Settling in for the Winter

Ginger and I made it to Los Barriles in record time. I felt bad leaving the Westfalia in Oregon, but it made a huge difference having cruise control and AC for the drive down the peninsula. We made it all the way from San Diego to the Hotel Malarrimo in Guerrero Negro the first night. Then, in one long push, we cruised into the Hotel Playa del Sol by sunset on Thursday. Had the usual close close calls with cows and dogs, plus one exciting encounter with the Federales outside of San Quintin. I thought for sure that I was being pulled over for speeding or passing that truck on the blind corner, but after following me for about 5km I guess he lost interest and let me go.

This is going to be a very interesting season here at the Vela Windsurf Resort. I am the only American working here this year. I was just getting comfortable conversing more in Spanish. Now I will have to learn some Dutch to communicate with my new coworkers, as Pedro has brought in a whole crew from the Netherlands to help set up the center. As usual, the gear won't arrive until a day or two before we open for business and we will be rushed to rig all the windsurfing gear and build the bikes and assemble all the sail tents and board racks. It is still very hot here in Baja and no amount of SPF30 could deter me from getting sunburnt on the first day working outside on the beach. No complaints, though. The water is warm and the wind is blowing.

The town of Los Barriles has changed quite a bit in the few months since I left. There is a huge new retail plaza at the entrance to town, the hotel has been repainted and touched up, and the main street has been bulldozed and is ready for paving. They hope to have everything done in time for the carnival on November 20th. In the mean time there is no access to the shops and restaurants and RV parks, except by foot or bicycle. All the seasonal fun-seekers will have to set up their temporary homes elsewhere.

It has been nice to see all my friends and acquaintances. Everyone is excited for the upcoming season. There is always a buzz going through town as the Vela crew arrives. It is not unlike a circus act: we show up with all the latest gear, build huge tents and structures, put up flags and signs all over town, then we leave a few months later. My next job is to see what kind of damage the hurricanes have done to the mountain bike trails. I'll keep ya posted...