All Good Things Come To An End

We docked in Ensenada today at 1 o'clock. Boy has it changed since we last
visited. They have added a pier for a second ship and a nice little
shopping center at the pier.

Since the Carnival Paradise was in the spot we were in last time we came
here, our ship docked at the new section of the pier.

After disembarking the ship, we walked into town along the Malicon. Ladies
with little children, dirty and well worn, met us along the way trying to
get us to buy gum, dolls, whistles, and necklaces. Working on our
sympathies, I told my wife they probably aren't what they seemed to be. But
it worked. I gave a little girl a couple of bucks for two pieces of gum. I
am always a sucker for little kids.

We found the fish market on our way into town. It was stinky and dirty, but
fascinating. One of my favorite things to photograph are the vegetable and
fish markets. We saw some of the ugliest fish meet I have ever seen. I am
sure that even though it would never make it into one of our supermarkets
back home, some poor families in this part of Mexico will more than enjoy
it as their dinner.

Ensenada has changed too. It seemed cleaner to us.

While wandering around we found one of our favorite spots--the panaderia--
the bread bakery. We walked around inside with tray and tongs in hand
picking out our favorite Mexican cookies and sweet breads. My wife was
disappointed that they didn't have any Tres Leches.

We ate a fashionably late lunch (3 o'clock) at El Charro, a restaurant
advertising organic chickens that rotated in a spit oven inside the window
front. Right beside the chickens a couple of ladies flattened balls of
dough into tortillas and flopped them onto a hot a grill to cook.

I ordered the chicken mole accompanied by those fresh hot tortillas. The
sauce was heavenly. It was a deep chocolate color with a wonderfully rich
sweet taste. The sauce was thick and seemed to make its way onto anything I
got close to it. Mouth, fingers, back of hand, lips... it was everywhere.

It was divine.

The food was great and the decor fabulous. I just wish that the Mariachis
wouldn't come around every five minutes to see if we want them to play a
song for us--for a fee of course.

We shopped a while after eating and walked of our lunch on the way back to
the ship. It was a great day. Too bad it had to end.

And now we are in our stateroom. Bags packed and in the hallway ready to be
taken down to the holding area for our disembarkation tomorrow morning.

Bummer.

Another fabulous cruise. Can't wait to see where the next one takes us.