Tacos, Churros, and Cerveza

After spending two days NOT exploring Mexico, today I planned on being a tourist. I didn’t know exactly what that would entail, but I knew I wouldn’t be spending the day staring at a computer screen. And that was a good thing.

The day began after a long night and a very restless sleep. A lone mosquito had decided that buzzing around my ear would be a good time and as such it pestered me all night. Despite efforts to destroy the beast, I was never able to do so. In my now wakened state I think it may have been a dream – more like a mild nightmare -which lasted all night. Dream or not, I did not have the best of sleeps.

Part of not knowing exactly what today’s plan would entail was not knowing where I would be spending the night. The hostel was an option but I figured there was a decent chance I would be downtown later in the day which meant I would likely look for a hotel near there. As such, I needed to check out of the hostel. Oddly, no one was around to take care of that. And so, I waited.

On the agenda for the day was figuring out what bus (or buses) to take to La Bufadora – a big blowhole and popular place for tourists. Also on the agenda was finally getting a fish taco or two – apparently enchiladas, chilaquiles and sopes are also good. The latter two I’ve never even heard of. I plan to start with the fish tacos. Somewhere. If time permits I might also make a stop at Hussong’s – the oldest bar in Ensenada.

I wasn’t in a specific rush to get going but I didn’t want to just sit around waiting either. I decided to wait until 9:30. If no one was around by then, I’d leave the key and $30 (for my two extra nights) in the office. Fortunately, someone was around by then. That someone was the owner. He doesn’t speak much English and my lack of Spanish is no secret but we managed. I said, “Tengo pagar para dos noches.” and we went from there. Turns out the the nights were only $12 each. Definitely a bargain considering I mostly had the place to myself.

In addition to paying and returning the key, I was also able to get some direction as to how to get to La Bufadora. While it’s in the general area, it’s about 30 km away and thus not really walkable. Did I mention I miss my bike? Apparently there are official bus tours available but Sue (in San Diego) had mentioned local transit could take me there as well. I decided to try my luck with local transit.

Getting to La Bufadora by local transit requires two buses. I managed to find and board both without incident. Not without assistance. But without incident.

A driver from one of the buses I DIDN’T want was kind enough to flag down the bus I DID want and informed the driver where I was going. Ten pesos and 20 minutes later, I was exiting the bus at Maneadero and searching for the next bus. It turns out that searching wasn’t really necessary as it came directly to me – well, not me specifically, but the area in which I was wandering.

Fifteen pesos and 30 minutes later I arrived at La Bufadora. I didn’t know much about La Bufadora other than there being a blowhole and a series of shops en route to the blowhole. The series of shops ended up being a narrow street of a few hundred metres filled with vendor booths. Some were more aggressive than others to entice a visit but certainly never threatening. It was a friendly place – although, I’m glad to have visited without the crowds that the cruise ships bring.

I made it to the blowhole after working my way through the marketplace without purchasing anything. Hardly a surprise given my general aversion to shopping (MEC/REI excepted).

My timing of my arrival at the blowhole was pretty much perfect as there were two big blasts of water just as I arrived at the ledge. Beyond that, there were a few smaller blasts but the first one was definitely the best I would see. That said, I was patient and probably spent about 40 minutes at the blowhole.

Waves of somewhat small crowds from the various bus tours came and went during that time. Some were limited by time so I think more than a few left disappointed that there wasn’t more activity from the blowhole. I even heard a couple people complaining that they had to be patient – perhaps they thought the blowhole was on some sort of preset schedule. You can’t rush nature!

Having put in my time at the blowhole I started to walk back to the marketplace. With the same aversion to shopping as my initial trip, I worked my way back to the bus stop. My aversion to shopping was weakened slightly as I was offered a sample churro. Normally I’m not one for free samples of food. I’m just not a communal food kind of guy (all-you-can-eat buffets are different). Maybe I was hungry, maybe it was because I’d never had a churro before, or maybe it was just a moment of weakness. Whatever it was, the churro was good. Really good. Almost stupidly good. Especially for such a simple treat. As far as I could tell, it was nothing more than a fried-dough pastry sprinkled with sugar and cinnamon. Put that way, how could it not be good?

Despite their tastiness, I resisted the temptation to buy some. I’m not really sure why but I think I was focused more on finding lunch than dessert. It turns out lunch was only a few minutes away.

I walked my way back to the beginning of the marketplace and noticed a fish taco restaurant that I had somehow not seen on the way in. The time had come. Moments later I was sitting down ready to try my first fish tacos. And they were excellent. Granted, I have nothing to compare them to but objectively speaking I think they were very good. I had chosen wisely.

With lunch now behind me, I estimated that I had about 20 minutes before the next bus would come. So, with some time to fill and the taste (or at least the memory) of the aforementioned churro still lingering, I wandered back into the marketplace. There would be churros today! And they too were excellent. Again, how could they not be? Did I mention that they were still warm?

The return bus trip to Ensenada went without incident and I even managed to get on the right buses. Or at least the rightish buses. The first one was easy as there was only one option. The second was a bit less clear. Just to be clear, the buses are more like small shuttles (like you might see at the airport). Their destinations are indicated by decals on the windows. I ended up on the “Centro el Sauzal” bus.

This is one instance where having a GPS with me proved very handy. Yes, I could’ve asked someone for directions, but I wasn’t entirely confident I’d find someone that spoke English. And my Spanish is pretty much useless. The little blue dot on my GPS screen showed me where I was and so long as that dot kept getting closer to the Zona Turística I knew I was getting closer to my destination. And about 30 minutes later I was in fact back in the Zona Turística. Mission: Accomplished. And the whole trip (about 70 km) cost about $4.

Having returned downtown, my plan was pretty simple. Find accommodation and then wander around the area. Both were successful. My accommodation was The Hotel Bugambilias which was only a block from the main street and about $22/night. Very convenient. And a decent price. Although, once I started walking around the area I discovered several other small hotels that were even cheaper.

One of my planned destinations during my walk was Hussong’s Cantina. Not that I necessarily wanted to go there but it’s the oldest cantina in Baja California, established in 1892. It is also reputedly the origin of the Margarita. Side note: As far as I know, having a Margarita made in your mouth is still only available at Señor Tadpoles.

My trek to Hussong’s was successful in the sense that I found it. It was unsuccessful in the sense that it is closed on Mondays. And yes, today was Monday. As such, I took a photo and moved on.

Moving on meant heading back along the main street towards my hotel. My new quest was to find dinner. My options were many as there were many food vendors from which to choose. That said, I was drawn in by the aroma coming from one of the small restaurants along the way. Despite being in Mexico, tonight’s dinner would be pizza and beer.

The pizza ended up being a medium Hawaiian and the beer was Tecate. Dinner also came with warm bread and fresh butter. Had I known that, I probably would’ve ordered a smaller pizza. As for the beer, it was courtesy of Brad – a friend back home who donated a beer using the “Donate Now” button (yes, it really works – you should try it!). Brad’s son lives in San Francisco and put me in touch with him when I found myself homeless in the Bay Area. We never ended up getting together but I appreciated the gesture. And now I’m very much appreciating the beer. Thanks Brad!

After dinner I wandered around a bit more before eventually returning to my hotel room to call it a day. A very successful day of being a tourist in Mexico. Yes, it took a couple of days to get into “tourist-mode” but it was worth it. I’m tempted to stay another day but I miss my bike and the open road. It’s time to resume my journey – and if it’s still hot in the desert, well … I’ll have to adapt.