Driving Baja – Rice & Beans Roadside Assistance
by Joanne Traboulay
Keeping in the spirit of the wonderful people of the Baja I would like to share with fellow travelers an experience that has restored my faith in our fellow human beings.
We own a home in La Paz and make the Baja highway trip twice a year. On our current trip we were approaching San Ignacio when our motor home started to show signs of distress. We limped into the village and as luck would have it turned off at a road that not only houses three local mechanics but also the RV Park Rice and Beans.
We checked into Rice and Beans and the next day was given the horrible news of a failed transmission. Worse yet there was no one in the surrounding vicinity that could repair our motor. We were devastated as our vehicle not only included two small dogs but a multitude of repair items for our home in La Paz. Every available nook and cranny was packed. Our only option was to try and hitch a ride to Loreto, rent a car and have the RV towed to La Paz. This would have probably cost more than the RV was worth.
This is when Ricardo, the owner of Rice and Beans, took over. Canceling his own plans he spent over four hours phoning transmission shops that stretched from Cabo to San Diego with no luck. But was Ricardo going to give up? No way! He called his brother who was in Tijuana and asked him to hit the pavement and try to find this elusive transmission. Perseverance paid off and a mechanic in Tijuana said if we could get the transmission to him he would rebuild it in one day. This was happy news but of course we still had the problem of transportation to Tijuana.
To our amazement Ricardo offered to leave his business and family, drive our transmission to Tijuana, stay in a hotel and bring the rebuilt back where local mechanics could install it.
This was all offered without hesitation and no monetary gains to him. In this selfish angry world Ricardo is truly a rare man. A truly good person.
Our stay at Ricardo’s was 11 days. During this time we were the meet and greet and we heard many many stories of Ricardo rescuing us weary travelers. So many people, with similar car problems. His walls are covered with pictures and thanks from many many fellow travelers.
The purpose of this letter is two fold. Number one to share a happy story as all we seem to hear is doom and gloom.
Number two is to encourage any of the Baja travelers who have not yet enjoyed Ricardo’s hospitality and his fabulous restaurant to do so. The hotel is clean as are grounds and showers. The ambiance is friendly and warm. In the financial climate that we have all found ourselves Ricardo in my opinion will need our support.
When we left Ricardo was in the process of enlarging his RV Park and will have an additionally 21 pull through full hook ups this year, with Another 26 to come. These are in a peaceful palm grove across the street from the restaurant.
Thanks for taking the time to share our experience.