Hitch hiking in Baja.

IMG_1883, originally uploaded by Victor L Antunez.

I met these three lost souls while hitch hiking in BAJA between MULEGE and NOL'S RANCHO COYOTE on BAHIA CONCEPCION. They were as sweet as can be, but lost. They were on their way home to LORETO from a 3 month stay in the program. The drug re-hab program.

I spoke the most to the guy wearing the shades. The other guy is his brother and the gal is the brother's wife. All three are recovering crystal meth addicts. Shades told me that he had begun smoking meth at 14 years of age. Before that he had been a pot smoker. Pot had been his GATEWAY DRUG to crystal. He says that he can't be around pot smokers or he'll start smoking crystal. So much for pot not being a gateway drug. 

Shades had finally been forced to enter the program by his mother who had him arrested. The judge told him it was prison or re-hab. He chose re-hab. What is interesting is that Shade's was poor and he told me so. Yet he had always managed to find money for drugs. He didn't exactly say it, but he did confide in me in a round about way that crime had been his profession. It's a shame that all that initiative and effort had been wasted on crime.

Sometime during our talk Shade's mentioned that he liked my sun glasses, the ones he's wearing. I took them off and gave them to him along with the neck strap. That made him incredibly happy, and it made me happy to. Now each time I think of our exchange I feel good about the fact that it turned out to be a mutual sharing. He gave me a good story to tell, and I gave him a pair of cheap sunglasses. Oh yeah. I'm a fan of cheap sunglasses. The expensive ones I buy are always getting lost.

Some tips on hitch hiking. Look as unscary as possible. Stand near places where people are pulling on and off the road. Approach people and ask for a ride. I caught a ride in this truck by walking up to it after the owner had filled it with gas. I asked if he was headed South then asked for a lift. As easy as that.