America Through My Eyes
Mexico Cruise (Part 5)
Telugu Original : Dr K.Geeta
English Translation: V.Vijaya Kumar
As planned, we booked a tour to explore Mexican territory the next day, stepping off the ship right on schedule.
Our ship docked around seven in the morning.
It reached “Ensenada,” a town in the “Baja California” territory bordering the southern part of America’s West Coast.
For cruise passengers visiting this part of Mexico, no visa is required.
Though we booked the “Taste of Mexico” food tour, we were delighted that city sightseeing was also included.
Due to the deep sea there, the ship docks directly alongside the shore. Stepping off, we were momentarily struck by the illusion that the shoreline was a massive building.
Right after disembarking, some locals in vibrant traditional costumes appeared before us like rainbows. You could pay them to take photos.
The exit path from the port winds through a shed-like building.
After crossing security lines inside, there were gift shops on both sides. Exiting through that doorway, it resembled an ordinary bus station.
Minibuses for tours were ready and waiting there. Even though we were about a kilometer away from the port, the ship remained visible in the distance.
Surrounding us was flat, barren red soil without a tree or bush in sight.
As the bus climbed onto the main highway, the differences between America and Mexico immediately began to unfold.
That was the gap between a supremely wealthy first-world nation and a third-world country where poverty struck everywhere you looked.
Actually, the town we disembarked in, Ensenada, is located on the Baja California peninsula, right on the US-Mexico border.
It’s a coastal desert region. Ensenada is the third-largest city in the state of Baja California.
75% of the state’s population lives in cities like the capital Tijuana and Ensenada.
As part of the Ensenada city tour, we saw the Riviera of Ensenada from the bus. It’s a historic casino, now converted into a museum. This is where the “Margarita Cocktail” was reportedly invented.
But the most important sight was the “Civic Plaza” (Plaza Cívica). Here, you can see large statues of Mexican heroes Benito Juarez, Venustiano Carranza, and Miguel Hidalgo, a huge Mexican flag, and monuments to Mexico’s martyrs. The unique feature is that only the heads of the heroes are enshrined here. This was the first stop on our tour.
The moment we stepped off the bus, two or three children appeared holding bundles of bead necklaces and bracelets, pestering us to buy them. Child labor like this, operating illegally, is never seen anywhere in America. Varu and Siri were scared by them. They shook them off and hurried after our guide.
Our tour guide briskly led us around, quickly explained everything, and within half an hour told us to look around and left.
In that roughly triangular park at the bustling junction, withered grass lay on the ground. Water pipes lying on the earth sprayed water trying to moisten it. Here and there, leaks had formed muddy puddles – exactly like in our India! We couldn’t help but laugh. A Hibiscus tree was in full bloom. Seeing me impulsively pluck a flower and tuck it into my hair made my kids laugh.
From there, we reached the actual destination of our “Taste of Mexico” tour around eleven o’clock.
From the outside, it looked like an old house. Inside, the hall resembled a Dhaba. Crossing it to the backyard, the tour staff had already laid out supplies and ingredients on tables just for us. Tomatoes, onions, garlic… Along with knives and cutters for chopping, they handed each person a hefty stone mortar too that made all of us jaw dropped!
*****
(to be continued)
A post graduate in English literature and language and in Economics. A few of my translations were published. I translated the poems of Dr. Andesri , Denchanala, Ayila Saida Chary and Urmila from Telugu to English. I write articles and reviews to magazines and news papers. To the field of poetry I am rather a new face.