Day 2: Hypothermia in California

The Roadtrip to Mexico Begins

February 10th

"Story #1 to tell our families back home!" Lana cheered amidst our giddy laughter. What a night. After descending into the city lights of San Diego yesterday evening, we had been happy enough just to find our motel. An ordeal including vanishing team members, an unsettling stroll and a doughnut shop followed, after which none of us was awake enough to notice the lack of heat in the room.

I woke up at 4:00AM, frozen too stiff to move. The others hadn't fared much better, for the morning found us laughing hysterically, sharing our misfortunes through chattering teeth in the little white-washed room.
"What a terrible night!," and "I think my nose is frozen!" were among the comments I heard.
But I was too stunned to reply. I could only point, mouth agape, to the large black heater unused on the wall above us.

And that was only the start of the day.

We went on to meet our team leader and join the rest of the team, a group from Minnesota. Then we all piled into the big, white YWAM van to begin the REAL adventure of the day, the beautiful drive down through Mexico.
Let me tell you about it...




A pelican comes in for a landing at the Marina,
which we explored before meeting the YWAM group

 At the airport we met Barry, our fearless leader with a big heart for missions. We climbed into the white van--our home for the rest of the day--and drove to the other side of the airport to pick up the others in the YWAM group. Thus the completed team, thirteen of us plus drivers, buckled in for the long drive south.

1:28PM: Now in the van...Lana and I are in the backseat by the windows. When the van moves, the left back panel (along the van's interior) rattles dramatically, and we bounce over bumps until the lapbelts just keep our heads from hitting the roof!

Within half an hour, we had crossed into Mexico. After driving through Tijuanna...

...we followed the pacific for an hour along a hillside road. Below us to the right, red-roofed town houses stretched to the ocean. Above us to the left, little herds of goats marched across the hillside farmland.



After an hour's drive Ensanada came into view, spread across the hills before us. As we entered the city, we were at first baffled to see the fleeting image of a parade float disappearing down the street beside us. Crowds of people filled the sidewalks, and trumpets sounded. Of course! Our missionary friends here, the Vandenhaaks, had mentioned that Carnival would be going on this weekend.

We drove down a narrow street, passing brightly painted, flat-roofed buildings and open-fronted diners. Glimpses of tents, vendors and carnival rides followed us all the way to Walmart, our next rest stop. The Vandenhaaks actually came to meet us in the Walmart parking lot! It was wonderful catching up with friends from home.

As we continued driving, the grass on the brown mountains gave way to sages, otherworldly succulents and tangled masses of cactus. All the while the sky began to dim.
Finally the van pulled up to a little taco stand in Vicente Gurrero, now under the stars. We unfurled ourselves from the van and walked into the stand, a three-walled diner with the front open to the street.
The menu tonight? Pollo and Carne taquitos with bottles of pop--including the Manzana Lift apple drink.

Even better than the good food was playing afterwards with the kids selling merchandise outside.
The string figures we showed them a hit! I bought a bracelet there, which one of the little girls who had befriended us tied onto my wrist.
Soon however the rest of the group came outside to the van, and we piled back in to drive the short remaining distance to the orphanage.