Join us on our yearly bus trip pilgrimage to Caborca, Senora, Mexico as we visit the “ejidos” outside Caborca (villages) to administer the “two drops of life”. If you have talked with anyone who has participated in this event in the past, you'll know that it is a great opportunity to take part in one of the primer projects that Rotary International has undertaken, as well as a chance to get to know Rotarians from other states and districts on both sides of the border, and have LOTS OF FUN!  

 

Basic Guidelines

For lots of additional details please contact Noel DeSousa >noel.j.desousa@gmail.com<

 

READ "MORE" FOR ADDITIONAL DETAILS

 

If you have talked with anyone who has participated in this event in the past, you'll know that it is a great opportunity to take part in one of the primer projects that Rotary International has undertaken, as well as a chance to get to know Rotarians from other districts on both sides of the border, and have LOTS OF FUN!  

 

The following description provides an overview of the trip schedule. The three (3) main purposes of our trip are as follows (also see Trip Guidelines): 

 

Friday: As in past years, our D-5495 contingent will meet at the Buckeye, AZ Elks Club building (where fenced-in parking is provided) on Friday about noon and have lunch ($5.00) with the California Rotarians as soon as they arrive in our shared coach bus.  As in past years we also expect to be joined by a couple Rotarians each from District 6840 (Louisiana), and 6880 (Alabama). After lunch, we'll all board the bus and head down to Caborca picking up a few more Rotarians in Ajo, AZ from D-5500 along the way.  The total trip from Buckeye to Caborca takes about 5-6 hours, depending on how long it takes to get across the border at Lukeville.  We must also stop at a security checkpoint about 15 miles south of the border, where you will be required to unload all your luggage for x-ray inspection (similar to airport security). 

 

Upon our arrival in Caborca we will all register for our 2-night stay at the El Camino Motel costing about $45-U.S. per night/per room – single or double occupancy) and then immediately be transported to the Caborca Rotary clubhouse to meet and greet their members and be provided a delicious dinner.  The bus then takes us back to the El Camino for our overnight stay.

 

Saturday: After a good night’s rest and included buffet breakfast at the motel early Saturday morning (7:00 am), we travel to the Caborca Medical Clinic for some welcoming formalities, divide into our assigned small groups and then are transported to the villages (ejidos) outside of Caborca where the actual Polio Immunizationswill take place. 

 

Walking up and down the dirt streets of the ejidos, locating and going into homes of the children needing their immunizations and interacting with the people – the families - is one of the most interesting aspects of this trip. It is both rewarding and eye-opening. The ejidos of greater Caborca that are serviced by the Caborca Health Department are spread out along the highway between the city and the Sea of Cortez – a distance of about 60 miles.  You will spend several hours with your small group at your assigned ejido. Each group consists of a Caborca Rotary translator, a public health nurse and 3 or 4 Rotarians. There are 2 to 4 groups assigned to each ejido. 

 

Being picked up by our bus, all groups are transported to the fishing village of El Desemboque on the shores of the Sea of Cortez, where a mid-afternoon lunch and other refreshment is provided on the outside veranda at a local cantina overlooking the water.

 

Late Saturday afternoon after the hour-long bus ride back to Caborca, we have the option of meeting with members of the Caborca Rotary Club and are provided an introduction and invitation for your Rotary club to partner in their latest Global Grant initiative.  

 

Saturday evening we'll have another scrumptious dinner at the Caborca Rotary clubhouse. At the conclusion of dinner, the Caborca Rotarians will introduce us to some of the children who have benefitted from our past contributions to the Caborca Children’s Medical Fund– another chance to feel proud to be a Rotarian, after which our donations (individual and club) will be gratefully accepted. 

 

Sunday:  We'll leave for our trip back to Buckeye, AZ, just after breakfast on Sunday morning (about 8:00 am) and after (a) group picture(s) and goodbyes from a few members of the “Club Rotario de Caborca” who have come to see us off.  On the way home we stop for about 30 minutes in Sonoyta, SN, for a rest stop and to do a little shopping. Just a few minutes later we arrive at the border, where it takes about 45 minutes to proceed through customs and have our bus inspected.  The next brief stop in Ajo, AZ, allows us to drop off the several Rotarians from D-5500. We usually arrive in Buckeye between 1 & 2 PM., where before heading our separate ways, again lunch with the CA Rotarians is an option.