#18 Leaving Ensenada

Finding Mary busy with library matters, I shared my first on-shore adventure with Alden, a member of the SAS faculty whose travel writing classes overflow with budding Bill Brysons. Exploring Ensenada, we kept an eye on Alden's watch. Without my cell phone, I live in a world with no time and watching the ship sail away without us would spoil our day. I need to get a watch. Breakfast and lunch with a special dessert-only stop for flan…that was our take on the touristy town of Ensenada. We rated the local flan a solid 5 on the international flan 10 scale.

Avoiding the Viagra shops, persistent street vendors, seafood carts, and hopefully hepatitis, we arrived back at the ship with 30 minutes to spare, cleared security, and climbed the gangway smiling. While we were out, all the students arrived. They tell me the bus system shuttling students from San Diego to Ensenada worked OK. The Semester At Sea staff put a lot of effort into making it work. Sadly, those staff not directly involved in the rest of the voyage left the ship in Ensenada, waving good-bye from the dock as a single tug pushed us away toward Hawaii.

Yours in waving adios to Mexico,
Kelly

#17 Welcome to Ensenada

Shortly after sunrise, we pulled alongside the dock in Ensenada, Mexico, on this quiet Sunday morning. Mary and Captain Roman Krstanovic from Dubrovnic, Croatia, oversaw the docking operations.

A few locals milled around the passenger terminal where later today, 20 busloads of students are scheduled to arrive at regular intervals to board our ship to begin their Semester At Sea. By day’s end, we’ll have a full ship. With much to do to prepare the library for the start of classes Tuesday, Mary will work today and I’ll explore Ensenada with a goal to make it back on ship for our departure at 1700 hours.

Yours in Mexico,
Kelly