JOURNEYS is a continuing series on the Pilgrim Pouch Peregrinations blog and features interviews with Camino walkers, writers, artists, travelers, & other creative seekers met in my wanderings. Guests are asked 5 questions that reflect adventures & discoveries on their unique life journeys.
Today’s guest is Camino walker, traveler, & musician Jose Smith from Ramona, California. A retired educator, Jose taught science & horticulture classes at Ramona’s high school and middle school and also trained science teachers at the University of California San Diego. Additionally, Jose was granted a sabbatical from Ramona Unified School District in Malaga, Spain where he lived for a year with his family. A few years after his return he was selected as a finalist for “California Teacher of the Year” awarded by the California Dept. of Education.
Jose grew up in the Lemon Grove neighborhood of San Diego with 3 older sisters & extended family nearby. He & his wife Sandy, also a retired educator, discovered while they were in high school together that as kids they had been second grade classmates. World travelers, they’ve explored Central & Latin America, Europe, Asia, Africa, and in 2012 Jose walked Camino Frances with his friend Jon McKee. Jose’s musical talents include playing the accordion, guitar, & the Paraguayan harp, on which he performs weekly at Rady Children’s Hospital San Diego.
Jose & Sandy designed & built their Spanish style home, complete with a swimming pool & fountain courtyard. Their vegetable garden and pomegranate, lemon, & tangerine trees keep them supplied for vegan dishes. Daughter Micaela, son Carlos & wife Veronica, and grandsons Joe & Emanuel live in the area & visit often. The boys help plant vegetables, prune fruit trees & grapevines, and have fun in the playhouse by the creek. Jose’s mother Judy, who last year celebrated her 100th birthday, resides close by.
I became friends with Jose while he was preparing for the Camino. Dad, a fellow teacher of his, & I shared gear tips with Jose & Jon and then followed their walk via emails. In the following years, we have appreciated Jose & Sandy’s gracious friendship and enjoyed joining them for homemade lemonade in their lovely courtyard.
Above: Jose at Rady Children’s Hospital
Right: Jose & Sandy at Uxmal in the Yucatan
Jose, your family roots are in Mexico, and you & Sandy have traveled extensively throughout the country. What are a few of the ‘hidden gems’ & historical sites you recommend exploring?
We found the colonial city of Merida on the Yucatan peninsula a wonderful place to explore. Only Mexico City and Havana have a larger number of historic colonial buildings. Casa que fue de los Montejos built in the 1500s is a stand out at Merida’s Grand Plaza. We also took a day trip from Merida to Uxmal, an amazing Mayan city. Wikipedia writes, “It is considered one of the most important archaeological sites of Maya culture” and demonstrated by the facade of the Governors Palace which is decorated with almost 400 Venus glyphs.
There are estuaries near neighboring Sisal and Celestun where flamingos can be observed in the wild. In Sisal we observed dozens of flamingos as our local guide quietly and manually maneuvered our three-person boat.
Our breath-taking visit to the monarch butterfly sanctuaries in Michoacan was the highlight of our last trip through Mexico. Multitudes of monarchs drape the pine trees in forests protected by local communities. This incredibly beautiful miracle of monarch migration inspired us to do more to protect wildlife.
Above: Monarch butterflies at the sanctuary in Michoacan
On your Camino you & Jon incorporated music into the journey. How did you share your gift of music, & what were other highlights of the walk?
We decided to learn to sing Mexican boleros, mid 20th century love songs, as we hiked across Spain not anticipating the positive response by other pilgrims who would join us in song or sing favorites from their culture and in their language. We had just memorized “Besame Mucho” (Kiss me a lot) when an Italian young lady asked me to serenade her with that song. Later I learned it is considered by some to be the most romantic bolero. The lyrics ask the listener to pretend this night is our last night together. One steamy line reads, “I want you so close to me that I can see myself in your eyes.” One young couple told us at the completion of the Camino that they tried to stay within earshot of us when we sang! This feedback validated my vocal efforts so upon my return to San Diego County I began to sing during my gigs and also joined a community choir to learn more about the voice as an instrument.
I fondly recollect crossing the Meseta, or plains of the Camino, which is known for high summer temperatures and empty landscapes. Fortunately, just after Burgos, we connected with four ladies from Alicante, Spain, who loved to sing, tell jokes, and share life stories. They walked a week’s worth of the Camino each summer vacation, and we traveled with them for their entire week of vacation. We laughed and sang our way across the Meseta enjoying the portion of the Camino that many avoid. It’s been nearly a decade since we shared this week of walking, and we are still in close contact.
Peregrinos Jose & Jon pose in Sahagun, a town on the Meseta & the halfway point of Camino Frances.
During your teacher exchange in Spain you & your family had the opportunity to become ‘locals’ & also travel to 11 countries in Europe. How did living abroad shape your international perspective, and what lessons did your family learn from this adventure?
That year abroad proved to renew my enthusiasm for teaching and travel. Upon return I was asked to be part of the statewide science framework committee because of my involvement with curriculum design with science educators in Spain. My enthusiasm for teaching that was rekindled in Spain propelled me to become one of four finalists for state teacher of the year in California. I was soon recruited to a full time position teaching education courses at the University of California San Diego for ten years.
Traveling before retirement benefited my career and left me a more open-minded person. I became more open to people from other places, to travel opportunities in other continents, and to developing a global perspective even when immersed in my local activities.
Our kids learned to love traveling. My daughter spent a year of high school in Mazatlan, Sinaloa, Mexico and a year of college in Sevilla, Spain. In graduate school she spent six months in Salvador, Brazil, and 18 months in South Africa writing her dissertation. My son spent the summer after high school in Japan and afterwards thought studying at the University of Chicago would be easier since everyone would be speaking English!
Right: Jose, Carlos, & Micaela check out guitars in Granada, Spain, 1985.
In recent years, you & Sandy have taken trips to India, Bhutan, & Cuba. What are a few of the memorable moments & experiences from these travels?
Hiking up to Tigers Nest in Bhutan was as difficult as it was exhilarating. We met traditionally dressed pilgrims from eastern Bhutan. I appreciated hearing our local guides sing as we trudged our way back down.
One of my best memories of India would be having tea in Darjeeling within impressive views of the snow-covered Himalayas after meeting friendly and very outgoing Napalese tea leaf harvesters.
Merida’s proximity to Cuba facilitated our visit to Havana in February of 2020. My goal of meeting and supporting Cuban musicians required that we travel on our own and not as part of a tour group. I took guitar strings and saxophone reeds to share as these are difficult to acquire in Cuba due to the embargo.
Jose & Sandy pose by the Tiger’s Nest in Bhutan. It was a two mile hike on a rocky path to reach this cliffside Buddhist monastery that rises above the Paro Valley.
After spending this past year+ ‘at home,’ you & Sandy began venturing out as pandemic restrictions lifted. Where have you recently been to in California, & what are future plans once international travel fully resumes?
We’ve been to Cambria during the molting season of the elephant seals. Large numbers of seal cows and pups cover the beaches protected for them. They’re so close you can photograph their facial expressions. Hikes through the woods and shoreline provided picturesque views of the Pacific and the coastal mountains.
We recently took our grandsons on a rafting trip on the South Fork of the American River near Placerville. COVID and health issues delayed this trip for two years and wildfires in Northern California along with the Delta variant nearly delayed it again.
Someday I hope to return to Cuba in order to reconnect with and in some way support musicians in Havana. Visiting Santiago de Cuba would fulfill a travel goal we’ve had for years.
Jose’s photo captures the facial expressions of seals in Cambria.
Hear Jose play the Paraguayan harp, & check out his musical contribution to the “Healing Arts Program” at Rady Children’s Hospital.