If you had told me last year - much less four months ago - that I would be going to Baja to work for a month or more, I doubt I would have believed you. I would have assigned you to that group of friends that I love dearly but strongly believe are orbiting the planet at a height where little oxygen is getting to your brain.
On Wednesday, I'll be leaving for Baja California Sur with my newly acquired colleague Chris and a friend of his. With the assistance of Google maps, I've figured we'll have ourselves a 1,000-mile road trip over the course of several days, meeting with travel and tourism-related businesses along the way. We'll be working for Baja.com, the most trafficked website about Baja California. It gets more visitors than the government's Baja tourism site.
It was through a series of coincidences that I found this opportunity. My best friend, Maggie, called to find a vacation rental in Todos Santos (translation: All Saints), in the southern tip of Baja. In the process, she met Jim, the owner of Calycanto Casitas, eco-friendly rentals. Take a look. I think you'll be impressed.
Some have described Todos Santos as the Taos, New Mexico of Baja. The village is located one hour north of Cabo San Lucas, the Waikiki of Baja.
My friends have expressed great enthusiasm about the opportunity and especially the location. Like me, they think it's a great opportunity that comes along once in a blue moon. I'm grateful for the enthusiasm, support and affection they have shown.
I even dreamed about it. A good sign in my book. That said, I'm not a believer in dreams. I rarely remember them, much less attribute significance, metaphysical or otherwise, to them. Still, I had a fairly vivid dream in which I was describing the opportunity to a friend. And she turned to me and said, "This is a good thing. You should do it." I woke up and figured my subconscious had been doing some calculations of its own and I should take the advice.
So, nothin's going to stop me, right?
After expressing their utmost support, my friends express concern about violence. "Be careful," they say. "How's the violence there," they ask in soothing yet supportive tones. "Is it dangerous?" ask the ones who've heard just enough to worry and wonder if the entire country is up in arms.
Their concerns about my safety are appreciated, but some of the concern is misplaced.
Much of the violence is located in border towns. I've checked the U.S. State Department's advisory for Mexico and kept an eye open for reports that provide a reasonable accounting what is and isn't true. In addition, Mexican officials and others have been trying to contain misinformation about travel in the country.
In spite of the perceptions of violence, travel to Mexico is up, according to story by the AFP wire service.
It's important to know what is happening in the country and I've got my Google searchbots running for anything that relates to Baja California and Todo Santos. They are not perfect, but they keep me apprised of the latest news.
Altogether, my research has made me feel very comfortable about Baja and the upcoming trip. And it has reminded me of the way I live my life in Los Angeles:
Stay out of some neighborhoods, be careful after dark, etc.
Like an traveler or resident of a metropolitan area you remind yourself, "Don't be stupid and you'll be fine."
Got it. No stupidity. Enjoy the trip.
I'm stoked.
Have fun, Keith. I have friends who live in Baja Sur, in Los Barillos on the Sea of Cortez. Todos Santos is cool, but a little over the top for me. If you get to the El Triunfo you'll find Eiffel built a silver mine tower ther. Yes, that Eiffel. It's a cool town with a great restaurant and bar. let me know if you want me to hook you up with my friends.
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