San Felipe has no movie complex, not even a single theater. There are no music centers or concert venues, amusement parks, Starbucks or shopping malls. You can visit galleries and monthly shows where talented Mexican and American artists display their unique works. But you won’t find grand art museums where, at event openings, friends murmur, with glasses of wine and pinkies held pretentiously aloft, about just what that artist was attempting to portray**.
You can find delicious Chinese, Japanese and Italian food, good pizza and a couple gourmet restaurants, as well as fish tacos and lots of choices for wonderful Mexican food. But no P.F. Chang’s, Olive Garden, or California Pizza Kitchen. And the best spot for night-life is along the Malecon (waterfront walkway) on a warm evening, where families stroll, laugh, and play music.
So when the uninitiated are invited to visit friends here, the most frequent question, after “Do you feel SAFE***?!?,” is “What do you DO there?” It’s obvious from puzzled expressions that they’re wondering what they’d do for entertainment between the aerobic beach walk and a lunch of (“can I really eat the food?”) home-made chiles rellenos.
Their grimaces suggest they imagine interminable hours after their morning fishing trip or kayak until happy hour, when they can sip a margarita of tequila and fresh lime juice (none of that sugary syrup for us!). Their whiny voices indicate they’d be desperately searching trying to avoid the gentle whooshing of the surf lulling them toward an afternoon nap. After all, they’d bring all their American accoutrements, including the obsessive desire for continual entertainment, and to check off as many items on their To-Do list as possible.
San Felipe Baja part-timers enjoy American-style musical entertainment at the La Vaquita, Rumors, Los Arcos and Jolly Mon bars. And most of us have modern conveniences, including Internet, TVs and DVD players. So we have “movie theaters” in our own living rooms, courtesy of Netflix. And we can But most of the time, call us old-fashioned: instead of seeking out human-generated entertainment, we make our own.
We have desert cookouts, when we load folding tables, beach chairs, grills, and champagne into our 4WD vehicles and bump along narrow dirt roads to a remote location for delicious outdoor brunches or dinners. We set up our desert restaurant, dig a pit and start a campfire. We pour beaten eggs, along with cheese, peppers, onions and other veggies into baggies, and drop them in water boiling over the coals for yummy omelets six minutes later. At night we grill burgers and fish, or simmer chili or stew in a Dutch-oven, and on Chinese New Year we wok stir-fry over the grill while Chinese lanterns light up the night.
There are yoga classes on a gorgeous patio just off the sand,
and spring equinox celebrations with restorative yoga and labyrinth walks. There are two book clubs where vivacious and clever women review and discuss books we’d never read on our own, and occasionally we’re joined by authors whose books we’re reviewing.
There are tide-pool walks with a marine biologist who’ll exclaim at your finds with excitement, even if he’s seen that type of sun-star, octopus, or colorful sponge thousands of times before.
We host happy hour potlucks with so many contributed home-made goodies (no Costco casseroles or Wal-Mart cheese trays!), we don’t need dinner afterward.
And once weekly our “dinner club” of about 25 gather in a small funky store-restaurant for Faly’s fabulous enchiladas, carnitas, fresh fish stuffed with shrimp, or nopales stew, for about $6 a person.
Creative types can attend classes offered by local artists and learn metal sculpture, watercolor, mosaic, or felting. You can sign up for Spanish classes, or get a massage, pedicure or teeth-cleaning for far less money that in the States.
Want to learn about the local environment? I host regular bird walks along the beach or in the desert; this week we visited Valley of the Giants.
Or attend evening power-point presentations on bird identification, local marine biology, or astronomy, or view the night skies via high-powered telescopes at monthly star parties. This month we saw 4 of Jupiter’s moons, Venus, Mars, and the Orion’s nebula (star cloud)(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orion_Nebula). Finally, the South Campos Community Center has a busy schedule (http://southcamposinfo.blogspot.com/) of comfort-food dinners, dances, exercise classes, and poker-runs.
These are just some of the happenings south of town, but San Felipe also hosts a variety of events, such as the recent Blues and Arts fiesta, gatherings of tricked-out race vehicles before the Baja 250 race, paella and shrimp festivals, and parades during Christmas and other holidays. Check out the upcoming (and previous) event schedules at http://www.blueroadrunner.com/ or http://sanfelipe.com.mx/.
So, Amigos/Amigas, forward this blog link to your fear-of-boredom friends and even to those with a fear-of-Mexico. They won’t see any evidence in the photographs of ennui, or any blood, guns, or people looking over their shoulders. And you Baja newbies who’ve set aside those fears, welcome! You’ll find there’s plenty here to engage your mind, body and spirit.
After a few days, your rat-race pace will slow, and on beach walks you’ll begin to notice herons wading in the shallows, ospreys and terns diving for fish, and frigate-birds gracefully soaring above. In a week or so, you’ll begin to wonder whether the American tendency to link self-worth with accomplishments is a good thing. You’ll stop asking what’s to do and learn to appreciate yourself for the person you are, inside.
You’ll sit on the patio with your gracious friends and watch the colors on the water change as the sun sinks behind the mountains. Maybe you won’t give up that To-Do list, but an evening will arrive when all you’ve checked off is “1) Practiced Spanish and laughed with a San Felipe store-owner, 2) Floated on air-mattress on the Sea of Cortez, and 3) Watched an amazing sunset!” And you’ll know it’s been un buen dia, a good day. A very good day.
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* http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/San_Felipe,_Baja_California
** On a whim, a friend framed a section of drop-cloth from a painters’ group studio and submitted it to a juried art show. It was not only accepted but won an award.
*** See my previous blogs. Still afraid? Why allow the U.S. media & government to dictate your beliefs? Instead, talk to those who live in Mexico or frequently visit, for the facts. Learn the art of critical thinking!
