After spending a month in Takapuna, we thought long and hard about where to go next.  With the whole world to choose from, it was hard to make the decision. The original plan had been to settle down on a south pacific island for the next few months, but that wasn’t going to work since those islands didn’t have the community (or internet access) we were looking for.  While we both love Akumal, right now is the high season and everything is totally booked, so that was out. Both of us have been feeling the need to settle down, get more comfortable, be closer to friends and family, and have our “stuff,” so we thought, why not try Rosarito?  Yes, Rosarito, Mexico, as in just over the border from San Diego right next to Tijuana. We have been thinking about Rosarito as a possible new home, so we decided to use the next three months as a trial period. If we like it, maybe we’ll come back here in the late fall to start up a semi-permanent winter/spring residence here.

There were lots of condos for rent since there is not much tourism going on in this part of Mexico (you may have heard there is a little bit of a drug war going on in Tijuana).  While we are concerned about safety issues, before we arrived we spent hours reading and corresponding with both Americans and Mexicans that live in Rosarito, and we think that it’s not an issue that will affect us personally.  We’ve been here two weeks so far, and already we feel very safe. We avoid going to Tijuana, and are mainly staying around the south side of Rosarito, where there are plenty of shops and restaurants to keep up occupied for now.  I feel comfortable driving by myself (our beat-up truck is the perfect Baja car) and everyone we have met is nice and friendly and oh my god the food is so good (and cheap!).

And we love our condo in the Calafia Towers.  We have an amazing view, with dolphins and seals going by every day. Yesterday we also saw our first whale. Pretty neato. The community area here is also amazing–with beautiful walkways, six jacuzzis, two (freezing) pools, and of course, the beach.  The oceanfront gym is a huge plus (which of course Mark uses every day and I have even been known to set foot in), and there is a large lounge downstairs with pool tables, ping pong, fooz ball, etc.,  that we are already enjoying.

Mark and I are playing tennis together. So far I’ve been a big girl and haven’t pouted too much when I lose. He also discovered a left surf break called Popotla, which is just north of us, and it has a great little fishing village attached to it, which has great “autentico” seafood restaurants and taco shops.

The best part is that we are less than an hour away from San Diego (well, it’s a quick drive south, but the north-bound border wait can be hours). We plan to visit as much as possible. We surprised the Vargas/Jasner/Wilson clan a couple weeks ago, and it was great to see the family.  We headed up about a week ago for Mark’s birthday–golf at Torrey Pines and dinner in La Jolla with all our friends. Then back to Mexico the next day.

It’s a nice balance of mellow-Mexican life with US amenities and friends and family nearby….I think this might work for awhile!

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