When did you fall in love with Baja?

 Someone recently asked me this question and here is my response.

My grandfather used to take my dad down to Baja. I fondly recall my dad telling me stories of them camping in Ensenada as a kid.

Then my dad eventually started exploring Baja as a young man. He drove to Cabo San Lucas before the road was completed. He spent a month or so there before returning.

As far as I know, my first time in Baja I was only months old. We camped all over Baja as a kid. I can remember many birthday parties sitting around campfires.

My grandparents bought a place next to the old Fox Studios. I used to collect mussels at low tide and fish the rocky areas around there. My first drink was at the Rosarito Hotel...I think I was about 14. I always thought I would inherit my grandparents' place. Sadly my grandfather died of a massive stroke when I was 17 or 18.

I went on my pilgrimage to Baja when I was 27 or so. My buddy and I drove my 1993 Tacoma down to Cabo and back fishing, camping, and living the life. We spent a total of 6 weeks exploring every dirt road we could find. One town especially struck a cord with me...Bahia Asuncion.

My girlfriend in college and now my wife started doing longer trips To Baja. We eventually got married in Elias Calles, BCS. I proposed to her at Agua Verde on Christmas morning.

On another trip with some good amigos, we revisited Bahia Asuncion. I think this must have been about 15 years ago. We randomly met Shari at a tienda. Shortly thereafter, we bought a place, site unseen. It was a tear -down but we didn't have the money to tear it down. With a lot of love, our place has become our home.

Since then, we have had two kids both of which have spent at least 3 months of every year in Bahia Asuncion. Our little casita is slowly growing as are our kids.

We finally decided to make the move down to Asuncion full time in a few weeks. Our house in San Diego is in escrow and we are selling almost everything we own. Our kids will attend the local schools and we hope to volunteer there as well. We plan on brewing beer, raising a huge garden, tutoring online, and spending time learning the culture, language, and becoming more involved in the daily life of our village. We definitely feel closer to Mexico than the United States...especially more recently.

So, I'm not sure when I fell in love with Baja. But I can say Baja is a part of me and my family.

Cheers!

Zac aka Bajaboy