Ensenada - A Ship Comes Into Port

living.boondockingmexico@yahoo.com

I was able to go to the gym this morning at the Coral Resort and Marina. A friend has a membership there and invited me. A very nice hotel and a wonderful gym. While I was there I saw a cruise ship pass by. At the time I didn't give it much thought.

After we left the course at the university we stopped by the bank. 50 people in front of me waiting with their number. I entered at 425 and I was number 475. The waiting time on my ticket was 164 minutes. What? I was able to make my payment and get of the bank in less than 15 minutes. All the cashier windows were open and everyone was working at their best.

As we got close to the strip, there were crowds of vendors and people everywhere. Then it struck me that this was because of the ship coming in. Since I arrived on Sunday, the streets were empty and it was cold outside. Not a soul in sight. When the ship comes into port, it has to stop in Ensenada to register in Mexico, they sound their arrival and like ants, vendors come rolling up the streets with their carts and souvenirs. An amazing sight. Of course, some crazy tourist had started a fight in front of a club and as we passed they had the street blocked and the police had arrived to straighten things out. A crowd had drawn but by the time I had gotten to my room to drop off my stuff and return it was all over.

Later I had a sandwich at Subway and off I went to take pictures of the cruise ship and the harbor below.

Ensenada is a great place to visit for a couple days before heading south. There are rv parks everywhere, a Walmart to spend the night as well as a Costco. City buses cost 6 pesos. Last night I took the bus over to the MacroPlaza mall to walk around and have dinner. Buses in Ensenada are actually used car rental shuttle buses that are in tip top shape. There is no cord or bell to let the driver know where you want to get off. Since it isn't a big bus, you just speak up and say "baja" or indicate where up ahead you want off.

Most people know that the food in Baja is great. Fish tacos, shrimp dishes and ice cold beer. Tomorrow I am inviting the program supervisor out for lunch and we are having seafood. I'll make sure I get a shot of what we eat.

Animal Cruelty - Thousands of exotic animals found overcrowded

On a sad note, if you haven't seen it on the news, 30,000 exotic animals, reptiles and birds were found in a warehouse in Arlington, Tx. Many of them dead or in very bad shape. Yes, that is the number up to now and they are counting, 30,000. The company had employees working there and there is now an arrest warrant for the owner.

We just had Friend fixed yesterday. I found her in April, almost dead. Revived her and got her home. The vet said I needed to wait before he could fix her as she needed to gain weight. Well she did when she escaped from the quinta and got pregnant. The pups all have good homes now and she won't be having any more babes.