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Published: August 16th 2010
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Las Rosas
Watching the sunset together. 95% of Americans wouldn't dare cross the southern border and enter in Mexico. What did we do? Exactly the opposite. With the advice from Kyle's friend at the Mexican Consulate we decided to embark into the unknown. We were headed into dangerous territory where we could've been killed by crossfire from rival drug cartels, or perhaps even kidnapped or robbed while driving through Tijuana. With the negative stigma associated with Mexico, we told our parents we may not come back home in one piece(note: only one set of parents were advised of this 😊)
The drive down from OC was a breeze. It took us a little over two and half hours to get from Costa Mesa to Ensenada. We left around 8 am and arrived around 10:45ish. Navigating through the border and getting to the toll road(cuota) was relatively easy with little to no traffic.
We booked our hotel at Las Rosas which is five miles north of Ensenada. They put us in a bottom floor room but we requested a room with a better view. They said if we waited until three we could get the same size room but on the fourth floor, so we decided
to wait. We drove into town and parked on the main street just past the huge mexican flag, which seems to be in the center of every mexican city. We got the bikes out and immediately got a map from a tourist kiosk. We headed to the closest Bancomer(Mexican Bank) and along the way passed by Papas and Beer and Hussongs. I pulled out the 150 US or 1,419 MX that I had sent myself through Wells Fargo. It was extremely convenient and only took about five minutes. I showed the teller my passport, signed a withdraw slip, and got the cash. With pesos, we were now ready to have some fun.
Our first stop was Papas and Beer. Being it was the first weekend of the World Cup the Uruguay vs France game was blasting inside. We decided this would be a good place to get some food and drinks while watching futbol with some locals. We shared a pretty good quesadella and had a round of drinks. After watching a pretty uneventful game and feeling full, we opted to head back. After checking in we took a siesta to regain our bearings.
After doing a quick
Hilarious photo
No need for words, the picture says it all. search on Kyle's Blackberry Bold with Verizon(I hate you AT&T) We found a local review on a restaurant in the downtown area. The place was called "La Contra" on the corner of 6th and Moctezuma, and boy was it a HIDDEN GEM.
La Contra: As you walk in, there are two wine bars on either side which are fully stocked with wines from Ensenada or should I say "Baja California." In the back there is a small restaurant followed by a huge outdoor patio. The atmosphere and ambiance was out of this world. The large concrete backyard was contemporary and it felt like we were eating in someone's backyard. The surrounding trees and huge concrete oven was icing on the cake. La Contra is centrally located, fairly priced, and surprisingly unique for Ensenada. A definite place you must visit if you're in Ensenada.
A staff member mentioned a wine festival that was taking place that weekend. He said it takes place several times a year and that it's located in the Valle de Guadalupe at a local winery. He said it's a private festival and that tickets were not for sale(Great, thanks for the info buddy). However, another
Where's waldo?
I mean Kyle?!!?! member mentioned that if we were lucky we might be able to get one from someone at the door.
Later that evening we went to Hussongs for a Margarita.
Hussongs: This is one of the oldest and most famous bars in Ensenada. This place really has character. The bar is always lively and home to the local mariachi band that is always getting the crowd going. The "margarita" mixed drink was supposedly concocted here back in the late 1800's. Now I don't know if this is true, and I believe there are a few birthplaces of the margarita on wikipedia. With that being said, after trying the margarita here, I must say, they are out of this world. The drink was mixed to perfection. I probably had about a total of four or five the two times I visited hussongs.
The following day we got up early and drove to the Valle de Guadalupe. We got lost for a little bit and then got back on track. It took us a whole twenty minutes to arrive at the winery. While Esnsenada was mostly overcast, the Valle cleared up and was sunny when we arrived. Our first and
Welcome to Mexico!
First stop, exploring the city on bikes. What a great way to take it all in. only planned destination was Monte Xanic.
Monte Xanic: The winery was gated, but the security guard let us in with a subtle waive and smile. Once inside the main manufacturing plant we went upstairs where the tasting was held. There was a family from Mexico City there half way through the tasting. We tried about 8 wines, various reds and whites. Overall the wine was very good. After the tasting and purchasing a couple bottles, we walked around the vineyards. While snapping some photos, I remember feeling like we were in Napa. Traveling through the roads it's a beautiful sight; short green vine trees spread over the landscape, and low hovering clouds breaking up the sunlight overhead. It's truly is surreal. You don't even feel like you're in Mexico. The lady working there had mentioned the festival which was taking place at the winery next door at a vineyard called "Bibayoff." Wait, was it the same festival that the guy last night was talking about? I think so!!
Bibayoff: We headed to Bibayoff winery for the Guateque wine festival. This local event was by far a hidden gem and a definite highlight to our weekend. We drive .2
Backpacking it on the balcony.
My suprise backpack...best gift. miles north and notice a huge Bibayoff sign followed by a dirt parking lot full of cars. As we approached the entrance, we notice the live music and all the people entering with their prepaid VIP exclusive tickets. We beg the people to let us in, they say no, you need tickets. Erica was the first to sneak in using her secret Chinese Fung Shui ways. Kyle on the other hand asked about 15 people before finally buying two tickets and receiving two wine glasses. YES! We were in!
As was started to explore, there had to have been at least 50 or so different artesenal wine stands. Each with their own unique wine, made from grapes from the Valle de Guadelupe, and each with its own unique story and meaning. We sampled a few, and next thing you know, it all starts kicking in about 15 minutes later. We strolled from vendor to vendor sampling and learning all we could about their wine and of course swooshing wine around in glasses. Most of the wines were created by passionate locals some of which had just recently learned the art of making wine. Despite what you might think about
La Contra
Nice lil spot, super chill. these rookies in Mexico we didn't come across any wine that wasn't drinkable. In reality most were better than average to delicious! In addition to great wine and a live band, there was a wonderful selection of cheese, olives, tacos, and so much more. In the end, we ended up purchasing 5 bottles of wine and even managed to ride our bikes around the area harassing caged animals and frolicking(E's word) around in the flowers.
And we digress. Note: Do not cross through the TJ border. Continue North from the Valle de Guadalupe and take the long scenic route. Cross the border through Tecate. It's 45 minutes out of the way, but definitely worth it considering you will be at the TJ border for about four hours!
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