Ensenada review (Ensenada)

Member Name: donruk

Product:	Ensenada
Date:	25/05/02 (1674 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Good fishing, Good tacos, Many bars and night clubs

Disadvantages: Ensenada does not have a real deep history, Tijuana has more to offer, and more things to do

The port city of Ensenada, which is one hour and a half from Tijuana, and two hours from the U.S border is located in the northern part of the Mexican state of Baja California. Ensenada is not far from the U.S border, and attracts many American tourists for day, or weekend trips. Ensenada is also popular for it's good fishing, and is known as the Yellow Tail capital of the world. Robert Louis wrote part of the famous Treasure Island in the port of Ensenada. The weather is much like the weather in southern California, and english is known by many of the locals.

Getting There:

Many touists visit Ensenada by cruise ships, and are dropped off at the port. So if you are interested in a north Baja cruise vacation, you might want to look into a travel agency. If you are in southern California, it is veary easy to visit Ensenada, as it would not be a long distance trip. The first thing that you would want to do is drive to the U.S/Mexican border. Next walk across the border by bridge into Tijuana. There is a small Tijuana bus station just a couple of blocks into Mexico, and you could walk there easily. If you don't know where the bus station is, then ask the locals or read the signs(many of them are in english). When you get to the bus station get the tickets for Ensenada. The bus ride will last for about an hour and a half. The buses are of good quality and consist of t.v's, radios, and sometimes bathrooms. The first part of your journey will take you through Tijuana, and the poor shanty towns that form the outer circles of Tijuana. Most of your journey will be taken along the coast, where you will see many resorts and high quality hotels, and other touist friendly activities. After about an hour of hotels and resorts along the coast, you will arrive in Ensenada. If you are planning to go any further, you will need a passport, as Ensenada is the last destination a touist can visit without a passport.

Thing
s To Do:

You can find many night clubs and bars in Ensenada. The main tourist shopping centers is Avenida Lopez Mateos, Avenida Ruiz, and Calle 11. For those that like wine, Ensenada is a major wine center in the region. There are winery tours every day, other than Monday at Bodegas De Santo Tomas. There is also an off-road race every november in Ensenada. Closer to the ocean, you will find some nice hotels, and about three statues of Ensenada's political heros. There are horse and cart rides along the main ave., where you can have a tour of the city while a local guide explains things. There is a large Mexican navy base along this street. You can also take a boat ride through the ocean and you might spot some sea lions. If you are hungry, there is plenty of seafood in Ensenada, and you will find some seafood markets also. Ensenada also has some great tacos, so you might want to try them. In Ensenada the restaurants use pretty ladies to entice touists to eat at their place.

My Experiance:

I have been to Ensenada two times. The first time that I went, I went to see the city. The first thing that I noticed was that Ensenada does not suffer as much from poverty as Tijuana does. Ensenada also feels more safe than Tijuana, though it is not Mexico's safest city. You will notice that Ensenada while still a big city, is alot more calm, and toned down than Tijuana, as Ensenada has a more relaxed atmosphere. You will still find more bars and night clubs in Ensenada than in most other Mexican cities, though not as much as in Tijuana. Ensenada like Tijuana is a fairly new city by Mexican standards, so you will not find any old Spanish colonial architecture, or magestic churches here. The architecture in Ensenada is much like Tijuana's, but less run-down. Some of the houses in Ensenada are more Americanized in design than houses in main land Mexico. I enjoyed my stay in Ensenada, though I did not recieve as much of
a culture shock in Ensenada as I do in Tijuana. Since Ensenada is closer to the American border, it's main income is tourism, so as a result you will find a good deal of things to do. But like Tijuana, many Americans come here to drink or go clubing.
The second time I visited Ensenada I went more inland and away from the beach, because I was doing a project with the church. More inland it is less touristy, but it is still nice. There are alot of stores to shop at in the area. I spent most of my second trip to Ensenada building a church in the Ensenada out-skirts, a much different side of Ensenada than is seen by most tourists.

Conclusion:

I reccomend Ensenada for those who are in the area, it has good fishing, tourist friendly attractions, and is ideal for those who want to go a little futher south but don't have a passport. Ensenada has the northern Baja culture, and is quite different than the cities of the Mexican main-land. Since Baja California is seperated by ocean from the Mexican mainland, Baja has developed it's own culture.

Summary: