school for Lupita at Rancho San Gregorio and in return I get dancing and roping lessons and get to play a lot of music, a few days of teaching 19 yr old Jorge from another ranch how to read, putting on a Harry Potter Night at the Santa Marta school and presenting a program and materials for heart disease and diabetes education for the parents.....of course a 12 day mule trip is in the works-from San Ignacio to arrive in time for the saint's day festival in San Javier-a cabalgata in the making! Oh and I am taking some new friends out back into the San Francisco's for a 4-6 day "exploration" trip via mules.....oh God, so little time so much Baja. And that's only the tip of my "iceberg"!!!

I feel bad for the many people so terrified of Mexico...I did have my moments of sheer terror while lost at night in Tijuana with the Mixteco Indian woman chattering away at high speed with such a heavy Mixteco accent I could not understand a word she was saying...but EVERYBODY is so nice...even when I stopped at 3 Pemex stations to ask for directions to where I didn't know I was going!!!!

The only unhappy part about going to Baja is that I have to return to the states to work.....

So for all the souls absolutely terrified of Mexico ...you are missing wonderful people, places and times. Your loss....

PS A few years back I gave Harry Potter books to the Santa Marta school so this trip (I am a POTTER FANATIC!!) I mention Harry and wow did eyes light up! At one ranch a 20 yr old girl has been reading Harry Potter to her mother who has very bad eyes and the mother is so excited abt the series!! So this fall I'm putting on a HP night and showing the first video...rumor has it it will be movie night for everybody from the surrounding ranches. I guess I should figure out how to pop a ton of popcorn too!!!

A wonderful report Teddi!

Thanks you for sharing it with us... more please!

VIVA EL CAMINO REAL!

Choir Preaching

WOW!! You are so lucky to get in one piece!!

Are you the gal I helped out years ago whose pickup was rear ended by a runaway wheel from a truck while parked at the side of the road south of Cataviña?

See Baja Bucko when she joined us going to Mision Santa Maria, last May... lot's of photos in some wild country... She was co-driver with that desert mad man, Neal Johns!

OK, DK,
Enough of those secret pictures!

Folks, this was taken when she said "yes!" and I didn't know what to do!

80 year old guys are harmless, you can trust me, ladies!

Quote:

Originally posted by Neal Johns OK, DK, Enough of those secret pictures! Folks, this was taken when she said "yes!" and I didn't know what to do! 80 year old guys are harmless, you can trust me, ladies!

Oh Neal, you just don't want me to kiss and tell, do you, cowboy??

Wow... Super jealous of those margaritas...

Quote:

Originally posted by BooJumMan Wow... Super jealous of those margaritas...

Ed's (Baja's Best Bed & Breakfast, Restaurant & Bar) EL ROSARIO

your energy is really contagious .... fantastic that you are so involved in so many different areas - potter - music - travel -

and I am glad to see that I am not the only one who gets lost in TJ... I had to stop at the same gas station 2 times once - I coud NOT find my way .... it was not fun




but that is part of Baja too !!