The quick VL update:
- We are still in La Paz, Baja California Sur and LOVIN it.
- Rusty is still in the shop, they are building her a new transmission.
- Read below what a day of Van-life looks like for us.
- Plus + where you will find the best tacos in Baja (in our humble opinion)
- Spots are filling up for the Summer Solstice Retreat. Save $25 when you sign-up NOW.
- Livestream classes continue from Mexico, Tuesdays and Wednesdays. Drop-In or Receive the replay if you are not an ALTAR digital member.
With love, Heather
Story Time
From Valle de Guadalupe we drove east across Baja California to the little town of San Felipe. We did our first Baja grocery shop there and tried our first Birria Tacos.
Birria Tacos are traditionally made from stewed goat meat and occasionally made with lamb or beef. We have no idea whether we ate goat, beef or lamb that day but the meat was tender and juicy and the flavor was incredible.
What makes an amazing taco?
#1: a homemade corn tortilla!! Some taco shoppes make there own tortillas and others might get them from a local tortilleria, Our favorite tacos so far have been made with house-made tortillas. Perhaps they are that mush fresher which enhances the texture and malleability of the vessel that holds the meat? Not sure, but next time you are in Mexico, find a place that makes their own tortillas you will not be disappointed.
A bit of taco advice while in Baja: Go where the locals go to eat their tacos. Walk around town and see where locals are noshing. That is how we found this most amazing birria taco shoppe.
Lastly, drink the broth!! Birria tacos often come with a cup of broth the meat was stewed in. Bone broth has been a thing south of the border long before it became trendy in the states. Give it a try if it is served to you.
Bellies full of tacos we decided to get back on the road and drive about 2 hours south of San Felipe to our first camp spot. This was our first site that we stayed in for more than 1 night. We found an ocean front camp area from a website we look at almost daily called “iOverlander.” All the van-life, car nomad and RV people use this website. It has been key in helping us find “wild camping” spots throughout our journey so far. Wild camping or boondocking is when you camp without the need to hookup to water or electricity. And, old Rusty can do just that!
A Day in the Life
In light of this landing spot being our first multiple night stay, I thought to share with y’all what a day in the life looks like.
We wake up with the sun, which feels just right. Pre-dawn I am cozy in bed practicing my morning breath-work and meditation practices. I practice in bed so I can have my inward renewal time and not wake-up the whole family. Van life is about being very adaptable.
Next. comes tea and a morning stroll with the dogs. We have a small two burner stove that works great for all our cooking needs. We brought our favorite tulsi tea with us which is what we sip on most mornings.
After tea and dog strolls, we generally engage with some morning movement, outside of course. Van-life, for us, is about spending more time outside.
Logging into work comes next. On this leg of the journey I had a full afternoon of client sessions. So, after a dip in the Sea of Cortez and a late breakfast it was time to get to work. The wind was especially wild the few days we were camped here, so for hours at a time we were all inside the van. Dogs trying to rest but being freaked out by the wind, Peter reading or researching and myself working with coaching clients via zoom.
Between sessions, I get up and do a little wiggle or stretch and then back to it, in the van in front of my screen. 5 hours later its time to get the dogs fed, us fed and out for our evening family walk. Our walks are spent debriefing from the day and talking about whats next. There is MUCH of that, the “whats next, where to next, whats the weather going to be?” conversations.
In place of doing the maintenance of the house chores, tending to gardens and the tasks of running a home, with van-life you spend time planning what is next.
You will often find us researching our next camp spot, grocery stores, aqua purificadora locations (clean drinking water locations) and gas locations that offer premium because not all of them do in Mexico.
Taking our lives on the road is not a vacation, we are needing to tend to many of the things as all of you are at home. It’s just that our home is on wheels and we have less stuff, less to clean and take care of. ; )
What do you want to know about living on the Road? What questions do you have? OR, if you live on the road or have, what insights do you have for us?
It’s always sweet hearing from all of you. Thank you for being here and following the journey!
