During my 2018 season in BajaCalifornia, I got a convenient little offer to take photos of a friend’s AirBnB in Los Barriles. Since renting an Airbnb facility is all about having good photos to showcase on the website, I got asked to provide professional pictures. So I traveled to LosBarriles on the east side of Baja, California.
My Los Barriles Experience
While my friend Napoleon set everything up nicely, I brought a friend from San Pedrito Beach along to become a photo model. It is always easier to project an emotional component into the pictures if you have a good-looking person in the scenery. The potential client can see him or herself in the model, or the stunning model triggers other phantasies or desires associated with the facility.
Some of my Pictures
I even took my drone out to capture some aerial images.
The trick is to attach an emotional component to the pictures and the AirBnB facility. We had a lot of fun, and if you need an Airbnb Photographer for Los Barriles or other places in the south end of the Baja California Sur, please let me know. I am sure we will find an arrangement.
This time is only my 2nd season in SanPedritoBeach in ElPescadero close to Todos Santos. I came here first on new Year’s eve 2016/2017. Due to some unforeseen events, I stayed at this place longer than expected. That was indeed a blessing. It didn’t take long to fall in love with this beach and the community.
We got here had to do with a slipped disc injury my travel mate “Jens” was suffering from. He hoped to find the right practitioner to help him overcome this issue in this area. If you had your own experiences with a slipped disc, you might know that an instant cure is seldom possible unless you find someone who can perform miracles.
Still, El Pescadero and Todos Santos were the right places to find many snake charmers and spine benders. Unfortunately, the only medicine that could cure Jens was to relax and chill out as much as possible.
I stayed for almost four more months at SanPedritoBeach until I had to go back to Europe, but I was hooked. There was this deep desire to come back here and have my van to hang out. So I put this on my midterm agenda, and just six months later, I booked a ticket back to Mexico.
New Season in Baja California Sur
In early February 2018, I returned to San Pedrito Beach. It took me a while to shake off the city dust and get used to being pounded by waves again. Of course, one of my main objectives for this new season was to improve my surfing capabilities.
Unfortunately, the paddle muscles I acquired the previous Year had melted into oblivion during my long hours in front of an office desktop in Germany. I became soft and pale, but that was my challenge.
Let’s talk about collective change. Like my very own body, San Pedrito Beach had also transformed into something bizarre. The Year before, the whole beach was a free camping zone, and only Rafa’s bar, “PuraPlaya,” had been a light beam of order. The rest of the beach was just wild west camping at its best.
Transformation Of San Pedrito Beach
Now in 2018, things have changed. Now we had three different habitats. There was still the territory of “PuraPlaya,” of course, which, as the name indicates, consists of a particular pure state. It’s clean and nicely made. You will find proper restrooms and even a shower at Rafa’s place. There are also specific rules that tell you what to do and what is forbidden or restricted. If San Pedrito Beach were the Middle East, then “Pura Playa” definitely would be considered Israel.
That also makes sense from the perspective that the only constant inhabitant of “Pura Playa” territory was Rafa’s lovely bartender “Liza” who is an Israeli citizen. You can find many other parallels, like the fact that Rafa has an excellent connection to the local law enforcement. That is compared to the average gringo, a massive advantage. In case of an emergency or any “shit hits the fan “scenario. He won’t talk much about it, and he might deny it, but that is what you expect from Israel. They also don’t like to admit that they have atomic bombs.
So, there was no doubt in my mind that “Pura Playa” represents Israel if we consider the middle east as an analogy for San Pedrito Beach. So, what is with the rest?
FREE CAMPING AT EL PESCADARO
Before this season, you could see the rest of the beach outside of “Pura Playa” as rogue nations threatening Israel’s perfect order with suicide shitting dogs, trash spilling extremists, and roaming beach bums. Some conspiracy went on to transform the local paradigm. So, a regime change was instigated by clandestine means. The real power or owner of the San Pedrito Beach residing in LaPaz allowed an intervention of foreign forces to stabilize the region and establish some basic rules.
Looking back on human history, bringing “freedom and democracy” to savage territories is always difficult. Just behold how the United States always (with only the best intentions, of course) try to bring some of their distinctive cultures to foreign countries. Those countries become hell on earth, and the resources somehow vanish into western enterprises.
Regime Change and Color Revolution at San Pedrito
This tremendous endeavor to transform at least a part of San Pedrito Beach into a cultivated zone fell on the shoulders of my former travel mate Jens. I guess he didn’t have much choice but to accept this mission. He could be seen as a UN occupation force with a fragile mandate. We have seen scenarios like that many times before. It sucks. Skirmishes are predetermined when you promote a German engineer to become the new Sheriff in the context of a Mexican “zero f**ks are given” scenario. It’s like when the Americans tried to press their idea of law and order onto Iraqi citizens.
So, San Pedrito Beach ended up with a zone that I called Iraq occupied by German UN forces. The rules were vague, and the service was low, but still, you had to pay taxes. At least we got some proper outhouses now in San Pedrito. Still, the problem was the cultural clash, with a German technocrat ruling the domain—that created upheaval among the peasants of Iraq.
Wild West and Vanlife
When I came back to San Pedrito Beach in February 2018, the situation was already about to boil over. At this time, escalating civil unrest was about to unfold, which required the intervention of the real power from La Paz. Well, the owner had to make a decree when Jens and Pablo, the local longboard pro, had turmoil over some silly b/s. I didn’t understand it, but it wasn’t my task to facilitate a peace agreement. I was busy enough with my objectives and mourning about my missing paddle muscles.
The point is that Iraq was a delicate territory with too much politics. The bad thing was that I had to stay at the Sheriff’s place until I got my bandwagon. So I was entirely in the middle of some tensions. Thank god, I found an excellent van on Baja Craigslist. A Spanish couple was desperate to sell their 1980 Dodge van, and I was desperate to buy. Also, we could make the deal in Euro. Now I had all the freedom to move, and after a few days, I decided to relocate myself to the 3rd option of San Pedrito Beach called “Somalia.”
Desperado Vanlife At El Pescadero B.C.S.
The very north part of San Pedrito Beach remained the wild west. Iraq got separated from the northern region by a 4″ deep ditch called the “TrumpTrench.” It was designed to keep economic refugees away from entering the north side of San Pedrito, a.k.a. Somalia. The territory here was a failed state ruled by a more or less self-declared governor called “Timmy.” He seemed to be the dominant local warlord. The simple social rules in Somalia promote the best surfer to becoming the governor of this territory, which put me at the end of the pecking order.
That was ok since Timmy was not eager to abuse his power. He only got active if someone in his kingdom polluted his precious air. Otherwise, zero f**ks were given by the governor. Still, you could always ask him for a piece of good advice, which made him a very accessible ruler.
End of the Season in Baja California
At one point, the mayor moved to the east cape, and also many additional misfits from Somalia left the territory as well. Many other people came and went. In the end, only Timo and I remained in Somalia. Timo got expelled from Iraq for perpetual besmirching of the “TrumpTrench” and other felonies. Timo also left his exile because he started his house-sitting season.
With June approaching, San Pedrito, only four residents remain. Grayson from Australia is on his inner spiritual journey – well, you can count him out. There are only just Rafa, Larry, and I left. Larry became my new and probably my last neighbor this season. Since he can’t surf due to his injured knee, I am the best active surfer in Somalia, making me the governor of this part of San Pedrito Beach. I will celebrate my reign over the beach accordingly until the end of my season in Mexico, which will end in early July. Whatever this means.
See you next season in San Pedrito Beach. Peaceout!
The Luminate Festival in 2015 was the best outro for my New Zealand adventure I could think of. After a period of intense travel activities, it has been the perfect retreat to tune in and drop out. We had hundreds of people dancing around a fire at the opening ceremony. Please see the footage for yourself, so you have an idea. There was some excellent music at the Luminate Festival but not always my style. Anyhow, the atmosphere we encountered was precisely the context I was looking for all the time. It was peaceful and relaxed.
Luminate Festival 2015
We met even more backpackers from Reid’s Farm in Taupo during the Festival. Most of the photos I took there were taken of my friends since this was the last opportunity to see them in NewZealand. Most of them would soon return to their respective hometowns. The LuminateFestival marked the end of my journey through NewZealand. On the 3rd day, I left the event to take the ferry back to Wellington, where my flight home to Switzerland just went one day later. It felt like I had left my tribe behind, but deep in my heart, I knew that we all are connected on a higher plane of consciousness.
https://www.mayamagik.com/wp-content/uploads/luminate-festival-photography-2015-1.jpg7651920Mayamagikhttps://www.mayamagik.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/Mayamagik_Logo_trans_2017_white.pngMayamagik2017-09-29 16:33:252022-04-13 14:13:17Photography of 2015 Luminate Festival
Reid’sFarm is one of the probably hundreds of free campingsites in NewZealand. It is one of those places you are looking for while traveling on the north island with a limited budget and a backpack. Of course, you can go there by car or even arrive there in a fancy caravan, but in a rush, you will never experience the unique energy this place has to offer.
Reid’s Farm at Lake Taupo, New Zealand
ARRIVING AT REID’S FARM IN TAUPO
I came here in the summer of 2014 after almost two weeks in the wilderness. I decided to take the bus to Taupo to have the opportunity to wash my clothes and sleep in a real bed. After one night in one of those cheap hostels, I knew I had to get out into nature again. If you want to keep it accurate, you must leave mainstream trials. So I was looking for Reid’s Farm. Someone – the only person I met on my journey through the wilderness told me about this place close to Taupo, but there was no entry on one of those official maps. Many camping sites were marked on the map, but I had to ask a couple of people till someone put a cross on a blanc spot close to the WaikatoRiver.
Arriving there, I thought this was the right place to relax for a couple of days after the intense struggle. In the end, I stayed there for over a month with many short trips to LakeTaupo, TongariroNationalPark, and Rotarua. The actual reason I stayed there for so long has been the people attracted by this place. Maybe this was just one of these rare occasions in life where the right kind of people meets at the right time on the perfect spot. This kind of “coincidental” community I had never experienced before.
MY REID’S FARM EXPERIENCE
Even though people were coming and going every day, there was a hardcore of individuals who represented the epicenter of a new form of hippie community. There were no hierarchies nor rules, but somehow people took care of each other and organized food and supplies they shared with everyone else. Those people maintained a resonance field that helped everyone who wanted to be a part of it quickly adapt to this unique paradigm of sharing and caring. They even built a place to cook and chill out for everyone.
When some of the “founding fathers” of this encampment moved on, other fellow travelers inherited the responsibilities. Without realizing it, I also got sucked into it by a mere observer who wanted to move on more sooner than later, to the point I became a member of a more prominent tribe – the Reid’s Farm family.
For my Reid’s Farm Family
Of course, I had to leave one day like all others before, and new people replaced my part in the community, and hopefully, they carried on some of the energy I was fortunate to witness. I don’t know if this was just a rare phenomenon or if you could go there today and make the same observations and experiences. Maybe this place has a kind of energetic vortex that attracts a remarkable variety of individuals looking for love, friendship, spirituality, and freedom. Here are some of the photos I shot there. Hopefully, those pictures can describe a little bit of the magicparadise I found during my time there.
Springtime came to NewZealand and I started my Walkabout. I grabbed my backpack and my camera to roam through New Zealand just by walking off from Wellington. Well, I didn’t come too far. Somewhere between Wellington and Lake Taupo, it started to rain very badly. So I took the bus. At this point, I didn’t even make a lot of photos. Most of the time my camera was secured in the backpack.
Close to the city of Taupo, I ended up on a free camping site which was called Reid’s Farm. Meanwhile, it is closed, but back in 2014, it was the coolest place in New Zealand where I found a beautiful community of backpackers. Reid’s Farm became my home for a while and the people there were like my family. Even though I made many small hitchhiker trips to nearby national parks and cities, this campsite inspired me the most.
There is an article about Reid’s Farm on my website which contains more photos and it describes my impression there in detail. Please check it out.
https://www.mayamagik.com/wp-content/uploads/walkabout-new-zealand-south-island-wilderness-14.jpg13071920Mayamagikhttps://www.mayamagik.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/Mayamagik_Logo_trans_2017_white.pngMayamagik2017-09-29 15:40:432022-03-28 16:38:47Walkabout Through New Zealand
I finally arrived in Wellington, NewZealand. I stayed with my friends in Wellington for the first two months, where I took my first photos. There were so many lovely spots around the city where people used to go for a surf or hang out at the beaches.
I waited in Wellington till springtime kicked in. My main goal was to go on a “Walkabout” through the wilderness, but I made good use of my time in the capital of New Zealand. I got my first lessons in surfing, and I produced an image film for my friends at Proffer, a local company.
https://www.mayamagik.com/wp-content/uploads/wellington-night-new-zealand-travel-photography-2.jpg13181920Mayamagikhttps://www.mayamagik.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/Mayamagik_Logo_trans_2017_white.pngMayamagik2017-09-29 14:50:332022-04-13 14:19:52Wellington, New Zealand | First Impressions
My friend Barry has a reggae band called “JaSkaMon,” which makes great music. They already produced 4 CDs, and during my stay in Oregon, I Barry to get his first MusicVideo. Please check it out.
We went to different locations, foremost around Portland in Oregon, in producing the video. I attended the band’s gigs, but I also went to Mount Helen in Washington. This enormous volcano crater got famous in the 80′ when it produced a tremendous outburst.
I accompanied Barry and the other band members of Jaskamon to a concert in honor of their former drummer Marv Bauer who died just a few weeks ago of an overdose of heroin. Those were my last days in Oregon before I flew to New Zealand to start my next adventure.
https://www.mayamagik.com/wp-content/uploads/road-trip-around-portland-oregon-photography-9.jpg10801920Mayamagikhttps://www.mayamagik.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/Mayamagik_Logo_trans_2017_white.pngMayamagik2017-09-17 18:23:142022-04-13 13:58:54Road Trip with Jaskamon through Oregon
In 2014 a biker festival called RUN 21 was held for the first time in Otis. Otis is a tiny community close to Lincoln City in Oregon. So this event was exceptional for this tiny place. The Run 21 Festival attracted hordes of bikers with HarleyDavidson motorcycles who suddenly invaded Otis.
The very friendly organizers invited me to take a couple of pictures. There were many unique people and beautifully customized bikes wherever I pointed the camera. It was a photographer’s wet dream. Unfortunately, it was close to sundown when I arrived at the Festival. Still, I could capture some good impressions of the atmosphere and the scene.
https://www.mayamagik.com/wp-content/uploads/run21-2014-otis-oregon-photography-8.jpg10981920Mayamagikhttps://www.mayamagik.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/Mayamagik_Logo_trans_2017_white.pngMayamagik2017-09-17 17:45:522022-04-13 14:02:17Run 21 | Oldschool Biker Festival in Otis, OR
As soon as I got to LincolnCity in Oregon, I had a job as a photographer. Gary’s good friend has a lawn service, and he needed some photos for his website. During this photo session, I had the opportunity to get some more impressions of the Oregon coast.
After work, I went down to the shore and shot more pictures, like people hanging out at the beach and having fun. I even managed to take a photo of a squirrel close to the dunes. Here is the link for Barry’sLawnService.
https://www.mayamagik.com/wp-content/uploads/berrys-lawn-service-oregon-photography-3.jpg10801920Mayamagikhttps://www.mayamagik.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/Mayamagik_Logo_trans_2017_white.pngMayamagik2017-09-17 17:31:182022-04-13 14:03:54Barry’s Lawn Service | Lincoln City, Oregon
Since I was more or less bound to pass by in Oregon, I decided to stay for a couple of weeks on the west coast of the USA.
After getting picked up from the airport in Portland, we went to Otis, a small community close to LincolnCity in Oregon. As soon as I could manage my jetlag, I started to roam around with Gary to get my first impressions of my new context. While Gary Vey showed me his favorite places, I could talk to some strangers. One was a guy traveling the whole west coast of the USA on his bicycle. That impressed me big time, and a vision grew inside of me.
Besides hiking and visiting all major cities around Otis, we made a day trip on a nearby river. We took Berry along, who was the owner of the small raft. This kind of activity is a great thing to do to relax.
https://www.mayamagik.com/wp-content/uploads/lincoln-city-otis-oregon-photography-9.jpg10291920Mayamagikhttps://www.mayamagik.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/Mayamagik_Logo_trans_2017_white.pngMayamagik2017-09-17 17:17:402022-04-13 14:06:03First Impressions of Otis and Lincoln City
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