A bad day fishing is better than a good day at work?
I don’t know who came up with that, but that’s a load. Being in the fishing industry now for many many decades, a bad day fishing is just a bad day.
Maybe not in the grand scheme of things, it’s not as terrible as say, losing your wallet or forgetting your anniversary, but you gotta admit, it’s a major disappointment.
From the standpoint of someone who runs a fishing operation, a client who comes back from fishing with zero fish may seem ambivalent. But, you know they are disappointed. I take it personally. I feel like it’s MY fault.
My old Catholic School upbringing drops a load of guilt on me, as if I was to blame that the weather didn’t cooperate. Or it’s my fault the bait was bad or the clients used the wrong lures.
It is what it is.
Fortunately, down here in Baja, tomorrow can turn into a banner day which somewhat helps to alleviate the current angst. There is always hope.
There was a time in my life, however, when a bad day for me on the water was the end of civilization as we know it. If I came off the water after a bad day watch out!
It could be a day when I didn’t catch fish. Or someone caught more or bigger fish than me. My competitive streak was all puckered.
Grumpy is an understatement. I would be fist-shaking-mad at the cosmos for daring to hand me such fate as a bad day of fishing. Personally insulted and inconsolable.
Fortune-cookie sayings like “A bad day fishing is better than a good day at work” or “It’s fishing not catching” be damned. A bad day is a bad day. I should have gone to work.
That is, until I got on the water again and the fish started biting. And just like that the world would right itself on an even keel.
Funny how fishermen can be like that. Guilty as charged.
But, I don’t think I’m that guy anymore.
I have good days. And I have not-so-good-days. But, I haven’t had a bad day in years.
Everyday is an 11. Or a 10 at worst.
Even when I don’t catch fish. Or someone catches more and bigger fish.
I’ve become quite content to let my wife catch more and bigger fish. Or the kids. Or whomever is on the boat with me.
Every day is a blessing and I appreciate just being out on the water.
It’s so much more fun to watch everyone else have fun. It’s like going to Disneyland of the beach too often. It can get old.
And then one day, you bring the grandkids for the first time. The magic comes back. It’s brand new again.
Or it’s you and a buddy NOT catching any fish, but still kicking back with a cold one and just laughing and talking. Some of the BEST talks!
And then there are the days when I’m alone on the water. Just me. No clients. No kids. No fishing buddy.
No hooks to tie. No one needs their backlashes untangled or hooks baited. No one forgot their sunscreen.
Just me and the captain.
And the fish just aren’t having any of it.
Simple conversation.
The sunrise.
The sound of the water under the bow.
The sun on my face and the taste of salt spray on my lips.
My hand trailing in the water.
The homemade burritos just taste so much better and the beer in the ice chest just burns the back of my throat from that first icy chug.
Maybe a quick doze to the rhythm of the motor as we troll.
A cellphone that has zero bars of signal.
Bare feet and happy toes on the warm deck.
My worst day just ain’t that bad anymore.
That’s my story!
Jonathan
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Jonathan Roldan has been writing the Baja Column in Western Outdoor News since 2004. Along with his wife and fishing buddy, Jilly, they own and run the Tailhunter International Fishing Fleet in La Paz, Baja, Mexico www.tailhunter.com.
They also run their Tailhunter Restaurant Bar on the famous La Paz malecon waterfront. If you’d like to contact him directly, his e-mail is: jonathan@tailhunter.com
Or drop by the restaurant to say hi. It’s right on the La Paz waterfront!
Originally Published the Week of June 12, 2022 in Western Outdoor Publications
I’m joking, but would not be surprised.
No more covid tests to return to the U.S. No more of those intrusive “nose probes” with the Q-tips to the back of your brain.
As of midnight Sunday June 12, one of the last vestiges and barriers to travel finally fell. It’s long overdue, but it’s about time.
For last two years, travelers heading back on international flights to the U.S. have been required to obtain a negative covid test in order to enter the country.
Initially, it required one to go find a testing facility. And this had to be done within 72 hours of the flight back into the U.S.
As onerous and burdensome as that may have been, the U.S. raised the barrier even higher last November. Although covid rates had been dropping along with all the protocols, the CDC feared the ominous head of the Omicron virus.
So, they removed the 72-hour testing requirement and made it even more difficult. Folks had to get a test within 24 hours of their international flights back to the U.S.
Insofar as tourist destinations in Mexico were already reeling from Covid in 2020 when everything was shut down, it was just starting to get back on it’s feet when the testing was initially implemented.
It sent the tourism section of Mexico into a mad scramble to set up testing facilities or find ways to get tests for guests. It further had to assure prospective visitors that it would be easy to obtain.
Test facilities were set up at major airports. Labs popped up everywhere including mobile labs willing to visit hotels to accommodate the demands.
Mexico desperately needed to keep the tourists coming back. It was just getting back a head of steam when the initial testing requirements were implemented.
I remember many people suddenly curtailing their vacations and hastily exiting the country when testing started.
And what if you tested positive? New protocols had to be implemented as well.
Ultimately, what a fiasco. Even moreso when the requirements were increased from 72 to 24 hours before the flight.
Of the zillions of folks that came through Cabo Airport alone, barely a handful tested positive and, according to statistics, most were false positives.
There was a lot of money to be made by sticking that q-tip up people’s noses. The tests ranged from 20 dollars to over 100 dollars in costs.
Once you took the test, you either had to get a printed copy of the results. Or, one had to get their results on their cellphone.
These results had to be taken to the airport. Every time I went to the airport, my personal observation was that the airlines or health inspectors just gave it a cursory look and directed you to the boarding gate. No big deal.
Believe me, Mexico didn’t want you hanging around with covid either false positive or not. In fact, you were able to obtain a new test within 24 hours.
As soon as you were negative…off you go! Adios and please come back again soon. Sorry for the inconvenience, but it’s YOUR country doing this not Mexico.
Also, there were ways around the requirements.
I know of some labs that would “guarantee” whatever result you wanted.
Definitely need to get home and work? No problem, we’ll guarantee a negative test result.
Want to stay a few days with a good excuse? No problem, we’ll guarantee a positive result.
Also, this only applied to international flights.
Many travelers to Baja, for example, cross the border and fly from Tijuana to their Mexican destinations. Those are DOMESTIC flights.
Therefore, on the return, they fly BACK to Tijuana and walk, drive back across the border. No testing required. No international flight was involved.
I had also heard stories of folks who tested positive (with no symptoms) deciding they were NOT going to return to their hotel rooms. They had to get home.
Simple solution. They flew to Tijuana and easily crossed the border and found a U.S flight home.
So…bottom line. Just like masks.
No more testing required. For now.
The CDC says it reserves the right to monitor things and see is some new and crazier viral strain returns. We’ll see.
For now, no tests to come down here. No testing to leave!
That’s my story
Jonathan
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Jonathan Roldan has been writing the Baja Column in Western Outdoor News since 2004. Along with his wife and fishing buddy, Jilly, they own and run the Tailhunter International Fishing Fleet in La Paz, Baja, Mexico www.tailhunter.com.
They also run their Tailhunter Restaurant Bar on the famous La Paz malecon waterfront. If you’d like to contact him directly, his e-mail is: jonathan@tailhunter.com
Or drop by the restaurant to say hi. It’s right on the La Paz waterfront!
A couple of years ago, I had some fishing clients come down to fish with us here in La Paz with our fleet. It was their first trip.
Now, let me post a little background.
It wasn’t just their first trip to Mexico. This was their first trip out of the U.S.
After meeting them, I can only imagine the trepidation they experienced deciding to try Mexico.
You and I have travelled all over. No biggie. Many folks have not. I often forget that!
It was obvious from the first evening they arrived off the plane and we greeted them. They were smiley and friendly, but you could tell there was a level of anxiety and nervousness.
Maybe in the way they would smile, but their eyes darted around. Or the way they were checking things out. And the questions they asked.
It was almost like they couldn’t believe they were here. Or that it was a modern as it was. Or that we had all the amenities like electricity and had discovered the use of the wheel. And fire.
Not sure where they had gotten their info or what they must have been reading or envisioned, but I think they half expected open desert and donkey carts when they got here.
After getting them to their hotel, the first thing they wanted was for me to direct them to a local supermarket. Understandably, they wanted to do some shopping for their stay with us.
Not unusual. So, I had one of our drivers take them over to the little neighborhood grocery store a few blocks away.
I figured, that like many of our visitors, they wanted to pick up ice, munchies, beers, etc. for their room and for on the boat while fishing.
I was surprised with what they brought back.
In addition to the bags of chips and junk food, they came back with bread, cold cuts, condiments, lettuce, tomatoes, peanut butter and jelly. Lots of it. And cases of water.
Here’s where I heard the kicker…
They were apparently planning to eat in their hotel room each day.
Despite the fact that we provided breakfast and lunches on their fishing days…Despite all the restaurants they had passed by on the way to the airport…Despite a perfectly good restaurant in the the hotel…
They planned to eat in their room each day.
From the horror stories they had apparently been reading, they didn’t trust the food or water in Mexico.
They were gonna wash their faces and brush their teeth with bottled water. Even in their modern hotel, they weren’t taking chances on faucet water.
(Were they also planning to shower in bottled water? I never asked. But it begged the question!)
On the way from the airport, they didn’t see the nice restaurants. They saw ramshackle (in their minds) taco stands on the side of the road with scruffy plastic tables and chairs.
They saw food vendors on street corners selling hot dogs, tacos, corn and other things from carts and make-shift bicycles.
And, they saw the cattle roaming the side of the highway. The cows were emaciated and skeletal.
Thank you and muchas gracias, but they were having none of that. They were gonna fish and eat sandwiches in their room and go home without any intestinal troubles!
After a sigh and trying to hide my rolling of the eyes, I had to do some explaining.
I told them I could understand buying lots of water. You want to stay hydrated. But the hotel water was fine to wash and brush with.
It was even safe to drink. However, like most city waters, it just didn’t taste real great. So, all of us drink bottled water just like up in the U.S.
As far as food and meat, local food was great. It’s part of the fun of travelling.
If they had doubts, just eat where they saw other people eating. Or, if they were really nervous, eat where they saw other gringos eating. That’s the best test of any eatery including street vendors and side-of-the-road stands.
The rule works all over the world.
I explained to them that vegetables and meat, gets inspected like everywhere else. And I had to tell them, the cattle they see next to the highway is NOT the meat that gets into tacos and dinner plates.
The cattle is free-range cattle that land owners must have on vacant property. Those animals pretty much forage around and that’s why they look so bedraggled and poor.
Mexican meat, especially beef is often some of the best meat around. I’ve had some that rivals the beef we get in Texas where we have our U.S. home. In fact, Mexico is the 7th largest meat producer in the world and the U.S. imports a surprising amount of Mexican beef.
Often it’s grass-fed cattle from the Mexican state of Sonora which is famous for their beef in the same way salmon from Alaska or the Pacific Northwest or lobster from Maine has an international reputation.
Despite my explanations. They remained skeptical.
Indeed, they did make sandwiches, but by the end of the week, they came out’ve their culinary shells a bit. At least were eating at the hotel restaurant, although I did see them fishing the ice cubes out’ve their drinks.
(Obviously, the ice cubes “might” be made with unfiltered water. Melted ice was OK, however.)
And presumably, they were brushing their teeth and taking showers!
Can’t convince them all!
That’s my story!
Jonathan
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Jonathan Roldan has been writing the Baja Column in Western Outdoor News since 2004. Along with his wife and fishing buddy, Jilly, they own and run the Tailhunter International Fishing Fleet in La Paz, Baja, Mexico www.tailhunter.com.
They also run their Tailhunter Restaurant Bar on the famous La Paz malecon waterfront. If you’d like to contact him directly, his e-mail is: jonathan@tailhunter.com
Or drop by the restaurant to say hi. It’s right on the La Paz waterfront!
Originally Published the Week of May 12, 2022 in Western Outdoor Publications
This past week the last vestiges of covid-masking were removed here in Southern Baja. Mask wearing in public places is now optional.
Realistically, private businesses could still require masks to enter and employers can still require their employees to mask-up. However, for the most part, we’re seeing the last remnants of “cobre boca” (face coverings) at least for now.
During the pandemic, things were highly restrictive. Much moreso than in the U.S. Especially during that first year in 2020, beaches were closed among many other things.
Once things started opening, beaches were open…closed…open… and closed depending on the whims of government to co-incide with the ebb and flow of covid infections.
Understandably, whenever beaches were opened, the government advised folks headed there about social spacing. Basically, asking folks to maintain their 3-6 foot distance from one group or family to the other.
Well, that went over like wings on a pig.
After being cooped up for months, locals flooded to the beaches in droves. Inspectors, police, health officials ran around trying to get people to space out. That was like trying to empty a bucket of water with a sieve. Wasn’t happening.
A rule with no ability to enforce it is toothless.
So, beaches got closed again.
As covid ebbed, they tried something else.
Respective beaches were allowed an occupancy quota. For example, one beach allows only 350 people. That down the way beach gets 425. The other beach is allowed 500. And so on.
Once they hit a number, no one else was allowed in. Even AFTER people left, no one was allowed in.
Another exercise in futility.
Authorities were out there actually trying to count heads on the sand.
Let’s see…24, 25, 26…oh, your kids just ran into the water? How many kids you got? 29, 30…
Not an easy task.
Back to the drawing board.
The next attempt placed security at the entrance to the beaches. They checked each car. They counted the heads in each car.
Again, once the quote was reached, too bad for the rest of you. Go home or go find another beach.
That system actually got some traction. Except not so much for the hundreds of folks that had been waiting in their cars in the Baja heat for a couple of hours with a carload of kids trying to get into the beach.
Then, being told, they were too late. A lot of ticked off people.
Sorry kids. Sorry mom.
Thousands of people want to escape to the beaches. However, allowing only a limited number did work out so well.
So, the latest venture attempts to remedy that.
And it’s being implemented in many places. So far.
It makes the beaches more accessible to more people. Problem solved.
There’s just one catch. Well, two actually.
One is cost. The other is time.
Here’s how it works. They’re thinking about implementing this at many of the Baja beaches.
You arrive at the entrance to the beach. You are sold a bracelet to enter the beach. Cost is less than 2 bucks. That’s manageable.
However…
The bracelet allows you to stay in the beach for THREE HOURS. That’s it.
Shifts are 8-11 a.m. Then 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Finally 1-4 p.m.
I’ll let you wrap your brain around that one.
Apparently, at the end of each “shift”, they sound an alarm. You gotta chug that last beer; fold up the umbrella and beach towels; grab the kids and scoot!
If you want to stay longer, you need to purchase extra bracelets when you arrive at the beach.
I guess this will indeed allow more people access to the beach. In theory.
However, I’ve never been able to spend only 3 hours at the beach. I don’t know many folks that have that ability.
There’s one other glitch. At some beaches, no charge to locals. If you’re not local, you pay for the bracelet. But that begs the question. Are locals able to stay as long as they want? And do they just grab a bunch of bracelets when they enter?
Tourists need to pay AND scoot after 3 hours?
Stand by. I don’t think this is the last we’ve heard of this new plan.
That’s my story
Jonathan
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Jonathan Roldan has been writing the Baja Column in Western Outdoor News since 2004. Along with his wife and fishing buddy, Jilly, they own and run the Tailhunter International Fishing Fleet in La Paz, Baja, Mexico http://www.tailhunter.com.
They also run their Tailhunter Restaurant Bar on the famous La Paz malecon waterfront. If you’d like to contact him directly, his e-mail is: jonathan@tailhunter.com
Or drop by the restaurant to say hi. It’s right on the La Paz waterfront!
Originally Published the Week of April 15, 2022 in Western Outdoor Publications
Food trends come and go. The newest tastiest thing that seems to pervade every menu in some way, shape or form. The come. They go. Some stick around. Some don’t.
Fried mozzarella cheese sticks
Sushi and Hawaiian Poke
Deep-fried ice cream
Garlic truffle fries
Dim sum
Ramen
Spam
Fried Calamari
Everyone has them in places you wouldn’t normally expect it. French restaurants putting their own spin on raw fish. Asian eateries with fried cheese sticks in spicy ponzu sauce and even Spam dishes. Mexican cantinas with nacho fries.
Many of these things aren’t “new” per se. They were just “discovered” by the culinary world and blew up everywhere.
For instance, I remember eating cold raw fish and marinated fish as a kid in Hawaii. With cold rice too!
It wasn’t “gourmet” back then. It was cold because we didn’t have propane for cooking. Couldn’t cook!
Just the way it was. We used lots of soy sauce to flavor everything!
Years ago, our restaurant in La Paz was the first and only place that served Hawaiian-style poke…fresh chunks of fish marinated and served cold with soy, ginger, sugar, sesame and minced onions.
Now, I’ve lost count of the restaurants that serve some variation of it in our city. Oh well. I guess imitation is the best form of flattery.
And, now, the hot new things seems to be “Mexican Street Corn.” I saw it everywhere the last 3 months travelling in the U.S. From Texas to Washington State and Wyoming to California. Menus in diners in roadside truck stops as well as menus in fine eateries in big cities.
I can’t say I blame ‘em. Not everyone might like fried cheese, or raw fish or garlic on anything. But, it’s a rare person that doesn’t like sweet hot corn.
In La Paz, where we live, it’s a go-to snack late at night. A big order can be a whole meal. And it’s cheap. If I were still a college kid, instead of all that ramen I ate, I could very well get by with a big cup hot of Mexican street corn.
Most of the guys in our local neighborhood ride “bike carts” to sell their “Elote.” (corn). The Elotero’s bike cart is usually a jimmied-together reverse tricycle with one big wheel in the back and two forward supporting a platform and often an awning.
These eloteros usually come out as it gets dark and set up on a street corner somewhere. Lines can form quickly.
For the more popular carts, it’s not unusual for lines to remain well into the night. Just like as kids we would hit Jack-in-the-Box or Denny’s after a night partying, a big cup of steaming sweet corn is perfect before heading home.
Step up and tell the elotero if you want a big cup or small cup.
He’ll grab a Styrofoam cup and ladle in some hot kernels from the big pot or basin on his bike. He fills it about ½ up.
Then, some thick white Mexican crema. Mexico’s version of sour cream.
Then a squirt of Valentina salsa similar to tangy Tobasco.
Then more corn on top of that.
Top it with more cream. Another squirt of Valentina.
Then a sprinkle of chili powder. Then a spoonful of salty cotija cheese. Very much like sprinkling parmesan on your pasta.
Layer after layer of yumminess.
He hands you a spoon and a napkin and off you go with your Mexican street corn goodness! The newer places will also have a squirt of lime juice as well before you head off.
Many times, you just stand on the street corner with everyone else or sit on the curb. Or lean on a light pole and start spooning up the tasty concoction.
A big cup is maybe 2 bucks at the most. Often cheaper. That spare change in your pocket is enough to buy a filling meal of this good stuff. It’s a deal. Back in my early days, when all I had WAS pocket change, a cup-o-corn carried me through as my dinner!
Next time you’re in Baja and wandering back to your hotel room and see the guy on the bike cart with a big vat and an “ELOTE DELICIOSO” sign lettered across it, step up for the original street treat.
That’s my story!
Jonathan
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Jonathan has been writing the Baja Column for Western Outdoor News since 2004. He lives in La Paz with his best fishing buddy and wife, Jilly, where they run their Tailhunter Sportfishing Fleet for almost 30 years as well as their Tailhunter Sea Level Restaurant on the La Paz waterfront Malecon. If you’re in town, stop and say hi!)
Originally Published the Week of April 25, 2022 in Western Outdoor Publications
My wife and I fly a lot for work. In the past 2 years since Covid, I’ve probably been on close to 20 flights.
If you have flown at all during this time, you know that travel has been less than enjoyable. Like everything else. Rules and protocols.
Least of which was wearing a mask in the airport and on flights.
I just loved being sternly reminded to pull up my mask because I absent-mindedly forgot. Some airline and airport people were unashamedly rude. Or suddenly power-tripping!
I get it. But, don’t ream me. I’ll happily pull it up or pull it outta my bag. Chill.
But, I guess they got a job to do too. Especially those early months when no one really knew what was going on (do we really know now?)
Or trying to explain something at the check-in counter when you have a mask and the agent has a mask and they are sometimes also behind a plexi-glass screen.
Or you’re trying to tell the flight attendant that you’ll have another Coke, please.
Or getting stink-eye from someone at the airport or during the flight because you’ve pulled your mask off or sideways for a discreet moment to breathe or eat something.
Frankly, I’m sure I’m hardly the first person who “pretended” to always be sipping on water or a drink during the flight so I could keep my mask down. My wife, Jill, became a ninja about that.
Heck a good number of other passengers had their masks below their noses!
But, I’m not going to debate the efficacy of mask-wearing here. Bigger brains than mine have opined on that subject ad nauseam and can’t figure it out.
However, this past week, I was on a flight the first morning the mask mandate was removed.
A federal court struck down the mandate for airports and airlines and stated that the CDC had over-reached it’s authority.
I was flying on May 19th and had just read about the decision the night before. No idea when it was going to be implemented and, according to my readings, not all airlines had jumped on board.
So, there I was the early morning of the 19th ready to pull out my mask when the P.A system for American Airlines announced “that masks were now “optional.”
I kid you not, there was some handclapping and fist pumping and a lot of smiles!
I talked to the ticket agent at the counter who was literally giddy along with the other American Airlines employees. I told her it was nice to see everyone’s faces and smiles again!
She said they had just received their directive that morning.
Originally, they had been told that the airlines was going to extend the mask mandate until the middle of May. The CDC wanted the extra time to come to some decisions about some new Omicron variant.
But, she was happy as heck! Everyone was.
On the plane, there were announcements from both the flight crew as well as the captain about the repeal of the mandate.
Again, rounds of applause and high-fiving and hoots!
The announcements cautioned that masks were “optional” and asked that everyone be respectful of everyone’s choices. Everyone had their masks off, however, some older folks kept them on understandably.
I was next to a 92 year-old-lady travelling for her birthday who was a gem.
She was smiling the whole time, even under her mask. She said she was happy to see everyone happy and that it seemed crazy to wear masks all the time. However, she wanted to keep hers on because…”Well, I’m kinda old!” she laughed.
Anyway, no one had to pretend they were eating or drinking the whole flight and it was nice to see smiling flight attendants again and interact like normal folk.
I will tell you that when we landed in Cabo a Mexican airport agent came on and said the mask mandate at Cabo Airport was still in effect. (Big groan). However, the opinion is that it won’t be long-lasting and things will probably change.
Once out of the airport, everyone pulled their masks off again.
There’s a few caveats.
Private places may still require you to wear a mask. Here in La Paz where we live, you will still see masks by employees in stores, public places and restaurants and hotels. It’s up to the private owners.
I only had to pull up my mask one time in the last week. That was to go into a supermarket.
Also, despite the repeal of the mask mandate, individual countries may still require masking up. Depends where you’re flying.
Note also that there’s a bear on the horizon.
The U.S. Justice Department may file an appeal against the Federal Court that made the ruling about the masks. As I read it, the Justice Department might assert that the Federal Court ruling is erroneous because the court lacked authority or jurisdiction over the mandate.
The Justice Department is waiting to hear from the CDC which is dealing with a possible new Omicron variant that is supposed to hit us.
However, I think for now the horse is outta the barn. Cat’s outta the bag. The happy faces are back.
Gonna enjoy breathing easier as much as I can for as long as I can.
That’s my story!
Jonathan
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Jonathan Roldan has been writing the Baja Column in Western Outdoor News since 2004. Along with his wife and fishing buddy, Jilly, they own and run the Tailhunter International Fishing Fleet in La Paz, Baja, Mexico www.tailhunter.com.
They also run their Tailhunter Restaurant Bar on the famous La Paz malecon waterfront. If you’d like to contact him directly, his e-mail is: jonathan@tailhunter.com
Or drop by the restaurant to say hi. It’s right on the La Paz waterfront!
Originally Published the Week of Mar. 26, 2022 in Western Outdoor Publications
Living in Baja, visitors often ask me some suggestions of where they can “see the real Mexico.” They’re not interested in finding out where to go zip-lining or the cheapest place to buy a hammock or sarape.
They want the genuine article. The real deal. Something not “touristy.”
I tell them to head to church. Preferably on a Sunday or a Saturday afternoon.
After a momentary quizzical look, I explain that they’ll see a part of Mexico…a part of the community…a lot of history and a lot of culture if they make a visit to the local church.
Every city or large town has a Catholic church.
Since the earliest days of the conquistadores and missionaries, you can pretty much find a Catholic Church somewhere in the area. To this day, Mexico remains largely a Catholic country and the church is still the center of life…even if not everyone goes to church all the time.
Nevertheless, the church is still central to so much that goes on in a Mexican community. Obviously, it’s a spiritual and religious center.
Architecturally, it’s usually in the center of town or in a town square, park or pavilion area.
Socially, it often remains the place where life’s milestones still take place. Start to finish…baptism…confirmations…quincineras (sweet 16 presentations)…weddings…more baptisms…and funerals.
So, I tell folks to head to the local church.
Outside, there are often street vendors in the larger cities. It can be a hub of activity.
Our own cathedral in La Paz is in the town square and adjacent to the town park. There are often musicians playing. Families picnicking. Impromptu karaoke and bingo games. Old men playing chess or checkers.
Stand outside.
If it’s an old church, take in the architecture. Admire the craftsmanship. Many of these churches weren’t made with modern cranes, bulldozers and electric tools.
Old-fashioned human labor with hand tools. Sweat equity for credits in heaven. Pride in details that were meant to last for decades or centuries.
Handmade brick and quarried stone transported maybe from many miles away with carts, wagons and mules. In some cases, the very wooden beams inside the structure as well as the window glass was transported from Spain, not to mention statues and religious artifacts and furniture.
The bells may have come from some faraway forge as well. Most likely yes.
If there’s an old cemetery nearby, well worth it to trace the history of the former priests, padres and parishioners. It was a hard life.
You’ll often see short life spans. Children and babies who died early. Many deaths close in date could indicate a communal epidemic like measles, smallpox, dysentery or a simple flu.
Step inside. Remove your hat. There might be a Mass or other event taking place. Even if not, remember it’s still a house of worship. Be respectful.
If nothing is happening, wander and gaze. Statues, the alter, the stained glass, the wooden pews, paintings and artwork may date back decades or centuries. They may have travelled thousands of miles to find their forever homes in this church.
The craftsmen are long gone, but their work remains. It’s better than any museum.
Imagine today, we go to Home Depot. Get our materials. Build a bookshelf for your home. Never in a million years would we expect it to last for decades. Not like these old artisans.
I’ve been in old Mexican churches where the walls and ceilings are still covered with the dark soot of a century or more of burning votive candles.
A close examination of the area around the alter shows inset graves of the old padres who once serviced their community. The tiles show their names.
It’s a testament to their dedication and commitment that many of them travelled from Spain or other places in Mexico to find their final resting place in the arid hard-scrabble frontier of Baja.
If there are services taking place, many times, there can be multiple events transpiring since often, there’s only one priest or padre. In some instances, the priest is a travel-priest doing services from town-to-town to tend to his parishioners.
But, if you’re visiting, that’s where you’ll see the culture.
I once came for Mass. It was followed by a baptism. Followed by a wedding. Followed by a first communion of 8 and 9 year-old-kids in their little white shirts and puffy dresses.
The whole gamut. Proud families. Happy couples. Nervous youngsters. Big days in life. Big days in the community. The circle of life. The cycle of life.
All in one place. Just follow the sound of the bells!
That’s my story!
Jonathan
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Jonathan Roldan has been writing the Baja Column in Western Outdoor News since 2004. Along with his wife and fishing buddy, Jilly, they own and run the Tailhunter International Fishing Fleet in La Paz, Baja, Mexico www.tailhunter.com.
They also run their Tailhunter Restaurant Bar on the famous La Paz malecon waterfront. If you’d like to contact him directly, his e-mail is: jonathan@tailhunter.com
Or drop by the restaurant to say hi. It’s right on the La Paz waterfront!
Originally Published the Week of Mar. 20, 2022 in Western Outdoor Publications
My wife, Jill, and I have been on the road now for the better part of three months. Every year, we drive all over the U.S. doing fishing and hunting expos drumming up business for our fishing operation in La Paz.
We set up our booth and join many hundreds of other international outfitters, fishing guides, hunting guides, gear retailers, RV and boat sellers and others in the modern day version of the fur trapper rendezvous.
It’s definitely a “gathering of tribes.” Over the course of 4 or 5 days, often tens of thousands of attendees fill the aisles. It can be quite an event.
As of today, we’ve been over a dozen states now. A few more still to come.
We’ve been through huge cities and the smallest of towns. Towering skyscraper skylines to one-horse crossroads. I believe we’ve already logged over 10,000 miles driving. (Not so fun watching gas prices blow up, but that’s another story!)
In previous columns, I’ve documented the distressing amount of crime, vagrancy, squalor and trash we encountered in so many cities. Especially along the west coast.
Friends and other outfitters were victimized by burglaries and outright thefts of their vehicles, trailers and rigs. One friend was carjacked at gun point by a guy running from a murder.
Our own rig was rendered undriveable by a break-in where the bad guys completely smashed not only our rear glass, but the whole liftgate.
We joke about the “Zombie Apocalypse,” but many a night none of us would leave our hotel/ motel rooms because of all the homeless folks wandering outside; sleeping in the bushes; panhandling; hustling; partying; defecating and more.
Some of our most beautiful and favorite cities broken, ruined and abandoned except for the tattered, the homeless, the lawless, the disenfranchised of the streets. It’s an urban landscape straight out’ve an “end of the world” sci-fi flick.
After several weeks in these areas, it was more than disheartening and depressing. I wasn’t alone in my assessment.
Other outfitters, local residents and law enforcement friends echoed the same sentiments in these areas.
There was a tacit resignation of spirit that THIS is what it’s come to. THIS is where WE are. THIS is how it will always be and only get worse.
And not a thing we can do about it.
The whole country to hell-in-a-handbag.
But wait…
Then our show schedule took us inland. Smaller shows AWAY from the big cities. We passed through and spent more time in smaller cities and neighborhoods.
Back to the countryside. Little pink houses. Denny’s diners. Swings and slides in town parks. Crossing guards at the elementary school. There’s a banner about a pancake breakfast at the church. The VFW Hall has a bunch of pick-up trucks parked outside.
Went into a grocery store in Central Oregon. A 9-year-old boy held the door open for me and said, “after you, sir!”
Shock and awe.
In little towns in Washington and Nevada, Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado, Texas and Wyoming, we got “sir” and “ma’am” a lot. And not just from kids.
Adults you run into in the street in the normal course of a day or at our hotels addressed us similarly. Just the way things are. Courtesy and hospitality, that was rarely found in the big cities.
We had become so callous to common civility and comity that it seemed like people were going out of their way to be amiable. But, it’s just the way people are in different spots of the country. Or how they are brought up.
I was brought up addressing others like that as well. Just how I was taught. However, when I use “sir” or “ma’am” I often get a quizzical look as if I was speaking Greek. Some folks get offended as if I was calling them “old.”
In these small towns and open spaces, I got a nod and smiles and friendly responses instead.
At the shows themselves, it’s a different crowd for sure.
At the start of the show before they let the crowds in, they play the Star Spangled Banner over the loudspeaker in these expo centers. Everyone stops what they are doing and puts hand or hat over heart and faces the flag.
Many people sing out loud. You can help smiling. You stand up a little straighter. I catch myself singing as well.
When the crowds come in..
Again, I’m often addressed as “sir.” After chatting with someone at our booth, it’s not uncommon for someone to thank me for taking the time to answer their questions.
Are you kidding me?
I hear the word “please” a lot .
The adults/ parents are much more blue collar. Yes, there’s a lot of pick-up trucks and suburbans in the parking lot . A lot of baseball hats, blue jeans, camo vests and work, hiking or cowboy boots. Men and women alike.
Some look just like they just took off the gloves and came to the show from the ranch, farm or mechanic shop. Moms look like they just grabbed the kids from school and are trying to get through the show before they gotta race home to cook dinner.
In the meantime, a beer or Coke and a bag of popcorn will do, thank you very much.
But in talking to adults and kids alike, they sound like they can fix cars and boats. They can take out an elk at 500 yards AND carry it out on their backs. They can run tractors and they tell you they can only come visit us in Mexico AFTER the crops come in but BEFORE hunting season starts.
At one show on a Sunday, a family apologized to me for coming so late to the show. Because they were at CHURCH!
I felt like giving them all a high-five!
At one show, I was next to a sporting goods outfitter.
The men, women AND kids knew how to handle guns and fishing gear and were as at adept and knowledgeable about fishing and hunting, camping and boating and off-roading as any expert.
It was refreshing. It’s not hopeless. It’s not as depressing as it seems.
It’s not a Normal Rockwell painting, by any stretch. All places have their issues and problems. I realize my view was only a tiny miniscule slice.
But, all is not lost. Faith renewed.
Yes, Sir. Yes, Ma’am.
That’s my story!
Jonathan
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Jonathan Roldan has been writing the Baja Column in Western Outdoor News since 2004. Along with his wife and fishing buddy, Jilly, they own and run the Tailhunter International Fishing Fleet in La Paz, Baja, Mexico www.tailhunter.com.
They also run their Tailhunter Restaurant Bar on the famous La Paz malecon waterfront. If you’d like to contact him directly, his e-mail is: jonathan@tailhunter.com
Or drop by the restaurant to say hi. It’s right on the La Paz waterfront!
Originally Published the Week of March 7, 2022 in Western Outdoor Publications
Whether you’re planning to fly, drive or walk to Baja or any place in Mexico in April, come ahead. For the first time in 2 years, Mexico is basically open and really wants you to come visit. (aka “needs you to visit!”)
Since the pandemic hit in 2020, Mexico implemented a “traffic light” scale to measure the covid restrictions and protocols. Red being the worst. Green was the best.
In between those extremes were a series of various shades of oranges and yellows. Over the pandemic, the scale has bounced back and forth between those variations.
Just like in the U.S. it’s been “masks on.”
Now they are “off.”
Now they are back on.
Same with all the attenuated protocols like social distancing, closures and activities. Back-and-forth. Up-and-down. Enough to make your head spin.
Unless you’ve quarantined in a windowless room the last two years, you know the drill.
However, like many locations in the world, covid and it’s seemingly unnumerable waves, permeations and mutations is declining. Infections, hospitalizations and fatalities thankfully are also down.
According to officials, something like 80-85% of the eligible population has been vaccinated.
So, it’s a virtual green light to go visit Mexico this Easter or spring break. It’s the first time in two years.
Of course, like everywhere else, there’s some trepidation about the anticipated onslaught. With so many people suddenly running around with impunity health officials and politicians have some underwear bunching up.
But, for better or worse, things are open!
Some vestiges of covid might linger. Some private businesses might still require masks. It’s their prerogative. But, otherwise, party like it’s 2019!
But, Mexico has been trying to get ready.
Statistics have shown that Mexico has been the #1 travel destination in the world. Not just Americans, but anyone else who can jump on a plane has looked to Mexico.
It was easy to get in.
Easy to get out (mostly).
Chances of quarantine were minimal.
It’s a great value for a vacation.
The only thing you need to do is get a negative covid test before returning to the U.S. Fingers are crossed that even this may drop to the wayside. We can only hope.
So, if you’re thinking of heading south in April, especially the weeks preceding or following Easter on April 17th, look for it to be crowded.
It won’t just be Americans and international travelers. Especially around beach cities, and Baja in particular, the Easter weeks are the busiest times for Mexican nationals to travel as well.
Many take the time off work to take vacations. Many go to visit family.
So, expect crowds at restaurants, bars, beaches and other gathering places. That includes airports especially. Prime arrival and departure times are expected to be packed.
In addition to everyone flying into Mexico, many Mexicans use the holidays to visit family and friends in the U.S. In fact, it’s the busiest time of the year to try to fly.
Busier than Christmas. Busier than Thanksgiving.
Therefore, give yourself extra time coming and going.
With the demand for travel, airline tickets will often be more expensive than any other time of the year and also more difficult to purchase as popular flights fill up.
That goes for rental cars also.
The rental agencies are over-run. The last two times we tried to rent vehicles in Cabo, we waited as long as two hours to get vehicles that had been reserved months in advance.
Put an extra case of “patience” in your luggage. Mexico is also going through the throes of not being able to find enough employees.
So service at hotels, restaurants and other spots might also be slower than expected. Keep smiling and just cut folks some slack. They’re doing their best.
Plan well. Mexico is waiting!
That’s my story!
Jonathan
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Jonathan Roldan has been writing the Baja Column in Western Outdoor News since 2004. Along with his wife and fishing buddy, Jilly, they own and run the Tailhunter International Fishing Fleet in La Paz, Baja, Mexico www.tailhunter.com.
They also run their Tailhunter Restaurant Bar on the famous La Paz malecon waterfront. If you’d like to contact him directly, his e-mail is: jonathan@tailhunter.com
Or drop by the restaurant to say hi. It’s right on the La Paz waterfront!
Originally Published the Week of Feb. 22, 2022 in Western Outdoor Publications
As many of you know, my wife Jill and I are “on tour” criss-crossing the U.S. from January to March in our rig. These are the months when we’re exhibiting at the fishing and hunting expositions with our booth on behalf of our Tailhunter Fishing Operation in La Paz and generally just trying to be good ambassadors for both the U.S. and Baja.
We’ve been on the road now for 6 weeks. At last count, we’ve been in 11 states.
I can’t begin to tell you every city and town we’ve stopped in. We’ve had shows in Reno, Sacramento, Seattle, Salt Lake City and, most recently in Portland.
So, almost everywhere, there are now mask mandates. Hotels, restaurants, stores, gas station, fast food joints. Signs are pretty much everywhere. I get it.
Some are enforced more than others. Most really aren’t enforced much at all. When we go into a place, we look around. If others have masks on or are giving us “stink eye” (pretty rare) we pull up the shields.
And pull them back down when we are clear.
Just part of life these days.
However, we just finished a huge show in Portland, Oregon.
Now, Portland is pretty strict about their masks. Everyone one is pretty tight about it. Right or wrong, it is what it is. I don’t make the laws or rules.
But, at the 5-day show we attended called the Northwest Sportsmens Expo, some interesting things happened.
First, the city of Portland and the managers of the gigantic Portland Expo Center told the show producers that there would be strict enforcement. All vendors and attendees MUST have masks on all the time.
Whether walking around; in the booths; or in the bathrooms. Cover up!
Or, the City was gonna shut down the show!
Everyone also had to keep social distancing when talking to each other.
So, I heard there were about 500 booths and vendors. Grizzled hunting outfitters from the northern woods and plains of the U.S. and South Africa, Asia and South America. Weathered cowboys running pack operation in the mountains. Former military guys representing gun and archery manufacturers. River guides and bush pilots. Mountain men and charter boat skippers.
And then there were about 10,000 attendees walking through the place and trying to talk to vendors and outfitters.
These aren’t the kinds of folks who seem to be too accustomed to being told how and what to do. It’s a rather self-sufficient and independent crowd.
Get my drift?
So, the first day of the show, we got constant booming announcements over the P.A. about keeping our masks on at all times.
Green-jacketed “mask cops” also walked around telling you to pull up your mask or telling folks to step back from booths so that we were 6 feet away from each other trying to do transactions.
Oh, and they were also taking names and there were threats of citations.
We kinda bristled. When you’re right in the middle of talking to a prospective client and told you gotta step back, its impossible trying to talk to each other from 6 feet away with a mask over your face.
And the ambient noise of several thousand folks also trying to talk and shout at each other through masks doesn’t help.
Being in Mexico most of the time, this was really the first time I’ve been in a “mega event” where masks and other protocols were being enforced.
We all got to be like little school kids seeing what we could get away with.
We’d signal each other when a green-jacketed mask police was coming down the aisle. Or, we’d suddenly grab a drink and pretend we were eating or munching on something.
And we’d smile and wave at the mask police officer!
Quite telling was what happened during the Star Spangled Banner.
Every morning at these expos, the Star Spangled Banner is played just before they open the doors to the public. All of us several hundred vendors and outfitters stop what we are doing.
We all silently face the flag on the wall of the facility with hands and hats over hearts…as it should be! It’s a moving red-white-and-blue moment every morning.
But, one of the first mornings, right in the middle of the solemnity of the flag salute, they broke into the anthem and stopped the music. Over the P.A, they reminded us all in no uncertain terms that we MUST wear our masks.
Simultaneously, the green-jacket mask police walked up and down the aisles. Not even saluting the anthem or the flag they brislkly trotted up and down the aisles taking names and telling vendors to pull up their masks.
There was something really wrong with that. There was a disturbance in the force and a number of other outfitters expressed the same sentiment. It grated on alot of us.
Imagine at a sporting event like a baseball game where they stopped the playing of the national anthem to remind everyone, “Now that we have your attention, we remind everyone to wear their masks or you will be thrown out!” We now return to the music!
As one outfitter later commented, “That was the current state of the U.S. in a nutshell.” Another said, “It felt anti-American.”
Over the next 4 days, I noticed a silent smirking revolt.
None of us wore our masks anymore. Fewer and fewer of the attendees were wearing their masks.
Neener neener to masks. Up yours (with a smile).
The mask police retreated little-by-little. They actually started gently apologizing for asking folks to wear masks. And smiling. I guess they didn’t exactly like their jobs either.
Or they simply began to recognize the futility of it.
When you have several thousand people thumbing their noses at the mandate, what were they going to do?
They eventually gave up. Even some of the mask officers stopped wearing their masks. The last few days of the show, most folks didn’t have masks unless they wanted to wear them.
Laws have no teeth if no one enforces them.
It reminded me of the Greek god Sisyphus who was cursed by the other gods to roll a huge boulder up a hill for all eternity. When he got to the top, the boulder just rolled back down the other side.
Agree or disagree with masks, but it was interesting to watch the transition.
That’s my story!
Jonathan
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Jonathan Roldan has been writing the Baja Column in Western Outdoor News since 2004. Along with his wife and fishing buddy, Jilly, they own and run the Tailhunter International Fishing Fleet in La Paz, Baja, Mexico www.tailhunter.com.
They also run their Tailhunter Restaurant Bar on the famous La Paz malecon waterfront. If you’d like to contact him directly, his e-mail is: jonathan@tailhunter.com
Or drop by the restaurant to say hi. It’s right on the La Paz waterfront!
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His articles also appear in:
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That's My Story 