My family and I fell in love with the desert lands of Baja California Sur, Mexico when I was eight. Since then, we've traveled to the touristy, crowded beaches of Cabo San Lucas several times, but we wanted to make this family vacation a little different. We're staying in a residential area in San José, a town 45 minutes east of Cabo, and about half as touristy.
I was especially excited for this trip in the hopes that I'd learn a little more about the true Mexican culture, instead of sun-bathing in what was basically an American sanctuary city. So far, I've done my best to speak as much Spanish as possible, ask the natives plenty of questions and soak up the vibrant Mexican culture.
I've discovered that the best word to describe life for a Mexican citizen in this little town in Baja Sur— is routine.
Each morning, the sun rises up over the clear horizon of the ocean, shining a soft coral light over the desert hills. Workers crowd old school buses and are driven to their construction sites, where they begin to patter away at the foundations of a house (that will most likely be bought by an American). Children are guided to Catholic school, dressed in plaid and collared shirts. Street vendors try their best to encourage female tourists into their stores. Workers in the supermarket, La Comer, slice low-sodium lunchmeat for customers, and laugh at the tourists when they put their little knowledge of Spanish to work and try to order the same thing.
As the day heats up over the arid desert, dust and smog become visible over the mountains to the West, but the ocean remains clear, only with a few whitecaps every now and then. Workers find shade under the midday sun for a lunch break, with a meal most likely consisting of a quesadilla and fresh guacamole. As the sun finally goes down and after a long day of sweat and dust, the workers sit on the street and wait for the bus or their buddy to pick them up. Cows roam through the roundabouts. Life starts to quiet down. Everyone is relieved that the sun is no longer beating down on their backs. It eventually sets behind the western mountains, casting a new coral lighting over the ocean and bringing the bugambilia flowers to life.
This is every day for a Mexican. But they're happy. Far happier than an American worker ever seems. In Mexico, there is appreciation for the little things in life. They appreciate that they get to watch a stunner sunset everyday. There is never a cloud in the sky. The sun will always come up tomorrow. There will always be more houses to build. There will always be more tourists to sell to. And there will always be fresh guacamole.