We woke in the California desert to sun and mild temps. With no reason to be in a hurry we went for a leisurely walk then made breakfast. Living in 80 square feet is easy when the weather is perfect. A short 20 minute drive took us to the border at Andrade, CA and Los Algodones, Mexico. Once again the panic of \u201chave we remembered everything\u201d set in as we quickly approached the point of no return. Nervous excitement continued to escalate while we waited in a short line of vehicles ahead of us. We both agreed that we can never count on our border crossing experiences to be the same from one year to the next. Maybe we\u2019ll be searched, maybe not. Who knows, be ready for anything. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
After pulling up to the border agent we were asked to pull over for an inspection and to obtain our FMMs (tourist visas). Ten minutes later we were on our way. Easy peasy. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Though we were a five hour drive from our destination for the night both of us were immediately at ease simply for being back in Mexico. Mark and I move through our days slowly and intentionally, never cramming too much in to a day or ever doing anything to cause ourselves to be in a rush. This way of life feels contradictory to the typical American way but in Mexico it feels different, our pace feels far more aligned with the culture here than that of our home country. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Along the way we pulled over and enjoyed lunch on the side of the quiet, desolate highway, delighted in a surprisingly flavorful tamale that was sold to us while we were getting gas, and stocked up on pesos from a bank in San Felipe before continuing south. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Not long before sunset we pulled up to our beach of choice for the night. With the water just steps from our door we felt right at home and with the official start to winter quickly approaching, right back where we belong for the season ahead. <\/p>\n\n\n