Meeting the Local Residents

On a recent trip to the Baja Peninsula of Mexico I found myself with a free hour before I had to head to the airport. Some friends I was traveling with decided to go to a reptile exhibit and see some of the native snakes and lizards. Snakes are not my thing. I said I'd wander the streets for a while and meet up with them to get the car to the airport. It's when I realized how dependent I am on my smart phone for directions in the city. I couldn't find a map, and I became so paranoid that I would get lost beyond help that I began taking pictures of every street name I passed with the logic that I could use those to backtrack once I lost myself. It ended up not really mattering. I just walked about four blocks away and found a gas station with a table in the back where a bunch of locals were hanging out drinking beers. I don't speak Spanish, and I'm still not sure they wanted me there, but I bought a beer and sat next to them for 45 minutes. It's nice to go local when you can.