baja: work camps (pt 1)

There is only one paved road. It's the highway. The side roads are gnarly, bumpy roads. When the rains come, everything turns to mud, including the roads. People still use them and when the sun comes it dries the road, preserving the ruts and holes until the next big rains come months later. Dodge engineers should take their hemi powered pickups there for evaluation. I wonder how you say, "Hey, does that thing have a hemi?" in Spanish.

Take one of those roads off the main highway and head east. In the horizon you'll see something that looks like a compound. As you get closer you'll notice the entry has a gate, sometimes that is usually monitored. Drive through and if you have a pulse, you'll see stuff that will both warms your heart and disturbs it at the same time.

You'll see kids running out to see you, eager to play with you and have their pictures taken. The kids have huge smiles and love attention and affection. They are playful. Enjoy piggy back rides, being swung in circles, tag and any type of game you can makeup in the moment. You get the idea that they know how to play with an adult, yet they don't do it very often. So when the white 15 passenger vans come, it's party time for them and us. The kids leave their marks on your heart. The fun and smiles stick. You can leave the Baja, but it's hard for the Baja to leave you. Read work camps (pt 2) for more.