As we approched Mexico you could definitely feel a slight nervousness in the air. Leaving the comforts of America and heading into the great unknown was exciting. Our last night in the USA consisted of some bantering back and forth on whether we should bike the short route through the crazziness of Tijuana(TJ), or take the long hot route east through Tecate. By the end of the night, we somehow talked ourselves into heading through TJ. Feeling a bit anxious, sleep was hard to come by, and the morning came too soon. Our host for the night, Dom, sent us off with some food in our bellys and we hit the road. Leaving San Diego was a breeze. We took the ferry across Sand Diego Bay into Coronada, and from there, biked south toward the border. Not far in the distance was a large Mexican flag that no doubt marked the border. As we approached the busiest boarder in the world, we spotted a fellow cyclist heading across. In no time we caught up to him it just so happened that he was from TJ. With our new best friend, Artudo, we crossed into Mexico. Artudo gave us much-needed directions on how to get out of TJ and on to Rosarito, our destination for the night. With our directions memorized, we entered the bustling streets of Tijuana. There was alot going on and we were immediately overwhelmed by offerings of cheap beer, among many other things. With the sounds of a mariachi band in the background, we were definitely out of America. The road out of TJ was a bit of a rough ride, with a lot of tracffic, no shoulder, and many obstacles on the roadside. Looking back, it was fairly manageable, but DAMN, we were glad to get out of there.
As we rode into Rosarito, the beach and ocean were back in site. We found our camp for the night and went to get some cervezas and some mexican food. Our first night in Mexico would turn out to be a memorable one. We met a man named Carlos who was on vacation aswell. He introduced us to traditional Baja food, beer, and of course, the night was not complete without a sample of tequila.
As we woke up the next morning we were surprised to see no sun. This would be our first cloudy day since San Fransisco, and was welcomed with open arms. Over the course of the day, the clouds did burn off, but a cool breeze keept us sane. When we arived in Ensenada , a quick stop at the info center was made to get directions to La Casa Del Cyclista - a house just outside of the city that is dedicated to provide shelter for bikers.Nobody lives there, but the directions lead you to Senora Delia´s to pick up the key. Rogelio, the owner of the house, can be contacted on WarmShowers and allows cyclists to stay for as long as they wish. A day off today in Ensenada is needed to acclimatize to our new surroundings, figure out the itinerary, and enjoy some traditional mexican food and drink. We plan to set off again tomorrow where the population dwindles as we enter the desert.
Adios Amigos!
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