A Trip To Ensenada

After 3 hours of pop music, un-healthy snacks, and shallow conversations we arrived at our first destination: Ensenada. The first thing we see on the outskirts of the city is the famous wave of “San Miguel” (yes, waves can be famous, a weird concept you get used to if you hang out with beach bums). The waves look surprisingly good so we hop in for a short session before our check-in. Alex’s surfing mantra is: you never walk away from good waves.

With wet hair and salty skin we cruised into the city. Ensenada is the third biggest city in Baja California yet it doesn’t feel too big or overwhelming. For the next three days we strolled around town trying every flavor Ensenada has to offer.

June Gloom dooms Ensenada’s early summer, the marine stratus covers its skies and chills the temperature for days at a time.  A gray monotone light covered my images diffusing any harsh lights.

One of my favorite meals was at one of the food co-ops. Food co-ops in Baja are open spaces where different restaurants share communal table space. The concept is similar to a mall food court but with more character. I had an amazing vegetable ceviche from Peninsula that didn’t only taste good but looked quite pretty.

Here’s Daniel, chef of Peninsula: guilty of making a mean ceviche, with or without fish.

On the second afternoon we stopped by the Hotel del Pacifico Rivera. We got lost inside it’s huge empty rooms, spied on a class of tango dancers and drank a big Margarita. They claim that the famous drink was invented in their bar, as do many other restaurants in Baja. I don’t know if this is the original margarita, but I do know that they mastered the craft and they deliver it in a classical charming style.

Olives and other kinds of pickled foods line the side of the road on the way to “La Bufadora”. Yellows, greens, reds and oranges pile up on the shelves of the tiny improvised markets.

The drive to see “La Bufadora” is an amazing scenic route as pretty as the US 101. “La Bufadora” consists of a massive spout of water being thrown up in the air even when the ocean looks as still as a mirror.

At night, we tried different restaurants, ice cream places (that carry weird tasty flavors like balsamic vinegar strawberry) and coffee shops. Coffee shops abound in Ensenada. There are more than one per block and they are all packed. I am not a coffee drinker so I wouldn’t be able to tell you how good their beans are, but I do drink tea and the best tea shop in town was Camelia. They successfully decorated the space in a rustic/glam style. Their tea selection is impressive and they follow strict brewing times, tea pot selection, water temperature, storage and temperature conditions to guarantee a delightful tea taste.

Thanks for coming to Ensenada with me, I hope you enjoyed it!

Mucho Amor!

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