Mexican Beach Developers

by Margaret Fleming

We spent a weekend in San Diego recently visiting our daughter and so took the occasion to cross into Mexico and visit Ensenada.

We had heard that the San Diego border crossing is the busiest in the country, and so we approached it with some anxiety. But going through was easy. The Mexicans didn't even stop us. On the other side, however, we saw a seemingly endless field of cars waiting to re-enter the U.S., 3 or 4 lanes wide and stretching back for blocks. We resolved to return at another crossing point.
We had been directed to take the "Scenic Route," but we missed a turn. Luckily we found another sign directing us to it, but this route took us through the entire downtown area. At one point we found ourselves between the backs of some apartment buildings and the ugly gray wall that marks the boundary between the two countries. John remarked that we must be on the Scenic Route.

Tijuana has certainly changed since we were last there maybe 25 or 30 years ago. Now it is a busy metropolis with a great deal of new housing, some still under construction. Obviously it is growing and thriving.

The Scenic Route, when we finally got to it, really lived up to its name.To our right we could see the ocean from cliffs overlooking the Pacific, at the bottom beautiful beaches without houses or development of any kind near them. At one point we viewed a gorgeous blue circle of water encircled by a protective arm of land. At another, the entire sheet of water shimmered in the sunlight with ripples of silver and gray.

We stopped briefly at Rosarito, a town between Tijuana and Ensenada, and went out to the beach. There were several large hotels, one of them decorated in front with a framework that looked like a roller coaster. Leading out into the sea was a huge bridge-like edifice that could have been a boardwalk; we learned later it had been constructed for ocean liners. On the beach were a number of horses tied up and waiting for riders. I suppose they ride out along the beach, but we didn't see anyone doing it while we were there. It was Sunday afternoon, and most of the tourists must have left. We didn't feel like taking a horseback ride ourselves, so we went back to the car and continued on.

A little way outside Ensenada, we stopped to visit a large real estate development called La Salina. The salesperson showed us maps and brochures detailing the plans, which include dredging out a sizable harbor and constructing marinas for pleasure boats. It was quite impressive. We were reminded of similar plans at Laguna del Mar in Puerto Peñasco.
As we approached Ensenada, we could see its harbor. Many large ships were at anchor or docked at the several marinas stretching out from the land. We were reminded that this is the Pacific Ocean, and that the harbor is deep enough for ocean liners.

We drove into town, being surprised again by the size of it. The traffic was heavy, and parking was difficult, but we finally found a place near the harbor. By a piece of good luck, there was a clean and attractive looking fish taco stand right across the street. We had several tacos with a choice of garnishes: bowls of shredded cabbage, sliced onions, cut-up limes, pico de gallo, and salsas of varying colors and degrees of hotness. They were delicious.

Then we wandered through a huge fish market, admiring the many varieties--piles of octopus, lobsters, shrimp, fish of many, many different varieties: red fish, blue fish, white fish, gray fish, fish ground up for making ceviche, all incredibly fresh and smelling of the sea.

At the other end of the market we came out upon a large malecon. The broad expanse of sidewalk was decorated with inlaid "rivers" of mosiac stones--very attractive. We saw a crowd of people looking over the rail at the edge and went over to see what they were looking at. Down below was a crowd of pelicans, all on the lookout for bits of bread or fish that the crowd was throwing to them. I never noticed before how colorful pelicans are. Some were gray with white heads, red throats, and yellow bills; others (probably female) were brown all over with light brown throats and lighter yellow bills. Competing with the pelicans for the scraps were a couple of harbor seals. They were standing right in the water with only their backs and heads out of it, and some pelicans were even sitting on them. Every so often one of the seals must have thought he wasn't getting enough, and he would bark noisily for more.

We stayed there on the malecon for quite a while, watching the birds and animals and enjoying the feel and the smell of the sea and the sight of all the boats. Then we wandered out into the street where we saw several horses and buggies lined up. Here we made the acquaintance of Antonio Gonzalez and his horse Chichi Loco, who took us for a short tour of the city. Antonio told us that Chichi Loco was a good horse, but a little bit crazy, hence his name. He pointed out places of interest as we passed. One was a beautiful house in mission style architecture with handsomely landscaped grounds. Antonio told us it was a civic center, museum, and site for events, such as weddings and parties. Later we found out that Jack Dempsey had once been its manager. (For those of you too young to remember, he was a famous American boxer back in the 1920's.)

After completing our business the next day, we started home by way of Tecate, a little town on the border about 100 miles east of Tijuana. I suppose it must be where Tecate beer had its origin, but if that's true, we never heard the story. To get to Tecate, we had to take a road over the mountains that led northeast. John said he had always thought of Baja California as all sand and dune buggies, but this was different. The terrain was hilly, dotted with farms and vineyards. Horses and cows grazed in the fields. We saw a cemetery, colorful with flowers and wreaths.

Occasionally we came to a tiny village, usually an ejido. In one of these was a huge winery, L.A. Cetto. I already knew of it because L.A. Cetto makes a fine Chenin Blanc wine, one of my favorites. At our host's house the night before, we had had an L.A. Cetto Chardonnay that was also delicious. So it was exciting to see the winery itself. A tour for visitors was offered, but we didn't have time to take it. Maybe next time.The same village is home to Domecq, maker of one of John's favorite brandies.

Although this is not a superhighway, it is obviously well-traveled. We saw a number of heavy trucks, and once passed a large modern bus going toward Ensenada. Roadwork in progress at one point was announced by a sign "Maquinas trabajando." In the U.S. signs say "Men Working." Why is the work done by men in the U.S. and by machines in Mexico?

The landscape was beautiful. We passed several groves of olive trees and at some points could look down into valleys green with grass or crops. At one place I saw a vineyard on a hill bordered at the bottom by a row of yellow trees. The neat rows of grape vines and the equally spaced trees with their shapes looking almost perfectly round at a distance reminded me of a Grant Wood painting.

We were amused to note that one farmer was actually growing a crop of prickly pear cactus. In Arizona they grow so fast and so densely that we think of them as weeds.

The farther north we drove, the rockier the landscape became. A monastery was built into one rocky hillside. Across the road, some tall rocks were embedded into the earth, like a surreal Stonehenge. In one village that was especially rocky, the houses had been built in among the rocks. A portion of one house sat squarely on top of a giant boulder. The owners must have thought, "Why make the effort to dislodge this huge boulder and then have to pour a cement foundation?" so they used what was there. Another artistic homeowner, who had several odd-shaped rocks in the yard, had painted them to look like dolphins.

When we got to Tecate, which was bigger than we expected, we drove through town looking for the border crossing. There was a line of cars waiting to cross, but it was only a few blocks long. We had to wait about 25 minutes. Along the way Mexican entrepreneurs were selling bottles of water, snacks, souvenirs, and doughnuts. The doughnuts looked good, but we resisted buying one.

On the other side of the border we had to go through similar rural terrain for quite a few miles till we joined the main highway. Then we were on our way back to Tucson. I hope you enjoyed the trip as much as we did.