I took my first shower in nine days, and spent the afternoon catching up with an old friend. The night was a blur of beer cans and great food, a perfect way to unwind after a strenuous week.
The next morning was relaxed, after some more great food for lunch Dave and I spent the afternoon at a sour beer festival in downtown San Diego. I tried two ounce glasses of many different beers, the breadth and variety on offer was staggering. Not your typical flavours, lots of experimentation to be found. We definitely needed a lot unhealthy food to counteract the tart and acidic beer, and San Diego was up to the task!
Sunday morning was another slow start, but the plan today was to cross into Mexico for another adventure! Dave booked an AirBnB in Ensenada, we set off south and within half an hour we were across the border.
We stopped along the way in Rosarito for some amazing food, delicious fresh fish / shrimp tacos for a dollar each! We sated our hunger then continued south to our accommodation. Beach front views in a quiet part of town, we couldn't have asked for better. We settled in with some more beers for the night, leaving the house only to feast on more amazing authentic Mexican food. It was a cool evening with the strong onshore breeze keeping the temperatures low, but quite cosy inside.
I had to catch a late flight the next day, so we left Ensenada in the morning, but before returning to San Diego we headed inland to Guadalupe, Mexican wine country!
I must admit I was ignorant to the thriving wine industry in Mexico, but Dave knew what he was doing and we stopped off at a vinyard called 'Lechuza' for a wine tasting under the clearing southern skies. We sampled four fantastic wines before finding a food truck parked in another winery for lunch. Another fantastic meal was finished, we then returned to face the pain of crossing the border north into the US. We slowly crawled closer and closer to the border guards, weaving between the throngs of merchants trying to sell junk to people waiting in line.
We were back in the US, I repacked my bags, leaving behind my climbing gear for the next stage of my journey. Dave and Rachel dropped me off at the airport for my 10:00 PM flight across the country, it was time to visit the East Coast!
A great relaxing few days, it was a shame I didn't have time to see more of San Diego and Mexcio. I had to leave just as my rusty Spanish was starting to improve!
More photos here
