This morning I woke up and realized that I have had the same recurring dream for a REALLY long time. Each dream might not be identical - the people I'm with or without may change - but the synopsis is to the T every time.
I am usually on a beach in the most random of places, like I could be in a parking lot one second of an old neighborhood that I lived in when all of a sudden the lot cuts off into a cliff and at the bottom of the cliff is a beach...that I'm on. I'm having fun at the beach for a while when all of a sudden these MASSIVE tidal waves begin to lap onto shore. Some people make it and scatter away unharmed and some get caught and drift away I'm sure, but I'm always clinging to something, like a rock or a pole or something... and I always make it and have to stay clinging and holding my breath periodically as massive wave after wave crashes over me. Last night specifically I was on a beach that I didn't recognize at all and can remember laying out some clothes to change into on the sand and when I went over to tell someone that I was going to change and leave, when I pointed to my clothes, suddenly they were underwater and that's when I looked up and realized the tide had come in and these huge tsunami-like waves were approaching in the far distance, swallowing up a whole bunch of boats on the way and sure enough I clung to the side of a building as the water slammed into me repeatedly.
The funny thing is that this morning was the very first time that when i woke up, I remembered having MANY dreams that were REALLY similar to this in the past. I just never connected that it was a recurring dream until this morning. So when I got to a computer, I looked up the meaning of waves in dreams and here is what DreamMoods.com has to say about:
Recurring Dreams
Most dreams contain messages that serve to teach us something about ourselves. Unfortunately many a times we forget what we dream about as we go about our daily routine. With recurring dreams, the message may be so important and/or powerful that it just will not go away. The frequent repetition of such dreams forces you to pay attention and confront the dream. The dream is trying desperately to tell you something. Such dreams are often nightmarish or frightening in their content, which also helps you to take notice and pay attention to them.
Recurring dreams are quite common and are often triggered by a certain life situation or a problem that keeps coming back again and again. There is usually little variation in the dream content itself. The repetitive patterns in your dream can reveal some of the most valuable information on yourself. It may point to a conflict, situation or matter in your waking life that remains unresolved or unsettled. Or some urgent underlying message in your unconscious is demanding to be understood.
Waves To hear waves crashing in your dream, indicates tenderness and relaxation. It also brings about feelings of sensuality and sexuality.
To dream that you are caught in a tidal wave, signifies the strength of your emotions.
It's been a few days now since I've returned from the adventures of the Baja 1000 in Ensenada Mexico so I figured I'd take some time now to recap before too much time passes and I end up forgetting details... wait... scratch that... there is NO WAY I could forget the magnitude of fun that I had on this trip. LOL
To begin, let's take a look at the following video intro of what exactly it was that I was there for:
So the Baja 1000 is an annual event held in the Baja peninsula of Southern California / Mexico. Some years they begin in the city of Ensenada and drive straight down to the tip of the peninsula to a city called Cabo. This year was a loop year - meaning it started and ended in Ensenada. It is a 1000 mile race completed by a whole lot of different types of vehicles.
Why was I there? It was simple. A friend of mine was taking part in fulfilling a childhood dream of his by driving one of the BC class of buggies in this year's race. My office manager was bugging the snot out of me to take a real vacation - defined as one where I leave my laptop and blackberry at home and unplug from the real world for a few days, and there turned out to be an extra room available so I jumped on the bandwagon and flew into San Diego at the same day and time that the rest of his family and friends were arriving there and tagged along for the adventure of my life.
So here's a basic recap:
Day 1
Arrive at San Diego International airport - find the family and friends and the crazy folk who were sent to pick us up. We drive into Ensenada in a van packed with a fully stocked bar in the floorboards. The border into Mexico is a simple traffic light intersection. No muss, no fuss, lots of booze - my vacation officially begins.
Arrive at HorsePower Ranch - there are Hundreds of people there it seems, all in accordance with the Wide Open Group's class of buggies racing in this event. I meet some cool people and watch a very cool opening presentation with speeches, thank yous, highlights of past races, past (and in some cases deceased) race drivers, and lots and lots of food - including fresh pig on a stick. Funny moment: My buddy came up to me to warn me not to freak out when I see the pigs head front and center on the grill. I laugh and explain to him that growing up as a Puerto Rican, I've probably eaten more parts of a pig than he wants to know... LOL
All the Wide Open Baja Challenge class of vehicles are lined up for inspection and show and tell - this is where I realize that they really are in fact BIG TOYS FOR BIG BOYS.
Arrive at our hotel destination (if you would call it a hotel) after about a 45min drive outside of Ensenada in the really dark middle of nowhere, lead by dirt roads. We are greeted by the most interesting lady named Ilene who brings with her presence a sense of peace like I've never known. She is an older lady, thin, with flowing rich white hair that falls down to her elbows. Her voice is quiet and calm and she shows us around a bit and talks about how she came to build such a beautiful oasisin the middle of nowhere. The place is a winery - meaning they grow the grapes and there is wine at hand at all hours of the day and night. Turns out the next morning she confessed to being really drunk the night before when we arrived and not being sure about what we talked about.... who knew? Thinking about it though - if I lived on a winery and wine was my life... I'd probably be drunk all the time too...
Day 2
I am woken up rather early in the morning by a cat who decided to jump in bed with me and massage my legs (to make himself a comfy spot to lay) and as a result put me back to sleep.
I wake up again and upon seeing the place in daylight for the first time, I realize a few things:
I am REALLY in the middle of NOWHERE - the landscape was amazing
The place was HUGE - with gardens growing everything you can think of - and of course grape vines everywhere
I love Cactus hahaha
There are a lot of pets roaming around
I'm the last one to wake up
Breakfast is being served by a number of lovely ladies who have been slaving in the kitchen all morning
It's really hot and sunny outside.
We head back into Ensenada to discover that it is packed with hundreds of thousands of people in the streets drinking, dancing, buying things from the local vendors and admiring all the different vehicle types and classes lined up on display. Tomorrow is the big race day and the excitement is super contagious.
We explore the streets a bit and discover some neat little shops and boutiques as well as local talented craftsmen in the streets trying to make a buck with their bracelets, masks, stickers and anything else. I even discover some freebies like free shots of Tequila - yay! LOL Oh I suppose I should share with you one of the funniest T-shirts that I saw all day:
C'mon - it's funny!
Time flies when you're having fun. Before we know it we have to head back to the hotel to change from our summer clothes into warm clothing if we are going to head back into the city for an outdoor dinner - yes folks - SUPER hot during the day but REDICULOUSLY cold when that sun sets... That just blew my mind actually.
After changing, we head back yet again into the city and to a restaurant ready to host all of us BC class groups for a final toast in the evening before the big race.
This is where I met up with My buddy's best friends in the whole world - ENTER: TC, JEFF and MICHAEL. Oh no.. MORE super cool guys! As if I wasn't already in enough trouble with the existing crew. I jumped in with these guys in their car to show them the way to the hotel after supper, only to arrive at the hotel with the most soar stomach EVER from laughing SOOOO hard. Guys, I wish you were reading this - YOU ROCK!
The 3 boys and I find our way through the hills and mountains in the dirt and darkness to the hotel without crashing into bolders in the road - it's miraculous really. We proceed then to find out way to the hot-tub. And yes, that's where I'm stopping with this day's recap.
Day 3 = RACE DAY!
We wake up and chow down our once again amazing breakfast super early and head into the city so we can be there by 8am. We meet up with the drivers at the resort they are staying at and all the buggies are lined up. This was where lots of pictures were being taken by everyone around me (myself included) and those who were going to start the 1st 3rd of the race are going back and forth from the parking lot to the bathroom all morning... I don't blame them... I would have been SOOOO nervous. hahaha
Right on time the helicopter arrives and I am ushered onto it to experience an amazing ride along the coast and over the race course to observe the locals setting up camp along the course. This is where I learn that the locals think it's funny to set boobie-traps all along the course to try to screw up the drivers. For example, if there is an arrow saying they should turn, the locals will turn the arrows to point the wrong way. If there is a fork on the road they will line up and block the correct way to go and indicate that the driver should go the wrong way... in the middle of the freakin dessert! They also dig ditches to try to stop the cars... NOT cool people - NOT cool. Do they do this because they don't want to extra tourism, money and business coming to their town? No. They do this because it amuses them... Sooooo not cool.
The helicopter ride comes to an end and I get back to the resort in time to see the cars begin to drive off to prepare themselves at the starting line of the race. It's at that point where a decision needs to be made. There are options for what I can do to pass the next 24-48hrs. I could A.) Go back up to the hotel and relax in the hot tub, pool, cuddle up to a book, get massages, enjoy a nice dinner that the chef spent the whole day planning, and watch the status of the race on a website via GPS to get an idea of when the car I was rooting for was going to be approaching the finish line in the city so I can be there when it did... B.)Chase the race - Jump in one of the chaser vans and spend all day and night driving in the dessert meeting up with the racers at various vehicle checkpoints, driver exchanges and gasing stations. I was warned that this would be exhausting, cold in the evening and super exciting to be part of the action as the mechanics jump on the cars that arrive at these points and the drivers switch up gear etc... OBVIOUSLY I chose option B. hahaha It was a once in a lifetime opportunity and relaxing didn't sound quite as fun.
I jumped in a van with 4 super cool dudes and made myself comfy in the very back close to the cooler of booze and played bartender for the boys I was riding with (except the driver of course). The hours past and I experienced amazing desert scenery, extreme fluctuations of temperature, the crazy excitement of the driver exhanges and a whole lot of booze... Tired of reading yet? Well if you ARE still reading this, I am extremely flattered and feel it's time to give you a break from reading and a chance to watch instead. Words cannot describe how much fun this was despite my extreme fatigue towards the end but here is a little something to give you an idea of the beginning - at least what I've described so far.:
Day 4 = Race Ends, Recovery Begins...sorta
At around 7am someone says something about a ride back to the city and i sleepily crawl into this van and squeeze in the back with a few other drivers who have thrown in the towel as well.
Myself and only one other brave soul from the hotel went out on this hunt/chase of the race with these boys, so the 2 of us returned to the hotel around 9am - to find it empty. This threw us for a bit of a loop because we knew that the car we were all rooting for would only come across the finish line around noonish that afternoon (this was an estimate based on what we heard all night and morning on the radios and GPS). Nevertheless, we asked for breakfast when we arrived, ate and went straight to try to sleep.
I succeeded in sleeping for about 2 hrs when I woke up due to the sun shining in my eyes so decided to make the most of it by moving outside to take a nap by the pool.
Turns out while we were napping, the rest of the crew returned and so after some time we were all regrouped around the hot tub chatting about how much fun we've had so far.
The next few hours were supposed to be for me to relax and recover but unfortunately I was having too much fun being awake with everyone else by the pool, sharing stories, laughs and experiences from the past 48hrs.
We had one last fabulous dinner, courtesy of the infamous chef, before select few of us scooted back into the city for the closing ceremony party at the HorsePower Ranch.
We met up with my buddy at that point who had found himself a taxi man willing to spend the night waiting for us while we fled the ranch and proceeded to bar hop. Enter RUBEN. Here is a clip to show you a rough idea of how much fun that last night turned out to be for the bunch of us who braved the evening cold with Mr. Ruben (Greg, I hope you don't mind that I post this!):
As you can see, thanks to Ruben - we all got to run the first leg of the Baha! hahaahaha PRICELESS.
So to conclude this evening, we all got smashed, convinced my buddy to come back to the Villa with us to check out the beautiful scenery he's been missing, jumped in a cold hot-tub (and then right back out when we realized that we couldn't turn it on), went inside to laugh our drunk asses off for a while and potentially wake up everyone in the house before falling asleep.
Day 5 - Goodbye Mexico
In conclusion, we left Mexico with as much of a bang as we started with. Who needs waiting around in a car for hours at the border the day after the Baha ends? Lineups would be crazy with people trying to leave to go back home... nope... we left in style:
I do know one thing for sure.... ANYTHING GOES IN MEXICO - and I'll be back for more!
Special Thanks to everyone involved with me having a blast - especially the wonderful family and friends of my buddy (you know who you are), Wide Open, Baha Enduro and all the crazy folk I got to meet and spend time with! And of course - Special Thanks to you Bama...
