Baja Bound 2023 (Part 21)

This entry is part 21 of 23 in the series Baja Bound 2023

April 25, 2023

By Simon J. Lau

Today, I left Ensenada and arrived in Tecate. Riding in, there was a lot of moisture in the air. It wasn’t rain, per se, but this was the closest to rain I’ve experienced in Baja. Since my spill at the water crossing in Loreto, I made sure to take my time.

This whole month I’ve been fortunate and granted early check-in at all of my hotels (as early as 9 AM). Today, my luck ran out. I was denied early check-in! That’s fine, I found a better hotel that was closer to the city center. It’s not pretty, but it has good water pressure, and it’s only $26 USD!

The only problem was that there wasn’t any off-street parking. However, in practical Mexican fashion, the manager let me park Wilbur behind the hotel gate downstairs. Now he’s not far from the Tecate sign! (The hotel is on the same block as the park and sign.)

One thing Tecate is famous for is pan dulce, a type of bread pastry. The most well-known shop is Panaderia La Esmeralda, which I visited. When I asked a worker for his recommendation, he ran to get this cream pastry. It was a bit too rich for me, but I can see the appeal.

For lunch, I had soft tacos (always so good!), but changed things up for dinner. I tried pho at this Vietnamese restaurant. Unfortunately, it was terrible. When I get back to San Francisco, I’ll treat myself to a proper pho meal. For now, I prepare to cross back into ‘Murica tomorrow! 🇺🇸

Finally, my route from Ensenada to Tecate (109 km or 68 miles).