That googling was the last gasp of a seemingly endless one megabyte of data. I hit the race PDFs, partly to see if it _was_ unlimited--guess that took care of it.
The Hound Dawg skipper came to his senses, decided not to take me, but said it was an issue adding me to the crewlist in bringing me into the US. That is apparently not a problem, however, but concern with bringing a somewhat grungy stranger & his bag across the border may have been.
That left me little time to get to the marina where the day's race around Todos Santos Island--famous for monster 50-foot waves to surf--started to see if anyone else needed crew. I took, for the first time this trip, one of those ubiquitous little buses--$7, <$.70dlls. And got on board the Morso.
It had rained off and on the night before--but rarely above a heavy drizzle, and I avoided moving and pitching tarp. So got wet and wondered if should move and pitch, and amen'd Jardine's focus on synthetic insulation versus down (partly for usefulness when wet/damp, partly for ease of home construction). Who thought it'd rain on me here before November?
It took longer to cook in the morning than I expected--I was rushing at the end, though I woke at 0640. But I had to be at Hound Dawg by 0930--a half-hour walk. Hard shift from needing to pass as much time as possible as pleasantly as possible to needing to be somewhere at a time. I wasn't even sure there was no hour difference due to differences with daylight savings time between US and Mexico. I'd never before checked what the local time was.
Describing these events after the fact is too solid. In reality it was more like riding a wave--getting off could have happened so easily: being late, quitting after Hound Dawg's no, deciding to walk the whole way instead of taking bus, figuring out how to catch bus, being patient waiting, getting past security at Coral marina, finding a boat that had not left yet, that was ready to go, that was needing crew that instant.
The sailing was peaceful. Five hours.
Afterward the surfing began again: what do I do? Can I get a ride to SD? Is adding a crew to your list that hard? If I'd approached one friendly boat differently perhaps I'd have got a ride to Mission Bay--as it was I filled my jug with marina water--the Ensenada doctor I'd crewed for said it was fine if you boil it (forgot to ask about the water that boats put in their tanks)--and prepared to head to the hills--but knowing that their regatta awards party was in walking distance, perhaps I'd stop in--
It _was_ the way I was headed. I solicited inside for a bit, but then went out to wait for groups as they arrived, and got to talking with Mario, the security guy/parking lot attendant.
Magic. It is tranquil now--he said--I could begin to feel his sense. But the sound of the cars always there--I said. Beyond, above that--he said--in the light. . . in the breeze on your face, pausing to demonstrate, he gave more example than words. I then felt and knew his sense, what he meant, the tranquilidad he was describing. . . in that moment he is a great teacher, show-er. Are you a metaphysic? I asked (I had noted a vipassana & related presentation by a guy who used the word: metafisicasedecentral.com / metafisicayosoy @ hotmail . And that turned him on. He showed me a trance as he stared at the setting sun, and in him I saw Ramakrishna, knew he _was_ there. I am paranormal--he said (all this is my rough memory, understanding, translation, condensation of his Spanish, which was wonderful for me because of the intense meaning in his speech, his patience with my Spanish, his not switching to English [he's not proficient at it])--I speak with crows, los cuervos . . . I see infra-red . . . I see GPS signals. I kept listening--we each occasionally attending to our duties--him as greeter, me as solicitor of rides north--and I posed to him my life problems. How do I choose? How did you choose?
No resolution, perhaps, did he give me in his respuestas. . . but I have yet to really consider/contemplate this encounter, what was being expressed. Eventually I left to walk up to the hills. Partway to the path a man who'd come from the restaurant was waving up at me--I thought I had a ride. It was an employee/friend of the doctor inviting me to stay as the dr's guest.
The doctor knows my type (however momentary), I sense, and I'm not sure what my type's relation is to the established man and significant contributor to the life and wealthier/more powerful society of a town. He was ready to let me be. But his (younger) novia(o? thought I heard him say)--I bet it was her idea.
--
The broad details of the day are down, enough for now. Tomorrow? May call my activist friend, ask to visit his garden, spend another night on the south side of town. Make an appointment with a dentist recommended by the doctor (dr's name is Joel = Ho-el). Catch a bus back to TJ/ Tecate. Visit UABC library. Who knows. The Morso sails ~ every other Sunday, mentioned Terry, Joel's novia.
I walk up by the dr's house on the way to the sleeping spot closest to the center of town. Here, where I am now, I'm a bit further north, near where I was the first night, straight up from and a bit south of where the regatta party was--something like ~Sare's Steakhouse & Cafe, though we had mexican food buffet, $20dlls per.
Hound Dawg is a high-powered, fancy US racer, forty+ feet(?) (It took second today. Staghound was first, and did not attend the awards ceremony. So far ahead it was it may have gone on North right away.), with a laid-back (so the crew says) crew of more than five(?). Morso is an old 26' fiberglass nothing fancy--with a crew this time of four (Joel, Terecita, & Carlos, who showed up after me--a longtime crew-er of nine years with Ensenada yacht club races, he set up the spinnaker).
Peace,
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