Day 37 – May 10

Our big plan for the day was to head to Tijuana but first we had to sort out our accommodations for the night. Jane, Carla and Diane, the negotiations team, headed down to the office and after a protracted period came back to say we could stay but we all had to move to a single pull through site. Due to the two for one sale we also had decided to stay another night and do the driving for our next leg in the relative quiet of Sunday traffic. After some time measuring and eyeballing we moved the three vehicles into a very cozy arrangement that left some communal space under Sean and Carla’s canopy at the picnic table. through the use of a couple of extension cords we managed to piggy back off of Jane and Ike’s power connection.

Once set up we headed for Mexico. The bus line runs right to the Mexican border. As we followed the crowd from the station we soon realized that we had unceremoniously crossed into Mexico, without border check, passport inspection or even a welcome to Mexico. It would appear, based on the rigour of border crossing, that the rush to sneak into Mexico is somewhat less than into the USA. Go figure.

We found our way to a taxi stand to get downtown. Visions of our trip to Greece came to us as we were set upon by a dozen taxi drivers who wanted our business. We quickly found the guy who appeared to be in charge and he convinced a taxi driver, known as Big Dog, that we could all fit into his full sized American taxi. It wasn’t like we were trying to avoid the costs, it was $1 each for the ride, but we didn’t want to get separated in two taxis. The driver was very friendly and warned us of places to stay away from and recommended a place to eat.

As soon as we got out of the taxi we were set upon by street hawkers and shop owners who wanted to sell us anything and everything. It took a few minutes for us to gather our collective wit, make sure that there were no stragglers, and have the group (which since Greece we affectionately call the ‘Armadillo’ ) moving smoothly through the streets.

Tijuana

We stopped at several shops to look at various items. I wanted to get a silver and turquoise belt buckle, something slightly smaller than my face if possible. I stopped at one shop and the minute I showed any interest in an item the owner started to negotiate downward. The $60 belt and buckle combination quickly became $40 and then $30 before I could say a word and as I walked out of the store promising to return unless I found something I liked better he followed me down the street calling special for Canadians today, $20. One one hand you can find it humorous but on the other a little disturbing, the effort to try and eek out a living amongst dozens of shops selling exactly the same products must be stressful.

A little further on we walked into a shop that was very different from the others we had seen. Inside there was a work bench, raw materials and tools for making jewellery. The owner was a very soft spoken low pressure guy who explained what he did and showed me the difference between the fake silver work by doing a nitric acid test on the pieces. He showed me the difference between the fake Chinese turquoise and real turquoise stone. His work was head and shoulders above anything else that I had seen so far but it was reflected in his prices. In this instance I began to negotiate. When it got to the point where he put the buckle on his scale to check the silver weight I knew I was close to his bottom line. I bought a beautiful buckle, knowing that I not only had a great souvenir but also a piece of wearable art.

The owner recommended the same restaurant as the taxi driver so after so more shopping we headed to Caesar’s restaurant. It was a very nice, upscale restaurant with white table cloths and waiters with black vests, white shirts and black ties. The service was impeccable with waiters, in their broken English, tried their best to please our every request. We had asked to sit outside, and as it was Mexican Mothers Day with lots of patrons wanting to sit inside they welcomed out request.

We all had requested the house speciality, Caesar Salad, which was prepared with a flourish at our table. We were presented with business card sized copies of the recipe and when we asked if the tapenade was for sale we were given a take home portion. The food was excellent and sitting outside provided a great opportunity to watch the Tijuanan life pass by.

Caesars

We caught a small cab back to the border and by small I mean compact small and the short ride to the border was vaguely reminiscent of some old college initiation in the mists of my memory.

Our Taxi

Once we got to the border it was apparent that the speed of crossing into Mexico was not going to be repeated on the homeward trip. A seemingly interminable line awaited us in the late afternoon sun.

We had been told that for $5 at the border you would be taken to the end of the line. Although dubious, when were approached by someone who had something that looked like an I.D. around his neck we looked at the line and feeling that there was some safety in numbers decided to try it.

We were scurried from the line back through some dilapidated building to a parking lot out back which resembled a set from a really bad B movie where a van awaited us. We all have had moments I’m sure when we think what am I getting my self into here. Had any of us been alone I doubt that we would have attempted this but there is strength in an armadillo so in we got, along with a couple of other tourists. The route travelled by the van did not increase our sense of security as we passed through back alleys, did illegal U-turns had near collisions with both cars and pedestrians.

Eventually, after we all had mentally planned our individual escape routes or wondered what our funerals would really be like, we miraculously cut into what appeared to be the line of cars crossing the border. One of the other passengers, who spoke English, told us that she did this regularly rather than face the 2 hour wait in line. After a brief wait behind a pylon, two homeland security guards waved us on and we got out of the van and into a very short line. After presenting our passports and a few quick questions we were sent on our way. Best $5 we spent that day. So easy to say after the fact.

Sean, Carla, Diane and I took the bus to the Seaport Village and Jane and Ike returned home to relax. We walked along the very pleasant San Diego waterfront, the first ocean we have seen in a long time. We stopped at a restaurant called Waters Edge where we had some appetizers and drinks. We struck a conversation with two well heeled couples at the next table from L.A. and New York , who were very pleasant and entertaining. It is always fun when we tell people what we are doing, how far we have come and how far we are going. Universally the reaction has been a big smile and some comment like, wow I’d like to do that. Some days it still doesn’t register that we in fact are doing that.