security
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missing Baja
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!
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gnukid
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flag
[Edited on 8-3-2010 by gnukid]
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security
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Great shot gnukid where is that photo taken?
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Osprey
Ultra Nomad
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Location: Baja Ca. Sur
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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.”
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security
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Great writing Osprey! You should write a book! If its anything like the above I'd read it!
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wilderone
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No. You start collecting maps and books, planning your next trip.
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RnR
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| 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.
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Skipjack Joe
Elite Nomad
Posts: 8084
Registered: 7-12-2004
Location: Bahia Asuncion
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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.
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Marc
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 2802
Registered: 5-15-2010
Location: San Francisco & Palm Springs
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Mood: Waiting
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| 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.
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grace59
Senior Nomad
Posts: 614
Registered: 9-14-2004
Location: San Felipe, Baja, Mexico
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| 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! Hope you get the chance to
go back soon.
Whenever I hear that rainy, chill wind blow. I think it may be time to head for Mexico. Tengo que obedecer mi corazon!
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bajaguy
Elite Nomad
Posts: 9247
Registered: 9-16-2003
Location: Carson City, NV/Ensenada - Baja Country Club
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Mood: must be 5 O'clock somewhere in Baja
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| 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!!!! 
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bajaguy
Elite Nomad
Posts: 9247
Registered: 9-16-2003
Location: Carson City, NV/Ensenada - Baja Country Club
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Mood: must be 5 O'clock somewhere in Baja
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| 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!!! 
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BajaBlanca
Select Nomad
Posts: 13196
Registered: 10-28-2008
Location: La Bocana, BCS
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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 ????
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David K
Honored Nomad
Posts: 64848
Registered: 8-30-2002
Location: San Diego County
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Mood: Have Baja Fever
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It's called "Baja Fever" and there is NO CURE!  
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grace59
Senior Nomad
Posts: 614
Registered: 9-14-2004
Location: San Felipe, Baja, Mexico
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| Quote: | Originally posted by David K
It's called "Baja Fever" and there is NO CURE!
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Which is something for which we can all be thankful!
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! 
Whenever I hear that rainy, chill wind blow. I think it may be time to head for Mexico. Tengo que obedecer mi corazon!
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irenemm
Senior Nomad
Posts: 623
Registered: 7-16-2009
Location: vicente guerrero, baja
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Mood: relaxed
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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
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Mexitron
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 3397
Registered: 9-21-2003
Location: Fort Worth, Texas
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Mood: Happy!
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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!
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security
Newbie
Posts: 8
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| Quote: | Originally posted by grace59
| Quote: | Originally posted by David K
It's called "Baja Fever" and there is NO CURE!
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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! |
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