Finally! The first international trip of 2016!

I had submitted my passport renewal application earlier in the year so I could make good on my goal to use it at least once or twice every year. I was pleasantly surprised to find my new passport in the mail three weeks later; not the four-to-six that’s stated in the application. So of course I wanted to use it as soon as I could! (And coincidentally or not, also in the mail was a charm bracelet I had ordered on Etsy).

I made plans with a friend to head to Rosarito, Mexico and down to Puerto Nuevo to indulge in some langosta (lobster) and cervezas (beer), but a few days before the trip, he backed out, stating he’d rather go with a friend who spoke Spanish. Well, I’ve been trying to get out of town on a little retreat for months, so I’m still going!! Luckily, Jorge was available so he came down from Los Angeles to spend a day in Mexico with me.

After the obligatory Starbucks stop, we topped off on gas before crossing the border into Mexico and took the coastal highway 1D down into Rosarito. I haven’t been back to Mexico in 10 years or so, when I went down for  a weekend with five other friends, but it seemed a lot had changed but stayed the same, too. There were definitely a lot more policia federales around (they were EVERYWHERE!) as well as a couple Mexican military check points. Half of the shops on the strip in Rosarito were shut down, reflecting the decline in tourism since the drug cartels started running amok.

We made it down into Puerto Nuevo without much issue and enjoyed lunch by the sea (I wish I had the picture of my langosa y carne, but SnapChat didn’t save it. 🙁 ). So here’s the view with my margarita instead. 😀

The day was still young so we decided to head down into Ensenada to check out a zip-lining tour I had come across on TripAdvisor. However, when we got down there, many of the roads were blocked off or detoured. Assuming by the number of people hanging out on the side of the street, I’m guessing the city was putting on a Marti Gras parade. So we decided to head on back to the US, knowing we had a 2-hour wait at the border waiting for us.

On the way back, passing through Rosarito, my ultimate goal for the day (besides the lobster and margarita) was to get a picture under the statue of Jesus that wasn’t there the last time I came down (thanks again, Pinterest! Seriously; 90% of my travel ideas come out of Pinterest!). It turned out that it was built within a private, gated community, so we talked to the security guard at his station and he gave us directions on how to get to the statue. Photo op!

So not a crazy or super eventful day in Mexico (besides sitting at the border for 2 hours and then another 30 minutes in secondary), but it was fun nonetheless. Getting to hang out and spend quality time with a good friend, adventuring in search of a giant statue, eating two of my favorite foods, and traveling into another country. It’s so close, and yet a completely different world, and that’s always fun to experience, too. Not to mention getting to practice your Spanish!

The next trip will likely be Nashville, Tennessee where I’ll meet up with a friend driving out from Virginia. So until then, adios, mi amigos! #AdventureAwaits