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“Lupe and Lorenzo Don’t Work Here Anymore”

Posted in Baja, Baja Fishing, Baja Life, Baja Mexico Fishing, Fishing, Fishing Tackle and Techniques, Fishing techniques, holidays in mexico, inshore fishing in Baja Mexico, Jonathan Roldan, kids, La Paz Fishing, Living in Mexico, Mexican, Mexican business, Mexican culture, Mexico, Mexico economy, Mexico life, Mexico neighborhood, Panga Fishing, Salt Water Fishing, Sea of Cortez, Tailhunter International, Uncategorized, Western Outdoor News, Western Outdoor Publications, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on August 26, 2012| Leave a Comment »

For four decades there wasn’t too much you couldn’t find in Lupe and Lancho’s little store. If you couldn’t find it, you probably didn’t need it. But a part of the community changed because Lupe and Lancho don’t work here anymore.

“LUPE AND LORENZO DON’T WORK HERE ANYMORE”

Originally Published the Week of Sept. 28, 2012 in Western Outdoor News

The old ceiling fan slowly whirred awkwardly off-kilter and barely moved any of the humid air that had rusted the  dusty mechanism and the tips of the blades once painted white.   Wohp…wohp…wohp…wohp…

You could keep time by the pulse of the rhythmic blades…Like a beating heart.  Slowing down with time.

The cracked-tile floor had seen decades of footsteps.  Bare brown cement peeked out where tiles long ago crumbled and cracked.

For 42-years-Lorenzo carried boxes of onions and stocked limes. He arranged the stacks of  fresh tortillas wrapped in wax paper for display in the little glass case.  He made sure the one-lone stand-up cooler had a stock of cold Pacificos, Coke and Fanta Orange soda. Some cheese. Some cold cuts and a few bottles of cold water next to the margarine.

He dusted the bottled salsas and re-arranged the dish soap and assorted sugar cookies and toilet paper.  Two jars of mayonnaise.  Four cans of beans.  Six of corn.  Some cooking oil.  Salt.  Bread.  Assorted soups. Toothpaste and bleach.  A little of everything, but  not much of any one thing.

Inventory was not difficult.

The shelves were  of  whitewashed wood.  Dry and blistering through several old layers of paint from the Baja aridness.   Several were noticeably leaning.  But who noticed?

He built them himself from wood that is hard to come by in a land that has few trees.  So boards, screws and nails often did not match.  If it worked and did what it was supposed to it was fine.  He could smile.

Construction-wise…The worn wooden table along the wall was not much better.  It  held small boxes or bags of beans, rice, onions and dried chilis and assorted fruit.  Nothing shiny and waxed.  No “mood” lights to make the produce look better.  Just a simple light bulb fixture globe on one wall.  The dust and dead bugs of ages silhouetted in it.

Lorenzo tidied up the stacks of brooms and smiled at his Guadalupe…Lupita (Little Lupe) … as she quietly re-stocked some cigarettes, batteries and candy bars behind the counter.  No cash register.  Just a rusty scratched lock box in a drawer.

Married for 40 of the 42 years he had worked at the store.  Her parents had owned it back in the day.  He worked for them in the store doing whatever needed to be done as well as at their home which was attached to the back of the little store.

As he tells it, he was just a kid and having an afternoon job wasn’t as important as being close to the little girl with the big dark eyes; long dark hair and disarmingly shy smile. His Lupita.

He still sighs when he looks at her.

He once told me, “After so many years with her, I always have the final word in our home.   It’s always, ‘Si, mi amor!’ (‘Yes, my sweetheart!’”)   He laughs heartily every time he tells that story.  And he hikes up his pants and continues sweeping and shaking his head with a smile beneath his bushy grey mustache.  He has amused himself again.

Lupita hears the story and shakes her own head with a smile and rolls her eyes.  She’s heard it a million times and it still makes her heart skip a bit.  It’s been a good life.

They were never blessed with kids, but she thinks of all the school kids that have passed through. She watched them grow up. They were like their own.  They called him “Don Lancho” and she was affectionately called, “Senora Lupita.”  

Generation after generation.  After-school ice cream bars and sodas.  Pencils and salty snacks. Teasing and flirting.  Little feet always underfoot with laughter.  Lancho and Lupita watched the “ninos” grow up to have kids of their own who then had their own kids all stop in after-school to spend a few pesos and laugh.

Blessed with laughter.  Nothing better.

The adults in the little barrio would come to hang out as well.   The little mercado could often be the hub of  the neighborhood social scene.

Buy a beer. Microwave some instant coffee or a cup of noodles eaten with a plastic fork.  Lupita would often have little tasty chili verde burritos for sale at the counter wrapped in wax paper.  Just a few pesos.  Everyone loved them.

The wooden bench on the sidewalk and some plastic chairs worked well to share neighborhood gossip and sports stories. There was always a radio playing Mexican ranch music.  Lupita’s favorite.

Evenings were the best after it got cooler.  Under the lone street light.  The occasional moth and bug flittering through the dusty glow.   After work.  After chores.  No kids. The neighborhood dogs would loll around the bench as well.  The dusty concrete was cooler than lying in the gravel road that was still radiating the Mexican heat and there was always the chance of a scrap or two!

42- years…there won’t be a 43rd.

There’s a padlock on the door now.  I wasn’t close enough to know them intimately but they were always kind and smiling and easy to chat with.  They were always there.

And now they are gone. No note.  Nothing on the metal door.  I’m not even sure who I would ask.  You just always assumed Lupe and Lancho would always be there.  Now, it doesn’t feel right.  A part of the neighborhood just isn’t there anymore.

I hope there wasn’t a tragedy or someone got sick.   I will miss stopping by for a Coke.

Maybe they just succumbed finally to the big box stores like Sam’s Club and others popping up way on the other side of town.  But those are way on the other side of town.

Folks are reluctant to travel far to shop and fiercely loyal to the little stores.  To a point.  Driving costs gas…and time.  And there’s no one to chat and gossip at the big store.  But like so many places around the world, at some point the big stores are convenient.

But I see more and more empty storefronts in town.  Even here on this side. Away from the big shopping centers.  No one is hanging out anymore.  The neighborhoods are changing with time.  Like the wohp…wohp…wohp of the old ceiling fan.  Time ticking down.

Sadly, I look through the smeared dirty windows into the darkened shop and see only my own reflection.  Lupe and Lancho don’t work here anymore. I think they are missed on so many levels.

That’s our story…

Jonathan

_____________

Jonathan Roldan has been writing the Baja Column in Western Outdoor News since 2004.  Along with his wife, Jill, they own and run the Tailhunter International Fishing Fleet in La Paz, Baja, Mexico  www.tailhunter-international.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 riplipboy@tailhunter-international.com  or drop by the restaurant to say hi!

_________________

Jonathan Roldan’s

Tailhunter International

 

TAILHUNTER FISHING FLEET #1 Rated on Trip Advisor

TAILHUNTER RESTAURANT BAR #1 Rated in La Paz on Trip Advisor

 

Now follow us on FACEBOOK TOO


 
Website: www.tailhunter-international.com
U.S. Office: 3319 White Cloud Drive, Suite A, Hacienda Hts. CA 91745
Mexico Office: 755 Paseo Obregon, La Paz, Baja Sur, Mexico
Phones:
from USA : 626-638-3383
from Mexico: 044-612-14-17863

.
Tailhunter Weekly Fishing Report:
http://fishreport.jonathanroldan.com/

Tailhunter YouTube Videos:
http://www.youtube.com/user/pangapirate


“When your life finally flashes before your eyes, you will have only moments to regret all the things in life you never had the courage to try.”

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“Locard’s Exchange Theory”

Posted in Baja, Baja Fishing, Baja Life, Baja Mexico Fishing, Fishing, Fishing Tackle and Techniques, Fishing techniques, fishing tournaments, holidays in mexico, inshore fishing in Baja Mexico, Jonathan Roldan, La Paz Fishing, Living in Mexico, Mexican, Mexican culture, Mexico, Mexico life, Panga Fishing, Salt Water Fishing, Sea of Cortez, Tailhunter International, Uncategorized, Western Outdoor News, Western Outdoor Publications, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , on August 12, 2012| Leave a Comment »

Edmond Locard was known as the “Sherlock Holmes” of forensic criminology during his time. But his principles can be applied to many things!

“LOCARD’S EXCHANGE THEORY”

Originally Published in Western Outdoor News the Week of Aug. 15, 2012

Around the turn-of-the-century, there was a famous French criminologist.  His name was Edmond Locard.   Most folks have never heard of him.  But, if you’re a fan of some of the popular TV crime dramas like “CSI” or “Law and Order” or any of those other shows that focus on forensic investigations, you’re familiar with Mssr. Locard’s work.

It was way back in the day that Locard came up with “Locard’s Exchange Principle.”  Named it after himself and everything.   Like Murphy and his “Law”.  You think of it, you get to name it!

It was Locard who believed that at every crime scene an “exchange” takes place.  Every criminal takes something.  Every criminal leaves something behind.   It’s inherent.

The TV shows focus on it all the time. The high-tech crime labs in the TV shows prove it.   A hair follicle.  Some skin cells under a fingernail.  A drop of blood.  A pebble.  The smell of perfume or aftershave.  A fingerprint.  Chemical residue.  Something leaves the scene.  Something is left at the scene.

Modern philosophy extends that a little further.

Anyone who goes into a room and leaves a room, inadvertently leaves a little bit of themselves in the room and takes something of the room with them.  Dust…dandruff…pet hair…or let’s get really touchy-feely-esoteric…a memory…a smell…

Locard’s principle in action.  An “exchange” is always taking place.  Something leaves.  Something is left behind.

I believe we can carry it even further.

I see it every day.  It’s not on purpose.  But, the “exchange” takes place nonetheless.

People come here to Baja on vacation.  The exotic Mexican fishing trip with family, friends or loved ones.

Maybe it’s a once-in-a-lifetime trip.  Maybe it’s a regular yearly holiday.   For a few days or weeks, folks come down.  They “pass through” as it were.  Through another country.  Another culture.  Another way of living.

They leave with the usual.  Maybe a cooler of fish.  A t-shirt or two.  A funny hat.  A necklace from a beach vendor.  A sunburn.  Five extra pounds from too many tacos. A hangover. A digital camera full of photos.

And those are just the tangible items.

They carry away  with them memories and thoughts.  Ideas and perspectives.  Smiles and knowledge.  Laughs, discoveries and grins.  The things you can’t put a price or a finger on.

It’s why people travel.  It’s why they go on vacations.

But, I think few folks think about what they leave behind when they depart for home.  Locard’s Exchange Principle continues to hum right along.

When you head home, you forget that, you didn’t just leave some vacation money back here in Mexico.  You left a little bit of yourself as well.

In your wake you leave impressions as well as memories.

Were you respectful of the language?  The people ?  Were you a drunken idiot?

Did you leave as many smiles as you took?  Did you try to interact or did you adopt an “us” and “them” attitude?   Did you forget basic courtesies?

I have had dozens of employees over the years.  They have worked for me as captains, deckhands, drivers, waiters, cooks, cashiers, guides and numerous other positions.  They talk to me quite often about such-and-such a guest or client.  I hear them talk among themselves about tourists in general and in particular.

Much of it is great.  They really enjoy the meetings and interactions.  Some of it is plain amusing.  Some of it makes me grimace and cringe.

A good example my panga captains.  Many have been with me 8, 10, 14, 15 years or more.  They have a remarkable memory for some clients they see maybe every few years or every other year.

They often ask  if Mr. So-and-so will be coming back.  They remember who tipped and who didn’t. They remember those who said thank you or wanted a picture with them.  They remember who took the time to bring down a baseball for their kid or left a nice pair of fishing pliers as a gift.  They remember the fun day fishing and talking about mutual families.  Smiles are universal.

My waiters and drivers are the same way.  They may not remember names, but they remember faces and families and couples.

They remember which kids and parents were courteous and who was “high maintenance” and who had the wife who loved to sing and which little girl gave a hug.  And they remember the  guy who never stopped bragging about how rich he was “back in ‘America’ and how ‘you people’ have everything backwards.”

Oh yes…they remember.

Even I have to constantly remind myself.  Something gets taken.  Something gets left behind.

Hopefully, I leave more smiles with each passing day. Hopefully, I take a new good lesson with me to bed at night after a long day.  Or some new memories.   Hopefully, I left a good thought or impression or someone learned something from me as well.

I try. Locard was a criminologist.  He was right.  It’d be a crime passing through life without taking and leaving something good.  Take a gift.  Leave a gift.

That’s our story…

Jonathan

__________________

Jonathan Roldan has been writing the Baja Column in Western Outdoor News since 2004.  Along with his wife, Jill, they own and run the Tailhunter International Fishing Fleet in La Paz, Baja, Mexico  www.tailhunter-international.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 riplipboy@tailhunter-international.com  or drop by the restaurant to say hi!

___________________

Jonathan Roldan’s
Tailhunter International

 

TAILHUNTER FISHING FLEET #1 Rated on Trip Advisor

TAILHUNTER RESTAURANT BAR #1 Rated in La Paz on Trip Advisor

 

Now follow us on FACEBOOK TOO


 
Website: www.tailhunter-international.com
U.S. Office: 3319 White Cloud Drive, Suite A, Hacienda Hts. CA 91745
Mexico Office: 755 Paseo Obregon, La Paz, Baja Sur, Mexico
Phones:
from USA : 626-638-3383
from Mexico: 044-612-14-17863

.
Tailhunter Weekly Fishing Report:
http://fishreport.jonathanroldan.com/

Tailhunter YouTube Videos:
http://www.youtube.com/user/pangapirate


“When your life finally flashes before your eyes, you will have only moments to regret all the things in life you never had the courage to try.”

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“KIDS UNPLUGGED”

Posted in Baja, Baja Fishing, Baja Life, Baja Mexico Fishing, Fishing, Fishing Tackle and Techniques, Fishing techniques, holidays in mexico, Jonathan Roldan, La Paz Fishing, Living in Mexico, Mexican, Mexican culture, Mexico, Mexico life, Salt Water Fishing, Sea of Cortez, Tailhunter International, Uncategorized, Western Outdoor News, Western Outdoor Publications, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on July 29, 2012| Leave a Comment »

Getting a kid out on the water can be a life-changing event!

“KIDS UNPLUGGED”

Originally Published in Western Outdoor News the Week of Aug. 3, 2012

What’s up with these kids?  Am I the only one who’s noticed this?

Summer is on and we’ve got a lot of families arriving now for their summer vacations.  All well and good.  My wife and I  always make a point of doing the meet-and-greet when they arrive from the airport and make sure we put faces with names and make sure they’re checked into their hotel rooms get a quick summary of things. 

Big handshakes and hugs all around.  It’s great to have families.  And I know how important these vacations are.  Not just to the families, but to mom and dad as well. 

But, so many of the kids…when you reach out to shake a hand, act like they have never shaken a hand.  They recoil to human touch.  Smile and say hello and welcome and it’s like you’re the boogie-man.    

I’ve had the parents say things to 12-year-olds like, “Say hi to Jonathan and Jill.  Go on now!”  And nudge them toward us like they were 4-year-olds hiding behind mom’s skirts.  Heaven help them if they should smile. Never look you in the eye.   And the handshakes are about as firm as quivering noodles.

After the “pleasantries” they quickly retreat into the protective shadow.  Eyes downcast.  What’s up with that?

And  they  “assume the position.”  You know what I mean.

Hands close together…thumbs ready to go.  You know…ready to TEXT!  Tap-tap-tap…tap…tap…tap.  Like little “thumb claws” on their smart phones.  Socially adept at anonymous networking, but face-to-face can’t communicate with other people.

At our restaurant here in La Paz  last week, I watched  a family of 4 eating dinner.  No one was talking to each other. But they were “communicating” to each other via text and e-mail even though they were all sitting next to each other! 

TOTAL silence except for tap…tap…tap…to each other! “Howz yr tacos?”  “Grt mom.”  “Do U wnt mre salsa?” “I jst snt u a pic of me etng my brgr!”

Sitting right next to each other.  I watched 90 minutes of this.

Pretty sad commentary about the new family of the 21st century.

But, there’s another side to this. 

Sometimes, it’s amazing what a few days in Baja can do!  A couple of days of fishing and some beach time and some pool and snorkel time.  Being in a place where wi-fi isn’t automatic.  And kids come out of that shell. 

They run up to you…no, almost skip up to you…and can’t wait to tell you about how they caught a bigger fish than dad.  And they are gushing about the whaleshark and dolphins they saw and how they tried fish tacos for the first time. 

And, they’ve got a little color on their faces and their eyes are glowing again and there’s no sign of headsets  wrapped around their necks and attached to iPods and smart phones.  What?  There’s no wi-fi on a panga?

 Kids who no longer had a story to tell now have “adventures” they can’t wait to talk about. There’s almost a cool little “swagger” about them.  Like each day they just survived the e-ticket rides!

Like you and I used to do.  Things that you and I did commonplace is an “adventure” to these kids. 

You and I walked to school.  We rode our bikes through fields; down train tracks; and to the local beach, lake or public pool. Heaven forbid…some of us even rode on the handlebars…AND NO HELMETS!

Some of us even hitchhiked.  We spent the night at friend’s houses.  We stayed out late playing ball in the street under the street lamp.  It was perfectly OK to eat cookies made by a neighbor or  retrieve the ball from the neighbors yard.  Our mom’s and dads knew the names and faces of the parents of our friends. 

Camping out in the yard or going on a fishing trip wasn’t an exercise in logistics, insurance and security for a family.  We didn’t sign release forms or have to check in our our personal GPS units.  Mom’s two-fingered whistle from the front door meant “Get home now!”

I don’t think kids have adventures anymore. Whereas you and I got our jollies playing on a tire-swing and running through the sprinkler system, their “adrenaline rush” comes in how many zombies they killed on Play Station sitting in the living room. 

A few days ago, I heard a 14-year-old boy (from Southern California)  pleading to his dad to take his photo, “Look dad!  Look dad, I’m sticking my feet in the ocean!”  It was the same excitement you and I got riding our bikes with no hands or jumping off the big rock into the swimming hole. This was a southern California kid excited about simply putting his feet into the ocean!

I’m not saying that a trip to Baja is a cure-all. 

But what old Baja Rats like you and I might take for granted like eating a fish taco, pulling on a fish; seeing some dolphin or (Lord help me) putting our toes into the ocean, could be the show-and-tell-adventure of a lifetime for some kid in your life.

As “civilized” as many of us have come to see Baja with air-conditioning; paved roads; McDonald’s and room service, it’s still the frontier.  It’s still an exotic place for the unusual and the out-of-ordinary that can make a lifelong impression on some youngster who rarely looks up from their keyboard or lets go of the remote control.

Give ‘em a story to tell!  Get them to look up and see the sunshine!

________________

Jonathan Roldan has been writing the Baja Column in Western Outdoor News since 2004.  Along with his wife, Jill, they own and run the Tailhunter International Fishing Fleet in La Paz, Baja, Mexico  www.tailhunter-international.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 riplipboy@tailhunter-international.com  or drop by the restaurant to say hi!

__________________

That’s our story!

Jonathan

Jonathan Roldan’s
Tailhunter International

 

TAILHUNTER FISHING FLEET #1 Rated on Trip Advisor

TAILHUNTER RESTAURANT BAR #1 Rated in La Paz on Trip Advisor

 

Now follow us on FACEBOOK TOO


 
Website: www.tailhunter-international.com
U.S. Office: 3319 White Cloud Drive, Suite A, Hacienda Hts. CA 91745
Mexico Office: 755 Paseo Obregon, La Paz, Baja Sur, Mexico
Phones:
from USA : 626-638-3383
from Mexico: 044-612-14-17863

.
Tailhunter Weekly Fishing Report:
http://fishreport.jonathanroldan.com/

Tailhunter YouTube Videos:
http://www.youtube.com/user/pangapirate


“When your life finally flashes before your eyes, you will have only moments to regret all the things in life you never had the courage to try.”

Read Full Post »

“What I See Is What You Get!”

Posted in Baja, Baja Fishing, Baja Life, Baja Mexico Fishing, Cabo San Lucas, Fishing, Fishing Tackle and Techniques, Fishing techniques, fishing tournaments, holidays in mexico, inshore fishing in Baja Mexico, Jonathan Roldan, La Paz Fishing, Living in Mexico, Mexican, Mexican culture, Mexico, Mexico life, Panga Fishing, Salt Water Fishing, Sea of Cortez, Tailhunter International, Uncategorized, Western Outdoor News, Western Outdoor Publications, yellowtail, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on July 8, 2012| Leave a Comment »

It is sometimes a narrow view from the beach and under the palapa fronds, but it’s amazing what you sometimes see and pick up!

WHAT I SEE IS WHAT YOU GET!

Originally Published the Week of July 11, 2012 in Western Outdoor News

I recently came under some criticism by a reader for what I write in my columns and how I write them.  It’s not the first and surely not the last time I got in someone’s crosshairs about it.  Oh well.

Fortunately, it’s few and far between.  I can’t please everyone and everytime someone jumps on my head it’s far outweighed by so many of you who ride in like the cavalry to offer support.  Much appreciated, amigos!  It’s gratifying to know so many of you enjoy my columns and have my back!

When I started writing this column for WON (Western Outdoor News)  in 2004 on a lark.  WON editor, Pat McDonnell  asked me to fill in “for a few weeks” until he found someone else to replace me. He knew that I was busy with my own fishing operation down here in La Paz.  No brainer.

Pat and WON have been friends and supporters for many years.  I was happy and honored to fill in although somewhat awed at filling the sandy sandals of the likes of Gene Kira, Fred Hoctor and Ray Cannon.

But, I figured for a couple of weeks, how much damage could I do? La-la-la-la-la…

Two weeks turned into eight years almost 400 columns. I jokingly tell Pat to let me know when he finds my “replacement.”

Those first two years, I wrote the column every week.  That’s 800-1000 words and, as I do now, I write the column about midnight after a full day running our La Paz operations. That’s 52 columns, plus other articles for WON as well as the Baja Beat pages in the former Western Outdoor News Magazine. Those were another 3000 or so words.

Try to come up with something new and fresh every time! Then try writing at midnight after a 20-hour-work-day and knowing that you only have a few hours to get it done with a brain that’s screaming for a pillow and a blanket!  Pat and the other great writers at WON have incredibly been doing it for years.

I have a small brain. I have limited time. I gotta get up to put out the boats in 2 hours.  I wanna go to bed!

And, as I’m sure all writers do, sometimes deadlines would loom and my brain just wouldn’t work.  Credit Pat McDonnel, Rich Holland, and Gene Kira who told me, “Just write what you know.”

I can surely write about dorado and tuna fishing and how to catch marlin.  And I do.  To a degree.

But, so does everyone else.  And they are better fishermen than me and can certainly write about it better than I can.  And honestly, how many different ways are there to catch a dorado or a billfish?  Open any fishing magazine on the rack and there’s probably half-a-dozen articles about “how-to-catch a….(fill in the blank)”

I know that’s almost heresy to even mention that, but where we are here in La Paz, we take a hook.  We put a bait on it. We put the bait in the water.  We’re now fishing!   It’s hard to fill 52 columns a year with that. I’m just not good enough for that.

And I’m not as good of a reporter as so many other writers either.  I don’t travel.  I don’t get out and about. Gary Graham does such a great job of it.  Me? I’m kinda tied to one spot. We live here in La Paz.

My view of Baja can be pretty myopic.  It’s the view through the window of the palapa.  It’s the view of walking around in the streets doing what people do here on a day-to-day basis. We shop.  We fill gas.  It’s life.

It’s the joking at the taco stand.  It’s the funny things that happen in the grocery store or the sometimes comical adventures of tourists and amigos.  It’s about running a business here in an adopted country.

It’s the interaction with visitors and friends and all of YOU who come to wet a line or put your toes in the sand.  It’s what I see on the beach or on the water. I keep a keen ear out for what I hear and what all of you say.  I’m simply an observer and your humble conduit of those experiences.

So, ultimately, yes.  I write about what I know.  And I also write for my own enjoyment.  When, I’m writing at midnight and running on fumes, it’s pretty hard to find my writing muse if the subject bores me to death!

So, I write about the whole “Baja experience.”  Because to me, a visit here is more than just fishing or diving.  That’s merely the vehicle that gets you down here.

Beyond that, it’s the sunrises and the great food. It’s that great beach you found and watching your kids light up seeing the dolphins. It’s the dusty road to the hidden cove.  It’s the little hotel you chanced upon or finding that perfect surf break or fishing or diving hole.

It’s the culture and most of all, it’s the people. The little old man who sold you the necklace.  The captain who chatted about how much he liked the Yankees.  The family who served you at the little beachside palapa and cooked your fresh fish and shared a recipe.

It’s the  smiles you bring and the smiles you take home!

That’s my story!

Jonathan

________________

Jonathan Roldan has been writing the Baja Column in Western Outdoor News since 2004.  Along with his wife, Jill, they own and run the Tailhunter International Fishing Fleet in La Paz, Baja, Mexico  www.tailhunter-international.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 riplipboy@tailhunter-international.com  or drop by the restaurant to say hi!

___________

Jonathan Roldan’s
Tailhunter International

 

TAILHUNTER FISHING FLEET #1 Rated on Trip Advisor

TAILHUNTER RESTAURANT BAR #1 Rated in La Paz on Trip Advisor

 

Now follow us on FACEBOOK TOO


 
Website: www.tailhunter-international.com
U.S. Office: 3319 White Cloud Drive, Suite A, Hacienda Hts. CA 91745
Mexico Office: 755 Paseo Obregon, La Paz, Baja Sur, Mexico
Phones:
from USA : 626-638-3383
from Mexico: 044-612-14-17863

.
Tailhunter Weekly Fishing Report:
http://fishreport.jonathanroldan.com/

Tailhunter YouTube Videos:
http://www.youtube.com/user/pangapirate


“When your life finally flashes before your eyes, you will have only moments to regret all the things in life you never had the courage to try.”

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“BRING IT ON HOME!”

Posted in Baja, Baja Fishing, Baja Life, Baja Mexico Fishing, Cabo San Lucas, Fishing, Fishing Tackle and Techniques, Fishing techniques, fishing tournaments, holidays in mexico, inshore fishing in Baja Mexico, Jonathan Roldan, La Paz Fishing, Living in Mexico, Mexican, Mexican culture, Mexico, Mexico life, Panga Fishing, Salt Water Fishing, Sea of Cortez, Tailhunter International, Uncategorized, Western Outdoor News, Western Outdoor Publications, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on June 24, 2012| Leave a Comment »

How you treat your fish makes all the difference in what it’s like when you get it home. Sherman from the Tailhunter staff prepares dorado fillets to be vacuum sealed at our facility for our fishing clients where it’s trimmed, labeled, dated and commercially vacuum sealed.  Even if you don’t have the ability to vacuum seal your fish, keep it cold and fresh as possible.

“BRING IT ON HOME!”

Originally Published in Western Outdoor News the Week of June 28, 2012

After so many years of doing this, I just assume most folks know about bringing home their catch.  Certain things are just assumed.   I shouldn’t be surprised, but I am.  Just this week alone, I think I received at least 2 dozen e-mails asking me about how to get their fish home.

Don’t get me wrong!  The  questions are great questions.  It’s my own fault for being surprised!

For you veteran Baja anglers, you just assume that fish is going home with you, but for many first timers, families, couples, etc. fishing the Baja is a new experience.

So, let’s do a primer!

Bringing home good quality fish means taking care of it as soon as it’s out’ve the water and on the deck.  Dispatch the fish as quickly as possible.  Keep in mind, as soon as your fish is dead, it’s already deteriorating.  Like any type of food, cold helps arrest deterioration a.k.a. spoilage!

So, get it in the box, ice chest or other container and off the deck and out of the sun, unless you want it cooked and spoiled right before your eyes! Nothing like blazing Baja sun to turn your fish to mush.  In the box, make sure there’s ice and keep it as cold as possible.

In most cases, your captain or deckhand won’t have time to start cleaning it on the spot, but the colder you can keep your fish, the better. Ice is the key.  In the major fishing tourist destinations, ice is a given.  Usually.  But it’s always a good question to ask your operator.  Also, is it included in the price of your trip? Many outlying areas may not have ice.  Find out! If not, do your best to keep your catch cool.

Usually, once back at the beach or dock, your catch is cleaned.  Get it bagged and cold and on ice again as soon as possible.  So often I see anglers wander away to take photos and high-five each other and not pay attention to their fillets…which might just sit in the sun on a cleaning table…cooking!  Get the fish on ice.  If you can get it vacuum sealed, it’s a plus.

As soon as you can, if you’re staying in one spot for awhile, get your catch in the freezer.  Again, a good question to ask if whether your lodging or charter operators have freezing facilities.  Don’t assume!  It’s Mexico.  Better to be certain.

Now, getting your catch home…

Let’s get this right out.  Generally speaking, there’s no way to ship your fish home.  This is not Alaska or Canada.  Unless you want to pay and arm-and-leg and get your fish on your doorstep melted and stinky a week late, don’t even consider mailing it.

The best and cheapest way is to bring your fish home in an ice chest as a piece of luggage.  Everyone does it.  Extra baggage is usually 25-50 dollars.  A bargain.  Most airlines have a limit of 50 pounds per piece before they charge you for an over-weight piece. Check with your airlines.

There is no dry ice. The airlines will also not permit you to put ice in the cooler either as it will melt and when your ice chest tumbles along the conveyor belt,  you’re gonna piss off a lot of people when it leaks fish water on their luggage.

So, this is why it’s important that your filets be frozen. Believe me, if you don’t keep opening and closing the lids, your fish can last 24-48 hours in an ice chest!

Usually a 35-42 qt. chest holds will weigh about 50 pounds when filled with fillets. Don’t forget, chests with wheels will weigh more so you don’t be able to put as much fish in the chest if you’re trying to be exactly 50 pounds.

Don’t use Styrofoam chests.  They get crushed when smacked by other luggage and make a mess!  Don’t cheap out either and put it in a cardboard box as I’ve seen some guys try it.  Not a great idea to stick extra fish in your personal luggage either! The airlines frown on it and you might have trouble getting the stink out of your clothes if the fish starts melting.

I’ve seen some anglers try to use the insulated boxes that they use in Alaska.  They don’t work as well down here.  In Mexico,  ice chests might sit on the 100+ degree tarmac or in a hot luggage room before being loaded.

Although lighter in weight, insulated boxes don’t hold up like they do in Alaska or Canad. Up there, the ambient temperature is not very warm and the boxes can be kept out or stored in cooler places.  Mexico is a cooker!

Many companies make some great soft-sided ice chests now that work incredibly well and are made for hot weather.  Worth looking into and they weigh less than conventional coolers.

If you have extra room, stuff your dirty fishing clothes around the packs or crushed newspaper for extra insulation.  Bring some duct tape to seal it up or a packing strap.

When you get home, get your fish in your home freezer and get the barbecue ready to go!

That’s our story!

Jonathan

____________

Jonathan Roldan has been writing the Baja Column in Western Outdoor News since 2004.  Along with his wife, Jill, they own and run the Tailhunter International Fishing Fleet in La Paz, Baja, Mexico  www.tailhunter-international.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 riplipboy@tailhunter-international.com  or drop by the restaurant to say hi!

Jonathan Roldan’s
Tailhunter International

 

TAILHUNTER FISHING FLEET #1 Rated on Trip Advisor

TAILHUNTER RESTAURANT BAR #1 Rated in La Paz on Trip Advisor

 

Now follow us on FACEBOOK TOO


 
Website: www.tailhunter-international.com
U.S. Office: 3319 White Cloud Drive, Suite A, Hacienda Hts. CA 91745
Mexico Office: 755 Paseo Obregon, La Paz, Baja Sur, Mexico
Phones:
from USA : 626-638-3383
from Mexico: 044-612-14-17863

.
Tailhunter Weekly Fishing Report:
http://fishreport.jonathanroldan.com/

Tailhunter YouTube Videos:
http://www.youtube.com/user/pangapirate


“When your life finally flashes before your eyes, you will have only moments to regret all the things in life you never had the courage to try.”

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HURTS and HAS A TEMPERATURE!

Posted in Baja Fishing, Baja Mexico Fishing, Fishing, Jonathan Roldan, La Paz Fishing, Panga Fishing, Salt Water Fishing, Tailhunter International, Uncategorized, Western Outdoor News, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on June 12, 2012| Leave a Comment »

Prevention is always the best medicine but sometimes stuff happens! What to do!

“HURTS and HAS A TEMPERATURE”

Originally Published the Week of June 11, 2012 in Western Outdoor News

You’re on your Mexican vacation and you hit a crisis.  You get sick, or worse, injured. Nothing quite brings a trip to a screeching halt like something that might require medical attention.  Not just for you, but often for your buddies, family or traveling companions.

You’re obviously far from home.  Seemingly no one speaks English. Even for something as simple as a nasty hangover or a Montezuma’s Revenge, it’s not like you can run down to the local Walgreens or other familiar pharmacy.

But wait, actually, if you know what’s wrong, most tourist destinations actually DO have familiar places like Walmart and other large stores that have pharmacies.  Small local pharmacies are on every street corner.  Believe me, most understand your “Spanglish” explanation of a headache or “the runs.” You are hardly the first person who’s come into the store with those kinds of complaints…especially in someplace for example like Cabo.

Certainly, your first option should be to report to the front desk at your hotel.  Not only do most have things like aspirin, ant-acids and other first aid items, but many have doctors on call or, can recommend you to a local doctor, hospital or emergency care facility. Or point you to a pharmacy if you just need some medicinal aid that they don’t have.

Don’t panic.  Most things, actually pass quickly.  Some of the worst-feeling things, you personally could have prevented or know how to deal with if pointed in the right direction.

Prevention, of course, is the best medicine of all.

Of the thousands of client’s we have hosted here in La Paz, there have fortunately been only a handful of injuries or sickness.  I would venture to say that the majority of them started with the line…

“We decided to do some shots of tequila…”

Or

“The guys dared me to do it…”

OK, right.  Pilot error.  Alcohol is often the culprit in the hands of someone who forgot to take it easy.  Either drinking too much…mixing poisons (“I started with tequila and went to rum then to vodka!”)  or  mixing medications (“I forgot the doctor told me not to drink whiskey with my heart medications!”)

I think almost all the broken bones or tricked knees or head bumps or the busted teeth were the result of someone not being more careful and under the influence.

Or, not drinking enough!  Or forgetting that the sun is not always your friend.

Our biggest enemy is people not drinking enough water and getting heat-stroked which can  have symptoms that resemble food poisoning, the flu, hangovers, diarrhea, etc.  Simple avoidance means drinking enough water (beer and tequila do not count) and trying to minimize exposure to the sun.

In worst case scenarios, heat stroke can easily land you in the hospital or worse.   Same for sunburn too.  C’mon…common sense.  You live in Michigan all year long and you miss sunshine.  This is NOT a reason to “go lobster” and burn your back and  man-boobs. Keep your shirt on, amigo! Sunburn hurts like the devil and can have long term effects.

But what if you’ve got a problem that can’t be solved with a few pills; more water; abstinence; or a night’s rest?

My first choice, if you are in a tourist area and staying at one of the more tourist-oriented hotels is to contact hotel management.   I’d contact the front desk. As mentioned, often, they have a doctor on call or can refer you to a health care facility or provider.  Believe me, you are not the first person ever to have a medical problem.

If it’s a traumatic injury, again, get a referral from the hotel; the local tour operator; or someone who knows where to go.  Speed can often be of the essence and in the tourist areas and even some of the outlying areas, there are excellent first-responders who can get out to you in an ambulance or emergency vehicle.

The last two times we’ve had a problem here in La Paz, the EMT’s that showed up had been trained in Chicago and Seattle!  One of the EMT’s riding along, in fact, was a young man from Denver who was working a few months in Mexico to work on his Spanish at the same time.

If you do end up in a hospital, they might not often accept your insurance, but I have yet to run into a health care facility that did not perk up when you showed them your credit card.  They might not accept Blue Cross, but everyone knows VISA!

One caveat, many of the major tourist areas, have upscale hospitals that cater more towards tourists and the middle and upper class locals.   That’s where you want to ask to go if you have a choice.  Often, they have many English-speaking employees and doctors.  And care, is a notch above too.  Certainly, it’s great for 99% of the types of injuries that befall tourists and if it’s more serious, can stabilize the situation so you can get home and see your own doctor.

But, again…the best thing is not to get hurt or sick in the first place, especially if it’s something you could have prevented by being more careful or prudent!

That’s our story!

Jonathan

 ________________________

Jonathan Roldan has been writing the Baja Column in Western Outdoor News since 2004.  Along with his wife, Jill, they own and run the Tailhunter International Fishing Fleet in La Paz, Baja, Mexico  www.tailhunter-international.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 riplipboy@tailhunter-international.com  or drop by the restaurant to say hi!

_________________________

Jonathan Roldan’s
Tailhunter International

 

TAILHUNTER FISHING FLEET #1 Rated on Trip Advisor

TAILHUNTER RESTAURANT BAR #1 Rated in La Paz on Trip Advisor

 

Now follow us on FACEBOOK TOO


 
Website: www.tailhunter-international.com
U.S. Office: 3319 White Cloud Drive, Suite A, Hacienda Hts. CA 91745
Mexico Office: 755 Paseo Obregon, La Paz, Baja Sur, Mexico
Phones:
from USA : 626-638-3383
from Mexico: 044-612-14-17863

.
Tailhunter Weekly Fishing Report:
http://fishreport.jonathanroldan.com/

Tailhunter YouTube Videos:
http://www.youtube.com/user/pangapirate


“When your life finally flashes before your eyes, you will have only moments to regret all the things in life you never had the courage to try.”

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EASY TO TAKE FOR GRANTED!

Posted in Baja Fishing, Baja Mexico Fishing, Fishing, Jonathan Roldan, La Paz Fishing, Panga Fishing, Salt Water Fishing, Tailhunter International, Uncategorized, Western Outdoor News, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on May 27, 2012| 3 Comments »

Mexic is a wonderful country, but many differences in Mexico suggest you just go with the flow and slow down a bit.

EASY TO TAKE FOR GRANTED

Originally Published the Week of June 2, 2012 in Western Outdoor News Publications

Over the many years of watching gringos come and go down here in Baja, both tourists and ex-pats alike,  I think the biggest issue I see is how much is taken for granted. We assume so much.  And often are so surprised. 

 

I faced it myself when I first moved down here.  I continue to run into things that make me scratch my head or cock an eyebrow.  Coming from the U.S. or other countries, we just assume certain things are “a given.”

 

Like water. . .

 

You turn on the tap and water comes out.  Usually, as much as you want.  Here in Mexico, that’s not always so.  If you ever see the big plastic black tanks on top of people’s homes and businesses, those are water storage units.  Water only comes several times a week.  At a trickle.  Only at certain times of the day. 

 

If you run out, you run out until they turn on the main source again.  Sometimes they don’t have enough water to send.  Sometimes, the water doesn’t get turned on.  You have to deal with it.  Sometimes you have to hire a truck to bring you water, like our restaurant, if there’s no water, it’s hard to run a restaurant.

 

At hotels you just use as much water as you want, but most tourists don’t realize that the water is actually coming many times for a storage tank at the  hotel that has to be filled by a truck almost daily.

 

Like mail. . .

 

How often do you see a Mexican mail box?  Yes, there’s a post office, but most folks don’t know where it is.  You never see anyone delivering mail.  When you have a bill, often the company hires a guy on a bike to drive around and toss the mail at your house or business.

 

If it lands under the car or in a bush, too bad.  You’re still responsible for paying the bill.  Also, most folks will line up for hours at the cable, phone or electric company to pay their bills. They don’t send them in the mail.  (But then again..most folks don’t have checking accounts either!)

 

If you do send by mail, it can take days or weeks for arrival!

 

Like phones. . .

 

Simple.  You get a phone.  You pay the bill.  You should have phone service, right?   NOT.  Many parts of Baja and Mexico are still pretty remote.  Phone service is spotty or non-existent. Even in major metro areas, it doesn’t mean that you’ll get a signal. 

 

Correspondingly, we are used to pretty much being able to resolve anything with a phone call.  If you pick up the phone to call for help, a service, information, or any of the myriad things, it doesn’t mean anything.  It just means your phone works.  It doesn’t mean you are any closer to resolving your issue. Prepare to be put on hold…forever! Or the department you want is not available. Or no longer exists. Or the line simply goes dead!

 

Like Service. . .

 

We often make jokes about the cable guy or the washing machine guy taking all day to make a home visit back in the U.S.  10 a.m. could mean 3 p.m.

 

That would be “express” service in Mexico. They’ll get there when they get there. It’s just the way it is.  Best thing is to get used to it!

 

There’s a general rule that if you’re told “manana”  (tomorrow) three times, it’s best to find someone else.

 

Also, don’t assume they’ll have the part either…(see the next section).  Usually it means, checking out the problem and then coming back…”manana!”

 

 

Like Repairs. . .

 

North of the border, something is busted…your car…a light switch…the air-conditioner…a TV…something in the garden…the sink or toilet…

 

You call someone or run to Home Depot or Walmart.  Another wrong assumption.  In the Mexican version of Murphy’s law, the more you need the thing (like a stopped up toilet or your car) the greater the likelihood, no one will have your part or it has to be ordered from someplace else.  Which is further complicated because remember…no mail service!

 

Like Traffic. . .

 

We make fun of drivers in Mexico.  But, you do NOT need to take a driving test to get a license in Mexico.  You need to take a blood test!  Yes, that’s right.  You take a blood test and you then take the results to the Mexican DMV.  Vampires or people with strange driving diseases are not allowed to get a license.  Whether you know the rules of the road are irrelevant.  If your blood is red and you can touch the peddles and brakes, you’re good to go.

 

And speaking of good-to-go…don’t assume anyone stops at stop signs…signals when they turn…stays in their lanes…has headlights or break lights…knows how to read…or can see above the dashboard!  Things that we normally assume are a given when we drive elsewhere!

 

That being said, there seems to be fewer traffic accidents because people drive defensively and everyone drives the same! 

 

 

Like Food…

 

How often I get asked, “Where do we go for real Mexican food? We want to eat where the locals eat!”  The assumption is that they want the authentic version of a Mexican chain restaurant like we see in the state.  Enchiladas…Tacos…Margaritas…chips and salsa.  Surely, there must be one on every street corner!

 

Actually, places that have that kind of fare are “Americanized” Mexican restaurants.  And, usually if you find a restaurant like that, you’ll usually find tourists and gringos there also thinking they’re eating “real Mexican food.”

 

Go where you see the locals eat and you’ll find seafood places…beef places…tacos stands…hot dog carts (yes hot dog carts unlike any you have ever experienced!)…You won’t be disappointed!

 

Just remember…the overall rule in Mexico…if you want it fast, it probably won’t happen.  Lower your expectations.  It’s really part of the lifestyle.  So, just go with the flow!

 

 

 

 _______________

Jonathan Roldan has been writing the Baja Column in Western Outdoor News since 2004.  Along with his wife, Jill, they own and run the Tailhunter International Fishing Fleet in La Paz, Baja, Mexico  www.tailhunter-international.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 riplipboy@tailhunter-international.com  or drop by the restaurant to say hi!           

 ____________________

 

 

 

 

Jonathan Roldan’s Tailhunter International

 

TAILHUNTER FISHING FLEET #1 Rated on Trip Advisor

TAILHUNTER RESTAURANT BAR #1 Rated in La Paz on Trip Advisor

 

Now follow us on FACEBOOK TOO


 

Website: www.tailhunter-international.com U.S. Office: 3319 White Cloud Drive, Suite A, Hacienda Hts. CA 91745 Mexico Office: 755 Paseo Obregon, La Paz, Baja Sur, Mexico Phones: from USA : 626-638-3383 from Mexico: 044-612-14-17863

.

Tailhunter Weekly Fishing Report: http://fishreport.jonathanroldan.com/

Tailhunter YouTube Videos: http://www.youtube.com/user/pangapirate

“When your life finally flashes before your eyes, you will have only moments to regret all the things in life you never had the courage to try.”

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MOTHER’S DAY FAIL IN MEXCO

Posted in Baja Fishing, Baja Mexico Fishing, Fishing, Jonathan Roldan, La Paz Fishing, Panga Fishing, Salt Water Fishing, Tailhunter International, Uncategorized, Western Outdoor News, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on May 13, 2012| Leave a Comment »

To avoid a cultural faux pas FAIL, it’s important to remember which country you’re in! I forgot. HONEST!

MOTHER’S DAY FAIL!

Originally Published in Western Outdoor News the Week of May 16, 2012

I love sharing a bit of Mexican culture in these columns.

As I’m writing this, I realize I really screwed up.  Have you ever forgotten an important day of the year?  Like your anniversary?  A birthday?

Well, I forgot that today (May 10th)  is Mother’s Day!  Oops.  Fail. Scramble to make phone calls…e-greeting cards…and other face-saving measures!

You see, in my brain, Mother’s day is always the 2nd Sunday of May.  That’s May 13th in the U.S.

But here in Mexico, it’s May 10th.  Every year.  Same date.  It doesn’t matter if it’s on a Sunday, a Tuesday, a Thursday or the full moon.  May 10th is Mother’s Day and you’d better not forget it.

In Mexico, where culturally mom is the focus of pretty much everything, she is pretty much a saint.  Where the concept of the centralized family and where generations often continue to live under the same roof or everyone lives within tortilla-tossing proximity to each other, moms, grandmoms, aunties, etc. are held in high esteem.  And never so highly as on Mother’s Day.

(That’s why you NEVER EVER EVER call out a man’s mom.  Those are fighting words and one of the highest insults.  Don’t mess with a man’s mom in Mexico.)

Whereas Fathers Day barely draws a breeze, much of the country takes on a semi-holiday atmosphere.  It’s pretty much a state holiday.

Mom’s don’t go to work or take long leisurely and sometimes elegant lunches much like the Sunday brunches seen in the U.S.  Sons and family members stop working as well to enjoy the day with moms.  Offices shut down. Stores close early.  Kids sometimes play hookie and don’t go to school.  (On Mom’s day, mom is not lifting a finger…that includes driving the kids to school!).  Conversely, to keep the kids from taking the day off, many  schools hold Mother’s Day pageants and recitals and invite moms to attend.

The whole country is on the same page,  so it’s really not that big of a social impact.  It’s like the day before Christmas or that last day of school before summer vacation. No one’s head is there.  No one expects much efficiency anyway!  Not much gets done.

Some families, especially the sons, go through some elaborate expressions of adoration. Huge bouquets of flower. Rooms of flowers!  Sons will hire mariachi groups to sing outside mom’s window or all the sons will get together in the evening and serenade mom themselves accompanied by a boom box.

There will be incredible home parties either catered or home-cooked.  Often, all the guys do the cooking so the moms can have the day off.  In some homes where the mom does ALL the cooking every single meal and every single day, this might be the ONLY day of the year that the men cook or even approach the stove…sometimes to varying results!

Restaurants will have elegant brunches, lunches and dinners set out with Mothers’ Day specials and families will show up dressed in their jackets and ties, dresses and corsages as if headed for a grand social event…which is what Dia De Las Madres is in Mexico.

Historically, Dia de Las Madres was not always as we know it.  In 1922, it was brought over from the U.S, but met with significant opposition from the conservative government who attempted to use the holiday to promote the unrealistic concept of women as no more than child bearers!

Over the next decade, the powers in Mexico debated the day as either being too “patriotic” or being “too religious” with all the connotations those labels involved.   It got pretty heated and the Mexican political parties as well as the Church argued the current morals and values of the day such as empowering women, family values, country unity and basically whether women should be let out of the home!  It wasn’t just a Hallmark thing!

It wasn’t until the 40’s…to be exact in 1940, Soledad Orozco Garcia, wife of President Manuel Avilla Camacho, declared 10th May a holiday, thus making it a state-sponsored celebration  of mother’s day …and why I need to find some place that sells some quick Mothers’ Day Cards here in La Paz!  Or a boombox with a microphone!   I really messed up…

***********************

Jonathan Roldan has been writing the Baja Column in Western Outdoor News since 2004.  Along with his wife, Jill, they own and run the Tailhunter International Fishing Fleet in La Paz, Baja, Mexico  www.tailhunter-international.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 riplipboy@tailhunter-international.com  or drop by the restaurant to say hi!

***************************

That’s our story

Jonathan and Jilly

Jonathan Roldan’s
Tailhunter International

 

TAILHUNTER FISHING FLEET #1 Rated on Trip Advisor

TAILHUNTER RESTAURANT BAR #1 Rated in La Paz on Trip Advisor

 

Now follow us on FACEBOOK TOO


 
Website: www.tailhunter-international.com
U.S. Office: 3319 White Cloud Drive, Suite A, Hacienda Hts. CA 91745
Mexico Office: 755 Paseo Obregon, La Paz, Baja Sur, Mexico
Phones:
from USA : 626-638-3383
from Mexico: 044-612-14-17863

.
Tailhunter Weekly Fishing Report:
http://fishreport.jonathanroldan.com/

Tailhunter YouTube Videos:
http://www.youtube.com/user/pangapirate


“When your life finally flashes before your eyes, you will have only moments to regret all the things in life you never had the courage to try.”

Read Full Post »

A LONG AND DUSTY LINE

Posted in Baja Fishing, Baja Mexico Fishing, Fishing, Jonathan Roldan, La Paz Fishing, Panga Fishing, Salt Water Fishing, Tailhunter International, Uncategorized, Western Outdoor News, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on April 30, 2012| Leave a Comment »

The cathedral in La Paz. In the days before cranes and hydraulic lifts and electric screw drivers, someone had to be around to lift the massive stones and drag the enormous beams into place.

A LONG AND DUSTY LINE

Originally Published the Week of May 4, 2012 in Western Outdoor News

Having lived down here for quite sometime now, it always gives me pause to see how much of the country is reliant on manual labor.  There’s nothing wrong with it.

I come from a long line of manual laborers who came over to Hawaii to work the pineapple and sugarcane fields or to Central Caliornia to pick tomatoes.  Dad used to take me out to the fields to show me what it was like and tell me, “Stay in school so you don’t have to make your living hunched over in the sun.”  As I grew up, I learned to even despise pulling weeds in the yard, let alone chopping sugar cane stock or packing tomato crates.

Here, in Mexico, unskilled labor is inexpensive and folks need the work. And there’s a lot of folks here.

For instance, after a rain storm, the “broom army” materializes.  Using nothing more high-tech than garden-variety-kitchen brooms provided by the government, scores of folks  hand sweeping the streets.  No machines.  Basic sweat-of-brow technology.

Along the highways, you may have seen them.  Long lonely stretches of desert road.  Sometimes there’s a line of them. Sometimes there’s one solitary guy that makes me wonder “Did you apply for this job?”  “Are you being punished for this?”  Are you low-man on the seniority list?”

But there he is. With a shovel.  Dirty pants.  Usually a soiled t-shirt sometimes pulled up and tucked under the chest so that their tummys are exposed. A kerchief wrapped around his faces to ward off the dust.  Tennis shoes or old torn up work-boots that look like Hernando Cortez himself brought them over from Spain.  A baseball hat of some type worn “Foreign Legion” style with a t-shirt tucked and hanging down the back.

No gloves.  No supervisor.  No support truck with an orange Igloo of water. No “roach-coach” catering truck nearby.  No handy porta-potty close either.  No warning cones or vests.  Cars come dangerously close since Mexican roads have little or no shoulders.  Cows might watch from the scrub.  Probably wondering the same thing…”What the heck are you doing out here?”

But there they are, one shovel of dirt at a time.  It’s hard to tell what the project is.  Move dirt from here to there?   Shovel the dust off the highway?  Each car or breeze that passes only blows the dust right back.  Can’t you just phone it in and say you did the job?  Collect some pesos and go home?  Who would know the difference?

Often you see “gangs” of these worker standing like sardines in a stakebed truck.  Shoulder-to-shoulder.  No sitting.  Obviously, not union.

Day-after-day…same guys or just one guy. Same stretch of road.  Heat numbing.  Mind numbing.

Sometimes, I do see them nap under whatever shade a cactus or other scrub can give them.  Nothing special.  Lie down. Tilt hat over eyes.  Siesta.  Who keeps track of time?

What got me writing about this subject is a recent visit to the old mission here in La Paz.  Visiting the historic sites that dot the California, Baja and Mexican landscape is one of my favorite things.

Whether it’s Mission San Gabriel or San Diego or Santa Barbara or the Baja missions in Loreto or San Ignacio or, as I said here in La Paz, I never tire of walking into them and spending a few moments.  Or touching the old adobe or walking the paths and tiles.

There’s something about touching a bit of history.  It’s not a re-creation like going to Universal Studios or Disneyland.  This is the same water trough where the Spanish soldiers watered their horses.  Here’s the breezeway between the rectory and the church where some padre’s sandaled feet used to walk 300 years ago. And here’s the cemetery that holds so many stories.

If you get a chance to visit or ever have.  Be quite for a moment and sit still and the history will honestly talk to you!

But, the last time I was in, I was doing just that and it occurred to me.  There’s A LOT of wood in here.  Huge thick wooden beams criss-cross and support the massive ceilings.  Massive wooden doors.  Solid hard wood benches and the ornate altar and crucifix and so many other items.

Y’know, Mexico doesn’t exactly have a lot of trees.

And the huge bells and ornaments.  The  masterpiece stained glass windows and tile work.

They didn’t just hop down to Home Depot to get these in the 1600 and 1700’s.

I’m sure the Jesuit padres and the Spanish conquistadores did hard work, but I don’t envision, Sargeant Garcia and Friar Antonio making bricks or dragging huge chunks of lumber over the mountains.  They didn’t dig those irrigation aquaducts for the fields or paint the mission ceilings either.

Nope…they were built by some every-day Joe and Mary.  Born with a native name that was probably taken from them at their Christian baptismal and given  names like Jose and Maria.

And these are the folks who did the work. Who busted their backs often in the name of the spirit of Christianity and the promise of eternal salvation.  Only IF they learned to wear a pair of pants and help build the church.  Toil the fields. Build a wagon road.   Sweep up after the soldiers and padres.

They built quite an empire.  Same folks are still working. Still toiling in that hot Baja sun. Willing to work.  Needing to work.  I look at the guys on the side of the road as we speed by and wonder if they come from that long dusty line of laboral history. One shovel at a time.

_____________

Jonathan Roldan has been writing the Baja Column in Western Outdoor News since 2004.  Along with his wife, Jill, they own and run the Tailhunter International Fishing Fleet in La Paz, Baja, Mexico  www.tailhunter-international.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 riplipboy@tailhunter-international.com  or drop by the restaurant to say hi!

______________

That’s our story

Jonathan

Jonathan Roldan’s
Tailhunter International

 

TAILHUNTER FISHING FLEET #1 Rated on Trip Advisor

TAILHUNTER RESTAURANT BAR #1 Rated in La Paz on Trip Advisor

 

Now follow us on FACEBOOK TOO

 
Website: www.tailhunter-international.com
U.S. Office: 3319 White Cloud Drive, Suite A, Hacienda Hts. CA 91745
Mexico Office: 755 Paseo Obregon, La Paz, Baja Sur, Mexico
Phones:
from USA : 626-638-3383
from Mexico: 044-612-14-17863

.
Tailhunter Weekly Fishing Report:
http://fishreport.jonathanroldan.com/

Tailhunter YouTube Videos:
http://www.youtube.com/user/pangapirate


“When your life finally flashes before your eyes, you will have only moments to regret all the things in life you never had the courage to try.”

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“T.M.I” (Too Much Information)

Posted in Baja Fishing, Baja Mexico Fishing, Fishing, Jonathan Roldan, La Paz Fishing, Panga Fishing, Salt Water Fishing, Tailhunter International, Uncategorized, Western Outdoor News, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on April 16, 2012| Leave a Comment »

Opening one screen leads to another and another. In the quest for information on the "information super highway" one is often subjected to frequent sig-alert traffic jams!

“T.M.I”  (Too Much Information!)

Originally Published the Week of April 18, 2012 in Western Outdoor News

 

In the current lingo of the internet and texting, most teenagers can tell you what “TMI” means. “ Too much information.”  More than I need. 

 

When I got married a few years ago to Jilly, I wanted to surprise her for our honeymoon (no wise cracks, guys!).  So I told her I was sagely going to handle the honeymoon arrangements especially after all the work she had done for the massive wedding.  She rolled her eyes a bit and laughed.  She had her hands full anyway and she gamely expressed confidence in my  stellar organizational abilities.  In all fairness, I could’ve set up a camping trip or a Motel 6 and she’s still would have gone along cheerfully.

 

What she didn’t know was that I was secretly going to extend our honeymoon for extra days.  Some things she didn’t expect. Some things NOT in the budget…  Some ritzy hotel!  Spa!  Restaurants!  Only doing this once so might as well shoot for the moon.  The credit card was empty at the time. (ha!)

 

So, I hit the internet.  Now, this was only 3 years ago.  The last time I booked a really big deal was back in the day when I reached into dad’s car and grabbed the Auto Club Catalog.  Remember those?  Dog-eared and coffee stained.  It was the” bible” when you went on a family trip.

 

But because this was so special, I needed to know everything about everything.  Bad move!

 

Before long, I had two laptops opened plus my desktop computer.  I had multiple screens opened on each one…Trip Advisor….Yelp…Facebook…My Space…Yahoo…Google…

 

I had review after review. Link upon link.  Photo libraries.  Experts reviews.  Some agreed. Many conflicted.  Who had the best hotel?  Ocean view? Spa?  Restaurants nearby?  Brunch?  Room service? 

 

Wait, that one looks good, but two other reviews said the place had bad service.  But another 10 reviews say it’s great.  This other hotel has ocean-views, but their restaurant has bad reviews and they say it’s noisy.  This other one looks good, but it’s not walking distance to anything and they charge an extra 40 bucks to park which could have fooled me. 

 

OK…this resort has a spa discount package but only on weekdays.  That won’t work.  This one has great rates…darnit…only during off-season.  This one looks great!  Call them now…”What?  You’re already sold out???”  (gnashing of teeth).  Delete delete delete!

 

And the restaurants…OK…that one has 500 good reviews but 60 bad ones.  This one has live music and great seafood, but it says don’t go on weekend because it has too many tourists in them.  This other one is famous and has been there for years, but the last few reviews are terrible! 

 

I was doing this all in the middle of the night too so that I could hide this from Jill.  Before long, I was going crazy!   Eyes were going buggy looking at so many websites and reviews and photos.  INFORMATION OVERLOAD!  TILT! TILT!

 

But, you know…it’s your honeymoon.  You want everything “just right.”  As it turned out, after 4 fretful nights, I finally just pulled the trigger and made my best-informed-decisions and all turned out well.  My lovely bride was all smiles and I saved the fledgling marriage! She didn’t cut-and-run.  Whew…

 

It used to be so easy for Baja as well. 

 

In fact, the least amount of planning seemed to be the typical modus operendi.  You called the guys.  You got the station wagon or van.  In went some clothes.  In went the surfboards and fishing rods.  A cooler.  A copious amount of junk food procured from the first 7-11 on the road…Doritos…check…Jerky…check…Oreos…check…oops…run back in and get beer and Cokes.  A box of cassettes or 8 tracks. 

 

You had destination in mind.  You headed sort of in THAT direction.  Again…the Auto Club Map and book in the glove box.  Maybe a copy of Gene Kira’s the “Baja Catch” on the dashboard and some faxed copies of the surf report.

 

You’d figure out the rest “on the fly.”  Maybe you’d camp.  Maybe all sleep in the car.  Maybe all of you piled into some little Mexican beach motel. 

 

It was THAT easy. You knew it would work itself out.  The important thing was that you were GOING!  Not where you were going so much as the thrill of knowing you were on a road trip together to the BAJA!  You all piled out’ve work on Friday and picked all the buddies up along the way.

 

Nowadays, the information super-highway has, in many ways complicated things as much as made it easier.

 

There is so much out there, that it’s impossible to filter!  Our own website must be 40 pages large, but that’s because it has to be large to compete with everyone else out there. It’s a necessary evil.

 

And it’s hard to de-code everything.  It’s easy to hide that a certain hotel is 30 miles away from town or that another is actually built next to a cement plant.  The photos always look GREAT on the internet. 

 

Likewise, what does the word “rustic” mean when used to describe a hotel?  That could mean charming Mexican artisan décor or it could mean the air-conditioning system is powered by two gerbils running in a wheel. Or “close to the beach?”  How close is” close?”  Walking distance.  For who? 

 

After all that, sometimes it’s just easier to ask someone who has been there.  Assuming you truest their opinion.  But often…  Word-of –mouth sometimes trumps technology.

 

But, I miss the old days.  Pass the Doritos and pop some Rolling Stones in the 8-track…

We’ll get there when we get there.

_____________________________

Jonathan Roldan has been writing the Baja Column in Western Outdoor News since 2004.  Along with his wife, Jill, they own and run the Tailhunter International Fishing Fleet in La Paz, Baja, Mexico  www.tailhunter-international.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 riplipboy@tailhunter-international.com  or drop by the restaurant to say hi!

_______________________

That’s our story

Jonathan and Jilly

Jonathan Roldan’s
Tailhunter International

 

TAILHUNTER FISHING FLEET #1 Rated on Trip Advisor

TAILHUNTER RESTAURANT BAR #1 Rated in La Paz on Trip Advisor

 

Now follow us on FACEBOOK TOO


 
Website: www.tailhunter-international.com
U.S. Office: 3319 White Cloud Drive, Suite A, Hacienda Hts. CA 91745
Mexico Office: 755 Paseo Obregon, La Paz, Baja Sur, Mexico
Phones:
from USA : 626-638-3383
from Mexico: 044-612-14-17863

.
Tailhunter Weekly Fishing Report:
http://fishreport.jonathanroldan.com/

Tailhunter YouTube Videos:
http://www.youtube.com/user/pangapirate


“When your life finally flashes before your eyes, you will have only moments to regret all the things in life you never had the courage to try.”

Read Full Post »

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