Here in the Baja…

Here in the Baja there are…
People who are gentle, wonderful, and kind.
Stunning desert greens and browns, fresh after rain.
Endless postcard beaches to camp on for free. This is being written at one.
Ramshackle food stalls that would put most high end restaurants to shame.
Tacos. Fish tacos to die for. Shrimp tacos to sell your soul for. Tripe tacos, pork tacos…. Tacos that make me realize that I never knew what a taco was.
Aguachiles. Raw shrimp, sliced and cooked in the acid of lime juice and some water. Slices of raw onion, hot chile pepper flakes. Unbelievable and out of this universe!
Crazy narrow main roads, complete with huge surprise speed bumps (topes) and potholes. These are quite exhilarating when passing an oncoming freight truck on a blind switchback.
Clean rooms in posadas (inns) that cost less than camping.
Military checkpoints on highways where your vehicle may or may not be happily searched by a young soldier in camouflage, accompanied by another with an assault rifle. They usually wave you right through and are part of the government’s war on drugs.
Roadrunners that really run down the road. Still looking for Wile E. Coyote.
Buzzards. On cacti.
Cacti that are forty feet high.
Amazing shells on the beach.
Incredible night skies, with moon crescents on the bottom, not the side.
Whales. A lot of whales. Saw hundreds on the whale tour, cows and calves that came right up to the boat. Yesterday morning, just before sunrise at Playa Tecolote, Finn and I were out for our morning constitutional when a small whale surfaced about a hundred yards from the shore where we were camped!
Pelicans everywhere. Diving for fish, sitting in groups, waiting for fishermen.
Wonderful new friends that speak another language but are so easy to communicate with!
Old churches that serve a people wth faith. These may lead to dirt roads that run through rivers and go on for hours as you are thankful to be in a four wheel drive, hoping that your instincts are good as you took the unmarked branch at the fork int road.
Children and families dressed up in skirts and button up collared shirts for a parade or night out.

Minutes, hours, days, and lifetimes to simply be.