First off, thank you so much to everyone for the kind words about the posts and writing; that means so much. I’ve never written anything before; this is a first. I just write what’s on my mind and heart and Shannon is my editor.
Marissa has been pinned down by weather. We have been waiting out some wind here in Bahia de Los Muertos and staying on the boat. It’s been three days now and we’re ready to do something, LOL. We don’t have internet, but there’s a fishing boat here and we have been pirating theirs, LOL. I thought I’d write about some of the positive things thus far because it hasn’t been ALL crazy. One of the best parts of adventure is the people you meet along the way and we have met some beautiful people so far. If you have traveled Baja or Mainland Mexico before, you will relate. If not, you should come see for yourself. The Mexican culture is a special place. The people have a way of welcoming you and making you feel like there’s more to life than just things. There’s a sort of barter going on, of feelings and vibe. They don’t take life for granted and they don’t just live in the “Me”. They are more interested in showing love and much more giving of feelings than I’m used to in the states. It seems to me like they want to trade that good vibe, theirs for yours, if you will stop and pay attention.
We met a man walking on the beach in Los Frailes. He stopped Shannon and I, and just wanted to talk. Hmmm, an interesting concept. He was generally interested in who we were and where we came from what we were doing there. We told him our story and he listened. Wow, someone not too busy to stop and care. I guess it’s just been so long since I’ve felt that, that I was almost uncomfortable and wanting to move on. It was a social interaction I haven’t felt in some time. Everything is done on a computer or phone these days; I felt lost, somewhat. Then he told us his story. He was from Vera Cruz, Mexico and was traveling with his three children, all between 8 and 15, his wife, and mother and father in law. They had taken a train across the Yucatán peninsula, rented a van, and camped all the way across Mexico, to Mazatlan. Then they shipped their camping gear to La Paz, while they took a ship. They picked up their gear and rented another van to travel throughout Baja, camping. It sounded like they were having the time of their lives, spending time together as a family. I was so glad he stopped to talk to us. It’s those times that have made this adventure worth doing.
When we were in San Jose Del Cabo, we went to town several times and we figured out that Thursday was the night that everyone came to the town square. There were people of all ages there, just spending time as people together, not staring at some laptop screen, but having real life social interaction. There were groups of teenagers playing games and there was one group of young boys skateboarding, trying to olley over a stack of skateboards. It was a site you won’t see very often in the states; not these days. Maybe in all of our trying to be right on things in politics, this movement or that movement, maybe, just maybe, we’ve lost something along the way. The Mexican people haven’t; its alive and well for sure. They seem more interested in giving, rather than receiving. Maybe in all our fighting over this and that we have lost the real meaning of life itself. I don’t know, but maybe being right isn’t so important after all. Maybe family and being kind to each other is more important than being right.
We had breakfast this morning at the restaurant here, where we’re anchored. It’s nothing too special from the outside, but the people inside were another story. From the minute we walked in, we felt like they were happy to see us. It wasn’t just to get our money. Honestly, it was more than that. They just cared, it seemed, at least to me. When my breakfast came out, I was floored how much love was put into it. It was obvious. There was a moment when I made eye contact with the two girls back in the kitchen and I gave them a simple thumbs up and in return I got these great big smiles. There was this exchange between us that went far beyond money or a tip, it was people appreciating people. I don’t know what I’m really trying to say, it’s hard to put down in words, but I can tell you it’s something these people have and something many of us have lost along the way. It’s been a breath of fresh air living here with this culture. Yes, there’s good and bad everywhere and if you look, you can find it, but as an over all vibe, it’s been nice being away from all the fighting and living instead amongst these people. They have given me a new sense of hope in humanity.
A new boat pulled in to anchor today and we took the dinghy over to say hello. It was Sally and Glen on Dorothy Marie, a boat from our former marina, Pier 32. We stopped and talked with them; it was nice to see people from home way down here.
We leave for some islands up north of La Paz tomorrow, so with the boat ready to go, we took the dingy over to a secluded beach we have been going to for snorkeling and spear-fishing. I had noticed lots of drift wood. So, with some hotdogs and chips, off we went. It was one of the coolest times we have had together, Shannon and I. I made a raging fire and we had the place to ourselves. Life on Marissa has had some challenging times but don’t be fooled; we are having a great time.
Until next time, peace everyone. Oh, and PS, sorry we haven’t been able to respond to your replies; we don’t have reliable internet, other than the stuff we pirate, and it’s sooo slow. We will catch up when we get to La Paz.
