Lost in Translation

2/05

O.K. After long absence, we're back on the scene; San Cosme, El Rancho Carrizalito, me takin' lots of time to gather info., scope things out.

On the way down the Agua Verde road...we took time to visit the family Quijano, Raul's casa, specifically. Right away I concentrate on gettin' the scoop, their perspective. From the casa we see a truck go by that looked to be hauling multiple workers and construction materials. "They're still going foreword with that dumb marina thing?" I rhetorically questioned.

"Si," Raul intoned with a grimes. He went on to complain that against the "AMPARA" (an action to stop all activity of all sorts within their ranch Palo Blanco's disputed boundaries) that the family had leveled against the ejido and all others concerned, those investors were still building some casas on disputed ground. He continued on to explain that their lawyer had just filed a "DAMANDA," or law suite, against the ejido and those investors, in mid January, just a couple of weeks back.

"And they're still ignoring you?" I questioned, incredulously.

"Si!"

"Well...why? How can they?"

He tells me of rich and powerful people who are behind the investors. One was a federal senator who was running for governor on the PRI ticket there in S. Baja; an election that was to be decided in just days. Raul was obviously concerned about the outcome. As things stood the government seemed to be bending over backwards not to look at what was going on at San Cosme. These investors, they were buying their way through the system, that was his firm opinion.

He was upset that "PROCEEDE," the governmental agency that was charged with getting the ejido mapped out correctly, had been working in the area at the investors behest.

Ejido San Jose De LaNoria is the last ejido in the state of S. Baja that has not gotten its "PROCEEDE" yet. Without this important document no disputed property can be definitively titled. "All" property fights within the ejido confines must be settled before, legally, they can get their Proceede.

Chayo had told me by phone that Proceede had been working in the area, measuring out those yet phony parcels. But they didn't enter disputed zones such as Palo Blanco and El Carrizalito. He told me that the word was out that for all the parcels in non-disputed areas, Proceede was supposedly going to issue titles in March.

I told him that I doubted that, and if that did happen that would leave the process open to law suits, Proceede having broken the law.

We'll see....

So it came as no great shock to us when we first could see way down hill and on to Playa San Cosme, where, there out in very plain sight on the alligators head in repose, which is Punta San Cosme, there sets this gross blemish upon the incredible beauty of the entire coastal area.

"Damn...," Marcia uttered. "Can you believe their degree of unconsciousness?" And, seein' bein' believing', essentially, I had ta believe it, 'cause that was what was obvious. Way down there, three ego-driven erections were certainly rising.

Our arrival at San Cosme goes down pretty much as usual. They all just seem elated that we've made it. There's not the slightest hint that there's anything amiss with our long relationships. Such good masks the Remero family here wears.

Our buddy Ken, he's in the restaurante kitchen, playin' things low-keyed while we're getttin' in our long-time-no-see rhetoric. He tells me briefly that there's no big-deal problems at the moment. He indicates that he's got lots ta say to me later.

We make the move from our beat up road trailer to our stationary, less beat up one over on the rancho, El Carrizalito. Soon as we're settled into our first rancho martini time, Ken, who's camped with Sarah in a newly thatched palapa of Playa Carrizalito, makes his way over, him seemingly loaded to brim with hot info.

He can't wait to tell us of confrontation that had gone down between he and Sarah and the guy who seems the main mover with this marina jazz, the same young fella that I'd had the briefest of conversations with the past season. He's referred to around here as Roberto or Robi.

Chayo, who was in the process of being harangued by Robi because of his involvement with me, had told this Roberto that Ken was associated with me, him pointing Ken out. In an aggressive fashion he wants conversation with Ken there at the restaurante, which Ken agrees to partake in there in Guadalupe's kitchen, family members invited into attendance, and this done mostly in Spanish.

This Robi character has gone to the trouble of translating my web stories into Spanish. He's banishing a stack of these, some of which seem to have some form of official stamp or seal. This kid is angrily pointing to parts, him exclaiming that I said this thing or that thing that was very against Alejo's family and San Cosme in general. Ken can tell that he'd already worked over the assembled crowd with highly incriminating anti-David info. This investor, he's red hot, and towards these country Mexicans, highly intimidating.

David said this and David said that, the whole presentation aimed at me the bad gringo that's molesting Robi's benevolent, altruistic plans for San Cosme.

Ken and Sarah found his antics almost comical; were surprised at how browbeaten his main audience seemed; both of them assessing him as an arrogant liar.

They also were highly upset that nobody from the family was standing up for me, their proven friend for nearly 20 years, in any form or fashion. Robi, with his translations, had 'em convinced that I was doing bad. The family's behavior upset them to the point that they felt like cutting their vacation short and just picking up and pulling out of the area. For them to admit that they were that ticked off at these people, people they truly seem to adore, well...that really shocked us.

At one point Ken asked him why he didn't unload on me, the author of every thing that had so inflamed him. Ken rightly identified himself as just a support person. Robi said he intended to do just that, just as soon as I got here.

Robi's barrage of accusations had sent them back to their camp to re-read my stories, all of which they had copies of. They went back to San Cosme and tried to assure family members there that I'd never said any of the things I'd been accused of, but they found that Robi's antics had had significant effect, at the very least creating confusion.

I let a couple of days pass before I walked over to San Cosme one early morning, my intent being to clear myself of any wrongdoing. I told Guadalupe and Alejo of my desires to do just this, so with Chayo and Alejo's oldest son Julio we settle in under restaurante's thatch.

I started out by assuring them that I had been writing about San Cosme and them for many, many years by then, which they were fully aware of. I'd never kept it secret. And in all that time I'd never written one bad thing about them, or San Cosme. And that what I'd written had always been the truth, from my perspective.

Alejo, more defensive and visibly upset wants to know then why I'd said that they'd said the money for the project was most likely drug money.

"First, amigo, I never said that you or anyone in your family said that." Which I hadn't. I explained that I'd been writing as a local reporter, asking questions all around, in Loreto, up in the mountains, along the beach with the scattering of gringos, all over the place; and what was then the consensus of the vast majority whom I'd talked to was the drug money bit.

"Do you remember what the general opinion of all around here was back then?" I rhetorically asked.

Those there in front of me shook their heads that that was true, but Alejo blurted out that I didn't have to write that.

I went on to tell them that after having reported on this general attitude I'd stated that I doubted it was true, which anyone reading this junk can check out real fast.

Alejo wants to know about my saying that there was drug activity there at San Cosme. And he blurts out this stuff about my claim that Martin's casa was being used as a stash house (these were some of the things I gone through numerous "Say whats!" during conversations with Ken and Sarah about).

I felt like laughing, but I didn't. "That's just simply a bunch of lies, amigo." I never said anything even close to that, I'd never put down one word about Martin's casa.

The only thing I mentioned about drug involvement was in regards to the deposed ejido chief, Jorge Gutierrez, me uncovering ample information when I'd started questioning friends in Constitution. This was not highly secret stuff, more like stuff you could pick up on just about any busy corner.

Ken, Sarah and Chayo had found it highly amusing that Robi had claimed no friendship with the mostly discredited Jorge. All were well aware of their almost inseparable relationship that had gone on for well over a year.

Ken had already volunteered to get the supposed offending stories translated correctly. I mentioned that some time in the future, maybe we'd be able to sit down and compare my writing against accusations.

Maybe we would, Alejo intoned. But how would they know whose translation was telling it straight, when they couldn't understand the

English version?

"Well...." I came back, I'm giving all of you my word, as your long time friend. What's my word been worth in the past?" I questioned.

With all but Chayo, I still saw doubts. Chayo's more er less got Robi's number. Chayo is the only, he and Maria, entity of the family that Robi hasn't, essentially, tried to buy. Martin, Justo and Megal all are employed at the project site. Julio is fascinated with the toys that these investors play around here with. All except Chayo and Maria have been showered by a multiplicity of gratuities.

So I'm thinkin' this character has distributed these translations to the family there, that they'd all had the chance to pour over 'em. And I start thinkin' that maybe it would be a good move ta get my hands on some of this stuff, get copies run off, etc. And, as other occupied as I was, I didn't ratchet that action very high up on my list of priorities; this always slipping from my mind when contact was made with Chayo er the family members, my attentions being directed to seeming more immediate things.

Marcia, near all the time though, she keeps prodding me, "Did you ask Chayo about copies?"

"Shit! I meant to. But the way things unfolded, damn, you know how it goes...."

And, yeah. She does. But she still keeps after me...till, one day in Guadalupe's kitchen I ask her if there was a chance that I could get ta see these accusing pages. Well...she didn't have 'em. She thought for a bit and then tells me that Chayo was last person she'd seen with hands on said documents.

Gosh. I thought that strange. Strange that Chayo hadn't already offered such choice morsels to us by then. Surely he'd have thought to get copies.

Shortly there after, Chayo with Maria and both daughters pulls up to our yard gate and while I'm makin' towards 'em Marcia reminds me to ask. Telling him that his mother-in-law had told me he'd been last one with papers, I asked if indeed he had such?

"No!" he answers. Robi had never given the papers to anyone. It wasn't like that. He just stood there with this big stack, like he'd done in front of Ken and Sarah, pointing angrily to the bad things he claimed I'd said. Maria confirmed him. No. Nobody ever was given copies, or even much of a chance to read anything. That's what had convinced them that Robi was makin' this stuff up. Purely lies, both of 'em uttered, all lies.

And, just as a side note, we've been here for like seven weeks now, Robi knowing we're here, but he's yet to attempt a face-to-face confrontation.

Email: david@dondavidonbaja.com