Will work for food (and flights) in Baja
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Will work for food (and flights) in Baja
Flying Doctors reward volunteers with beach time
Janice Greene, Chronicle Staff Writer
Sunday, August 13, 2006
(08-13) 04:00 PDT Punta San Francisquito, Mexico -- By middle-of-Baja
standards, the runway was a good one: dirt, with no bushes. The pilot
made a butter-smooth landing, and we were in Punta San Francisquito.
Some time later, (time is a small thing in Baja) I was gliding along
in a purple plastic kayak around the bay. As I peered through the
water at dozens of skates waving over the bottom sand, it occurred to
me that I was getting quite a vacation for less than $400. And I had
the deep satisfaction that volunteer work brings as well.
I was on a team put together by a group of more than 200 folks called
Los Medicos Voladores, ("The flying doctors"). The nonprofit group
makes monthly trips to remote parts of Mexico to hold weekend
clinics. Our team included a pilot, dermatologist, nurse and two
volunteers, including me.
I'd first become interested in Los Medicos Voladores (LMV) because it
was affordable, both money and time-wise. Most volunteer vacations
require at least a week's commitment, and a sizable check. A week's
trip to Mexico with Global Volunteers, which has programs in Dolores
Hidalgo and Queretaro, costs $1,795, excluding airfare. And the
cheapest flight I could find to Queretaro was $716. My check to LMV
was $200, for plane fuel; for the rest of the four-day trip I paid my
own expenses, totaling less than $200.
We left the Bay Area Thursday morning from San Rafael in a six-seat
Piper Aerostar, stopping in Mexicali for customs, lunch and gas, then
on to the town of San Ignacio, about halfway down the Baja peninsula.
Surrounded by the rough, arid Baja landscape, San Ignacio is a
surprise. It's an oasis, with citrus trees and towering date palms.
It's also the closest town if you want to visit the Sierra de San
Francisco cave paintings or San Ignacio Lagoon, a breeding and
nursery area for the Pacific gray whale.
We opened the clinic Friday morning, and patients streamed in. While
one volunteer checked them in, my job was to jot down their symptoms.
With my limited Spanish, this was a challenge, but at the end of the
day my ease with the language had taken a giant step forward.
Spanish, while not required to work with LMV, definitely adds to the
experience.
The patients' problems were pretty much the same ones the doctor
encountered at home: acne, psoriasis and eczema were common. But most
of their complaints had been untreated for years, if ever. Whenever
possible, the doctor was wonderfully inventive with simple,
inexpensive cures. I was surprised to learn, for example, that
repeated applications of duct tape can remove warts.
We closed the clinic in the late afternoon, then strolled around San
Ignacio. It's a comfortable, restful town, with welcome shade
everywhere. Friendly shops provide sunscreen, hats, ice cream and
other necessities for travelers. A couple of restaurants serve
standard Mexican fare and, if you're lucky, you can watch soap operas
while you eat.
The sight to see in San Ignacio is the magnificent church of San
Ignacio de Loyola, built from 4-foot-wide blocks of volcanic rock
taken from the nearby volcanoes, Las Virgenes. Inside are a massive
altar of carved wood and an impressive sampling of religious art from
the 17th century.
Saturday morning, we opened the clinic again and saw patients until
noon, when it was time to head for Punta San Francisquito. Though
sometimes teams work through the weekend, LMV tries to follow a
schedule of a day and a half of clinic work, followed by leisure
time.
There are no real roads to Punta San Francisquito; it's only
reachable by plane or boat. The beach is proof of that -- it's the
cleanest stretch of sand and water I've ever seen. On the curve of a
small bay are a few houses, a restaurant and several palapas, beach
houses with cement floors, doors of heavy canvas and eight cots each.
I chose a cot, took off my backpack and tossed my watch onto a pile
of dirty clothes. Outside was brilliant sun and turquoise water. I'd
brought a book, but reading seemed much too strenuous. I swam, lazed
on the hot sand and paddled my purple kayak.
Dinner at the restaurant was fish caught that afternoon. As with all
my meals on the trip, it was simply prepared and portions were more
than ample. Entertainment was watching the pelicans dive and, when it
got too dark for that, stories around the fire.
My cot was clean and well padded. I fell asleep to the sound of the
waves.
After breakfast and a long walk on the beach, it was time to leave.
We flew back to the States and I said goodbye reluctantly to the rest
of the team. After four days of working and playing together, I felt
as if I were leaving old friends. But I knew I could afford to see
them again in Baja before too long.
IF YOU GO
Los Medicos Voladores, (800) 585-4568, www.flyingdocs.org. Pilots,
doctors, nurses, interpreters and unskilled volunteers are welcome on
regular volunteer trips to Central America and Mexico. Flights to
Mexico are on planes that seat four to six. The flight-sharing cost
for a four-day Baja trip is now $350 (tax deductible), with $150
reimbursement for expenses while in Mexico -- keeping the price about
the same as that in the story. Some knowledge of Spanish is helpful
but not required.
Where to stay
Lodging is arranged by Los Medicos Voladores and their contacts in
Mexico. Some villages pay for lodging for the team. Otherwise, prices
are about $25 to $50 a night. Rooms are often shared.
Where to eat
Restaurant meals are home-style and cost about $5-$10. Local people
usually provide the team with at least one meal and sometimes all.
What to do
In addition to clinic work, Baja trips have included fishing, whale-
watching and excursions to see cave paintings.
To comment, e-mail travel@sfchronicle.com
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