USA/Mexico - Crossing the border into Mexico
Door: Marielle
Blijf op de hoogte en volg Marielle
05 December 2018 | Mexico, Loreto
This blog is the first from Mexico where the sun is shining. I am in another world compared to the USA. The atmosphere is extremely relaxt, the colors are bright and almost always a smile is returned.
But first back to where I left of the previous time. Los Angeles! A very big city. I stay in a big and impersonal hostel in Santa Monica (it reflects a bit the vibe of the city). The beach is close which is nice for making a morning run. Venice Beach is in walking distance. I expected a beach but in addition it is a market where homeless sell personal art or something else. A bit weird. The Walk-of-Fame and the Hollywood sign are the last things I visit in LA, it takes me one hour with the metro to reach downtown. Little Japan is a nice area where I have sushi for lunch and enjoy to be back in Japan for a short while. Before I leave LA I decide to send back all the stuff that I do not need anymore or do not use. It takes 2 kg from my backpack! It also cost me quite some money to return it to my mother who just told me it arrived. The Frysian postman said "It's from America" with a surprised voice. Probably also because the package was opened for inspection by the Dutch customs and looked a bit suspicious :-)
I must have had a special energy when travelling from Los Angeles to San Diego by train. It starts when ordering a coffee at Starbucks at the station in Los Angeles, the gentleman behind me in line insists on paying my coffee after only a short introduction. When waiting for the train on the platform I am a bit in doubt whether I am on the right platform (there are no signs). I ask a man who is passing by, he does not know either but he is so kind to return after 15 minutes to direct me to the correct platform. Here I meet Gregg, a diamond trader who buys me a beer in the train after showing me all the diamonds he is carrying... (1 ring = 16.000 USD). He leaves this plastic bag with diamonds on the seat when he is getting the beers. The elderly couple from Santa Barbara sitting accross from us does not show any surpise (or they know how to hide it well). They will visit the Netherlands in a few months so I assemble a complete itinary for them. In San Diego I take the public bus to Ocean Beach and again the bus driver is extremely kind. If there would not have been a farmers market in the street of the hostel, I would not have been surprised if he would have dropped me of at front door.
In the dorm I meet Marion from Austria and Julia from the USA, we directly have a good connection and visit the farmers market for some nice food and buy some beers at the supermarket. At the porch of the hostel (where Alessandro also joins us) we have a fun time with lots of laughs about Tinder. Especially when the date of Marion actually shows up! The next day I explore Ocean Beach. I love the pier where lots of people are fishing surrounded by pelicans and at the little restaurant I have a delicious lobster taco. It is Thanksgiving in the USA, my second Thanksgiving since I already celebrated on Vancouver Island. Apparently the USA celebrates one month later... I am not complaining though since the hostel in Ocean Beach provides delicious food and beers for only 10 USD! And it turns out to be a night full of laughs again :-) I rent a bike and cycle from Ocean Beach to Pacific Beach, I cross a lot of water and recreational areas which is really nice in such a big city. The last few days I spend mainly with Marion and Lisa (Dutch and doing her thesis in San Diego), we do yoga, spend some time on the beach and have a karaoke night in the midst of (what seem to be) professional singers.
After so many fun days in San Diego it is time to cross the border to Mexico. Tijuana has been in the news daily due to the arrival of people from Honduras, El Salvador and Guatamala whom are fleeing their countries to find a more safe place to raise their families. In reaction president Trump has send the army to the border and even shot teargass towards these families... The border was closed for one day... Despite all this, the hostel in Ocean Beach still organised day trips to Tijuana, which seemed very weird to me. Not knowing the exact situation at the border and to be sure not to end up in a riot in Tijuana, I have paid a bit more for a bus that takes me past the border to Ensenada. When crossing I only see high fences and some small groups of people, nothing disturbing. However, I'm very glad to pass the border smoothly. When arriving in Ensanada I expect the hostel to be in walking distance. And since I do not haul taxis in the street to safeguard my safety, I start walking with my backpack using the offline GPS of Google maps. After 10 minutes it does not seem I have made any progress on the map... At that moment two young people in a car ask me if they can help me. Abril and Joaquin are biologists and both have very honest faces, so when they offer to give me a ride I am happy to accept. And the hostel is far away... They ask me if I would like to join them for wine tasting in the afternoon. One hour later they pick me up and together with the sister of Joaquin and another friend we drive North to the wineries. It is a warm welcome to Mexico! Thank you for the very nice afternoon!
Hostal Todos Santos in Ensenada is a real home. The common area is shared with the family and for only 12 USD I have the dorm with private bathroom to myself. The centre of Ensenada is crowded with cruiseship-tourists and the main street cannot really interest me. Though the small museum with a very enthousiastic elderly host and the Riviera del Pacifico (former hotel and casino where Al Capone apparently regurlarly visited) are interesting. In my German Lonely Planet of Mexico (I could not find a bookshop with an English version and this was on the free bookshelf in the hostel in San Diego) I try to determin my next stop which I can reach in daylight. Distances are huge on the Baja peninsula... I take an Uber taxi to the busstation (2 USD) the next day and the helpful English speaking lady decides on my behalf, El Rosario. After 5,5 hours I reach El Rosario after being deafened by the loud sound of the movies being played (I now always wear earplugs in the bus...). The bus station in El Rosario is also a motel which is very convenient since my bus to San Ignacio leaves at 5:30 am the next day. El Rosario is very small and sightseeing does not take very long. After buying some food and water I eat a burrito at a local restaurant as their only guest.
Instead of 5:30 am the bus leaves at 7:00 am in the end. The busdriver is extremely nice and makes sure I also get coffee and a taco for breakfast. After long stretches of dessert with cacti I reach San Ignacio which is situated in the middle of an oasis. The village is "only" 3 km from the bus station, so after a nice workout I reach Hotel Posada. A simple room in bright colours with private bathroom costs 400 pesos (around 18,= euros). The neighbour Eduardo performs a laundy service and I bring him a huge pack of dirty clothes. The centre of San Ignacio is the Jesuit Mission Church from the 18th century and the village is surrounded by date palms. Unfortunately the wales arrive only after Christmas in the San Ignacio Lagoon... I'm too early. I like the very relaxt atmosphere and stay two nights enjoying the quietness. To return to the busstation I ask the hotel owner to arrange for a taxi. A very old car arrives on time and a very kind and nice gentleman gets out. All my conversations in Spanish are a challenge but since we are driving only 20 km/hr we have plenty of time to try to understand eachother properly. We have lots of fun all the way to the busstation and there he tells me he is 87! He lets me promiss to come back to San Ignacio ;-)
On the way to Loreto the Highway 1 switches from the Pacific Ocean to the Bay of California. Beautiful views of a bright blue sea while driving through a dessert with cacti. I even see some playing dolphins! When arriving at Hotel Posada San Martin in Loreto it is full due to a fiesta in San Javier. For a moment I think I'm in trouble, however the kind owner makes a call to the nearby hotel El Moro and arranges a room for me. The owner, a 72-year-old lady is also very kind and concerned with my wellbeing. The next day I do return to the first hotel because it is really beautiful and for his kindness to help me out. Loreto is mainly occupied by tourists of a cruiseship when I arrive. When the ship leaves, there is almost no tourist left. I think I have only seen two other backpackers since I entered Mexico, I do not know why there are so little here. Maybe this will change again in the South of Baja California Sur where I am heading tomorrow. Though, also without fellow backpackers, I do enjoy Mexico a lot! The kindness of the Mexican people, the hospitality, the colourful streets, the nice and cheap food and the sun. The only hastle is to find working cash machines, speaking Spanish (I am learning quickly ;-)) and making reservations at ho(s)tels (they do not have (very good) websites to make upfront bookings or find directions. I do not like to make reservations at booking.com for the commission is a waste of money). All is a bit back in time in Mexico and everything goes with a slower pace, but that is also the charm :-)
So that is it for now, thank you for reading and for all the Dutch I hope you have a nice Sinterklaas evening!
Hasta luego!!!
But first back to where I left of the previous time. Los Angeles! A very big city. I stay in a big and impersonal hostel in Santa Monica (it reflects a bit the vibe of the city). The beach is close which is nice for making a morning run. Venice Beach is in walking distance. I expected a beach but in addition it is a market where homeless sell personal art or something else. A bit weird. The Walk-of-Fame and the Hollywood sign are the last things I visit in LA, it takes me one hour with the metro to reach downtown. Little Japan is a nice area where I have sushi for lunch and enjoy to be back in Japan for a short while. Before I leave LA I decide to send back all the stuff that I do not need anymore or do not use. It takes 2 kg from my backpack! It also cost me quite some money to return it to my mother who just told me it arrived. The Frysian postman said "It's from America" with a surprised voice. Probably also because the package was opened for inspection by the Dutch customs and looked a bit suspicious :-)
I must have had a special energy when travelling from Los Angeles to San Diego by train. It starts when ordering a coffee at Starbucks at the station in Los Angeles, the gentleman behind me in line insists on paying my coffee after only a short introduction. When waiting for the train on the platform I am a bit in doubt whether I am on the right platform (there are no signs). I ask a man who is passing by, he does not know either but he is so kind to return after 15 minutes to direct me to the correct platform. Here I meet Gregg, a diamond trader who buys me a beer in the train after showing me all the diamonds he is carrying... (1 ring = 16.000 USD). He leaves this plastic bag with diamonds on the seat when he is getting the beers. The elderly couple from Santa Barbara sitting accross from us does not show any surpise (or they know how to hide it well). They will visit the Netherlands in a few months so I assemble a complete itinary for them. In San Diego I take the public bus to Ocean Beach and again the bus driver is extremely kind. If there would not have been a farmers market in the street of the hostel, I would not have been surprised if he would have dropped me of at front door.
In the dorm I meet Marion from Austria and Julia from the USA, we directly have a good connection and visit the farmers market for some nice food and buy some beers at the supermarket. At the porch of the hostel (where Alessandro also joins us) we have a fun time with lots of laughs about Tinder. Especially when the date of Marion actually shows up! The next day I explore Ocean Beach. I love the pier where lots of people are fishing surrounded by pelicans and at the little restaurant I have a delicious lobster taco. It is Thanksgiving in the USA, my second Thanksgiving since I already celebrated on Vancouver Island. Apparently the USA celebrates one month later... I am not complaining though since the hostel in Ocean Beach provides delicious food and beers for only 10 USD! And it turns out to be a night full of laughs again :-) I rent a bike and cycle from Ocean Beach to Pacific Beach, I cross a lot of water and recreational areas which is really nice in such a big city. The last few days I spend mainly with Marion and Lisa (Dutch and doing her thesis in San Diego), we do yoga, spend some time on the beach and have a karaoke night in the midst of (what seem to be) professional singers.
After so many fun days in San Diego it is time to cross the border to Mexico. Tijuana has been in the news daily due to the arrival of people from Honduras, El Salvador and Guatamala whom are fleeing their countries to find a more safe place to raise their families. In reaction president Trump has send the army to the border and even shot teargass towards these families... The border was closed for one day... Despite all this, the hostel in Ocean Beach still organised day trips to Tijuana, which seemed very weird to me. Not knowing the exact situation at the border and to be sure not to end up in a riot in Tijuana, I have paid a bit more for a bus that takes me past the border to Ensenada. When crossing I only see high fences and some small groups of people, nothing disturbing. However, I'm very glad to pass the border smoothly. When arriving in Ensanada I expect the hostel to be in walking distance. And since I do not haul taxis in the street to safeguard my safety, I start walking with my backpack using the offline GPS of Google maps. After 10 minutes it does not seem I have made any progress on the map... At that moment two young people in a car ask me if they can help me. Abril and Joaquin are biologists and both have very honest faces, so when they offer to give me a ride I am happy to accept. And the hostel is far away... They ask me if I would like to join them for wine tasting in the afternoon. One hour later they pick me up and together with the sister of Joaquin and another friend we drive North to the wineries. It is a warm welcome to Mexico! Thank you for the very nice afternoon!
Hostal Todos Santos in Ensenada is a real home. The common area is shared with the family and for only 12 USD I have the dorm with private bathroom to myself. The centre of Ensenada is crowded with cruiseship-tourists and the main street cannot really interest me. Though the small museum with a very enthousiastic elderly host and the Riviera del Pacifico (former hotel and casino where Al Capone apparently regurlarly visited) are interesting. In my German Lonely Planet of Mexico (I could not find a bookshop with an English version and this was on the free bookshelf in the hostel in San Diego) I try to determin my next stop which I can reach in daylight. Distances are huge on the Baja peninsula... I take an Uber taxi to the busstation (2 USD) the next day and the helpful English speaking lady decides on my behalf, El Rosario. After 5,5 hours I reach El Rosario after being deafened by the loud sound of the movies being played (I now always wear earplugs in the bus...). The bus station in El Rosario is also a motel which is very convenient since my bus to San Ignacio leaves at 5:30 am the next day. El Rosario is very small and sightseeing does not take very long. After buying some food and water I eat a burrito at a local restaurant as their only guest.
Instead of 5:30 am the bus leaves at 7:00 am in the end. The busdriver is extremely nice and makes sure I also get coffee and a taco for breakfast. After long stretches of dessert with cacti I reach San Ignacio which is situated in the middle of an oasis. The village is "only" 3 km from the bus station, so after a nice workout I reach Hotel Posada. A simple room in bright colours with private bathroom costs 400 pesos (around 18,= euros). The neighbour Eduardo performs a laundy service and I bring him a huge pack of dirty clothes. The centre of San Ignacio is the Jesuit Mission Church from the 18th century and the village is surrounded by date palms. Unfortunately the wales arrive only after Christmas in the San Ignacio Lagoon... I'm too early. I like the very relaxt atmosphere and stay two nights enjoying the quietness. To return to the busstation I ask the hotel owner to arrange for a taxi. A very old car arrives on time and a very kind and nice gentleman gets out. All my conversations in Spanish are a challenge but since we are driving only 20 km/hr we have plenty of time to try to understand eachother properly. We have lots of fun all the way to the busstation and there he tells me he is 87! He lets me promiss to come back to San Ignacio ;-)
On the way to Loreto the Highway 1 switches from the Pacific Ocean to the Bay of California. Beautiful views of a bright blue sea while driving through a dessert with cacti. I even see some playing dolphins! When arriving at Hotel Posada San Martin in Loreto it is full due to a fiesta in San Javier. For a moment I think I'm in trouble, however the kind owner makes a call to the nearby hotel El Moro and arranges a room for me. The owner, a 72-year-old lady is also very kind and concerned with my wellbeing. The next day I do return to the first hotel because it is really beautiful and for his kindness to help me out. Loreto is mainly occupied by tourists of a cruiseship when I arrive. When the ship leaves, there is almost no tourist left. I think I have only seen two other backpackers since I entered Mexico, I do not know why there are so little here. Maybe this will change again in the South of Baja California Sur where I am heading tomorrow. Though, also without fellow backpackers, I do enjoy Mexico a lot! The kindness of the Mexican people, the hospitality, the colourful streets, the nice and cheap food and the sun. The only hastle is to find working cash machines, speaking Spanish (I am learning quickly ;-)) and making reservations at ho(s)tels (they do not have (very good) websites to make upfront bookings or find directions. I do not like to make reservations at booking.com for the commission is a waste of money). All is a bit back in time in Mexico and everything goes with a slower pace, but that is also the charm :-)
So that is it for now, thank you for reading and for all the Dutch I hope you have a nice Sinterklaas evening!
Hasta luego!!!
