Day 6: Getting our hands dirty in El Cardonal-
Falling asleep under the starry sky and waking up to the sunrise is the best way to end and start the day. After arriving at what we hoped was our final destination at 3 a.m. in the morning Adam, Blitz, Tony and I dropped our sleeping bags in the sand and fell asleep. Waking up three hours later to the sunrise and nothing but the sound of the waves was energizing enough to keep me going through the day. With the light of day it was obvious we had not stopped at the right beachside home as we had hoped….no adobe homes in sight. We asked around and found we had missed our mark by 6 kilometers…not bad if you ask me. Especially considering how delirious Adam, WeldBoy, Vinicio and myself were when trying to navigate the Cliffside roads and shabby directions in the middle of the night. We arrived at Jeff’s property mid-morning and I was itching to get my hands dirty. 5 days in a bus and enough sedentary time to tighten the muscles, I was ready to break a sweat and use my muscles.
Before we started digging in the earth, Liz, Katie and I made breakfast for everyone. Oatmeal and quinoa with nuts, dried fruit, maple syrup, and maka and pomegranates and grapefruit with an almond butter, coco butter and flax seed marinade. Delicious. Before we started building, we met with Jeff, the adobe homeowner and returned Peace Corp Volunteer, to talk about what his vision was and how he was giving back to the locals in the area. Christopher, Jeff’s neighbor and also a Returned Peace Corps Volunteer, is here to help build as well so it was nice to connect with one another as returned Peace Corps Volunteers tend to do. Three of us wound up in the middle of the high desert of Baja California at the same time….of course we will have stories to share!
Introductions made, we put on our work boots and started mixing earth, cement and water to lay as foundation for Jeff’s home. Digging the earth that will serve as your walls and roof is a pretty powerful and fulfilling action. Chandler, Jeff’s 10 yr old nephew, was awesome. He could have been the foreman of the construction site, he had all the answers and he was in there working a full day with the rest of us. He has more work ethic than many people my age……and he’s ten! Muscles burning, blisters forming and belly growling, we stopped work just before sunset. Summer and Tony grabbed some surfboards and paddled out….waves weren’t so good but the action of paddling can appease the soul. I got my first shower in 5 days; an outdoor, roofless, adobe solar shower. Next up…. A locally caught dinner of fish tacos. Our first non-vegan meal of the trip, caught in the sea we have been staring at all day…..just the way I like it. Locally provided and vegetables of the season.
We get to stay here in El Cardonal for 3 days. Cacti and desert dust contrast the many shades of blue of the Sea of Cortez as we build these adobe homes in the hillside. We get to absorb the view and culture as we work towards a common goal with a family who has welcomed us into their project and their home. Thanks and praise to Jeff and his family for inviting us in, for being environmentally conscious, and for being culturally considerate.
I’m hungry and dinner is ready. Buenos Noches.
Hannah Huntley
