WHAT ARE THE ODDS?: If I was asked when going down on the bus to Ensenada on Thursday what the odds would be for not going to Anthony's, I would have booked them very high. Good thing no one was around to bet me because I never made it to Anthony's.

I was ready to monger at 5:30pm, which is too early for any of the clubs. The strip shows don't get going until 7pm and the action at Anthony's does not get going until after 9:00pm. I decided to check out El Pescador/Denny's. There were three average looking women at the bar. My eyeballs locked on one who had a big smile. She sat next to me and the party was on. Five hours later we were still together having fun. We ended up in my room for some fun. By that time I was so hot for her I could not stand it.

Her name is Blanca, age 34, two teenage daughters, about twenty pounds overweight. At first glance she would not fit my normal profile(Emily at Tropical fits the profile perfectly). What hooked me was her fun personality and her affection she gave me. She is such a warm and loving sort of women that I could not resist. We had a wonderful time drinking and dancing. She loves to laugh and to kiss. She is a wonderful kisser and seemed to enjoy herself. I think the really good pros actually enjoy what they do(the famous Tanya enjoys her work).

For the first two hours I was the only customer. Later a couple of Mexicans came in and even later another American arrived. The bartender was playing lots of American music. I told Blanca I only like Mexican music when I am in Mexico. She told the bartender. From then on all the music was Mexican. I danced a lot with Blanca. I told her I was still learning so she took the lead. That was fantastic. I learned a lot that way. The steps to dancing to Mexican music are easy, but there is a flare and styling that takes awhile to get. She was very patient with me and I ended up having a great time. I even added a surprise for her by finishing one dance with an old fashion Square Dance swing. Blanca got a laugh out of that one.

Blanca is a wonderful woman. I must admit I was in love with her by the end of the evening. I would move in with her if she asked me. Thank God it is only a business to her. When one of these ladies are good, they are very very good.

The cost of drinks are reasonable at Denny's. My beers were $1.75 and Blanca's drinks were $4.50. I paid Blanca $60 to go to the room. I am sure she would have taken much less(she would have made nothing if I was not there). But, I did not want to bargain with a woman I was in love with. She was very appreciative of the money and kissed it when she put it in her purse. Her appreciation made it worth it to me. She rocked my world all night. The money I spent was very little compared to the amazing time I had for several hours.

THE RIDE DOWN: I took the express bus run by ABC. The bus is really big and nice. The seats are very comfortable and movies were running both down and back. The cost one way is 75 pesos(about $8.50 rounded off). It is well worth the money to let someone else handle the stress of driving in Mexico. It took 1 hour and 40 minutes. The bus station in Ensenada is .8 miles(I had my GPS so I would not get lost) from the main tourist area. Thirty miles above Ensenada the scenery gets very nice. There are some great cliff and ocean views.

HOTEL CARIBE: I stayed in the nicest $20 room I have ever been in. It was not a five star room, but it was nicer than anything I have stayed in when staying in La Zona Norte and it was for less money. The shower was very nice. It was large and the tile was new and nicely installed. There was plenty of hot water. There was a $5 key deposit. There were bars on the window, so I felt it was ok to leave my pack pack in the evening.

There are several very nice hotels in Ensenada, as good as any American hotels/motels, but I wanted a cheap one and one close to mongering activities.

WHAT A GREAT TOWN: Ensenda is really a nice town in a very nice spot. I enjoyed walking from the bus depot and looking at the non tourist areas of the town. During my walking around town I was never approached by anyone except those little Indian women selling trinkets(that only happened twice). I felt very safe and relaxed the whole time. The cops seem to be on top of things in the tourist area. I saw two cops on bikes stop a bum and search him. The bum decided to leave the area.

The tourist area is very nice. It is very clean. There are many nice looking shops. I stopped at a Cuban cigar store and talked for a long time with the owner. Everyone in the town seem to be very nice. The cigar guy recommended a chicken restaurant across the street. I took him up on his advice. I was not disappointed. The chicken was cooked on an open fire and the tortillas were freshly made just prior to serving. Beans, rice, and beer completed the meal for less than $8. The restaurant was very nice, nothing cheap about anything in there. It was a bargain for the atmosphere and food.

In the morning I had breakfast at a little restaurant and then headed to the port area. It was interesting looking at all of the boats and looking at the water and coastline. The fish market is really something to see. They bring in huge chunks of ice to place the fish on. There were several sport fishing boats ready to go out with no customers. I was asked a couple of times if I wanted to go.

IT IS A SHAME: It is sad to see such a wonderful city and experience all the wonderful residents and then see them suffer money wise. Business is down dramatically since 9/11. The cigar store owner and the bartender at Denny's said it is a disaster. Some businesses have closed, but many others will have to in the near future. There were very few Americans walking the main street. I would sometimes walk a full block and not pass any Americans. While I was walking I would look through the shop windows and see no customers. It is really too bad to see such a treasure of a town hurting so badly.

MY ANALYSIS: Now that I have made two trips to Ensenada I can start drawing some conclusions. I talked to a monger in TJ not long ago who said Ensenada was horrible. I think it is a wonderful place. So it really comes down to what you make it and what your perspective is. Ensenada is everything TJ isn't. It has a small town atmosphere and is relaxing and laid back. But is does not have the large volume of girls as TJ has. TJ is hard to beat for the girls and its proximity to the boarder. If Ensenda was as close as TJ is, I would be going there as much as TJ. The ride down was fun, but three hours+ round trip, plus the time waiting for the bus, makes it something I won't do nearly as often as TJ. TJ has spoiled me. I will however continue to go to Ensenada from time to time to enjoy the change of pace and scenery, and the very special ladies.

dt

I also had the pleasure of visting Ensenada this last weekend. It is a safe, fun place with a lot to do. During the trip I visited Anthony's and was surprised to find out just how low key the whole whore house aspect of it is. If I had not read about it here I would not have known it was what it is (didnt pick up any girls). The best part of the evening came at some strip club on the main street a bit down from Husongs. I hung in there for a bit and proceeded to have my mind warped by one of the beautiful dancer there. She sat with me, we talked for a bit, I completed my mission to get drunk and then somehow (its still a blur) I ended up with this chica all over me right in the club. I grabbed her for the last dance of the night (booth dance) and *wow* was this chick friendly. The lights went on and she asked me to wait for her outside. I of course waited for her a while having no problem passing the time thinking of her. However, she never showed or I left to quickly (I gave it 15 minutes..) and that was that. Damn good memory that will last longer here than in my mind (which is why I'm posting).