Baja

I'm so grateful for the opportunity to spend the holiday with friends and family. Seeing my mom and brother's smiling faces in the airport when they picked me up was the best feeling. 

For the past nine days, it was as if life had returned to normal and everything was as it had been when I left. 

We had a great time together in Baja. We stayed in a beautiful house in a town called Los Barrilles in the southern part of Baja. We were on the Sea of Cortez and the views were incredible- bright blue water crashing into the sandy shore. Brightly colored squares splotched the sky as dozens of people kiteboarded off the shore. The beach gradually turned into the dry desert sand and was decorated with huge cactus trees and pokey bushes. The town is small and mostly ex-pats but the authentic areas are scattered with Taquerias and stores that sell Pacifico.

One day we drove to the Pacific side to surf at Todos Santos. Madde, Jake and I surfed in the warm water until the sun went down, illuminating the sky with a beautiful pink and reflecting a brilliant red on the surface of the water. 

Another day we went to Cabo Pulmo, a national park containing the only living reef in the Sea of Cortez. We snorkeled through the water searching for Nemo and Dori until we had ingested enough salt water, thanks to our malfunctioning 

masks.

On another occasion, we rented jeeps and went out exploring the sandy dirt roads. We drove up the dried creek beds in search for a waterfall and were slightly disappointed when we finally arrived at a five foot drop of water over some boulders. Some of us decided to venture up the hillside and got a little taste of what it would be like to be lost in the desert; not so pleasant. 

We had bonfires on the beach during night. It was wonderful sitting out under the stars; listening to the sounds of the crackling fire, the breaking waves on the shore and Van Morrison's voice as they all perfectly blended into a chorus of tranquility. The full moon illuminated everything around us, even the bottom of the ocean as we swam. We would sit and chat as the fire dried our wet bodies. Some nights I fell asleep on my towel and other nights my mom coaxed us all to stand up and dance to the music.

Some nights we played Shanghai or spoons, and when the rains from the supposed Hurricane Saundra hit us, we went out and splashed in the deep puddles that were rapidly accumulating outside.

For thanksgiving, we went to the market in town and bought a variety of foods. We all helped out in the kitchen, slicing veggies and putting shrimp on skewers. We took breaks to sit by the pool and soak up the sun. All sitting around the big dining table at the end of the night, we enjoyed the lovely non-traditional Thanksgiving dinner we had created and took turns saying what we were thankful for. 

There's a lot to be grateful for in this world. I'm feeling extremely lucky to have all the wonderful people I have in my life.