How we know him: Gary and Connie first met Charlie about 8 years ago through Las Villas de Loreto where he works as a tour guide. Since then he has become a close friend and often participates in many of the group activities that we do. His English is impressive, (but he would humbly tell you otherwise) and he loves to help us practice our Spanish and teach us the local slang.

 

Occupation: Charlie is currently employed on several levels as a guide, and he also works at a friends shop as a mechanic. As a guide he generally transports clients from one excursion or activity to another, providing expert information along the way and lots of fun. As a mechanic he designs and builds brake systems, frames, and engines for Baja 5000 race-trucks.

 

Leisure: Charlie races with his father [Joaquin] in the Baja 5000 serving as a navigator in these off road races for his father, the driver. He also loves to dance and sing and is always the first one out on the dance floor. He also works on his vans in his spare time and sometimes will have dinner with Gary, Connie and the group if he has time after a tour. But, Charlie is a hard and dedicated worker and his days off are few and far between.

 

Family: Charlie is one of five children; he has three brothers and one sister. His parents still live in Loreto, but of his siblings he is the only one who still lives there too. His one sister works in a salon outside of Loreto (possibly La Paz), while of his three brothers we know that one is a chef in Cabo San Lucas and the other a professional in the computer industry

 

Personal: He grew up on a Ranch outside of Loreto and hopes to eventually return to "the simple life" of getting up at 5am, working hard to farm all day and then going to sleep early after the sun sets. Charlie would also like to visit America or Canada someday soon, but because he is so invested in his work (he just finished paying for both of his vans) and because the Mexican government makes it so difficult to get all the paperwork processed to leave the country, he does not know when his next opportunity will be to travel.

 

One last comment about Charlie: The class from the 2004 spring trip had a wonderful time getting to know and love Charlie and we want to thank him for being such a wonderful and important part of our experience in Loreto. - Love, Ashley, Beth, Cortney, Kevin and Matt.