As our Baja Adventure comes to a rather abrupt close…we reflect…

We have met amazing people and seen amazing sights and learned a lot.

We were always warmly greeted and welcome by the kindness, graciousness, and eagerness to please of humble people.

We watched and counted as men tumbled into a Datsun pickup on their way to work.

We sampled foods new to us from street vendors and sold from the back of trucks.

We enjoyed the music, the customs, and some salsa dancing.

We shopped in local markets and in the absence of our familiars, we were forced to try new things.

We witnessed the importance of family in a culture where children are adored and old people are cared for.

We noticed how communication is absolutely possible without language.

We walked Mexican streets in Mexican towns with Mexican people and Mexican dogs. We never once felt unsafe and we were not alone in this….Canadian friends told us they felt safer in Mexico than in the American cities they passed through.

We saw the perserverance of people who keep ancient cars and trucks running with a lick and a promise.

We know that we can make do with far less than we feel we need.

We realized how much can be accomplished with simple tools…brooms, rakes, shovels, scythes, machetes, and hardworking men, women, and children.

We explored as many Jeep trails and sandy roads as we possibly could to see the “real” Baja.

We missed good roads and recycling and trash service and mailboxes and drinking water from the faucet and street signs.

We DID NOT miss TV, especially the news or traffic or noise.

We know how fortunate we are to live in a country with so much wealth, so many resources, adequate healthcare and so many choices for goods and services. We know how much we take for granted.

We wonder how much longer we will get to have these adventures…