19-December-1992 about 7:30PM

At last the time is here. We leave today. This trip has been planned for over the last year and a half, if not more. It started as a long weekend, stretched to a week, then 16 days. The final plan is 10 days. The first and maybe second nights wíll be spent in a hotel. Everything else will be camping out. Initially, the party was Mario, Bibi, Diane and myself. A few weeks before the time arrived (actually more like a few months), Diane bowed out for personal reasons. It was decided that Bibi's nephew Danny would be asked to come along.

Norma, Danny's mom, would first have to be asked if he could attend. Danny is only 17, and Norma's a tad bit paranoid. Mario does some sweet-talking and gets permission. The party's back up to four.

The week before the trip was hectic. Last minute items, lots of work to finish at the office, Christmas gifts to obtain... Then mom and Michele called (the woke me up) to find out what I wantd for Chjstmas. They also wanted to tell me that they'll only be sending the package upon my return. I was relieved. That meant that I could do the same! With the exception of those on the trip, everyone else would have to wait. No problem.

I call Danny on Thursday to let him know I'm bringing a cassette player and he should bring tapes. He telle me he's sick and might not be going. Nice. He'll call Mario tomorrow to let him know. I speak with Mario that night and he ínforms me that Bibi's also sick. Great, a party going nowhere: leaving now. We both say that regardless of Bibi and Danny, we're still going.

Mario calls late Friday afternoon, Bibi and Danny are feeling better. Both will be going! Party time! A couple of hours pass and Marioo calls back: Danny has bowed out. No way he's goíng. Too sick.

Well, let's see if we can track down Mike, see if he wants to attend the festivities. I realize it's last minute notice, but it'd be nice if he came along. Leave a couple of messages for him, no retum call. Maybe he finally found his dream babe and is getting
better aquatinted.

I do laundy, pack most everything, go shopping for last minute items and start to do the dishes from last week when Mario and Bibi arrive. Both are tired so I try to hurry the dishes. No such luck. Week old food REALLY wants_ to be scrubbed hard!. No return calls, looks like a party of three.

Getting to the border is a huge task: finish packing, load the jeep, get some breakfast, remember forgotten items at home. Marioo and Bibi forgot to bring towels, I forget some food stuff. The others hit the market while I jump home to snatch the towels.

While there, I try Mike again. I'd at least like to wish hìm a merry Christmas. Gee, he's home. Tells me he tried calling several times last night. Yeah right. No, at least 5 times, but no one answered. Not even the machine. But I was here. Díaled 452-1329. OOPS. Wrong number. Prefix for work, suffix for home. Oh well. Merry Christmas and will talk with you before the new year. Yes, merry Christmas to you. Have a good trip.

Oh, one more thing: Gas! Fill up at the Arco Station and away we go. Down I-15, down I-163, down I-805. What's this? Bibi is next to me yelling at the top of her lungs. I can't hear a blessed thing. Let's pull over. We missed the turn off for the Mex-Insure place, she tells me. Oh. Mario leads. Around in circles we go to get back on the freeway heading north. Wrong exit. Back on the freeway again. Passed the correct exit. Off and turn around heading south again. Get off the right exit. Yeah! Boy do I have to pee. What a relief. Get the insurance and fishing license which is good for the whole year. Ready to go. Before leaving, I want to tie down the baking rack to the roll cage. This thing sways every which way when driving. Much better now.

There was only about a ten minute wait crossing into Mexico. The return side looked like an hour and a half. Through Tijuana, past Rosarito and into Ensanada. We need to exchange dollars for pesos. I now have three hundred eighty six thousand pesos (about $110.) On the road again. Through small town and lush valley's. (This is the rainy season.

Driving over this one mountain takes us into a valley which could only have been called heaven. Running streams, crops reaching for the sky, horses prancing over a meadow, beautiful maple tree stand, basically life at it's best. Here is a place to stay. Nah, too close to civilization. Over another mountain and the valley is past.

Through more towns and into San Vincente where we stop for gas, A simple full service station with smiling attendants. We take a slight break to see where we stand in the day's travels. A little over 3/4 of the way to the first destination: The Old Mill Hotel.

Traveling through another town, there's a small girl in the center of the road flagging people down. I follow Mario slowly. Now it's my turn to go by the girl. There are actually two of them, the one with the flag and another talking to a driver heading the
other direction. As she turns to face me, I know I'm caught. She smiles up at me, blinks huge brown eyes and shows me a donation can for charity. Nailed. I lower me head in defeat, shaking it from side to side. Reaching into my pocket I pull out some change and hand it to her. Gracious is her reply as she turns back the other way. Her partner has flagged down another car.

On to the town of San Quintan. Mario slows down and makes a right turn onto a dirt road. Where is he going?!? Gee, maybe I should read the sign that says Old Mill Hotel, 3 miles to the right, The end of the road reveals a small hotel. It feels nice.

We wander around a little before checking in. Nice, simple place. Check in is easy, Mario made reservations and paid for the rooms ín advance. Nice guy he is.

While waiting for the people in front or us to check in, the left wall proudly displays a letter written by a self-centered, spoiled bitch in 1975. She complains that the rooms are too small, there are no bathrooms in the rooms, there are no lights at night and there was no place to plug in her curling iron. This child has her priorities screwed up. What was meant to be a vey offensive letter is grandly displayed as a testament to the establishment.

The last thing manager tells us berore we go to the rooms is that there are no keys. No Keys to the rooms! Imagine that! I like this place more and more each moment spent here. My room reveals two twin beds, a dresser, closet and bathroom. Perfect. (I guess they added the bathroom sometime after 1975.) Mario and Bibi have one full size bed.

Wandering down to the shore line, we find a nice size bay with fishing and sailing boats waíting. The sun has just begun to slide below the horizon. We sit for a time and watch the sun's colors sparkle across the water.

Looking around where we sit, I see the beach: a 24' by 36' area of sand enclosed wíthin root high walls. (The walls make nice seats for us.) Cute, a beach front hotel. These people have humor.

Time for some margarits! Where's the bar? Follow Marioo, he knows. He seems to always know the way to Margaritavill. Two glaeses of the lime colored liquid later, we're back outside complaining for food stuffs. But we're stopped in our tracks, No
movement, not even a inch. The sunset is just reaching it's final glory. The clouds in the sky are lit up in pink, purple, lavender and other colors which escape my ability to name. Nice show. Good sunset. Eat now.

Oh what to have, There's a large selectíon of almost all sea food, Many with shrimp. Good, we like shrimp. There's one with garlic. Great I love garlic. It's called shrimp wíth wine garlic sauce. No problem.

Soup or salad? The soup of the day is clam and crab. Soup it is. This is delicious. Lots of cherry stone size clams. And two claws from a crab. Next comes the main meal. Bibi ordered a dish of lobster and linguini. Mario got grilled tuna. To put it simply, all three were outrageous! This resturant gets put on the best place list, Dinner is followed by a small piece of cheese cake. Good stuff. The cake melts away in your mouth. Perfect ending to a wonderful meal. I pick up the tab. Mario gets the tip. I'll most likely have to borrow money from him later on. But we'll worry about that when the time arrives.

A quick hop back to the room to drop off the processed food from the past day. Short bowl, my knees come up to my chest. Mexiico must have many small people. I'll manage.

A final walk around down by the harbor shows us the generator. They do have electricity. It's only turned on during certain hours. The harbor is clean and calm. The water reflects the waiting boats in the moon light. Tranquil scene. Tilting your head up shows the night sky. That which always ìmpressed me the most is that the space between the stars is filled with stars.