Tuesday, April 15, 2008
Friday, April 4, 2008
Monday, March 31, 2008
Baja Trip
I saw a dead cow.
I saw a dead dog.
Sara saw two dogs "stuck together".
Gina slept on a rock.
She also met waldoo (a dog/coyote).
VIRGIN CLAMATOS!
Stepping in a fire ISN'T how you make smores.
Sleeping in a tent.
Sleeping in a van.
Meeting Paco and his guitar.
Hypnotized.
"Good night ladies."
Chinese German!
Sara's Dad walked into Mamamia.
Some good tacos.
Fresca too.
Tostitos.
How did Waldoo come on the mountain?
Gina threw Vaca poop at Grant's head.
Big orange Fish!
Talking to a seal.
Panting a spider on a girls face.
Going to the bathroom in a hole.
Amanda : laughing with one eye closed.
Grants stories.
Ross' mom.
Painting a shelf.
Matt=Ariel.
"IF GINA LAUGHS ONE MORE TIME..."
Truth Or Dare.
Sword do not put spray sunscreen on with your mouth open.
Spoons/BS.
Sara scaring Grant.
Tidepools in the morning.
THE COLD WATER.
The farting.
Little girls cutting our hair, putting us in jail, shot us, sliced up our bodies, put us in the trash. THEN ATE US, like worms.
Everyone going crazy in the gym, for 15 straight mins.
The Dancing.
"Discoteca"
Flashing Lights.
Amanda woke up and everyone was gone.
Boys talking like girls at night.
I saw a dead dog.
Sara saw two dogs "stuck together".
Gina slept on a rock.
She also met waldoo (a dog/coyote).
VIRGIN CLAMATOS!
Stepping in a fire ISN'T how you make smores.
Sleeping in a tent.
Sleeping in a van.
Meeting Paco and his guitar.
Hypnotized.
"Good night ladies."
Chinese German!
Sara's Dad walked into Mamamia.
Some good tacos.
Fresca too.
Tostitos.
How did Waldoo come on the mountain?
Gina threw Vaca poop at Grant's head.
Big orange Fish!
Talking to a seal.
Panting a spider on a girls face.
Going to the bathroom in a hole.
Amanda : laughing with one eye closed.
Grants stories.
Ross' mom.
Painting a shelf.
Matt=Ariel.
"IF GINA LAUGHS ONE MORE TIME..."
Truth Or Dare.
Sword do not put spray sunscreen on with your mouth open.
Spoons/BS.
Sara scaring Grant.
Tidepools in the morning.
THE COLD WATER.
The farting.
Little girls cutting our hair, putting us in jail, shot us, sliced up our bodies, put us in the trash. THEN ATE US, like worms.
Everyone going crazy in the gym, for 15 straight mins.
The Dancing.
"Discoteca"
Flashing Lights.
Amanda woke up and everyone was gone.
Boys talking like girls at night.
Baja Trip - A Student's Perspective
by Will VanRoon
Day One
Early Sunday morning, all 16 of us showed up at the school to pack the vans with food and supplies, and begin our long drive to our camp site. We were split up into two groups so that we could fit into the vans and were assigned to a set of crazy instructors. I ended up in the very back of the van, and the back was so full of bags, that the second we took of it became obvious that I was going to be in charge of holding them back throughout the whole ride. We got onto the freeway, and our adventure began immediately. A group of about 100 motorcycle riders engulfed our vans and entertained us with friendly hand gestures and interesting clothing choices (so many tassels!). After about half an hour, we got to the Tecate border where we stocked up on gas and food.
We crossed the border in a matter of seconds, and instantly began feeling overwhelmed by the culture. There were a ton of taco stands and stray dogs... Dave (a teacher at our school, and our van's driver) took us down a highway, through many small communities and past a lot of unusual and unexpected sights. We eventually took a sharp turn between two small houses and began our two-and-a-half hour drive on a dusty, bumpy, unpaved road. This road ran through a desert that was almost completely untouched by civilization. We saw less then five people throughout the whole drive. The road eventually took into the pine forest where we would be camping for the next two nights. We drove through lots of puddles and swerved between a bevy of fallen trees.
Finally, we arrived at our campsite and found a suitable spot to set up our tents and a fire. We were attacked by cows and then made hamburgers and roasted marshmallows. Then we played some games and went to bed.
Day Two
The next morning, we woke up with ice hanging from our tents and our noses. We ate breakfast and complained about how bad we slept. Then we walked over to a small house, where a man that was in charge of the campground gave us a presentation about the pine forest and informed us that the previous night had been about 31 degrees. Soon after that, we took the vans to a remote area designated for student reforestation projects. We each planted two small pine trees and assigned them names. From there, we rode to the base of a mountain that we were going to climb. We tied up our hiking boots and started on the exciting trek to the top. It started out as a slight incline dotted with spiny bushes and small rocks, and progressively transitioned to huge boulders and trees. In order to make it to the top, we had to utilize a lot of team work, and ended up scrambling across very thin rock faces. We were even accompanied by a local flea-ridden dog, who was surprisingly good at climbing and showed us the way to the top.
Eventually, we all made it to the summit where we took pictures and looked at the incredible view of the forest and the lakes.
Once we made our way down, we went back to the campsite and relaxed for a few hours before starting dinner. We cooked potatoes on fire and got acquainted with each other a bit more. It was another very good day.
Day Three
We all woke up late after another frigid night and ate a quick breakfast before packing up the vans and taking off to Ensanada.
I'll post more later.
Day One
Early Sunday morning, all 16 of us showed up at the school to pack the vans with food and supplies, and begin our long drive to our camp site. We were split up into two groups so that we could fit into the vans and were assigned to a set of crazy instructors. I ended up in the very back of the van, and the back was so full of bags, that the second we took of it became obvious that I was going to be in charge of holding them back throughout the whole ride. We got onto the freeway, and our adventure began immediately. A group of about 100 motorcycle riders engulfed our vans and entertained us with friendly hand gestures and interesting clothing choices (so many tassels!). After about half an hour, we got to the Tecate border where we stocked up on gas and food.
We crossed the border in a matter of seconds, and instantly began feeling overwhelmed by the culture. There were a ton of taco stands and stray dogs... Dave (a teacher at our school, and our van's driver) took us down a highway, through many small communities and past a lot of unusual and unexpected sights. We eventually took a sharp turn between two small houses and began our two-and-a-half hour drive on a dusty, bumpy, unpaved road. This road ran through a desert that was almost completely untouched by civilization. We saw less then five people throughout the whole drive. The road eventually took into the pine forest where we would be camping for the next two nights. We drove through lots of puddles and swerved between a bevy of fallen trees.
Finally, we arrived at our campsite and found a suitable spot to set up our tents and a fire. We were attacked by cows and then made hamburgers and roasted marshmallows. Then we played some games and went to bed.
Day Two
The next morning, we woke up with ice hanging from our tents and our noses. We ate breakfast and complained about how bad we slept. Then we walked over to a small house, where a man that was in charge of the campground gave us a presentation about the pine forest and informed us that the previous night had been about 31 degrees. Soon after that, we took the vans to a remote area designated for student reforestation projects. We each planted two small pine trees and assigned them names. From there, we rode to the base of a mountain that we were going to climb. We tied up our hiking boots and started on the exciting trek to the top. It started out as a slight incline dotted with spiny bushes and small rocks, and progressively transitioned to huge boulders and trees. In order to make it to the top, we had to utilize a lot of team work, and ended up scrambling across very thin rock faces. We were even accompanied by a local flea-ridden dog, who was surprisingly good at climbing and showed us the way to the top.
Eventually, we all made it to the summit where we took pictures and looked at the incredible view of the forest and the lakes.
Once we made our way down, we went back to the campsite and relaxed for a few hours before starting dinner. We cooked potatoes on fire and got acquainted with each other a bit more. It was another very good day.
Day Three
We all woke up late after another frigid night and ate a quick breakfast before packing up the vans and taking off to Ensanada.
I'll post more later.
Monday, March 24, 2008
Northern Baja March 2008
Day 1
We departed San Diego around 8:45, with the vans to full capacity and the leaders in need of coffee; the last to be had for 6 days. As we headed east to catch the 94 we encountered a gang of bikers that had to be at least 2 miles long. Unfortunately we had to interrupt their parade to get on the 94 east so we could head south towards the border. What would seem to be an easy task proved to be very difficult as we all watched our exit go by, and had to deal with the scowls and finger gestures of over 200 hundred angry bikers in front and back of us. We were to not be deterred; we flipped a U and continued on thru the gloriously green rain soaked hills of Jamul and Dulzura. Many of us have never been to this part of San Diego, we had not even left the country yet and we were already seeing new things. As we proceeded across the border at Tecate and headed on to Parque Constution I warned my excited passengers to enjoy the paved roads, as we were about to be on bumpy dirt roads for the next hour and half. As the vans dipped and went over around and thru various bumps and puddles the landscape changed from lush green hills to desert and slowly to a pine tree forest at 5,000 feet elevation. We arrived at the ranger station and were led to a remote campsite away from the road and surrounded by huge boulders and towering pine trees. We staked our tents and prepared for our stay at Parque Constitution.
Day 2
We awoke to some frost on our tents and some frozen toes, but after some hot cocoa by the morning fire everyone woke up and chowed down on delicious breakfast burritos. We headed out to the ranger station to get debriefed on the flora and fauna of the land. There are many species of birds, pine trees and varmints roaming these parts. Today we would plant some pine trees and hoped the little saplings would survive some of the harsh weather the park faces.
We departed San Diego around 8:45, with the vans to full capacity and the leaders in need of coffee; the last to be had for 6 days. As we headed east to catch the 94 we encountered a gang of bikers that had to be at least 2 miles long. Unfortunately we had to interrupt their parade to get on the 94 east so we could head south towards the border. What would seem to be an easy task proved to be very difficult as we all watched our exit go by, and had to deal with the scowls and finger gestures of over 200 hundred angry bikers in front and back of us. We were to not be deterred; we flipped a U and continued on thru the gloriously green rain soaked hills of Jamul and Dulzura. Many of us have never been to this part of San Diego, we had not even left the country yet and we were already seeing new things. As we proceeded across the border at Tecate and headed on to Parque Constution I warned my excited passengers to enjoy the paved roads, as we were about to be on bumpy dirt roads for the next hour and half. As the vans dipped and went over around and thru various bumps and puddles the landscape changed from lush green hills to desert and slowly to a pine tree forest at 5,000 feet elevation. We arrived at the ranger station and were led to a remote campsite away from the road and surrounded by huge boulders and towering pine trees. We staked our tents and prepared for our stay at Parque Constitution.
Day 2
We awoke to some frost on our tents and some frozen toes, but after some hot cocoa by the morning fire everyone woke up and chowed down on delicious breakfast burritos. We headed out to the ranger station to get debriefed on the flora and fauna of the land. There are many species of birds, pine trees and varmints roaming these parts. Today we would plant some pine trees and hoped the little saplings would survive some of the harsh weather the park faces.
After our reforestation project we headed out to conquer Hanson’s Peak. “What there is no trail?” many asked and “Nope, we make our own” was the answer. Trailblazing our way thru the boulders, brush and trying to keep track of the wayward dog that took a liking to our group, we slowly but surely made our way up. This hike definitely required team work as we had to pull and push each other up certain parts of our trail. The dog made it as far as his four paws could take him and had to turn around and head back down.
We kept trekking upward and all 18 of us made it to the top of Hanson’s Peak.
Day 3
Santo Tomas has to be one of my newest favorite places in Baja. Tucked away on the coast about an hour or so south of Ensenada, this small fishing village takes your breath away as you round the last corner and take in the ocean view and rocky coastline. We met up with Sam and Paco and checked out our new digs. We were all excited about getting to take a shower and sleep in a bed. I personally pitched a tent, how many times do you get to camp on a bluff of the Pacific Ocean? We awoke at the crack of dawn to get the fishing crew out on the pangas, and as soon as a line went in the water we had a fish!
The ocean was generous to us that day and Jackson made us delicious fish tacos for lunch. We had yummy fish again for dinner, as Sam laid out a beautiful candlelit spread for us at his restaurant. While the fishing crew caught our lunch and dinner the rest of the group went on a trek thru the poppy covered hills; finding tide pools and rock islands shaped by the ocean.
We talked to seals and watched as our panga went by heading back in with our lunch. The lush green valleys were incredible, bursting with orange, yellow and purple flowers, amongst various cactus and succulents .
Day 4
The lesson we taught at the school in Santo Tomas was one of the many highlights of this trip. We went into a class of first and second graders and taught numbers, colors, and animals in Spanish and English. While we taught the little ones, the older students taught some of us to dance. The school was going to be putting on a celebration the following day and they had to practice, so we jumped right in. Everyone was so sweet and engaged as the American students tried their hand at Spanish, and the little ones shouted their animals and numbers in English. The kids of the school got their first hand at bingo,the shouts of their favorite animals got louder as the m&m markers quickly disappeared.
We unfortunately had to leave the wonderful maestra with her students hopped up on sugar and face paint and head to Tijuana. These kids were so sweet and eager to learn I cannot wait to go back and visit. We were all sad to leave Santos Tomas but were ready to get to work at the community center in Tecolote and the Orphanage.
Thursday, January 24, 2008
World School Baja
Welcome to the World School Baja Blog. Be sure to check back to read about student travel experiences, see photos, and get in touch with people around the globe.
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