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           "Think of a place that makes you feel happy and relaxed," they would say. And I would hardly have to think before it comes to mind: Baja. Just thinking of it makes me long for it to be time again to pack up everyone including the dog and get down there. This amazing family tradition started before I was born 25 years ago, when my dad and uncle drove haphazardly down Mexico with their spear guns catching fish and exploring the coast, looking for a good place to be. They found what they were looking for in a small fishing town on the tip of Baja, an unaltered and isolated town not yet widely known to tourists. They lived by catching their own food and living off of very little money for awhile, all while enjoying the beaches and waters by windsurfing, swimming, and spearfishing.
             They liked it so much that it has become a yearly tradition to make the 32 hour drive over 2-3 days down to the same spot, and enjoy the relaxed and chill lifestyle that it entails. What's made it even better is that we get to share the experience with our cousins, who come down with our uncle as we come down with our dad. We've also been around to witness the year-by-year transformation of the town from small, dusty and devoid of  technology to a busier and popular town geared for tourists and sports enthusiasts. Anyways, the town is small and fun, and a lot of people who we know come each year in the winter to have fun there from the bay area. We usually are able to stay there for two whole weeks each winter break, and it is simply rejuvenating. You wake up in the morning, hear the sounds of the surf on the beach 50 meters away, listen to the absence of industrial sounds, and have the freedom to decide: a walk on the cool beach with my dog, yoga in the sand with my dad, or should I have a nice fresh breakfast of papaya with fresh-squeezed lime juice? What's so relaxing about it all is the disregard of time and date, the freedom to choose whatever, the company of friends and family, and the proximity to the ocean and beach. It is more laid-back in terms of laws and rules as well, which adds to the feeling of the vacation. It's very freeing and refreshing.