My wife and I went for a short exploration trip in our Toyota Tacoma, the vehicle that I finally managed to buy after the worst car I have ever owned, a Ford Explorer (or “The Ford Exploder,” as we used to call it.) To keep life simple, we didn’t come up with a particular plan. We just drove and let the road lead us to our destination.
We headed north of La Paz, all the way to Las Pocitas at Km 112. The truck managed well. We followed a riverbed eastward for a good while until the sun started to go down. Then we looked for a place to camp.
We found three old graves in the place where we stopped. The crosses were bent over and there were some old candles left behind. Wondering who they were, we paid our respects. We will all get there at some point.
Anyway, we put up our camp, made our dinner on our gas stove and went to bed. What an uncomplicated life!
I sleep best outside, but I wake up early. When I got up, I set up the stove to cook coffee and then sat to watch the morning light slowly come up in the east. It’s the best time of the day for me.
As the last vestiges of night disappear, I saw a man in broken jeans and t-shirt in the distance. I had a feeling we were in his territory, so I ventured a wave. He came over with two dogs that were a bit shy.
I asked for permission to pass through his land and offered coffee. He declined the offer of a beverage, but he invited us to stop by his house later. After introducing himself, he explained that the graves were of his ancestors from a long time ago.
So off we went, exploring the riverbeds and nature. A few hours later we decided it was time for a break. We took the opportunity to walk over to our host’s house.
My wife and I figured he must be in his early forties. It turned out he was 65 years old!
He was living out there by himself, with 40 goats, 2 dogs and 2 cats. His family lived somewhere far away, but he had no wife or children of his own.
The man had no cellphone, no retirement package, nothing more than a house made of stone and a small radio to play some music on. A small income came in when he got to sell a goat. But he held the title to a 350-hectare property!
The man didn’t smoke or drink, and he was fit as hell! He was very friendly and seemed very pleased with our visit. We said we would come back. And we will.
He was a rich man who chose to live a simple life. I wish there were more people like Jesus Pablo in this world.
