Art, construction and other projects in a small off-grid beach resort on Baja California's East Cape, Mexico

Details

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  Description

  I am on a mission to grow my small off-grid beach resort into a center for learning and creativity that connects people with art, science and nature. I am located in the quiet, but up and coming village of La Fortuna, on the incredible East Cape of Baja California Sur, Mexico.
  
  I dreamed up this project 18 years ago as a teenager and after spending the last 12 years working at sea as a Captain on luxury sailing yachts i saved enough money to get started on turning this dream into reality in April 2023.
  
  After searching the world for a location that has world class surfing, kiting/windsurfing, spearfishing, diving, whale watching and all around adventure, i found La Fortuna. It has it all in one spot. We are surrounded by tranquility and wild nature yet only thirty minutes drive to the buzzing artistic little town of San Jose del Cabo with a great music and art scene plus all the modern conveniences and shops needed, plus an international airport.
  
  Currently, i lease two pieces of land by the beach on which I have a 40ft converted schoolbus as our flagship unit, plus two tiny homes on wheels and a ranch house next door that sleeps 14 people. I run a beach cafe infront of the bus that i use as a public space and hold live music events every week and outdoor documentary films.
  
  I currently employ one local handy man who has helped with the construction so far and occasionally contract some of the other locals for odd jobs here and there.
  
  The activities I offer now include surfboard rentals, lessons and guiding, SUP and kayak rentals, whale watching tours with a boat and snorkelling rentals. Soon i will be offering scuba diving, horseback riding and ATV rentals.
  
  Once this is established, I intend to start ending educational workshops, courses and retreats in the fields of music production, visual art, documentary production, marine wildlife and research, language learning, cooking, yoga and meditation and more.
  
  Hope to see you out here.

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  Types of help and learning opportunities

  Art Projects

  Help with Eco Projects

  Gardening

  DIY and building projects

  Help around the house

  Hospitality/Tourism

  General Maintenance
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  Cultural exchange and learning opportunities

  Living here allows you a front row ticket to worldclass surf as well as kiting, freediving, spearfishing and whale watching and volunteers have access to the watersports equipment.
  
  La Fortuna is a safe and peaceful beach environment with a strong sense of community, creativity and adventure.
  
  It's a good opportunity to learn about the local mexican culture through the ranchers and the neighbours who we share this village with and are very welcoming and friendly. A great way to learn spanish.
  
  Lots of other amazing adventures nearby, including trips to Cabo Pulmo for incredible scuba diving, heading up to the Sierra Madre mountains to camp out by the rivers and waterfalls or heading to San Jose to catch live music or visit the art galleries.
  
  I am more than happy to share my knowledge and skills regarding watersports, construction, entrepreneurship, filmmaking or music.

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  Help

  Regarding construction i am ideally looking for someone with good carpentry skills, along with welding and general DIY/Handyperson experience.
  
  I have various construction projects i am looking for help with:
  - Finishing off the wooden tiny homes
  - Building more tiny homes
  - Building composting toilets
  - Building a Palapa (shade structure) for a coffee shop
  - Building and upcycling furniture
  - Various welding projects
  
  I also need help with:
  - General maintenance, cleaning and operation of the property.
  - Checking in/out guests and hosting
  
  For artists, i would love to have someone who can:
  - Paint beautiful murals.
  - Create beautiful handmade signs
  - Decorate furniture and other interior design
  - Create other pieces of art that will add to the aesthetic beauty of the place.
  
  For photographers and videographers I need a lot of help with creating digital content for social media combined with effective marketing strategies.
  
  For those with eco-project experience i need help with:
  - Building and establishing a composting system
  - Building recycling containers and establishing a protocol
  - Starting a chicken coop for eggs
  - Starting a food growing system/vegetable garden
  
  Finally:
  
  Additional skills that would be highly welcomed:
  - Yoga teaching
  - Musicians
  - Cooking

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  Languages

  Languages spoken
  English: Fluent
  Spanish: Beginner

  This host offers a language exchange
  Building a business here in Mexico obviously i need to learn the language and my goal is to become fluent. At the moment i can handle basic conversations and interactions but much improvement is needed. So spanish speakers are very welcome and i would be happy to help others learn english.
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  Accommodation

  You will be staying either in a tiny home, the converted schoolbus or the bunk room in the ranch house, whichever is available at the time.
  
  Volunteers are responsible for their own food. I will take you with me on trips to the supermarket so you can stock up, or you can provide me with a shopping list and i'll grab stuff on your behalf. This way everyone has their own supplies to eat and cook from when they wish. On weekends i often do a dinner for everyone.

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  What else ...

  There is no reliable public transportation between the town of San Jose and our location on the East Cape, so getting back and forth is the biggest challenge of living out here. Wherever i can fit it into my schedule i will provide lifts in between. These are the current options that volunteers have been utilizing:
  
  - Hitchhiking. This is the safest region of mexico and there is only one road between our place and town so it's generally very easy to hitchhike back and forth. Often volunteers will co-ordinate with me so that they hitchhike their way into town from La Fortuna and then we will time it so when i'm done running my own errands in town i can meet them to give them a ride back.
  
  - Uber. There is Uber in San Jose and the Cabo area and often drivers will be willing to take a fare all the way out to La Fortuna, however most drivers will be unfamiliar with the fact that the last two kilometres are on dirt road, so it's best to warn them before they accept the ride in order that there are no surprises. However it is difficult to get an Uber out to La Fortuna after dark and not possible at all to get an Uber the other direction (from La Fortuna to San Jose) and als.
  
  - Neighbours. I have several neighbours in the community who are sometimes willing to take my volunteers with them on rides to town for free or for a small fee to cover gas and time.
  
  - Rental car. This is probably out of the budget of most volunteers but of course it's amazing to have your own vehicle here. If you are coming for a month or more you can get some good long term deals from locals. Ask me for more info.
  
  - Professional taxi drivers. This is often a last resort as it's the most pricey and a ride could be from $50-100 but in a bind at least it's there.

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  A little more information

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    Internet access

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    Limited internet access

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    We have pets

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    We are smokers

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    Can host families

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  Can host digital nomads

  We have ultra fast starlink wifi that will allow you to work remotely.

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  Space for parking camper vans

  We have lots of land avaiable for parking. This is a van life hotspot.

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  Can possibly accept pets

  Super pet friendly spot. My dog Papaya has the best life running free around the beach. No leash ever.

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  How many Workawayers can stay?

  More than two

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  Hours expected

  5 hours a day, 5 days a week

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