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– Pub Club Pub Journal –
Tales from Around the Globe
Travels in Baja, Mexico
Our
intrepid corespondent with his catch of the day in San Lucas Cove.
NATIONALITY: Californian
DRINKS: Margaritas and screwdrivers with fresh-squeezed orange
juice
FAVORITE BAJA CUSTOM: Walking down the beach with a margarita
in hand, meeting fellow travelers and spending the night telling stories
around a campfire.
This is the first in a series of first-hand Pub Journals from our
Baja correspondent, who travels this unique land in a motorhome with
his faithful golden retriever at his side. Follow the on-going adventures
of Howard and Kuncklehead in future PubClub columns.
I've never met a timeshare salesman I've
liked.
That's one reason I like Baja. Other than Cabo San Lucas, it's just
not a hospitable environment for them to thrive.
A native of Los Angeles, I first discovered Baja while in high school.
Okay, it was Tijuana and I went there to party and get laid. I hate
to date myself, but what the heck. It was the early '60s.
Since that time, I've probably been here a hundred times. It's one
of my favorite spots in the world, and I've been to enough places to
justify my thoughts: Thailand, Egypt, Europe, Africa, the Caribbean,
Hawaii and Central America, just to name a few.
A few years back, I bought a house in Baja with my friend Betsy. It's
a modified trailer, really, located halfway between Rosarita and Ensenada.
In Mexico, you don't own the property, just what's on it. There's been
talk for years about a developer kicking us out of our weekend retreat,
but until it happens, it's as good as place as any to hang out and drink
margaritas.
With trusty Knucklehead
at his side, Howard kicks back in Baja.
Still, the possibility exists it may happen. Not willing to risk being
shut out of Baja with no place to call home, I bought an old Dodge-powered
Winnebago about a year ago and started exploring Southern Baja with
my trusty golden retriever, Knucklehead. I leave the camper parked at
the LaPaz airport, fly in with the dog and go from there. This enables
me to cruise at my leisure and enjoy the treasures of two coastlines
– fishing in the East Cape and Cabo, petting California gray whales
in Gurrero Negro and drinking ceversas and margaritas wherever I go.
Like any country or large area, don't confuse Baja with its border
towns. Baja's true personality is expressed through its small towns,
villages and camp sites, most of which are pressed against the Pacific
Ocean or the Gulf of California. It's casual existence, and that's one
thing I want to make clear. You've got to chill out down here. Don't
be in a hurry. Service in restaurants, bars, gas stations and other
places is at a moderate pace at best. So check your anxiety at the border.
Baja – again with the exception of party-happy Cabo – is
a unique resort area in that it is not an artificial paradise created
by some profit-minded real estate mogul supported by slick-talking salesmen.
Baja's beauty and recreation make it a natural resort.
As in any travels, what you put in to it is what you get out of it.
If you come down here with an attitude, then you will get an attitude
in return.
A lot of people have a misconception about this country, that because
they are "in Mexico" they can abuse the people and the land.
Mexico is definitely a place to party, but it is also a place to relax.
Whatever you choose to do, be sure and do it with respect.
For the most part, the locals are hard-working, church-going family
people who are friendly to respectful visitors. So just be sure and
treat Mexico like you treat your own town or country. Do so and you
will be richly rewarded.
My editor asked if I had a highlight story or two I could relate for
this column. Oddly, I don't. Because what stands out the most of my
travels here is the lifelong friends I've made along the way. Baja is
a place where people have common threads, those common threads being
a sense of adventure, partying and leaving their worries back home.
I can't say Baja has changed all that much since the first time I
visited. Sure, it's a little more tourist-friendly, meaning there are
more hotels, restaurants, shops and, of course, people. Most noticeable
is the fact that the "dirt-cheap" days of $5 lobsters and
50-cent beers are long gone. Yet Baja has managed to retain its simplistic
charm. And bargains in food, drink and shopping are plentiful.
When Highway 1 was built in the mid-'70s, it opened Baja up to a whole
new world of visitors. I encourage everyone to take advantage of the
beauty, hospitality and adventures of the place I'm proud to call my
"home away from home."
Send
Baja Howard an e-mail!
 Next
stop on the Party Bus: Chicago Pub Journal!
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