Blogs from Baja California, Mexico, North America

Tijuana Part II We were afraid. After listening to CNN, Fox news, and all the American brainwashing, we thought that traveling to Mexico was an insane idea. But the drug trafficking, kidnappings, and dead bodies didn’t stop us, we decided to take the risk and figure out what Tijuana is all about. We didn’t take a break when we arrived at my cousins’ place, I met several cousins I didn’t even know I had--we Mexicans have a big familia. My cousins were very kind. They took care of us all the time. We talked and talked until my eyes couldn’t stay open anymore, so I went directly to bed hoping to see more about Tijuana the next morning. Tijuana is cold in the night time. It's freezing in the night because my cousins don’t have AC, ... read more

Wednesday, February 1, 2012 …7 pm local time (somewhere in the Pacific Ocean heading to Los Barillos) Today was a better day. We’ve been sailing for longer than expected and going on average 3-6 knots which is really slow especially for a vessel of our size. It’s been quite challenging both mentally, emotionally and physically. On average we do not sleep more than 5.5 hours at any one time. (having shift 3 hours on and 6 hours off) It’s really only been 6 consecutive days but it’s already been tough and it feels much longer. Still working out the dynamics with other crew members. As always, there is a small split in the crew and I didn’t make the popular cut again. LOL, that’s okay, I’m learning to saillllllllll. As an influential person in my life ... read more

FINALLY! I’m sitting in the whare (NZ moari for house) with the captain across from me and I’ve finally had a chance to write about my experiences so far. I’ve done a few video blogs as you all know but writing seems to be the best way and so much easier for me to upload quickly. I’m listening to my Benny Benassi which is a nice change from the Hawaiian music we’ve been listening to the last week. We left San Diego on Tuesday and made it to Ensenada on Wednesday, stayed the night and left on Thursday around 5 pm. We’ve been at sea for 2.5 days so far and it’s been pretty sensational. I’ve finally be able to get use to my watch schedule (Watch = 3 working hours on deck every 6 hours), ... read more

Many folks have not heard about San Felipe, it's a small town, about 30,000 residents, and is located two hours south of the California boarder. The road to San Felipe from the boarder has good signs, so it's hard to miss your way. Road condition is good, however, there are a couple of things to watch out for. - Sharp turn on highway 5 have caused many accidents, so be sure to pay attention to the signs. - Road vallies: There are 5 - 10 vallies in the road along highway 5. They are harm less as long ad you don't panic when you go through one. When the road depresses suddenly, don't start slamming on the breaks. - Road Construction: There's a 3 - 4 mile stretch of highway 5 where road construction is going ... read more

At seas off Mexico coast. Consult with acupuncturist. Will try tomorrow for my ankle. Hair cut too. Trivia, trivia and more trivia. Went to spa and soaked in thermal pool. Tomorrow is Cabo so hopefully i will have something interesting to say. Dress up nite. Had lobster last nite for the 3rd time - don't think i will get it next week. Never thought i would say this but i am tired of it. Another trivia after dinner - then the show. "Oh What a Night"- frankie valli tribute group. 3rd time we saw them and they were just as good as the first time.... read more

While looking online at the different shore excursions Carnival offers for Ensenada, I kept bypassing the City & Shopping Tour because, quite frankly, the name didn’t sound very interesting at all. I am glad that I pressed further and read the description because once I did I found we would be traveling by bus to three different stops in three hours. The first stop was the Riviera Del Pacifico, “a glamorous resort and casino during the roaring 20s.” Our second stop would find us visiting Bodegas de Santo Tomas, “the oldest winery in Mexico and taste its famous wines.” And finally, our tour would leave us some time for “browsing around the city’s main shopping district” before returning to the ship. Now, that sounds way more interesting than the name of this excursion implies. So, the ... read more

After a late departure from San Diego we finally crossed the border into Tijuana. We had to make a stop at Wal-Mart & Best Buy to get a few things, but we were finally on our way. We crossed the border and used the trusty handheld Garmin GPS to find Hertz car rental in Tijuana. We collected our vehicle and went to Rosarito to visit my Mom, Fernando and my little Sisters. Cristina and I were starving, so we were glad to see that my Mom had some Polo Guisado on the stove. We ate some Pollo, Arroz and some Quesadillas and we waited until Fernando came back from work. Oh yeah, I forgot to mention, we corssed the border and Cristina and forgotten her Driver's License. Fernando had stopped by my house to get the ... read more