Erin Miller

Dan and I headed to San Diego to visit his brother and old friend and new sister-in-law last week. They made us very comfortable and gave us a great place to enjoy sunny San Diego. Mid-week Dan and I headed south in search of even more Spanish-speaking warmth . We crossed the worlds largest border crossing into Tijuana. Walking into Mexico was really easy, there was just a small sign denoting where the U.S. ended and Mexico began and then a swinging gate that we walked through.
From Tijuana, I once again succeeded in dragging Dan on a 7 hour bus ride in a developing country, and I think it really helped to cement our relationship. Dan is starting to LOVE 7 hour bus rides almost as much as I do, especially the ones that don’t have restrooms on board. I actually don’t mind them so much because I cannot read on buses so it gives me lots of time to just look out the window and contemplate life. I have actually missed long bus rides and having the time to settle with my thoughts so long that they no longer discomfort me. Riding through Mexico looked strikingly similar to Honduras but more kids had shoes and fewer had swollen bellies. There were also more power stations and power lines. The 7 hour ride managed to push even my limits. The bus went right through the middle of nowhere. I would have been really scared but thankfully by burly boyfriend was there to protect me.
We arrived in San Felipe after somehow changing times twice, leaving us in the twilight zone, best we could figure, and the bus ride was just about long enough to get us there. San Felipe was warm and completely chock-full of mariachi bands, the number of which only increased as Easter weekend approached. We rented a great apartment from an ex-pat that had a beautiful outdoor kitchen and patio with a view of the Sea of Cortez. Dan diligently carted our snorkels and masks all the way to San Felipe, even attempting to explain their purpose to a military guard that stopped the bus en route and searched some of the bags. However, Dan graciously saved me the embarrassment of actually having to use them in waters that were way too cold and full of only sand and difficult-to-navigate fishing nets. We spent lots of time laying on the beach though and got to spend our last evening dancing.
Walking back into the U.S. was a bit more complicated than leaving, but it probably only took about a half hour to get through the busiest border crossing in the world. We finished up the last couple of days of our vacation relaxing in San Diego and catching a cold from one another which wasn’t the greatest ending to our vacation imaginable, but worth it nonetheless.

view from our patio

Ingles roto

Margaritas in the sunshine. Dan delights in telling people how I actually got so hot that I moved out of the sun for the first time all vacation while we were drinking these.

a true pina colada