Observations

We got an email from Ryan recently in which he said he was enjoying our blog but would like to see us spend some time providing observations about our travels, and not just the who, what, when, where, of our days. So we’re going to try occasionally to post some of our observations. For those of you who have traveled in Latin American countries, you may find some of this falls into the “this is news?” category, but hopefully these observations will find someone who finds them of interest. From Bob: While in San Jose del Cabo today, we had lunch at a sidewalk taco stand. Cathryn and Bob each had a shrimp taco, and Bob also had a carne taco. Total cost, about $4.00. Taco stands are a very common sight everywhere in Baja, either in towns or along the highway. Often you will find an entire family working at the stand, made up of a cart and a couple of plastic tables and chairs on the side of the road; Mom and Dad are doing the cooking, and kids are doing the clean-up. These are family enterprises in every sense of the word and provide the family’s livelihood. Incomes are very low here, and outside of the cities you see few signs of even modest wealth, but all the same, you don’t get a sense of poverty. Even if the houses are very small, and often have the washing machine hooked up out in the yard, they somehow project a comfortable atmosphere, although there must be some sense of disconnect given that you see these same modest homes with satellite dishes for TV – so they’re watching many of the same TV shows that are shown in the U.S. which make everyone look rich. From Cathryn: I’m struck by the misconceptions I had of this country (despite 4 previous trips to parts of Mexico, not including Baja, though all 20+ years ago) and how it looked and felt. Back in the U.S., we read so much about drug problems, killings, bandits, safety issues, information encouraging people not to come, etc. except for the heavy tourist areas such as Cancun, Cozumel, Mazatlan and Puerto Vallarta – though most people we know fly into those places rather than driving from the border. I also pictured the countryside as mostly flat, brown and desolate. Having spent time in Tanzania and South Africa recently, I recall clearly what it feels like to be on vacation and feel unsafe, as I did at several points on our Fall 2008 trip. Here, after 3+ weeks in Mexico, I can honestly say I have yet to have a moment of feeling unsafe. Even when the police in La Paz stopped me, I was angry and intimidated, but I was not actually frightened, and did not feel unsafe. Nothing else in my experience here even approaches that. I have gone running alone, walked to the bathrooms in the middle of the night in campgrounds in the dark with no fear, and approached many, many strangers with questions and requests for help. Every single time, I’ve been offered friendly and helpful assistance, or if it wasn’t helpful, it was my language limitation that caused it to be so. In addition, the landscape is much more beautiful than I imagined. There are more mountains and hills, more green foliage, more rivers and creeks, and more rugged beauty than I imagined. There is also a lot of brown, desolate territory, and perhaps if we were here in summer instead of winter that would be more the case, but I’ve had my breath taken away by the incredible beauty of Baja. The Sea of Cortez really is as aquamarine as all the pictures you’ve seen suggest. The people are more polite than the average U.S. American in dealing with a stranger, the food is nothing like the “everything is the same” Mexican food available in Mexican restaurants in the U.S. It’s quite an eye-opening experience, and I’m so glad we came with plenty of time to experience it.