#92 / 2009 Tour 4 Spring: Tecate, Mexico

TECATE, MEXICO

#92

Out of San Diego again on a Sunday morning and absolutely the warmest day we have experienced since last Novemeber, we headed south to Tecate, Mexico.

The time has really slipped up on us. We have a house sitting gig in Placitas, NM, this month and plans to go the Mexican beaches in Ensenada via Mexico Highway 3 now seem unrealistic. But we reconnoiter the area a little just to get some facts for a later trek. I'm concerned the cost of Mexican car insurance may be prohibitive.

We drove about 40 miles south of San Diego through spectacular country toward Tecate. The ride is a step back in time - this land of quaint old farms, fruit stands, orchards, and horse corrals looks like they were built back in the 1030s or even earlier. Most haven't been painted since and there is a weathered patina to everything. Nothing is brand spanking new or pristine, shabby chic I guess we'll call it.

We hit Tecate before noon and learn that Mexican insurance is only fifteen dollars a day and you can get three days for less than twenty five. Great news. The exchange rate is fourteen pesos to the dollar, more good news. We pay five dollars to park on the US side and walk across. I pulled out my passport only to realize it has expired. But the guards say my drivers license will be sufficient until June.

Tecate Mexico is great. I checked out the roadways to get to Ensenada and learned it was just seventy something miles away, More good news. We could drive there in a few hours.

Tecate Brewery was closed on Sunday so we missed out on that. Apparently you can go sit in the pleasantly shaded beer garden on week days and Saturday and they will treat you to a free beer - one. There aren't any factory tours unless you make special arrangements. So we didn't miss out on much there.

We're feeling rich so we headed to the busy town plaza full of musicians and outdoor restaurants. I even saw a sign for a sushi bar. For out twenty dollars Joe had a steak dinner, I had fish, we had soup, salad, and four beers. We gave her all we the pesos we had for our twenty dollars so that included a generous tip for our beautiful and friendly waitress as well.

I especially enjoyed seeing the children. A strolling band featured a small little drummer about eight years old. He keep time for the adult males on guitars and guitaroon, one of which I am sure was his dad or big brother.

Young girls carried their smaller siblings, old folks visited and laughed together as the children swarmed the feet. It was a beautiful day, warm and sunny.

We are really pleased with this investigation and find Tecate to be the best entrance for us to Mexico so we can avoid Tijuana. In a happy beer buzz we go back to the van mid afternoon and decide to urban camp in the parking lot and take advantage of a five dollar overnight stay. It worked out great.

We were sandwiched between a cement mixer, a school bus, a truck and trailer rig, and a wrecked car. After dark we didn't want to be conspicuous so we used our new head lamps. Most of the Slabbers had these lights that you strap around your head like old miners lamps. We were able to read to our hearts content and no one was the wiser that we were there. We dug a hole along the fence and discreetly emtied our bucket by the light of the moon. Next morning we headed for Quartzsite, AZ.