By: Emily Maze
November 16, 2017
We all groaned as Austin’s alarm went off
at 4:30 AM, but we had to be on the road by 5. Our breakfast was at the famous
Mama Espinoza restaurant. After we bought them out of their jars of honey, we
were on our way to Ensenada. Today is the start of the Baja 1000 which is a
huge off-road race that boosts the economy but destroys the environment.
Jeff
and Francisco dropped us off to shop while they got the trailer. The first
purchase for most was ice cream and then we wandered up and down the streets.
Lots of souvenirs were purchased and then we had to be on our way to Joshua
Tree.
Everyone
was sad saying farewells to Francisco. Tracy and I gave shirts and mugs for him
and his wife but unfortunately a mouse ate holes in the one in his size.
Francisco is a very inspiring man. He started a program called Hands that Talk
(like and support on Facebook) for the deaf, grows and sells organic food, and
gives tours with lots of information on culture and the environment.
I
will never forget the lessons learned from Baja California. Don’t take things
for granted. There is water scarcity in Baja California and most of the people
are in poverty. Happiness doesn’t come from money. The people have less, but
relationships mean more than being materialistic. Know the history of your last
name to make it more meaningful. Communication is way more than just words; we
communicated with three non-English speaking guides through gestures and facial
expressions.
This
reinforces my goal of wanting to become a minimalist and reducing my impact on
the environment by doing simple things such as, not wasting so much water,
looking for glass instead of plastic to re-use, and unplugging cords more
often.
Two
hours later, we reached the bittersweet crossing of the border. Bitter because
we all love the ocean, culture, and wildlife, and sweet because we are back in
our comfort zones not having to panic to order food and because Ashley needed a
bathroom to not pee her pants.
Unfortunately
Joshua Tree is just a stop for camping and not a sight-seeing stop because we
need to keep on trucking.
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