A while ago, while in San Diego, California, a group of friends and I decided to hop in the car and drive over to Mexico. The fact that we were close enough to Mexico to just drive over the border, was too great for me to even wrap my head around. Needless to say, I was hyped. This was my second major travel destination, and I never thought I’d set my eyes on Mexico in person.
Crossing the border was an experience. Our phones instantly lost service. Thank God I had T-Mobile at the time and could still use GPS and text. My friends and I found ourselves venturing further into Mexico, and soon we reached Tijuana.
We finally reached this amazing beach, forgive me for not knowing the name of it. It was quite rustic, with jagged rocks and stiff sands. Although it wasn’t like the average California beach, it was still breathtaking. The breeze of the ocean and the perfect weather made me want to stay forever.
Let me say this, four black queens roaming through the streets of Mexico, definitely drew attention. I remember going to this little taco spot in Tijuana, and I was so excited to try authentic tacos. After serving us our food, the staff just stood behind the bar and stared at us. We laughed it off because we all knew we looked out of place. I noticed that we were served bottled water, and a friend explained that the water wasn’t safe for drinking. The water is purified at the source, but the distribution system could allow water to be contaminated in route to the tap.
After visiting a few more places in the area and driving down random streets snapping photos, it was time to cross back over the border. Leaving Mexico was much more of an experience than arriving. The people of Mexico are straight hustlers. We waited in a long line of cars while exiting Mexico, and this is where I experienced the true definition of entrepreneurship. Car to car, they were selling hats, purses, churros, fruit, and everything in between. We left Mexico with about fifteen churros. LOL!
This was another destination that fueled my passion for travel. This was the moment I knew that my life wouldn’t be complete without it. Experiencing the culture, authenticity, and hustle among the people of Mexico gave me so much more of an experience than just sight-seeing. I was able to see how other people lived, and that’s always the highlight of any trip I take.
Mexico, I’ll see you again.
