Skip to content
Extraordinary Encounters
«A vida não è de brincadeira, amigo… A vida è a arte do encontro»
Translation: Life is not a game; life, my friend, is the art of encounter.
Vinícius de Moraes, the renowned Brazilian poet, masterfully describes those encounters and major crossroads in life that, like sudden winds, can revolutionise an existence, flinging open windows to unexpected futures.
My time in Baja California was a mosaic of encounters: some I would have preferred to avoid, but others were precious gifts. They enriched my life with unforeseen episodes, like hidden gems that shine only when you least expect them.
Harald
Harald P., a true off-road legend, first arrived in Baja California in the early 1970s, earning himself the nickname “El Borrego” (the Ram of Baja California). Only he, along with the borregos, seemed capable of tackling certain mountain routes, navigating rugged rocks and spiky cacti.
After several attempts, I was fortunate enough to meet him in the mountains of Baja one morning in 2016. On that occasion, he invited me to join one of his legendary tours, along with a couple from Berlin and a painter from Munich. The journey, which lasted around 12 days, was an intense and challenging experience.
I will never forget the river of stones and rocks west of San Ignacio, a passage that took several hours and tested both the vehicles and our spirits.
It was during that experience that I began to glimpse a possible future: organising adventure trips in Baja.
Told like this, it might seem like just a fleeting idea, but what happened one evening during that journey was much more. It was a revelation, an intense light illuminating a new path full of possibilities.
Naturally, I suggested to Harald that we share this vision, but the difference in age and language prevented that idea from evolving further with him.
However, that encounter, on that special morning, opened my eyes: organising trips and sharing my knowledge of Baja California could represent the beginning of a new adventure, an untold chapter of my life, rich with discoveries and opportunities.
The…Yellow Tail
Since I was a teenager, I have always loved fishing from the shore. When I lived in Rome, I often travelled to Tuscany to fish and spend nights under a starry sky, with the sound of the waves keeping me company. It wasn’t so much the fishing that drove me, but the desire to experience those small adventures, immersed in the magic of the sea and the silence of a deserted beach.
Every night spent there was a journey into the soul, a moment of connection with nature, where I truly felt free for a few hours.
When I thought of Baja, I imagined something even greater: wild beaches stretching as far as the eye could see, a rich and powerful ocean, and the freedom to camp for days without any time constraints. I dreamed of waking up with the sun rising over the water, fishing not just for pleasure but to live an authentic experience, in harmony with that extraordinary place.
I remember that afternoon as if it were yesterday. I had prepared everything carefully, and together with Pablo, I headed to a beach that promised an epic sunset. The air was perfect, and every detail seemed to align to create an unforgettable moment.
I set up the equipment with precision, ready for the first cast, while countless moments of imagining that very instant played through my mind.
The cast… The line whistled through the air, landing exactly behind the wave, in the perfect spot.
No more than twenty seconds passed before the rod and the spinning reel began to vibrate with a force I had never experienced.
I could feel the fish pulling with energy, and after ten minutes of intense struggle, I managed to bring it ashore.
It was a magnificent Yellowtail, about 80 cm long, a majestic fish that looked at me with surprised eyes, fighting to breathe. At one point, it let out a puff, a deep breath, almost like a final act of defiance.
I hadn’t come to Baja California to harm its nature, but to live it, to respect it.
I sat on the sand, opened a beer, and with my heart full of peace, I bid farewell to the Yellowtail as it swam away into the distance.
From that day on, I never fished again.