mexico

There is nothing that excites me less than a travel log. But here it is. Your reward for reading it all? Pictures at the end of the post.

1. We stayed about 25 minutes south of Ensenada's city center. Which was nice because i felt like we weren't trapped with all the tourist and fake Mexico stuff. aka, no one spoke English near us. kind of shocking to me. I’m one of those stupid Americans who think everyone speaks English. how embarrassing, i know.  next time i go to a foreign country I’m learning a few phrases and downloading a language app for my iphone.

2. i got a sense of community that i don't get in the US. the dirt roads leading up to our rental house was a local place for everything. a small grocery store, restaurants out of shacks, a clothing store with boots and Aeropostale sweatshirts, a guy selling drinks and lollipops out of a cart. the first time we drove down the strip, i was little nervous we were staying in a shady part of town. but then i realized it was the perfect location. Families all ran the shops. One place we ate had a grandma, mother, and baby all cooking together. Another had a mother cooking and the son eating a ham and cheese sandwich while watching a cartoon. All the places to eat used regular dining room furniture that you could find at thrift stores. Sometimes painted bright colors. Kids were running up and down the streets. It reminded me of what it must have been like in the 1940's or 50's in the US. I liked it a lot. It kind of made me wonder if this street will always exist. because about 20 minutes north there was a Costco, Wal-Mart, and every American fast food restaurant you could imagine, Vegas sized. Will the big stores run this strip out? probably. but for now they seem to be doing just fine.

3. Everyone was so well dressed. I was really surprised to see the care they took in their appearance. Shirts we always clean and pressed. Nice shoes. While we were driving, I was looking at an apartment complex next to the highway. Poor poor living conditions. Then I saw a guy walk out, and he looked so together.  Pressed button up shirt, belt, nice pants. He was taking the trash out. Then I looked at a clothesline a few apartments down and all the clothes were bright white and clean colors. I have to say that my kids looked the shabbiest by far. We weren't staying in a richy rich part of town (in fact the exact opposite), but the people took pride in their appearance, which was nice.

4.  I didn't see any homeless people. You know like the ones with shopping carts and smell like pee? Not a single one.

5. The trip was wonderful. I love Orb on vacation. I love him regardless, but my favorite is when he is on vacation. He's so happy.

6.  we had the beaches to ourselves. My favorite was. i forgot the name.

7. Bee's cut. Before I write anything about it, I want to start off by saying I took him to our regular doctor when we got back to the US. His doctor thought the stitches looked good and it's healing up normally. Back up to Mexico: So, we took him to a tiny Mexican clean hospital and were admitted immediately. The nurses cleaned the cut and we waited about 15 minutes for the doctor to arrive. Once he showed up, he stitched little Bee's hand. It was terrifying to watch and I still wonder if the numbing shots were filled with water. I think poor Bee felt every one of those 7 stitches. As if going through labor without meds. Crazy. But he survived after screaming, "Momma, Dada, Grandma, Grandpa," and finally "CHOCOLATE!".  The whole process took about 45 minutes maximum. There was even a nurse that watched the Dot and Alf in the hallway while we stayed with Bee. Then the bill came: $65 cash!!! We paid it and the doctor left (getting into a humble little car). It made me understand how screwed up and confusing the health care situation is in the US.  It was so straightforward in Mexico.

8. iphone detox was good

9. my kids were amazing. so well behaved on the 13+hour car ride down. I’m still in shock.

10. i loved spending time with my family. it was a great way to end/start the year.

11. 15 minutes before crossing the US border, Orb got pulled over by a Mexican policeman for going the wrong way on a one-way street. Then we couldn't find rob's license. I know he had it because he got pulled over for speeding on the way to Mexico. Perhaps the US cop didn't give it back? We had to follow the cop to the station and finally gave up our search for his license. No license in Mexico? Your car is impounded!  The cop offered to give me the ticket instead because I had my license. I took it gladly, while Rob had to go inside to get reprimanded by the Sergeant. Next stop: Pay the ticket. However, the office was closed. Our cop's solution: I have to promise to pay the ticket the next time I'm in Mexico. But when? we asked. The next time. But what if it's years? Ci, years. The whole thing is weird to me and I wonder if the ticket it bogus. I'm calling my insurance company to see if anything shows up on my squeaky clean record. I can't wait for Rob to retell this story from start to finish. It makes me laugh.

12. Fish tacos.