Sunday 16/12/2018.
My iPhone alarm was set for 4am, I knew this would be an unnecessary thing to do but I did it anyway.
Had I packed everything? Would I sleep through the alarm? Would the train leave on time? Would I arrive at the airport in good time? With so many things going through my head I didn’t sleep a wink. That was until about 10 minutes before the alarm went off, at which point I was sleeping like a baby.
The train did leave on time, I did arrive in good time to check in, I even had enough of a window to enjoy a much needed coffee.
Birmingham is my airport of choice; It’s one hour from home (by train) and small enough to facilitate a swift (well as swift as it can be these days) journey through security.
My Christmas location was going to take 6-days to get to; San Ignacio, in Baja California (Mexico). A journey that would take in Mexico City, Mexicali, Ensenada, Guerrero Negro, and finally San Ignacio.
As a result of frequent visits, I’ve managed to hone a fairly smooth route in the enormous city of Mexico. I can navigate the incredibly cheap metro station and I have found a good but cheap accommodation option in the form of Hotel Ibis. It is in a great location – close to the historic centre, and some reasonably good restaurants.
I enjoyed a days sight seeing in the city before catching a flight to Mexicali, a large metropolis with absolutely nothing to see. “Mexicali is what Tijuana must have been like before the tourist boom – gritty, even scary – and most tourists just head southward.” This is exactly what I did.
Next stage: Bus to Ensenada.
