At the moment, I am sitting at the back of the bus while some of the boys strum, rattle, and beat their various instruments. To our right is a mountain so close that, at times, I could reach out and touch. To my left is the luminous Sea of Cortez, with towering cactus and course shrub and rock behind the brown sand beach. It is lovely scenery to recall the events from yesterday, Thursday, our fourth day of the journey.
We left before sunlight by the beach at El Ceilito Lindo (Pretty Little Heaven). Only a couple of people rose, as it was before 5am and everyone else stayed packed in tight to the closest sleeping arrangements we have had yet. So far, we have had gracious hosts such as Brian Crano in LA and Joyce and Ted Janette (Tony’s grandparents) from San Diego. So we have always had lots of room for people to sleep in the bus, as some have been able to sleep inside these homes. On our third night, we arrived after dark and parked on a muddy road, so we did our best to get cozy. Summer said that she was unable to lie on her back because she was not able to squeeze 2 shoulders in, and Tony and Alison ended up crammed in the front seats as they took some time to visit the beach while the rest of us went to bed. As the passengers awoke the next morning in transit, we encountered a dirty bus full of mud. Shoes were caked in it, the mattresses were showing signs of dirty feet and the grooves in the floor deeply embedded more than we could sweep out. But luckily everyone is still aglow in the excitement of our journey and took it in stride.
We had a long day of driving. The roads, while not in terrible condition, have no shoulders and so do not have much room for error. We occupy our entire lane, so passing by a big rig can be quite nerve wracking for whomever is driving or occupying the front seats. Mexico utilizes more speed bumps then any place I’ve been to. Weldboy and Ryan did all of the driving, as we definitely made our way through some winding roads that sent a few items a flyin’. They do a great job of keeping us safe and driving well, so the occasional item whisked off a table into ones lap is quickly forgiven. However, it has given rise to the rest of us having to be careful to put our things away. That is an agreement of which we continually remind each other. For those that are not used to organization and just leave things where they land, this is turning into a difficult yet important education. 18 people in 1 bus cannot afford to get cluttery.
We had some checkpoints to get through. One just let us pass, but not without one of their officers getting on and asking us a myriad of insignificant questions and laughing at our jokes. I’m convinced that many of these guys board our big ole bus out of sheer curiosity. They sit in the middle of nowhere all day checking through the occasional car. So when a white, yellow, blue and green school bus with curtains comes through, filled with gringos, they perk up and graciously take the break in the monotony. Later we passed through an agricultural stop where we all had to get off and show our documents. When they realized that we have produce on the bus, they required that we pay for fumigation. None of us were thrilled at the news of nasty poison entering our quarters and our food sources, which have been painstakingly provided with health, love and organics in mind. But after we paid the paid the 20 pesos for the procedure, they did not do it and off we went. WOOT!
We stopped for gas along the way. Gas stops take a really long time. We have a 50-gallon tank and 18 people that need to pee and move about. We are quite a sight when we stop. People juggle, spin poi, do hand stands, we are a regular traveling circus. Katie got all of the shoes out of the bus and started beating the mud off and Hannah and Sam began sweeping furiously. After half a day in dirt, it had begun to wear on many of our nerves. There are always food stands in these areas, which often provide a meat fix for the carnivores on the bus. Yesterday’s options were tacos con carne and tacos de cabeza. I was a little confused by the latter, as “cabeza” means “head”. But then it dawned on me that they were brain tacos. Hmmmmm…I didn’t know what to make of that. I am never against trying different meats and animal parts, but I think I need a little taste before I dive into a full taco of grey matter. Tony almost convinced Shelly that there were “delicious”’ tacos that he needed to go and try, but couldn’t go through with the prank. After all, when you share close quarters with someone, you don’t go messing with their digestive systems. We opted for the little beef tacos and got a side order of a million flies for free. Now that’s a bargain!
After 500 kilometers on winding roads, we arrived in Mulege that had beautiful large palms everywhere. Liz jumped into the driver’s seat to train during the last few miles. Nearby, the Sea of Cortez awaited. We finally arrived at Playa Coyote, which was stunning. Props to Adam and Ulysses for finding such a breathtaking spot. It sits in a lovely cove. A few boats were anchored nearby and there was a large island/mountain under a mile away. Mountains rose around us covered with cactus and the beach had 5 small huts made of palm fronds. We seemed to have it to ourselves and there was only a smattering of homes in sight. We parked right on the beach and some bussers jumped in the water right away. Others set up for dinner and gathered wood for a fire. We enjoyed my favorite meal yet: Cabbage and zucchini, with pumpkin, onion and quinoa and a spicy sauce with pomegranate seeds. Some friendly dogs wagged up to us and their owners came to say hello. We sat around a fire, enjoyed some beer and listened to music, then made some of our own. Most of us slept right on the beach and awoke to this stunning beauty. I think it will stay in the top 10 of amazing locations for TEMA, though I encourage the universe to send us 10 more even more beautiful.
Austin Staunch
