BALBOA PARK, RAIL MUSEUM AND MT SOLEDAD - SAN DIEGO STAY

Our first son stays in San Diego, California, as my husband and I visit him and his family often, we have seen the charming city during our visits and love it. San Diego is a city on the Pacific coast of California and is known for its beaches, parks and warm climate, in early 1970s it was coined America's finest city a name which it still carries.

It is an attractive choice for retirees because of its year-round warm climate, accessible healthcare and a wide array of living options though it is more costly than many other cities in US.

My dear hubby was very much tempted to stay back in San Diego but I solemnly reminded him that it is quite difficult to obtain a green card in US at this stage of our lives and also that we had our second son residing in India.

The city has approximately 200 deep canyons and hills separating its mesas, it is quite surprising to see huge communities and shops bustling with activity and then suddenly hilly areas which are completely isolated as San Diegans from the beginning have been building their homes and businesses on the mesas, leaving the canyons and hills relatively free, thereby creating a very green un- touched look. 

Our sightseeing trips were short ones as our son was busy with his job ,however he took time out to show us the city and some of its interesting neighborhood.

Our visit to Balboa Park was on a holiday, we found that it was a big cultural oasis with 17 museums, lush green gardens and lakes and extended for huge 1,200 acres.

It was in 1868 that 1,400 acres of a scrub-filled area was kept aside for a park which was a historical moment and a daring step as San Diego was home to only 2,300 residents then, obviously its leaders had the excellent vision and desire to create an iconic park that would serve its citizens and its visitors for years to come.

In 1870, the state legislature passed a law stating that the lands would be held in trust for a park forever.

In 1892, local horticulturist and botanist Kate Sessions leased 36 acres for a nursery which was opened to the public and she donated different varieties of native and exotic plants to the city every year for its beautification, she is known as "the mother of Balboa Park”.

In 1910 the park was named after the Spanish explorer Vasco Nunez de Balboa, the first European to cross Central America and see the Pacific Ocean.

As we went around, we saw that the buildings were beautiful and many had the Spanish Colonial-revival style, apparently the park’s highly ornamental style was the first of its kind in the United States.

In 1935 additional structures and landscaping were added to the park, like the Old Globe Theatre, International Cottages, and Spanish Village, which are still in use today.

As it was a warm day and a holiday, Balboa Park was teeming with tourists, there were parades going on, marriage photo shoots taking place, there was no single idle moment, we were totally immersed in the festivities going on around us ,in fact it was with great difficulty that we dragged away our grandson who refused to budge from that place.

It was a delight to see the San Diego Zoo which was very near the park with our bubbly grandson, it is a large one 100 acres in size ,it had a wide variety of animals ranging from the common ones to polar bears, koalas and African penguins, the nonprofit San Diego Zoo is home to more than 12,000 rare and endangered animals. 

We especially enjoyed the guided, double-decker bus tour which gave us a good overview of the animals and the zoo's conservation efforts, there was a Basecamp which included a two-story, butterfly-filled greenhouse, there were plenty of play areas created from natural resources naturally very enticing to the kids who were playing with gay abandon ,our grandson wanted to adopt a baby monkey and get it home to play ,we told him that one monkey at home was enough for us to handle, LOL ! 

We then visited the San Diego Model Railroad Museum located on the lower level of the Casa de Balboa Building on the Prado in Balboa Park.  It is a model railroad exhibit, extending for 27,000 sq. ft, it is the largest indoor exhibit in North America and one of the largest in the world. 

Records state that nearly three million people have visited the museum since it opened in 1982.

Model railroading in Balboa Park began in 1935 and San Diego Model Railroad Museum opened in 1982 with a mission to "preserve the heritage of railroading through a series of miniature representations of California railroads, research and preserve the history of model railroading, and educate the public in the many different aspects of railroading."

The museum is home to some of the largest layouts with a freelance representation of a route from San Diego to Sacramento and Pacific Desert Lines with San Diego & Arizona Eastern Railway line from San Diego Union Station eastward through Carrizo Gorge to the desert floor at El Centro.

Tehachapi Pass is a two-level layout representing the joint Southern Pacific / Santa Fe railroad from Bakersfield to Mojave, California, of the 1950s, including the Tehachapi Loop. The model is unique for its size and geographic fidelity. 

Toy Train Gallery is a 42 by 44 - foot permanent layout that has four separate main lines, realistic scenery and many operating accessories. Club members control the trains with modern remote- control systems, they were very patiently explaining to the tourists about the museum.

The model railroads were built and are maintained by four local railroad clubs, which exhibit their respective displays as nonprofit organizations.

This gallery features operating toy trains of "Lionel type", a collection of rare Lionel and American Flyer cars from the 1920s to the 1950s, and modern toy trains with an interactive kid’s layout where children of all ages can push a button to run a train, I could see that the kids were overjoyed to do the running of the train.

Every little detail was looked into and adults and children alike enjoyed the museum, I also liked a very old vintage model of a telephone.

The museum has a specialized library related to both model railroading and real railroads with a collection of books, magazines, VHS tapes, blueprints and other materials for research, unfortunately we could not go through it due to lack of time.

Our next visit another day was to the 823 feet tall Mt Soledad known for its spectacular views of San Diego County.

Mount Soledad is a prominent landmark in the city of San Diego. The mountaintop is the site of the Mount Soledad Cross, the subject of a 25-year controversy over the involvement of religion in government land which concluded in 2016 as the Mt. Soledad Memorial Association bought the half-acre of land under the cross from the Department of Defense for $1.4 million, thus putting an end to all the controversies.

The 360-degree views from the top of Mt. Soledad were spectacular as it was luckily a clear day and we could see all the way down to the Coast, on South side we could see Mexico, on North to Oceanside and Looking East was the Sprawling San Diego area. To the west was the vast Pacific, I fell deeply in love with the ocean, its myriad colors and shades, its waves and its seemingly calm surface.

There were plaques honoring veterans who have served the country. Regardless of service or of religion Veterans are honored here. The plaques even had a picture of the member being honored, it was heart wrenching to see among them young faces too who had fought for the country and lost their lives at an young age.

There were several radio and television transmitters located on the summit. Commercial aircraft approaching San Diego from the direction of Los Angeles often use Mount Soledad as their point to start the downwind leg of their approach to San Diego International Airport.

Mount Soledad is the location of the last home lived in by Dr. Seuss the famous cartoonist. His widow, Audrey Geisel, resided atop Mount Soledad in a lavish home, which includes an observation tower referred to as the Seuss house by the locals, until her death in 2018.

As we were driving uphill which was indeed quite steep, we saw many cyclists coming laboriously up the slopes and we admired their fitness and zeal, some people could be seen trekking down the trails. There are numerous routes ranging from the relatively gradual, 3.5-mile climb up Soledad Mountain Road on the southern slopes to the very steep and short, 1.25-mile Hidden Valley Road to Via Capri route on the north side.

We came back home with our bodies energized by the fresh pure air and hearts overcast by the sacrifices done by the veterans.

OUR EXHAUSTING BUT INTERESTING DAY IN MEXICO

Our first son stays in San Diego California, U.S.A and despite multiple trips to San Diego we were not able to go to Mexico whose border was within a stone's throw.

Finally, in September 2023 we could make a trip to Tijuana, a city in Mexico less than 20 miles from San Diego

Tijuana is the gateway to the tourist corridor of Baja California spelled Bah hah California. Recognized as one of the world's most visited cities, with more than 40 million border crossings each year, Tijuana is an energetic hub of activity day and night.

For a day tour to Tijuana from San Diego, May through September is the most popular time to visit. The weather is warm and there is a minimal chance of rain.

We chose to take a day tour conducted by West, we were asked to get our passports, wear comfortable shoes and a hat and bring along a good appetite too! as we would be fed the whole day yummy Mexican food. 

We were dropped at the outlets by Nikhil where we met West and were introduced to 2 young pretty ladies from Poland who work in pharmaceutical industry there, they would be our co passengers for that day.

We were taken to the border area where we filled the forms for Mexico visitor’s permit, our handbags and passports screened and pronto we had crossed the border and entered Mexico

.It is surprising that a few steps can alter one’s surroundings so dramatically. The entire atmosphere of Mexico looked electrifying, the main streets were bustling with activity, there was vivid graffiti on the walls, Bienvenido a Mexico! would be the persistent mantra for us that day which meant welcome to Mexico!

We had a glimpse of the dome shaped Tijuana Cultural Center, which is the city icon, with its striking architecture standing out among the other Tijuana buildings. Inside an exhibition about Baja California, an aquarium and a botanical garden can be seen. There are also several international art exhibitions held each year. 

We also saw from a distance the scissors like structure A La Raza monument erected in honor of freedom fighters

We were first taken by West to Mercado Hidalgo local market, it is a wonderful destination if one wants a taste of local shopping, I was reminded of our Begum Bazaar and General Bazaar in Hyderabad, India, it was filled with exotic fresh and packaged goods, a wide assortment of pottery, chalk ware, pinatas and candies.

We had breakfast comprising of Tamales a traditional Mexican dish made with a corn- based dough mixture filled with various meats or beans and cheese, West asked our preference of meat which was chicken.

Our tamales were wrapped and cooked in corn husks and banana leaves, but they were removed from the husks before being served.

We got them served with pico de gallo a popular Mexican salsa traditionally made with tomato and onion, with fresh cilantro and a generous squeeze of lime juice on top along with guacamole and rice, Guacamole is an avocado-based dip, spread, or salad first developed in Mexico. In addition to its use in modern Mexican cuisine, it has become part of international cuisine as a dip, condiment and salad ingredient.

We strolled through all the stalls, I was astounded at the wide variety of chillies of various sizes and colors, vegetables and fruits were also very varied, as it was hot we had  coconut water which was  deliciously sweet and across the stall we saw a woman skillfully remove the thorns from a prickly cactus - a local delicacy.

The restrooms were clean, we had to pay 3 pesos to use them, we had changed a small currency to pesos luckily, however dollars are accepted in the shops.  

There were very attractive Cartoneria or papier-mache three dimensional sculptures a traditional handcraft in Mexico. 

The paper and cardboard used is mostly wastepaper, such as old newspapers and boxes, with decorative elements. Most shapes are created with molds, then painted with acrylics.

Most of the production since colonial times has followed the annual calendar of religious and civic events, like figures of horses with wheels for Epiphany, figures of Judas to burn for Holy Saturday, parrots for May and clowns for June, traditional figures include ponies, clowns and dolls with movable legs and arms.

The shops had many colorful pinata containers, mostly made of papier-mâché, pottery, or cloth, these are decorated, filled with candy and then broken as part of a celebration and are commonly associated with Mexico.

They are most traditional for the Christmas season, pinata came to Mexico from Europe during the colonial period, although the practice of breaking a container with treats inside originated in Asia.

We saw everywhere tissue paper streamers hung over in the streets called Papel Picaldo giving a very festive look 

West led us to a candy shop and treated us to  tasty cheese and colorful candy which was blended with chilli , the taste was good though different , most Mexicans like their candy blended with chilli, tamarind or lime

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Our next stop was Playas de Tijuana, where we saw the border wall, it was very touching to see the wall and its impact on lives of people in Mexico and the U.S.

The border was called the Tortilla wall, a term given to a 14-mile section of United States border fence between the Otay Mesa Border crossing in San Diego, California and the Pacific Ocean. This "San Diego wall" was completed in the early 1990s.

While there are other walls at various points along the border, the Tortilla Wall is the longest to date. As no other wall sections have any distinct names, Tortilla Wall is often used to describe the entire set of walled defensive structures.

The Tortilla Wall was marked with graffiti, crosses, photos, pictures and remembrances of migrants who died trying to illegally enter the United States. 

The building of the Tortilla Wall is considered by Mexicans to be an unfriendly gesture by US government and a symbol of the controversial immigration issue. It is generally felt that the wall forces illegal border crossings to be moved to the more dangerous area of the Arizona desert. I took a snap standing on the border of USA and Mexico

There was a friendship park with few statues of dolphins and flags, there were rest rooms and access to the beach, the wall looked very easy to cross provided one knew swimming, but our guide told us that many Mexicans attempt it regularly but are detected by the police manning the watch towers and the patrolling forces and sent back .

Until 1994, there was only a simple barbed wire fence, and Americans and Mexicans could meet on the border under the supervision of the U.S. Border Patrol. Various social events would take place in this park, like yoga classes, religious services, weddings, dances and baptisms, but this was stopped.

Tunnels under the wall are still a common way for Mexicans to illegally cross the border. Some tunnels are quite sophisticated, one was a half mile long and included a concrete floor and had electricity. Other tunnels had steel rails, while some tunnels were simply dirt passageways or connect to sewer or drain systems.

As a stunt, a circus cannon was placed on the south side of the wall and an acrobat blasted over the wall into the Border Field State Park in the U.S luckily, he had his passport and was promptly sent back to Mexico. 

Mexico’s gastronomy is famous, cuisine includes traditional ingredients, from corn, beans, peppers and tomato to more exotic components such as crickets. We were strolling around when we happened to see a man holding some food items in 2 wicker baskets, we were wondering what they could be when West came to us and asked us if we wanted to try the local delicacies, our friends from Poland sportively tried them and found that they were eating the crickets, they said they were crunchy, other stuff were fried cockroaches.

We made our way south to Rosarito for lunch at EL Nido restaurant, it was a beautiful and exotic place of stone, decorated with rusted farm and musical instruments

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Background had a small gentle waterfall with tropical plants and folk art all blended in an eclectic delightful mix, it was opened in 1971 and is family owned.

We had a leisurely Mexican feast, the Mexicans who were serving us were very friendly and young, a middle-aged woman stood to one side making fresh tortillas, we tried making them too, it was very much like making a chapati.

.Right next to the restaurant was a crafts market with stalls having Mexican crafts and gift items and souvenirs, we spent some time doing window shopping, bargaining was allowed and it was a delight to watch the pretty children helping their parents with the shops

We then continued our journey further south along the coast of Baja California to Puerto Nuevo. Here, West took us to a place where  artists created beautiful art with straws of different colors and bees wax, a historical technique, and they also prepared us a special coffee

A boy there frosted rims of 2 cups with sugar, passed it through the fire, gilding the edge little by little, then the tequila and the coffee liqueur were added tilting the cup a little towards the fire so that the liqueur began to flame, finally he  dusted with cinnamon ,the end product was very tasty but tepid ,my hubby was amused as he knew I like to drink my coffee piping hot

We then were taken to a Tequila shop where we had a taste of the Tequila the well-known Mexican spirit made from agave. In 1974 “Tequila” became the Intellectual Property of Mexico, Tequila distillers have a stringent set of rules they must abide by. Those include ensuring that each bottle is made in the proper location, from the correct ingredients and aged for just the right amount of time.

From there we stopped at a beach which had many restaurants famous for fresh lobsters, usually served with shrimp and fish, rice, beans, and tortillas. 

Above the town of El Morro, six miles south of the city of Rosarito , we saw a statue situated directly across the highway, it was a massive 75 feet high figure of the Christ of the Sacred Heart  

The statue weighed 40 tons and was commissioned by Antonio Pequeno Guerrero. The head, chest and arms are made of steel and the lower body of fiberglass. The summit on which it sits used to feature a small cross at which locals used to place flowers on holy days.

From the summit we had awesome views of the coastline of Puerto Nuevo, the wind was so fierce that we had to take care not to blown away down the cliff side.

Our last stop was in the old town, Avenida Revolucion which mainly rose to fame during the prohibition years in the United States when people flocked there to drink freely. It is a popular haunt for tourists, with restaurants, food stalls, and craft shops vying with one another for attention of tourists. 

It is a main thoroughfare of the historic downtown of Tijuana and is officially called the Zona Centro 

Avenida Revolucion is known as the business card of Tijuana and presumably "The most visited city in the world". It is known for its famous cantinas, including "La Ballena", the largest bar in the world.

There we saw the Caesar hotel which stands out for the famous Caesar salad invented by Caesar Cardini, the Italian-American proprietor of the Hotel Caesar 

We strolled down the long avenue and learnt that it had table dance bars to numerous dance clubs and art galleries. A popular tourist attraction there is taking a picture with a zonkey, a donkey painted to look like a zebra.

Plenty of handicraft and leather shops, pharmacies catering with cheap and spurious drugs, and a branch of the Sanborn's gift emporium and casual restaurant could be seen, American stores and fast-food restaurants like 7-Eleven and Burger King were in plenty along with cheap roadside stalls emitting delicious aromas. 

We also saw the famous Hotel Nelson where guitarist/Singer Santana began his early roots in music. We saw the Sodoma night club from outside, it is a gay night club with drag shows, go-go boys and dance floors.

A tall shining metallic arch rose above the busy streets and rolling hills of Tijuana, Baja California, we were in fact shown it from San Diego itself, it was Mexico’s westernmost city icon to welcome visitors and to symbolize its modernity. 

Officially the arch is known as the Reloj Monumental de Tijuana (Tijuana Monumental Clock). The arch has been controversial since its construction but has also become one of the city’s most important symbols of the 21st Century.

We then had tasty tacos a Mexican food consisting of a small hand-sized corn and wheat-based tortilla topped with a filling, we were sitting right in the kitchen, the busy kitchen workers were churning out the tacos at jet speed, again I was reminded of our popular Gokul chat in Koti.

West told us that Tijuana is in recent years fully equipped with the latest in medical technology and many people recognize it as a reputable place for things like bariatric surgery and dental procedures. In fact, it's currently the top spot for medical tourism in North America.

Our tour guide, West was able to tell us  something about everything. Everywhere we went he seemed to know some local person by name making it very convenient for us like snack and tequila tastings in the local markets etc. He was very friendly and knowledgeable, he never tired the whole day, he took and provided us with plenty of photos and videos from our tour, he treated the locals with compassion and care, even animals got his love, I observed him giving water to a thirsty dog

We finally drove back to San Diego across the border, we expected a long waiting period but we could clear in an hour and were safely at home, we loved this one-day tour to Mexico though it was quite tiring.