On our very first (and very long) road trip, we made it all the way from Vancouver, BC to the Mexico border. Literally, we went to the border beach and saw the fence and may have been yelled at by the border guards over a loud speakerphone for getting too close. Oops! But that was over a year ago, and this time when we visited San Diego we had our hearts set on actually visiting Mexico and Baja California.

A lot of people had told us not to go to Tijuana (does anyone else remember that episode from The OC??) but we were intrigued. We made the trip down with Adam + Bryan, and the first stop we made was at a Radioshack to get a new memory card. No, really, we didn't stop until then. Turns out that when you cross the Mexico border, you actually don't have to stop at the border, or wait in line, or talk to anyone and show your passport. You just drive right on through!

We ended up bypassing Tijuana (until we went home and Elaine had to drive through Tijuana at night, without cell reception, in the dark...) and headed for the coast instead. It's an amazing view the entire way, and the perfect highway to cruise along. Make sure you have cash for the tolls though!

We got the local scoop on where to go and what to do, and our first stop was Puerto Nuevo, a small town known for lobster, lobster, lobster. There's a ton of places that advertise lobster, and after walking around a bit, we randomly settled on "La Casa del Pescador". Thankfully it was the right decision, as the place was filled with both locals, lobster, and cold margaritas.

Three of us ordered the "medium" lobster (the smallest size), which resulted in 9 half lobsters at our table. NINE! It was the most delightful accident and we were all in a bit of seafood heaven.

There's just something about Mexico that makes everything magical.

We continued driving down the coast for a while towards Ensenada, and turned inland for a bit - but that's another adventure to be shared soon. We wanted to hit the coast again for sunset, and started heading north as we watched the colours fade into the sky.

Adam was driving, and he spotted an moji-like sign that seemed to say "pull over here." It led to an abandoned viewpoint which was something out of a Grecian novel, and we all savoured the beautiful light and company before heading back to the USA.

Oh, and on that note...we may have been detained at the border on our way back. Thankfully we had stocked up on churros while we were in line! The border is basically like a marketplace for Mexican blankets, souvenirs, snacks, and a bunch of other things you never knew you wanted.

P.S. Never bring an orange into California ;)

Baja California Girls