boe4fun - 12-3-2011 at 09:58 AM
Hola Nomads, I'm back home after about a 5 week stay in Baja. Kirk Douglass (another clinic volunteer) and myself crossed the border on Oct. 25th,
after spending about 2 1/2 days trying to arrange to get the 18 boxes of Orthotic and Prosthetic parts and supplies along with 1 electric wheelchair
into Mexico. It seems that the SAT (I'm told this is the Mexican counterpart to the IRS) listed all of the boxes and items as commercial rather than
donations in the paperwork that was presented to Aduana (Mexican customs). This, I was told only 2 days before the crossing, would require me to hire
a broker to have all of the stuff moved across the border by their truck, and then I would have to pick it up in Tijuana. Anyway, I decided to try
and run the border with the stuff, as we had done that several times before. Well, that didn't work, we were turned back at Tecate, San Ysidro, and
finally at Otay Mesa. I then called Greg Edwards, who runs Mobilize Mankind in Los Cabos to find out how to go about getting all of this stuff down
to our La Paz clinic. The next morning we had to go to the broker (a trucking company in San Diego), offload all 18 boxes and the wheelchair, and
then HAD TO INVENTORY EACH BOX WITH THE BROKER! This took about 4 1/2 hours. The next morning we called the broker and he informed us that all of the
boxes were in their warehouse in Tijuana, so we crossed at Otay Mesa, picked up our cargo, and were finally on our way.
Kirk had never driven down the peninsula, so I stopped off at several places of interest along the way - missions, mission ruins, cave paintings,
museums, and the ruins of the only schoolhouse in the world constructed of onyx. We got into La Paz on a Saturday and went to the clinic to begin to
clean up, organize, and drop off all of the new parts and supplies we had brought down. Brad, Dr. Bob, and Marvin (from Guatemala) all arrived that
Sunday and the clinic began on Monday and ended 12 days later on Friday, Nov. 11th. Some of the volunteers flew in/out of La Paz during the clinic as
they could only spend a week or so working there. Two of the volunteers (Garth and Jim) even rode their motorcycles down from the US. They hit a
rainstorm in North Baja and had quite the adventure. We managed to make 22 prostheses, 1 PTB brace, 2 floor reaction AFO's (below the knee braces), 1
regular AFO, and 2 TLSO's (body jackets).
After the clinic I stayed on for a few extra days to clean up and prepare for our next clinic in the spring, probably in March. I left La Paz on
Wednesday about noon, stopped off at Loreto to see a couple of people, and got as far as Playa El Requeson on Bahia Concepcion where I camped and
spent the night under a palapa on the beach. The next day I drove on to Bahia Asuncion, on the Pacific side of the peninsula, to spend some time at
our trailer. I spent the next 2 days just decompressing from the clinic, managing to read 3 great novels. After that, days were spent just cleaning
up the lot, working on the trailer and my 13 1/2' boat for the usual maintenance/cleaning, etc. I also saw a little girl that we had made a body
jacket for (she lives near Bahia Asuncion), and since I have a small workshop there, that's where we decided to fit the jacket.
When I left Bahia for the USA, my friends and fellow Baja Nomads Zoe, Sirena, Izaak and I caravanned back as far as San Quintin together. The next
morning I held a mini-clinic at the Los Pinos Ranch and delivered one of the above knee prostheses we had made in La Paz, along with casting/measuring
a below knee amputee for a new prosthesis to be delivered at a future Flying Sam's clinic. Then I drove on back to the border, crossing at Tecate
that afternoon, which only took a total of 15 minutes!
Got to my daughter Courtney and son-in law Jonathan's place in Poway and visited with them and grand-son William for the night and then it was back
home to Margaritaville the next morning. It was a great trip, but it's even greater to be back home. Paul
shari - 12-3-2011 at 11:07 AM
I just want to personally and publically thank Paul for all he does here in Baja...he selflessly spends tons of time and money helping folks...this
little girl will now be able to sit up thanks to Paul....thanks for being you Paul.
goldhuntress - 12-3-2011 at 11:31 AM
That is really cool! I was going to ask what a body jacket was, nice pic, beautiful girl. Great work Paul.
boe4fun - 12-4-2011 at 01:53 PM
Awwww Shucks
Yeah, but he just might be a hoarder
Howard - 12-4-2011 at 05:17 PM
Paul may be a humanitarian and all around good guy but he still has my dogs Frisbee which he keeps promising to give back to my yellow Lab, “Gringo
the Dingo.” So Paul, when are you going to give it back? 
shari - 12-4-2011 at 06:17 PM
I know he is trying to find a ride for it down to Loreto
actually I think he gave us one to hold for you till you make it back up
boe4fun - 12-5-2011 at 09:31 AM
Shari's correct Howard, I dropped off that floppy frisbee for Gringo several months ago. It's at the Blowhole B&B just waiting for you guys to
come back to BA and pick it up (and to go fishing of course!).
Kudo's, Team!
El Vergel - 12-8-2011 at 01:27 PM
Outstanding Trip Report! Thanks to the Clinic Team for a fabulous humanitarian job, well done! boe4fun, thank you for this post. Beautiful stuff,
amigo's!
[Edited on 12-8-2011 by El Vergel]