Travelogues

Mexico the Molly Way

I was so ecstatic that Molly was coming to visit me! Our plan was to take an trip to Mexico... other than that, nothing was set in stone. Molly and I had never travelled together, but I was about to discover the randomness and adventure that it entails.

Our first discovery was a small town just south of Rosarito called Puerto Nuevo. Every restaurant in this town is dedicated to Lobster served a specific way--- fried in butter then wrapped in a warm tortilla with rice and beans. Each meal offered comes with a complimentary shot of tequila and margaritas. All this for $10 in the offseason. There were no tourists besides ourselves in this town at the time.

Guadelupe Valley, wine country. After many hours of driving on dirt roads ruined by the rain, we found a bed and breakfast we had read about in a brochure. Unsure of what to expect, I turned the corner into the driveway and pulled up to what appeared to be a luxurious spanish style mansion in the middle of a vinyard. Tired and hungry, we stunbled up to the doors and knocked. Fortunately, the host took pity on these travelers and fed us dinner with their own wine. We couldn't afford their prices, but they allowed us to stay in a cabin in the back for a reduced amount.

The next day we drove to the well known L.A. Cetto winery for a tasting. We asked our host where to find the hot springs we had heard about. He said he wasn't sure, but we should ask at the next winery down the street.

Dona Lupe is an organic winery that also sells honeys and spices. As we were walking out, we saw our host come running down the driveway with a friend. He said they knew how to get to the hot springs and would show us if we gave them a ride. I was wary at first but Molly jumped at the chance. The two boys climbed in and we started heading off down a remote dirt road.

A river had flooded over the road to the hot springs. Go for it, the boys said! And of course, I had to try...

In the end we had to wade across the river and walked for two hours before we found out that the hot springs had also been flooded over by the river.

That night, warm and dry, we treated ourselves to a fancy dinner at a winery restaurant in Ensenada. There, we sampled their wines, ate steamed clams from San Felipe and a hearty dinner and desert. The food was excellent, the prices amazing and the service was very personal.

On the way back, Molly and I had to stop for Lobster and margaritas one more time!

posted by Patricia @ 4:31 PM