Bus ride

Lucky lucky girl once again!

To have such an amazing, supportive, loving, family of artists around me that want me to participate in their projects.

I give you Jason Vanderford's master piece and a project that I was honored to be part off, please enjoy my inspiration for this day:

Check out the full magic and where to see this amazing act here The Americano Social Club headed by the ever fearless Michael Zisman.

First day in Ensenada

My first day in Ensenada and this wasn't my transportation here but I wish it was!

I am such a sucker! Yes it is a real baby tiger, the photos are at a "donation" value that goes to the wild cat sanctuary in Mexico City. Keeping my fingers crossed that it's legitimate! 

                                              This flag is larger than my SF apartment.

                               
                                                                     Best shop ever!

Soy I thought about you with these, so cute!

Enough said.

                                   Uh-oh watch out 5&Diamond I found your next design.

                   
                                                       Soup of the day everyday!

                                               Never buy your zebra's in Mexico!

luchadores! 

                                                                      Fish Market!

um yeah....

                                                         Ending with a little romance!

Waking up in Ensenada to my noisy neighbors across the street. At 6am they decided to play banda music at a 10, because god knows funky furniture is best sold to a beat, nothing makes me want to buy a used office chair the way banda does. Oh and the dogs, the dogs love to bark and fight in the night, and they are drawn to my spirit as an animal lover so they do it right under my window. I didn't mind so much last night because I was having awful dreams.

You see the thing with travel is that it is unpredictable, so why bother planning, I mean I'm not much of a planner anyway and there is a good reason why. I plan to leave Mexicali around 3, and the bus is supposed to take 3.5 hours, but the "bus leaves every hour" isn't true so I camp out at the station for 2 hours before I even see the bus, that is of course running late, and then it takes more like 5 hours till we finally reach Ensenada. I know these things, they don't bother me. I find a taxi, I fake my way through my español and I arrive at my destination. By this time things are shut down except for the gas station and the Oxxo (Americans imagine 7-11 here) so I can either starve or take my hungry ass out to forage. I end up with the healthy selection of Tecate, fritos, and bananas (yeah me). I get back, talk the ear off of my poor hostel worker Jesus, FB a bit and read myself to sleep.

I new the dreams had a chance to be crazy but man what a non-restful ride that was, so hence the dogs and the banda were a welcome reprise, almost like a snooze button to the nightmares, but every time I drifted back to sleep they were there.

These are my noisy neighbors.

But like I said I am safe and happy sipping my coffee and gearing up to explore.

The sun is trying to set on us but we are driving straight into it, soaking up as much as we can. Extending our minutes as the lumbering bus picks up its pace.

Todays inspiration

I'm packing my bag and getting ready to take my first bus. Mexicali was a success and such great fun but I am ready to see what else lies in Mexico.

One of my very favorite musicians, who happens to be a Mission local, is putting out a new album in a few weeks and I'm really excited for some new music.

Here's a review of the album, you should definitely check it out along with his entire collection, they are all excellent!

Below is a music video of hi, giving me that dance around the room while packing giddiness. 

my next event!

I'll be taking a few weeks off after an AMAZING  start to my trip!
However I can't wait for this lovely event in this super magical place:

http://www.facebook.com/events/424843467568636/

I can't seem to post the full event because I'm a dork, but please click on the link and check it out!

Alejandra!

Day at the mercado

 

Day 2

The weather is mucho mucho calor, but the house and the beer is fresca and I am trying to plunge deep into my uncomfortable zone and speak spanish with the vocabulary of a 2 year old. Luckily I haven't needed to use my words yet, and those around me are kind and helpful as I butcher their language.

I'm really excited to learn and am hoping to have a decent grasp on it once the year is over.

Two days have been spent in Alejandra's beautiful studio, she took the photo above. It is really a lovely place full of bright colors, large mirrors, and lovely images. The tile floor feels cool  against my bare feet and there is something magical in the rush and slide of my feet against hard stone as I turn.

The collection of ladies here is small but their interest is keen and they are very serious dancers. We started the basics yesterday and are building from there. They are so self conscious about themselves and the movements, and me staring at them, and Alejandra staring at them...but they are beginning to feel it, starting to dance together. It's such a magical thing to watch a student connect the dots, and oh!

I watched the Simpsons in spanish today and Alejandra's husband Carlos helped me with my pronunciation and some spanish questions. I think I should spend all my time learning spanish via the Simpsons....

Tomorrow I am being taken out to run around Mexicali proper during the day and Alejandra's mom is cooking us a traditional Mexican meal. It seems like Mexicali is more like America in the fact that the cultures are so mixed that they don't seem to have much of their own culture to share! There was a long discussion by the ladies in class tonight where I should be taken and shown tomorrow and where I should be feed at. The suspense is killing me but I'll keep you all informed.

I'm going to go watch Braveheart in Spanish now with the family, oh and oddly enough Mexicali is known for its Chinese food, what a wild world we live in

Adventure is out there!

On August 19th 2012, I woke as I usually do, crusty eyed and surly on the couch of a friend in some place other than my home. I have once again stayed up just a bit to late talking and drinking and doing what we should all be doing, enjoying life and the hospitality of my momentary companions.

At this point in my trip I had left the glow of the ladies of Woodlands CA and was safe in the hands of the infamous Sooz.

It seems we were both late risers but having been dosed with coffee so strong it would make a Turkish man weep it was somewhat pain free to start our day and my journey out of the USA. We had it all planned out, this day would work like clockwork! 

That's when it all began. 10 Mins before we ran out the door I remembered that I forgot to call my credit card company and my bank and let them know I would be hitting foreign soil, oops! I had thrown my phone into the mail the previous day and felt adrift with out the comfort of my cellular blankie but I somehow mustered the strength to use a land line (%$@%@ who still has a landline???) and even amused myself in my lack of dexterity in maneuvering through the handsets buttons...buttons? 

Places were close, places were open, I got upsold and then 40 mins later I was done. Lightning packing produced heavy bags that were schlepped and I prayed to the powers that be to send me such schleppers all along the way, my main bag has somehow gained weight and is hovering at the 45-50lbs range, and thats only one of my two bags!

Finally in the car. Bug spray and batteries! 

In the car again.

Fearless driver seen below:

It's hot outside, and I mean a hot that no San Franciscan can understand. It's a hot that you can't deny and you just have to open up accept and let it have its way with you. Well unless you have AC then you're set, until this happens to you.

It's a bird! It's a plane! It's a ....

^#$^#%&%$#&

I think Sooz and I are the happiest flat tire acquirers that you could ever meet. 

We laughed, we sweated and we were RESCUED! These nice men were sweet and helpful and full of tips.

I began to think of Ben seen on the left as a second father, he told us "don't you dare drive to Mexacali on this donut" (we were almost to La Mesa several hours away from Mexicali)

He asked where we were going and he said, "Only place hotter than Hell is Mexicali" and as far as I can say he was right!

He also told us to bring lots and lots of water because if we got one flat we would probably get another, and he told us Mexicali has great Chinese food! Who knew!

After that we were more than happy to land in La Mesa, back to my family. They sympathized with us, found us a place to get the tire changes and made us lunch! My Poppo put some veggie burgers on the grill. 

This man (seen below) is the most adorable man ever, he's my 92 year old grandfather and I love him so much! His friend Louise is over and it was her 95th birthday!

 After resting, rehydrating, and refueling we are off again through the desert.

I love the desert, it's so scruffy. I hate seeing all the border patrol cars, lame lame lame.

 And soon we are getting near. Here, on the border, cell phones are a funny thing...I can't help but think it's all about capitalism and the USA's negative view on our Southern neighbors. For whatever reason calling over the boarder via cell phone is a tricky thing...Alejandra can call us but we can't seem to call her. So we rely on the power of FB to let her know we are near and need her to call us.

 The gangster hotel is our chosen rendezvous point but somehow we miss each other! Like two ships passing and passing in the night we miss each other over and over again. Despite the brown hair there is no disguising that yes I am white, and you would think so close to the border it wouldn't be such a shock but to some it is.

I don't mind, and in a way I find it comforting, that's right I'm not home, my Spanish sucks, I have a bag the same size/weight of a child strapped to my back and another to my front.
Who the hell knows where I'm really going after this, I sure don't, and all of this is invigorating.

 After some time we collide with my lovely host Alejandra and are lead to her house.

And alls well that ends well in the not so distant city of Mexicali Mexico.