June 19th

Today we woke up to a overcast but sweltering day at Los Colibris Hotel. There was a little bit of sadness in the air because we would be leaving our hotel but many were quickly excited for the day during breakfast, because Bernardo had mentioned that we would be participating in a beach cleanup similar to a Big Sunday service event. We took a pit stop at a beach during our drive up to the northern parts of Baja. We met with Pablo, who ran Rescatando Nuestros Arrecifes y Manglares, and  talked to us about the beach cleanup organization he and his friends had recently formed. Each person grabbed a black trash bag for non recyclables and a clear for recyclable trash, split into two separate boats, and traveled to a secluded and uninhabited island that was surrounded by stakes and now old and useless piles of plastic netting. Many shorebirds have been using this tiny island as a home for many generations, so as soon as we pulled up on our boats, we could see tons of birds circling the land and protecting this young.

After just a few minutes of picking up trash, Stephanie immediately realized that we might have been doing more harm than good. Our presence on the island during their nursing period had caused many mothers to take flight, leaving their babies alone in the sand to overheat. Some babies had started to take shelter in the shade of our empty trash bags or the abandoned netting. The kids and adults all worked together to get rid of as much netting as possible without interfering with the babies too much and loaded as much as we could onto the bow of each boat. Stephanie said she would take some groups back in a few weeks when the babies will have grown up to get rid of the rest of the netting and trash.

We then piled back into the van to travel through the desert and all the way up to La Paz for a quick one-night stay at an Eco-retreat center called Rancho La Duna. We were greeted by our hostess Gabriela and her kids Rebecca and Nathan, who made sure our lunch was ready at our arrival. After chowing down on a mango coconut soup and triggerfish ceviche, we relaxed in the main palapa with three other university students and learned about some of the ocean creatures we might encounter later that day during our snorkeling session.

Stephanie had invited three separate professors to talk to all of us about algae and turtles. She also personally talked about the types of fish we would be seeing and showed us a way to participate in biological counting and studies as citizens.
Soon enough, we drove down to the beach, strapped on our snorkeling gear, and dove into the ocean and identified and counted hundreds of sergeant majors, two balloonfish, rainbow wrasse, graytail grunt, and barberfish.  Some kids also collected some samples of the red, green, and brown algae that had we learned about an hour earlier.

When we returned back to La Duna, the wind had picked up so some installed drapes on the sides of the palapa for us. Some of us then identified each species of the algae we had collected and others worked together with some of the university students to find some tiny invertebrates in a sample of ocean water we collected.

Once the wind died down, Alan and Bernardo showed us where we would be setting up our tents in the sand amongst spiny cactuses and scary choyas. We spent the night enjoying the cool air and exploring the sand dunes with Rebecca.
Robyn

Loading the netting onto the boats

Tuesday June 21st

Today was really great. First, we woke up and had a yummy breakfast of yogurt, fruit and hot beverages. Then, we went snorkeling with some sea lions. The babies played with us while the alphas guarded their territory. It was wonderful to swim so close to these magnificent creatures in their natural habitat. After that, we returned to camp and had some delicious tuna salad and coconut cakes. Then, we split into two groups. The first group went kayaking and paddle-boarding in the ocean near our camp. We reenacted World War II in the water with Alan, one of our guides. Afterwards, we went back to camp. Everyone was telling neat stories and talking about their childhoods. While we did this, the second group went out with Stephanie and Bernardo and snorkeled with turtles. Once everyone was back, we ate chips and guacamole on the beach and watched the tide slowly rise. Afterwards, we talked some more until dinner was ready. We had chicken and beans, served with tortillas and salsa. After dinner, everybody, including one of our boat captains, gathered up for a counsel session. We discussed many things, such as our favorite things about our guides and some of the times where we felt most safe. Everyone contributed a great deal to the conversation, and it was an incredibly thoughtful session. After our counsel, we went off to sleep. Many of us opted to sleep outside, as it was both our last night on the island and our last night of camping for the trip.
-Liam

June 21, 2016

Today was a day of snorkeling. We started with a quick breakfast that would fill us up until we got back for lunch. We then got on the boats and headed toward the northernmost point of Espiritu Santo. On the way there, we saw really cool rock for,actions and we were able to go into a cave that looked like rocks were almost floating from the ceiling. We then arrived at the spot where we would go snorkeling. We saw a colony of sea lions and we were able to swim with them almost nose to nose! We headed back to the beach for lunch and a couple of the group decided to stay back and hang out on the beach. Eventually, Katie, Mrs. Larios, and I went paddle boarding after another group had gone and apparently re-enacted World War II. The group that went out to snorkel came back and we had a delicious dinner and set up for a council meeting. We sat in a circle and made our dedications and talked about our joys and our moments of safety and uncertainty as the sun set. We closed after talking about what we had heard in the circle and went off to sleep after a long, productive day.
I apologize for the lack of pictures. Dr. Stogdill sent them to me, but I have not received them yet.
Erica

Monday, May 20th

Monday June 20th
Today a new adventure starts for our little group. The day started at around 7 for most of us with the tearing down of the camp we had made the night prior.  At around 8 we had breakfast, packed the cars and said our goodbyes. Before leaving, however, we took a final group picture at La Duna. After, we departed the ranch and headed for a port near La Paz. When we arrived we saw the boats. They were small but sturdy enough for our gear and luggage. We loaded up the boats and headed for the island. On the way though, we saw a pod of dolphins that were absolutely amazing. They were incredibly elegant and graceful with their swimming and some even jumped out of the water. When we finally got to the island and I was surprised how nice it was. Our camp site was a rocky beach filled with shells in front of a mountain and all of this was located is a sort of bay. We set up camp and hung out for a while. At this point some of the boys thought it would be a fun idea to have hermit crab races. A ring was made and the whole camp gathered to watch as the crabs scrambled for freedom. After that we headed out for snorkeling. While out, we were able to see multiple rare sea turtles and fish. The  one I personally saw was called a green turtle and is commonly eaten by the local population despite its endangered status. When we got back from snorkeling we had another surprise. Stephanie, our resident turtle expert, had located a turtle nest near our campsite. She marked the nest and began talking to another group of campers next to us. We would come to learn that these two men were also biologist researching the endemic rodents on the island. Later that night the biologists came and gave us an impromptu talk on the rodent populations on the island and the risks associated with introducing new species to isolated ecosystems. Everybody listened attentively and they even allowed us to ask questions about their organization at the end.

Saturday, June 18th

This morning started at 8:00am for our group. We ate. Breakfast of toast, yogurt and oats, great for the stomach. :) We headed out to the community center here in Todos Santos. When we arrived, the center leaders asked for volunteers to mix the pseudo concrete we'd be using to build walls for a bathroom. Tom, Betsy and I eagerly took the job, as we would be mixing with our feet. And so we stomped. For about three hours the three of us were ankle deep in clay, sand, water and alfalfa. While we flipped and churned, the others were picking up a handful and forming them into sausages like shapes. Using a modernized ancient technique, a chain link fence was already in place and was used as the foundation for the wall. The sausages in between the spaces of the fence, then bent downward like scales to build up the wall. Lively debates sprouted as we worked, from grass vs. leaves (which is better?), pencils vs. pens, to just playing would you rather. It was around noon when we finished with our contribution to the bathroom shelter. We ate sack lunches at the community center before stopping back at the hotel. Then we hit the beach again to test our surfing skills, and I only wiped out like 5 times. The ocean here is slightly, yet noticeably warmer than back at home. When the water if roughly up to your waist, the water looks like it has flakes of gold in it, everywhere. As the waves roll in they upset the sand creating a golden Vortex. Later on we viewed colossal waves bashing so against rocks  near some great tide pools. There's nothing like the spray of ocean mist as you inspect the water for sea urchins. Since this was to be our last night in Todos Santos at the casitas, we went out to dinner at the Hotel California. We sampled delicious soups and cake. And that concluded our last night in Todos Santos.
Sincerely, Kara


"Que to producción sea tu medicina, que tu medicina sea tu alimento."

Luna and Rowan (6/17)

Luna and Rowan (3/17/16)

Today we woke up to Bernardo pounding on our door because the time change had us confused, even though this was our fifth day. For breakfast we had black beans, eggs and fresh squeezed orange juice. Today was our guide Alan's birthday! The night before we had gone to Oxxo to purchase snacks and some people pooled their money to buy Alan a nice tiara. We wanted to make sure we wouldn't forget about his birthday, but in the morning we came to breakfast without the tiara and completely forgot to congratulate him. Thankfully, Dr. Stogdill reminded us. We ran back, got him his tiara and sang to him. He wore it for the rest of the day on top of his hat.

After breakfast we were lucky enough to get a tour from Omar, a shaman in training. He walked us around the hotel garden and pointed out which plants had medicinal uses and what they were.  First, we tried a leaf that was incredibly bitter. Omar explained that when one has a sickness in their stomach the plants that are the most bitter and foul tasting are the ones most likely to help you.  We also learned about the different types of cacti and how they all have similar benefits but differ in intensities. We were glad to hear Omar say this because the night before we found ourselves desperate for some aloe for our sunburns and ended up using one of the cacti. It was refreshing to hear Omar mention some plants that we were familiar with. Some of these plants included lemongrass (for stomach aches, high cholesterol), orange leaves(relives anxiety), pitaya(type of cactus, used commonly in smoothies)

After our tour we returned to the dinningroom, where Omar gave us a presentation on the different chakras. The first chakra was the first root chakra, represented by the color red. It dealt with connectivity to the earth. Next was the sacral chakra, represented by the color orange. This chakra helped with feelings of sexuality and self worth. The third chakra was the solar plexus chakra which helped with confidence and feeling control of your life. The fourth was the heart chakra which was represented but the color green. This chakra was used for expressing love and compassion. The fifth was the throat chakra, represented by the color blue. This was used for communication and helped with self expression. The next one is the third eye chakra used for broadening perspectives and keeping an open mind. Omar told us this chakra has deep cultural meaning in India. He said in India they put bindis where the third eye is believed to be. The last chakra is the crown chakra, represented by the color white. This chakra is supposed to help with the ability to be fully emotionally, physically, and spiritually connected with ourselves and the outside world.

After hearing about the different chakras, we got to try tinctures that affected each of the different chakras. For many of the people in our group, this was a particularly moving experience. The medicines we were given brought up old emotions and memories and even reduced some people to tears. It was surprising how each tincture we tried really did affect the area the chakra was associated with. After this experience, we used the tinctures to create micro-doses of each medicine. In all, we had 7 micro-doses, one for each chakra. We also learned how to make gels and balms. We are taking home with us the micro-doses, a balm for dry skin, and a gel for inflammation and sunburns.

Our workshop ended at 2:30 and we were all ready for lunch! We ate rice with a chicken soup and guacamole. It was delicious! After lunch we took a brief siesta and put our medicinal kits away in our rooms. We took this opportunity to relax and play cards on a balcony with a beautiful view of the ocean.

After the down time, we drove out to a community center to learn about sustainable living. There we met a woman named Inez who talked to us about all of the workshops and programs the center has to offer. She gave us a tour of the center and all of its facilities. We learned about how they teach people to garden, cook, and reuse materials sustainably. The highlight of our tour was their compostable bathroom which uses heating to transform waste into rich, nutrient-filled soil. Tomorrow we will be helping Inez to finish building the bathroom next door. We also learned how to mix alfalfa, clay, and water to create a mixture we could use to fill in the walls and keep the sun out. Tomorrow we will be using this technique to build a wall for the main office.

After our time at the community center we returned to our hotel for some relaxation. A few of us went swimming in the beautiful pool. Then we got dressed for dinner and headed out to eat at La Casita, a restaurant that provided a mix of many different cuisines. We had warm bread, an Asian salad, a pesto brushetta, and then finally some sushi. After dinner we returned to our hotel and hung out for a little while longer before going to sleep!

Adios!

Luna y Rowan

Day 4 - 6/16/2016

             Today we all woke up early and packed up all of our bags to head out of camp. Just prior to eating breakfast loaded all of our gear onto the van so that after we ate we could head out as soon as possible. We had eggs, tortillas, zucchini, and beans for breakfast. After we said goodbye to Rojellio and his friends and family, we headed out to a famous surfing beach near Todos Santos. As we slathered ourselves and each other is sunscreen, we were all mesmerized by the ocean and this incredible beach that was in front of us, we couldn't wait to take a dip.

Then, the surf instructors gave us a quick tutorial on how to stand up on a surfboard successfully. We were split into two groups, one group went surfing first, and the other group would wait for them to come back. Given the uneven ratio of students to instructors only half of us could go at a time. After some surfing failures and successes we enjoyed a lunch of ceviche, mixed fruits, fried chicken tacos, fig bars, and Mexican candy. Done with surfing, we piled back in the vans and started our journey towards Todos Santos. The hotel that we are staying at is incredible. It has incredible views and amenities, such as an infinity pool overlooking the ocean. After an afternoon siesta and overall relaxation time we hopped back in the vans and started towards our next destination for the day, the Todos Santos Boarding House. Here we played, interacted, and ate with about 15 kids not much younger than us from the boarding house. Half of us played soccer and volleyball, while the other half played a very competitive game of ultimate frisbee. After we all got very sweaty and tired we had a delicious meal of tamales and beans that we picked up from a vendor sitting outside of a gas station. They were delicious! Much to our dismay we had to say adios to the kids not long after lunch had ended. On our way back from the boarding house Ms. Larios offered to buy everyone a snack and a drink to keep in their hotel rooms, she was thanked many times for this generous offering. Now we are all going to bed.

Adios,

Tom