On top of the rock

On top of the rock
Our Cliff

Friday, January 22, 2010

THINGS THAT MAKE YOU GO "HMMMMM"

Today developed in a way that we would not have predicted when we got out of bed this morning. As we were setting ourselves up to do some work we had our first visit from Cuco, the man I labeled, Mr. Baja. We can see him coming when he comes. There is always a spring in his step and a big happy smile on his handsome, well chiseled face.

He had lost his phone a few weeks back, “hmmmmm” I think, and he wanted to borrow ours. So after his phone calls were completed and with a happy muchas gracias and adios, he returns to his home. 10 minutes later he is back.

“Pillar (pronounced PEElar) has a proposition for you”, he says. “She says that if you drive her to Pescadero to buy mayonnaise, water and a few other things, you can come eat lunch with us. She is making Mahi Mahi.” “Cuco,” I say, “I will give Pillar a ride, but you do not have to feed us.”

“No, it would be O.K. if you eat with us.” “hmmmmm” I think.

Off Cuco trots across the cactus laden field, home to tell Pillar. I am to pick him up (not her) in 5 minutes. As I enter his “area” I see a car there, from Alamo Car Rental. Alas, they have potential customers for their pottery. Cuco runs out saying, “AHHHHH THANK YOU SO MUCH SELBY!! We have customers here so if Pillar needs a ride to the store, they can give it to her. “hmmmmm” I think again and quickly realize this is my thought for today. “hmmmmmm”

A half hour goes by and now it is Pillar coming through the field. Her English is not as good as Cuco’s and I am sure I sound to her the same way as she does to me, when I speak Spanish; We have a few words that make up an un-connected sentence. “You eat with me?” I answer, “Do you need a ride to the store?” “No, that is fine…… Tres for comida.” Which is “3 for food.” Not knowing what to do, I say, “gracias.” I guess we join them at 3, which is a couple of hours away.

In the meantime there is a young couple who are walking from the top of the cliff and heading towards us. They tell us she just got bit on the head by something large, black, and flying. They want to know if we would know what that could have been. Any suggestion we gave: jumping tarantulas, 8” long centipedes, killer bees, they say, no, that could not be. We tell them to go ask Cuco, since he has been here “forever.” We point out where he and Pillar live, and off they go.

About an hour later back they come from Cuco’s. She is all happy, feeling fine and they tell us they are going to camp on Cuco’s land for a couple of days. It’s for free, all that’s required is for them to help with some work. They go on to say that they also will be lunching with Pillar and Cuco AND since we were going to take Pillar to the store earlier, Cuco suggested that I could drive them to Pescadero, as they needed to pick up their tent and things at a camping place they were staying at. “hmmmmm” I think.

“Did Pillar go to the store?” I ask. They say they think she did but she may still need water. O.K....that means we need to stop at her place and get her empty bottle.

Water comes in blue 19 liter plastic bottles but you must return your empty to buy a fresh one for 19 pesos, which is under $2.00. We stop at Pillar’s and get the bottle. Pillar is so excited!! She tells me, in Spanish, the food will be ready when we get back.

Well, the couple, which we have learned are from Holland, were asked to buy tortillas, and chicken legs, as well as the water. I asked if they were given any money. “No”, they say, “no, we told them it was O.K.” “hmmmm“, I think, remembering the bring-the-beer story from our day in La Candelaria.

On the way to their camp site they tell me some things about their travels and also how excited they were to be moving from there current camp site cause the place was crowded with kids that sat around and smoked pot all day long.

We decided that I will drop them off at their campsite so they can take care of gathering their belongings while I shop for the requested food. They tell me they will pay me when I get back...and they laugh, “we really will.” I get the water, the chicken legs, the tortillas, and then since we are eating with Cuco and Pillar I think we should get some beer and ice, so I get that too. Since everything was added together and the whole bill was under $20, including the 6 Ballena Beers, I had no idea how much the chicken legs and tortillas were. I felt silly asking them for somewhere around $5, so I told them it was O.K. They did not have to pay. They were happy. Ya ya, I know. My own fault!! You would have done the same thing. Two young kids, working in exchange for a place to put their tent....of course you would have.

Three o’clock comes and we head to Cuco’s. The couple from Holland is now sitting, side by side, at a small picnic table. A plate is in front of them, but they are not eating. On the plate is a piece of perfectly fried fish, with a dollop of mayonnaise on it, (I guess there must have been some left over since we did not shop for mayonnaise) a bit of rice and beans and two pieces of what looked like sushi. They are not eating. Cuco is busy handing out the beers we brought!! Happy Happy Happy. Pillar is in the “kitchen” with a friend, who appears to be a transplanted American. She is getting our plates ready. I asked if they had eaten, she responds to me in Spanish, but I am not sure what was said. Pillar is excited we are all there and Cuco is frantically chugging his beer and the Dutch are just sitting there...not eating.

The picnic table is a bit small for four so Cuco brings out two chairs, one for Maurice, one for me, he chooses to sit on a tree stump. Finally the couple looks at me, and she asks if it would be O.K. to request silverware. Now I realized why they are not eating. I just thought they were overly polite. I tell them to do whatever was comfortable for them. So, Anna, that’s her name, goes to the “kitchen” and asks for silverware. She returns with a glass. In the glass were 6 serving spoons and a knife.

Maurice and I get our plates. No rice, I guess it all went into the sushi, but there was fish and beans. The sushi was indeed just that. Pillar had been given some seaweed papers and she made sushi with rice, beets, carrots, avocado and smoked fish. She even had soy sauce. It was really good. So the 4 of us, Anna and Steven from Holland, and Maurice and I ate our lunch. We used the spoons. Pillar and her friend finally come and joined us....they do not use spoons. We did not see Cuco eat.

Over lunch we learned that the young couple made the trip down the Baja over a two week extension to a speaking engagement in San Diego. Steven was invited to speak at a symposium at the University on his thesis on Genocide. He is 29. Wow, not quite the wandering, young, poor, nomads, I thought they were. “Do you have the $5 you owe me??” Just kidding.

So lunch is done and Cuco is now smoking a cigarette. I had not seen him smoke before. Pillar comes out with a hand rolled cigarette as well. She lights up. This thing is huge!!! About 3 times the size of Cuco’s. WOW!!! She smokes it for a while than passes it on to her friend. The friends takes it, says no thank you and continues to pass it around the table. Finally, duh, I realize this is no cigarette!!! We all decline, Pillar is happy, she says, “GOOD” more for me and Cuco…. “hmmmmmmm”, I think. I look over at the young couple and say, “happy you changed camp sites??”

Now Cuco, probably a bit loaded, starts telling many stories of snakes that live there. The poor girl, Anna was visibly not happy. Remember they are camping there. I pipe in that I have never seen a snake. Cuco laughs, “oh you will!!“ He tells us he has even watched them have sex for 4 hours!!

Stories of really rich gringos, follow. Stories of yellow hummers, gringos giving out $20 bills to Mexican people NOT to sell them things and other quite embarrassing and obnoxious scenarios. Especially if you are a gringo!!! Cuco is talking so fast he is hardly breathing and Pillar is laughing hysterically and rattling things off in Spanish and slapping her thighs. I am sure they turned black and blue.

The young couple finally excused themselves as they want to walk to beach. We hung for a while listening to Cuco tell his tales. Maurice is quite entertained by him. He asks us if we can pick him up and give him a ride to Cabo with us tomorrow, of course we say we will. At least he did not ask us to pick up the beer.

Yes, life is certainly unpredictable. Today marked my month anniversary here.... wonder what the next month will bring... “hmmmm”, I think.

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