The winds will carry you.

"I have come to accept the feeling of not knowing where I am going.
And I have trained myself to love it."

Our nomadic lives are about to pull us out of Mexico and into the next adventure.

We leave our Baja home in two days. I feel like I'm suspended in mid-air with no landing in
sight.

Technically, we know where we're landing: California, New York, Colorado, Vietnam, Cambodia,
and China. Yet there's so much we don't know. We will be on the move, experiencing people
and places and cultures new to us.

How different that feels than being rooted here in our casita, enjoying the rhythms of beach life.

These three months, I've loved living next door to my sister and enjoying our long walks with her
dogs.
 Rama and Dino at San Pedrito beach.

We celebrated Dave's birthday with a bunch of friends from our wonderful community, featuring
homemade tortillas and tacos al pastor.

Simon and Paolo from El Poblano, one of Dave's favs, catered for his birthday.

We spent time in La Paz, communing with amigos and whale sharks.

 On Omar's boat.

Swimming with this 40-foot beauty was sublime.

We enjoyed spontaneous dance parties and meeting new people, many who dropped in for a
few days or weeks, then left to journey on.
 Kimberly's birthday at Palapa 1!
We were able to enjoy our home more this time because instead of scrambling around to get it
furnished and completed, we could hang out. Writing, editing, reading, playing Scrabble,
cooking, enjoying neighbors who dropped by--this was where the action happened.

Casita Once

So here we are, perched on leaving what now feels like home. Goodbye amigos and la playa.
Adios fish tacos and ocean air. So long dogs and music everywhere.

When we left Santa Cruz three years ago, I didn't realize we'd be saying goodbye to home
andhello to the next thing, again and again.
Before yoga class yesterday, Kylie, the teacher, and I were talking about life's uncertainties--
especially in the face of nomadic existence. She said, "You're going to like the poem I brought."
During savasana (corpse pose), she read:

We rolled over from savasana and curled onto our sides: reborn from the corpse to the fetus.
Death, birth. Goodbye, hello.

And then we stood and spread our arms, our wings. An ocean wind blew through the room,
carrying us.

Posted by Kate Evans at 1:55 PM

Email ThisBlogThis!Share to TwitterShare to FacebookShare to Pinterest
Links to this post
Labels: Baja, La Paz, life is good, nomads, Todos Santos, traveling life

Reactions:
SUNDAY, APRIL 3, 2016

A Week in Todos Santos

Todos Santos is a Pueblo Magico, one of 83 small towns that the Mexican government has
designated as magical--somehow very special and deserving of attention (and tourist dollars).
 Magical Todos
Even though the address of our casita is Todos Santos, we're about 10 miles south on Cerritos
Beach. A few times a month, we drive down our bumpy dirt road and head over to Todos. When
a friend asked us if we could housesit for him a week, we thought it would be a great opportunity
to get to know Todos Santos better. And what a week it's been.

Lazy dog days

The palapa-roofed house is a stunner on a beautiful piece of property in el otro lado. Literally
"the other side," that's what people call this area of town. Every morning we wake up to zillions
of doves cooing. And some nights we can hear the waves crashing. It seems like there's always
a breeze here. I was actually a little cold sometimes and had to put on a sweater. Mexico's
climate has made me a wimp.
 cocina
We enjoyed walking around the area. One day we hiked to La Poza, the closest beach. Not
swimmable, but stunning.

La Poza
We hiked down the beach and then over to these rocks, climbing up and around to head back.
 This water flows out of the huerta and sometimes connects with the ocean.

On our walks, we saw all kinds of creatures.

Anyone know what it is?

cabras

caballos
 pájaro amarillo y negro
Another day we walked into town on this road to do errands, including going to the optometrist
to pick up my glasses.

I like the optometrist. He has a brilliant smile and knows very little English, so interacting with
him challenges me to work on my Spanish. At his office that day, we also ended up talking with
a Canadian who now lives here and teaches in the local school; he used to teach on a
reservation in Canada. When Dave mentioned I'm a writer he said, "Do you ever help people
edit their books?"

Universe, you crack me up!

Why yes, I said, I'm a writing coach--and he launched excitedly into a description of the Young
Adult novel he's writing. The protagonist is an indigenous girl in Canada who becomes a
political activist. I told him it sounded right up my alley.

Speaking of political activism, we saw this protest on the road...locals protesting this.

A lot of gringos have been drawn to Todos Santos. One morning when Dave and I were out for
breakfast, a big guy and a big St. Bernard sauntered through the door. Kevin, who lives half the
year in Montana and half here, said he came to that restaurant for desayuno every morning.
Sure enough, he hadn't ordered but the waitress brought him his usual, which he shared with
Romeo. One-year-old Romeo is a sweetheart and a galumph; he reveled in our hugs and
slobbered all over us.

"Are you going to share that bacon?"

Rob, another American guy we met, told us he's ten months into a year-long around-the-world
trip with his wife and two daughters. We'd been planning to come back to our casita to water our
yard, so we invited them to our little resort's pool. His daughters (12 and 15) years old were so
fun to hang out with. They are citizens of the world, having lived in Jordan and several other
countries before spending this year on the road.

Rob talked about having an adventurous mindset, one free of conventional limitations.* He and
his wife Nadia want to live now. They don't buy a lot of consumer goods--they don't even own a
car--and aren't afraid of spending their savings to travel. For many years, they have lived and
worked all over the world, so this year of traveling with their daughters is a natural extension of
their lifestyle.

And as it turns out, Rob just got offered a job in Myanmar, a place we'd been hoping to go when
we're in China. They will be moving there this summer. I have a feeling we will see them again.

You know you're in Mexico when...

In addition to meeting some great people, we've enjoyed stumbling across cool things
happening in town. One night we heard music and followed our ears. We ended up at an open-
air restaurant dancing to a really fun Mexican band playing a cool fusion of rock, funk, and
reggae.

One Saturday morning we also heard some live music and discovered the main street was
blocked off. The band played on a makeshift stage, and people milled about, waiting for
bicyclists whose race began in La Paz and would be ending in Todos. Soon, the cyclists
appeared in their colorful outfits, marked Costa Rica, Guatemala, and various other Latin
American nations.
 Fun scene.
Another thing that makes Todos Santos magical is its artsy vibe. Lots of musicians, writers, and
artists live here--and the streets are lined with galleries. Many of the galleries double as art
studios, so you can watch the artists work.

Our casita walls have been bare for two years, and we had a feeling that a week in Todos
Santos would cure that. And sure enough, when we walked into a gallery and saw this piece by
a La Paz artist, we knew it was the one.

Oceany and expressive.

One of the best parts of this housesit was taking care of Bonito and Negra, two of the sweetest
watchdogs. You wouldn't know it are by looking at them (or hearing them bark and protect the
yard), but they are love bugs.
 Bonito likes to recline while eating.
When our friend asked us to housesit, we didn't hesitate. I like saying yes. Yes opens gates to
lands you didn't even know existed.

The gate into the housesit property.

* PS: Speaking of traveling and living with a freed-up mindset, check out this piece I wrote about
a young woman who is bicycling around the world.
Posted by Kate Evans at 7:40 PM
Email ThisBlogThis!Share to TwitterShare to FacebookShare to Pinterest
Links to this post
Labels: Baja, Mexico, saying yes, Todos Santos

Reactions:
FRIDAY, MARCH 18, 2016

Baja Magic
It's sweet to be back to where the desert meets the sea.

View from Baja Zen's yoga studio, just down the road.
We took four days to drive from San Diego to our casita at Cerritos Beach. Day One we stopped
in Rosarito Beach to visit our friend Tony, who happened to be hanging out to surf.
The roads were in much better shape than the last time we drove south in 2014, just a few
months after Hurricane Odile. The improved roads and our familiarity with the drive made it fun
and relaxing.

First Baja mission, Loreto.

Every day in the car we practiced our Mandarin by CD. Yes, Mandarin, not Spanish. We know
enough Spanish to get us around Mexico for the four months we'll be here (and it improves
each day). But Mandarin is a totally different animal. We are committed to learning key phrases
before we go to China in the fall.
 Making tortillas.
After almost a year away, we arrived at our casita March 1. That night as we climbed into bed,
lulled by crickets and waves, it was quite a contrast to our first arrival here when we had to
sleep in a barren house on a leaky air mattress. Our place was set up just as we'd left it, except
the garden had grown.

inviting
Immediately we were swept up into a world of awesomeness, including babysitting our
neighbor's dog (who is so cute it almost hurts to look at him)...

Baxter

...doing tai chi and yoga, walking with my sister (who lives here year round) and her dogs on this
beach...

Playa San Pedrito

...eating the fantastic food available here...
Chicken mole: Dave's happy place.

Best fresas ever.

 Amazing (and cheap) oranges and ruby grapefruits abound.

...and going to hear David Raitt (Bonnie Raitt's brother) play great bluesy rock at the Hacienda...

...to dance our patooties off.

 Boogying with our friend and yoga teacher, Paul.
Before we knew the date we were returning to Mexico, we'd rented out our place for three days
in March. We didn't want to cancel on the couple--so after being here a week, we took off for La
Paz, an hour drive east. We stayed in a B&B near downtown, whose best feature was this
garden...

...where every morning we ate breakfast and watched the birds before heading to the beach.
The first day at Playa Balandra, we happened to run into people we knew--two awesome
Canadian couples we'd met a few days before in our resort's Jacuzzi! They were vacationing in
the casita just across from ours.

I mean, really? They are staying next door for a week

and happen to be at the same beach as us
an hour away at the same moment? What are the chances?
You know how sometimes you feel a connection to people you barely know? That's how I felt
about them, so it was a blast to rendezvous unexpectedly.

At Balandra, we found a small reef near the famous "Mushroom Rock," where we snorkeled and
viewed colorful creatures. The next day we enjoyed Playa Tecolote, the beach where a year
ago Dave took the picture that graces the cover of my memoir.
 Tecolote 2016.
Last year, most of the beach restaurants were closed due to hurricane damage. What a
difference a year makes.

Playa Pichilingus
Last time we spent just a day in La Paz. This time, we enjoyed the malecón at sunset: families
strolling, kids playing, and vendors selling everything from food to balloons as people rolled by
on skates and bikes.
 Malecón means a walkway by a lake or ocean.
We wandered around the streets and into markets.
Of course there was eating involved....
 helado

Claro Fish Jr., our fav.

Back at home, a note was waiting for me from the woman who'd rented our place. She found
my memoir on the bookshelf and wrote, "By the 10th page, I know I was meant to find it. It feels
like the book I've been searching for my whole adult life." She went on to say that she feels
connected to me, even though we've never met, and that she is now inspired to do what she's
always dreamed of doing: write.

She took a copy of the book (I had two on the shelf) and left money to pay for it, saying she'd
mail it back to me if that wasn't okay. I was flooded with gratitude and goosebumps. Maybe this
is too grandiose, but it made me feel like I'm fulfilling my life's purpose.
The next day, Sally--one of the Canadian women we'd serendipitously run into--came to talk to
me about writing and life. She believes we were meant to cross paths. I feel the same. When
they left later that morning, I was a little sad. The nomadic life involves a lot of hellos and
goodbyes. (Thank goodness for being able to stay connected through Facebook.)

As though the universe was conspiring cheer me on, later that day I found out that Call It
Wonder was named one of three finalists in the Bisexual Book Awards.

All of this has happened in just two weeks. I'm going to chalk it up to Baja magic.