Ensenada’s bandera monumental, or monumental flag- 165′ long x 92′ tall on a 338′ tall flagpole
Our intention was to use Ensenada as the place to check-in to Mexico, maybe stay for an extra day, and then shove off to head further down the Baja peninsula. We should have known better than to make a plan, because that ensured that we’d need to do something else.
Carving pieces off of the adobada spit for our tacos from El Regreso
Our first delay was caused by Ensenada itself – what a great town! Each city we visit has its own feel, and Ensenada feels like a very livable small city/large town. The harbor is fronted by a pedestrian walkway (El Paseo), and both on Saturday and Sunday it filled with many families with small kids and grandparents. The square at one end of El Paseo featured local live music most evenings. Everyone we met was very friendly and patient with our attempts at Spanish. The dominant theme about Mexico in the US news is drug-related violence; we felt safe at all times, even while walking around at night.
Ensenada’s lovely malecon, also known as El Paseo.
Our second delay was due to weather. In Southern California, katabatic winds known as Santa Anas tumble down the mountains and blow warm air from the desert out to sea. These winds can be very strong and keep the Coast Guard busy when they blow. The same mechanism drives similar winds in Ensenada – it’s called Viento de Santana, and they blew hard enough that Ensenada closed the port to recreational vessels for a couple of days.
The friendly guys at 240 Grill grilling up some more delicious food for us
No problem for us – that gave us an extra opportunity to catch up on some maintenance, and of course revisit a couple of our favorite restaurants, Taqueria El Regreso and 240 Grill.
