Today was a bit rough.

There was a mariachi band playing next door from about 11:00 last night to 4:00 this morning. It was loud, crazy, and annoying. From 4 – 5 am the musicians said goodby, honked their horns, hooted, yelled, and finally…..there was quiet and I was wide awake!

At about 7:30am I thought I would go for a run. It was a coolish, mild morning. I ran up over the hill behind the hostel, to the beach, down the beach to a road, and then did a big loop over the hill back toward town.

Along the way, I found a trail and followed it. The trail led to some human-laid, rock stairs. I went down the stairs and four dogs, with collars, came at me. I thought they would bark and then move on, but no, rather they went after me, circling me, ultimately attacking and biting me in four places.

I yelled for some help, and a couple of women walked toward me up, what I now realize is a private driveway, to help. They summoned the dogs’ owner, and she arrived to call off her dogs.

I was a bit of a wreck. Once the dogs were secured, the owner had me sit down and called on her Wilderness First Responder (WFR) to clean out my wounds.

Turns out, the dog’s owner, Bryan, runs Todos Santos Eco Adventures and the guide was next door with a tour group. He was very helpful, and while he cleaned my wounds, I calmed down. Bryan told me I must go to the Hospital (which is a one-room building in downtown Todos Santos).

Next, I asked if she would agree to pay for my medical treatment. She immediately called the hospital and made all necessary arrangements. I was grateful I didn’t have to push her to agree. She also told me that she could provide proof that all four dogs have had ALL of their shots. Whew!

Her WFR employee (sadly, I cannot remember his name) insisted he drive me to town, and deliver me to the emergency room. A doctor and a nurse immediately greeted us, showed me to a room, had me lie down on a cot, and began their work.

The Dr told me I needed to have three stitches in my right shin dog bite, the others just needed a good cleaning. He probably treats dog bites all of the time. There are many unattended dogs running around in Baja.

Before I left the hospital, I was armed with antibiotics, ointments, and ibuprofen. No swimming for some days. The Todos Santos Hostel has armed me with a device to fight off a future attack.

It’s so easy to feel bad, feel afraid, think that this place sucks, hear the message “retreat”. Instead, I just choose to think it’s simply another experience and not that big of a deal.

• So, I got no sleep last night.
• So, I have a few new scars on my body and my brain.

When the worst thing that can ever happen to you in life happens, nothing else is a big deal, ever.