I got a note recently from my friend Ruth whom I hadn't seen in 14 years. Joe and I met her and her husband Bill for a drink Monday night at the Intercontinental, then had an lovely dinner at the Heirloom Cafe. It was as if no time had passed, and yet so much had happened in everyone's lives.
We met Ruth 26 years ago when we were traveling on a surf trip for 6 months in Mexico. Zoe was a newborn. It was the beginning of the trip, and we were camping on the beach in Pescadero in Baja. I still remember the blustery January day when we saw Ruth and her then boyfriend Gus on the beach. They were both amazing surfers, tall, blond, young and gorgeous. There were no other people around except a scruffy gringo refugee and a local fisherman. A few abandoned trailers. Our tents. Beautiful waves. We had coffee on the beach together sitting by our Coleman stove.
Joe, Zoe and I headed south in in our VW Squareback to San Jose del Cabos. We camped on a beach where now there are so many hotels you can't even access the sand. Then we took the ferry across to Puerto Vallarta and kept driving south to the beautiful state of Michoacan. This was in 1986. Before the internet. Surfers traveled on word-of-mouth and something called The Surf Report, a typed, single-spaced, xeroxed guide that told you which dirt roads to turn on and where it was good to camp. Joe was in search of the perfect left point and I was looking for the perfect beach.
We thought we found both in La Ticla. No people. Empty palapas and ramadas ready for our hammocks. Great waves. We unloaded our stuff into a hut made of palm fronds, cooked dinner over a fire and slept in our hammocks overlooking the surf break. It seemed like paradise and we thought we might stay for at least a month. But we woke up to disturbing grunting sounds then felt something bumping us under our hammocks and realized it was giant pigs. We looked over and the door to our hut was open. Inside were a dozen enormous hogs rooting around our stuff, eating all our food and tearing up our gear. We had to swat them with our shovel to clear them out and assess the damage. All of the food that wasn't in a can was gone.
We left and headed further south to Rio Nexpa, near Caleta de Campos. We had talked about it with Ruth and Gus, and sure enough it was everything we had dreamed of. A beautiful river mouth with palapas for rent for $1 per day. One little restaurant on the sand run by a sleepy old man Don Gilbe. Beautiful palms. Friendly people. Hot. Tropical. No pigs.
Ruth and Gus showed up soon after. We stayed for almost three months. Ruth and Gus had to get back to UCSD for the Spring quarter but stayed long enough for us to get to know them.
Since I last saw Ruth in Del Mar in 1998, she became an acupuncturist and married Bill, who is a neurosurgeon. On Monday night, we immediately hit it off with Bill, who was here for a neurosurgery conference. At dinner I learned about Ruth's acupuncture practice in Southern California at a Children's Hospital--which is highly unusual yet makes so much sense. We talked about how Chinese and Western medicines can work together, and the positive outcomes she sees even with cancer patients. Ruth and Bill travel every year to do medical missions where their services are so needed. They live by the beach and still surf.
Traveling for six month and camping on the beach seems so far away. I long for the feeling of waking up at dawn and watching the tall palms sway and sparkle, swimming in warm the ocean alone, then making coffee on a coco husk fire. Maybe some day we'll have the time again, and we'll find a another place that has no electricity and has not yet been developed.
Meanwhile, we took Ruth and Bill to our favorite coffee place in San Francisco, Philz. A little paradise in a cup will have to do for now.
We met Ruth 26 years ago when we were traveling on a surf trip for 6 months in Mexico. Zoe was a newborn. It was the beginning of the trip, and we were camping on the beach in Pescadero in Baja. I still remember the blustery January day when we saw Ruth and her then boyfriend Gus on the beach. They were both amazing surfers, tall, blond, young and gorgeous. There were no other people around except a scruffy gringo refugee and a local fisherman. A few abandoned trailers. Our tents. Beautiful waves. We had coffee on the beach together sitting by our Coleman stove.
Joe, Zoe and I headed south in in our VW Squareback to San Jose del Cabos. We camped on a beach where now there are so many hotels you can't even access the sand. Then we took the ferry across to Puerto Vallarta and kept driving south to the beautiful state of Michoacan. This was in 1986. Before the internet. Surfers traveled on word-of-mouth and something called The Surf Report, a typed, single-spaced, xeroxed guide that told you which dirt roads to turn on and where it was good to camp. Joe was in search of the perfect left point and I was looking for the perfect beach.
We thought we found both in La Ticla. No people. Empty palapas and ramadas ready for our hammocks. Great waves. We unloaded our stuff into a hut made of palm fronds, cooked dinner over a fire and slept in our hammocks overlooking the surf break. It seemed like paradise and we thought we might stay for at least a month. But we woke up to disturbing grunting sounds then felt something bumping us under our hammocks and realized it was giant pigs. We looked over and the door to our hut was open. Inside were a dozen enormous hogs rooting around our stuff, eating all our food and tearing up our gear. We had to swat them with our shovel to clear them out and assess the damage. All of the food that wasn't in a can was gone.
We left and headed further south to Rio Nexpa, near Caleta de Campos. We had talked about it with Ruth and Gus, and sure enough it was everything we had dreamed of. A beautiful river mouth with palapas for rent for $1 per day. One little restaurant on the sand run by a sleepy old man Don Gilbe. Beautiful palms. Friendly people. Hot. Tropical. No pigs.
Ruth and Gus showed up soon after. We stayed for almost three months. Ruth and Gus had to get back to UCSD for the Spring quarter but stayed long enough for us to get to know them.
Since I last saw Ruth in Del Mar in 1998, she became an acupuncturist and married Bill, who is a neurosurgeon. On Monday night, we immediately hit it off with Bill, who was here for a neurosurgery conference. At dinner I learned about Ruth's acupuncture practice in Southern California at a Children's Hospital--which is highly unusual yet makes so much sense. We talked about how Chinese and Western medicines can work together, and the positive outcomes she sees even with cancer patients. Ruth and Bill travel every year to do medical missions where their services are so needed. They live by the beach and still surf.
Traveling for six month and camping on the beach seems so far away. I long for the feeling of waking up at dawn and watching the tall palms sway and sparkle, swimming in warm the ocean alone, then making coffee on a coco husk fire. Maybe some day we'll have the time again, and we'll find a another place that has no electricity and has not yet been developed.
Meanwhile, we took Ruth and Bill to our favorite coffee place in San Francisco, Philz. A little paradise in a cup will have to do for now.
Wonderful to hear about Ruth and Bill(Gus)! It's been so long! And to hear about your original journey to Nexpa! I guess that's when we first met you, an experience I'll always remember! Please give all our family's love to Ruth and Gus, and of course always to you!
ReplyDeleteTime is such a funny thing...26 years. Back in the day I was a surfer first and foremost. Now the best waves I get are in my mind driving from hospital to clinic and they are often at Rio Nexpa. Double overhead Nexpa...sitting in a hammock listening to Don Gilberto charm me with stories of riding his Macho in the jungles of Michoacan when black Jaguars came down to the waters edge and look him in the eye. God those were golden days, days for me myself and I. The pendulum swings as it always does and now it's about what I can do for others. I wield my craft and move Qi in other ways. We had a great time Kim and Joe.
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