Most of Koh Chang is overwhelmingly developed, and it may seem hard to escape the tourist buzz. However, the southeastern shore of the island provides some tranquility with gorgeous scenery and beautiful secluded beaches.

If you find yourself on the Thai island of Koh Chang, and you feel like some peace and quiet, Treehouse #2 is a wonderful accommodation option.

You can rent your own thatched hut directly on the private beach for a few dollars a night. The staff is very friendly and they don’t mind if you have a bonfire on the beach.

Also, the food is spectacular making the experience even better. The seafood red curry with pineapple may be the most delicious meal I ate in all of Southeast Asia.

Getting to Koh Chang

Renting scooters and riding them to Treehouse #2 is a really exciting and fun option.

It is a very scenic ride, but just be careful on the last 10 km or so where the road becomes a little more treacherous. The last section of road was gravel when I was there in 2006. Another option is to take the daily shuttle that leaves from Treehouse #1.

Getting to Koh Chang from Bangkok is simple. There are many busses every day that leave from the Eastern Bus Terminal at Ekkamai on Sukhumvit Road, which can be reached conveniently by the BTS Skytrain.

You take a bus to Trat, which is the stopping off point to get to Koh Chang. From Trat you can take a short taxi ride to the ferry dock.

I’ve made a lot of suggestions below, but they and I would very much appreciate yours in the comments. Planning bus or rail trips can be great fun!

What the couple tentatively plans

With 60 days, but not very much money, our Hungarians have been looking at the 60-day Greyhound Discovery Pass (valid for both the U.S. and Canada) and at hostels. They plan to rent cars at several stops to access places such as Yellowstone National Park.

Their interests are typical—the “usual commonplace sights, while trying to experience the American atmosphere.” Other than their arrival point New York City, there are no must stops, such as family visits in the States.

They very much want to see as much as possible and if that means some nights traveling on the bus, so be it. Because they are well aware of the comfort limitations of Greyhound seating, the tentative itinerary has scattered these bus nights throughout their trip.

Provisional stops

The couple has tentatively chosen the following 52 nights in hostels, with the remaining nights on the bus. They arrive in New York City on May 19th and return home on July 18th.

New York City (5 nights hostel)
Niagara Falls (2)
Chicago (4)
Bozeman/Livingston (Yellowstone access) (3)
San Francisco (6)
Los Angeles (8)
Las Vegas (5)
Denver (3)
New Orleans (3)
Miami (7)
Washington, DC (3)
New York City (3)

Their concerns

Although not overly concerned about the long bus rides, the couple seems quite worried about making connections, especially during the night.

They have wisely added “padding” to their trip, extra time in some cities in case they are delayed a day here or there.

My suggestions

When giving advice, try to keep in mind that people vary. What’s best for you may not best for others. This couple has more energy and enthusiasm than money and we’ll run with that.

On the other hand, that doesn’t imply that we should not push them to budget a little extra when it will produce big results!

1. The Chicago and Miami stops are too long.

I love Chicago, but for a first trip to the U.S., a day and a half of sightseeing should do it, unless you have special interests. Plan two or three nights depending on your arrival and departure times.

Miami’s great too, even during the summer, but a week there in July, the off-season, when the ocean temperature seems to be the same as the hot humid air, seems terribly wrong, especially considering all the other choices you have to relax by a beach in North America.

In fact, consider skipping Florida altogether and visiting it instead during a future trip not in summer.

Also, if you plan to remain in the city, the Las Vegas stop is too long. Please see below.

2. If your trans-Atlantic tickets have not been booked,

I encourage you to arrive in one city and leave from another, for example, fly into New York City or Orlando and depart from Los Angeles. This often does not increase the airfare very much.

When booked in this way, you’ll save time by not backtracking through similar scenery in the middle of the U.S., which in turn gives more time to experience the best sights in depth, as well as to see more of them.

The exception is if you were to travel one-way through Canada and the other within the States.

3. If the international airline tickets are already set,

still consider flying in the States for a portion of your trip.

With a 60-day Greyhound pass costing $499 and a 30-day one $399, consider plunking that $100 difference per person toward buying one-way air tickets from NYC to Las Vegas, which may cost under $150 with tax in late May using airlines like JetBlue from New York/JFK or Southwest from New York/LGA.

In Vegas, a very cheap place to do this, you could rent a car, and then camp in the following national parks:

Zion (1 night)
Bryce Canyon (2)
North rim, Grand Canyon (1)
South rim (Grand Canyon Village), Grand Canyon (2)

Camping reservations are essential, as soon as possible, if you want to stay in popular national parks. Also, I encourage you to rent a national brand rental car, as these have service outside of Las Vegas if anything goes wrong.

Early summer brings nearly no rain to these national parks, which helps make camping such a wonderful way to experience the spirit of the Southwest.

Renting a car for a week seldom costs more than renting one for 5 days if booked in advance. Moreover, at a “big box” store like Target, you can buy a two-person tent, foam sleeping pad, light blanket, pillows, and a small plastic “ice chest” to store food surprisingly cheaply. You won’t need a camping stove on this short trip.

If you booked the car longer than a week, you could add many other wonderful places, such as an in-depth exploration of the Navajo and Hopi reservations, instead of the brief glimpse you’ll get on the above itinerary.

As for Las Vegas itself, I would plan two nights prior to your camping trip and one or perhaps two at the end. You do not need a car while in Vegas.

Also during this time that you are not using a Greyhound pass, you could buy a very cheap bus ticket (currently $33.00 on Greyhound) from Las Vegas to Hollywood (Los Angeles).

And then for the DC to NYC portion of the trip, you could also buy a separate cheap ticket (easily under $20 per person on a bus line like Megabus.com).

In this way, you would only need a one-month Greyhound pass, with just some $100 in other transportation expenses not counting the Las Vegas car rental and fuel, which you may have planned to rent for five days anyway.

4. If not wanting to rent a car in Vegas,

I would add Flagstaff to the bus itinerary—Los Angeles/Hollywood-Flagstaff-Las Vegas-Denver.

You’ll find convenient to Greyhound hostels in Flagstaff that offer discount tours to the best views of the Grand Canyon and other sights. See Open Road Tours for typical sightseeing opportunities at regular prices.

5. I would arrive in Hollywood,

instead of Greyhound’s downtown Los Angeles terminal, which is in a terrible skid road area.

Stay a few nights in the western portion of a Hollywood (not to be confused with the city of West Hollywood) for easy access to Universal Studios, etc. and then several more at the the Santa Monica Hostel above a nice beach.

6. Between Los Angeles and San Francisco,

I’d add two nights (as well as one more if you cut your Miami time) in Santa Barbara, perhaps America’s most uplifting and beautiful larger urban environment. It’s simply a joy to visit.

There’s a hostel near the beach and main shopping area for cheap accommodation. (Although the hostel sits adjacent to railway tracks, trains seldom run late at night.)

7. If you will visit Florida,

save Disney for Florida. Cut a couple of nights in LA or elsewhere and add an Orlando stop on the way to or from Miami.

8. Seriously consider visiting Banff National Park

in the Canadian Rockies, instead of Yellowstone. It’s much easier to access and offers inexpensive hostels.

In my opinion, the Greyhound route from Niagara Falls and Toronto to Banff through Canada offers much more beauty than the Niagara Falls to Yellowstone via Chicago one.

This route also gives you the chance to visit fine cities like Portland, Oregon, perhaps the most progressive very large city in the U.S., and Vancouver, Canada. (The Jericho Beach hostel makes a fine stop there.)

Nevertheless, both Banff and Yellowstone offer something precious not generally available in Europe, vast natural areas with no human imprint. You won’t be disappointed with either choice.

9. Be sure to consider scenery

when deciding on what buses and routes to use.

For example for one day I checked, you could leave Las Vegas for Denver at 1:40 a.m., 5:35 a.m., or 3:30 p.m.

However, just the 1:40 a.m. departure permits you to see the heart of the Colorado Rockies during the day.

By the way, consider adding a one-night stop in Glenwood Springs, CO on the way to Denver.

Within an easy walk of Greyhound, you’ll find a hostel I really enjoyed and most importantly perhaps the most awesome hot spring spa in North America, the Glenwood Springs Spa, whose huge swimming pool and warm soaking pools won’t cost you a fortune, as long as you don’t book individual treatments.

10a. Oh, you asked about safe and convenient connections,

didn’t you? Three points then. These apply to bus, rail, and airline travel.

My advice: Think outside of the box. Don’t settle for the choices that Greyhound gives you. With your passes, you do not have to be concerned with the most direct routes.

For example, the connections Greyhound suggests from Livingstone to San Francisco are grim. On the other hand, it’s easy to travel from Livingston to Seattle without connecting on two departures per day.

From Seattle, you can easily connect to San Francisco at decent times.

If you do this, I suggest connecting in Seattle to Portland, with a stay of two nights.

Perhaps the most progressive city in America with an outstanding quality of life, Portland offers sights like its famous rose garden in Washington Park and hiking in Forest Park easily accessible from the city center.

10b. Safe connections are either long ones

OR ONES with convenient alternatives if you miss the first bus.

For instance, if miss the first connecting bus to Portland in Seattle, there are alternatives. You won’t have to wait 12 to 24 hours for the next connection.

On the other hand, there’s just one bus per day from Toronto heading toward Banff National Park.

In that case, if you were connecting from Niagara Falls, you would want to allow extra connecting time by not taking the last available bus to Toronto to connect.

In Toronto, the Greyhound terminal is in a fantastic location, within a few minutes walk of Chinatown, where you could relax over dinner while waiting for your connecting bus.

10c. At some stations, Greyhound offers reservations for a $5.00 fee.

Use this to assure a seat on the departure you want.

I hope that these suggestions and the ones readers may give are helpful to you and that you enjoy every moment of your time in North America. I had fun thinking about this trip!

Having arrived in South America with very little Spanish background, I quickly realized the importance of being able to communicate, and immediately began researching a place to take Spanish classes.

Learning Spanish is, in my opinion, crucial if you are planning an extended trip in South America. Being able to speak the language not only makes traveling that much easier, it allows you to learn about the richness of the culture from the native people by participating rather than witnessing the culture from an outside perspective and reading the facts from a travel guide.

I’m not saying that you cannot enjoy your trip without learning Spanish, I’m simply saying that being able to communicate with the locals will make your trip more of a cultural experience. It will also make little details less stressful and your travels safer.

The Bolivian Spanish School

In Sucre, Bolivia there is a wonderful school called The Bolivian Spanish School.

When I was there, I took three weeks of one-on-one private lessons for 4 hours every morning, Monday through Friday. I paid about $215 a week including my home-stay (3 meals a day included).

The school is located directly off of the most beautiful park in Sucre and has very friendly, competent, and experienced teachers. The school is more than happy to create a schedule of classes that fits your needs.

I took classes from Omar, and he was excellent.

The home-stay family that I lived with was lovely, and the school has many accommodation options to suit you.

The school also offers a variety of volunteer opportunities for anyone interested. We volunteered at an orphanage three days a week.

Why Bolivia?

I chose to take classes in Bolivia out of all South American countries mostly because it is the least expensive, but also because Bolivia has very clear and easy to understand Spanish.

Why Sucre?

Sucre is a beautiful colonial town in the Bolivian foothills. The architecture of the city is amazing, the surrounding countryside is very scenic, and the people are friendly and welcoming.

I thought it was a perfect place to study because of its small size and relaxing atmosphere.

Unlike the restless atmosphere in La Paz, you can enjoy peace and quiet while strolling through one of the many parks or spend the afternoon studying in a small café up on the hill. You will not get overly distracted, yet there are still a handful of bars and discotecas if you feel like a night out on the town.

Even though Sucre is at an altitude of 9,500 feet, it has a very temperate climate making it warm and comfortable year round. I remember some locals calling Sucre “la ciudad de primavera” (the city of spring).

On average, the coldest month in Sucre is July, the warmest month is November, and the month with the most rain is January. I was there in February and found the weather to be delightful.

Other Inexpensive Options

Peru has many schools in and around Cusco, but most are more expensive than in Bolivia. Another drawback is that Cusco is constantly full of tourists, and you will not learn Spanish while speaking English all day with other travelers.

Guatemala has very inexpensive Spanish schools in Antigua and in some of the small villages that surround Lake Atitlan.

I’ll be traveling to Guatemala in a few weeks and am planning on taking some more classes. I’ll be sure to let you know how they go.

Until then, I highly recommend the Bolivian Spanish School in Sucre.

I loved it.

This book has special appeal to anyone who has traveled the backpacker way. In my case, Grant’s trip brought back a flood of memories.

Grant’s clear and compelling narrative brings you quickly into his life. You begin to care for him and even worry about him.

For example, as Grant makes “newbie” mistakes similar to yours, you might even groan. I almost cried out, “Don’t do that!” (for good reason) at one point. That’s how involved you may become.

First-timers

For anyone planning a first big trip away, this is an exceptional read. Grant didn’t write this as a guidebook, but you will certainly absorb his experiences.

You’ll find comfort in how easily Grant was able to start to have fun and adapt to his new surroundings. Especially outside of familiar environments, backpackers really do provide each other with a wonderful support system, which is described in detail. You will not be alone, unless you want to be.

You’ll also receive loads of useful tips–hostels Grant liked and did not like so much, restaurants, clubs, excursions, must-sees, dangers, how he dealt with situations, etc. He wouldn’t want you to follow his exact itinerary (or anyone else’s), but you easily could from reading this book.

Parents

Surprisingly considering some of its topics, I also recommend Imagine to parents of prospective backpackers—they would probably have to be very open minded parents, of course—worried about their children going off alone.

I say open minded, because you will not find this book in your local school library. It is not for the easily offended.

Parents who do read it will see the joy Grant experienced during his journey. They’ll note his growth to independence and adulthood. The book may even trigger a desire to see much more of Belize, Guatemala, and Mexico.

Sets an example

Grant came armed with a very friendly personality and not an iota of prejudice. These traits really helped him as he traveled.

He also exhibited a wonderful spirit of spontaneity that I’ve struggled to attain. (Eisenhower didn’t plan D-Day more carefully than I did a trip to New Zealand. Every hotel, hostel, train, ferry, and coach was booked in advance and most prepaid. I even pre-booked several day tours, because “they might sell out.” Ugh!)

Grant really pushed to improve his Spanish, which facilitated many opportunities to build local relationships, including one with a woman who may someday marry him. Speaking Spanish well also helped him get out of a variety of tight situations.

With his experiences, Grant really motivated me to work on my Spanish.

Challenged on cultural sensitivity

We need to cut Grant a lot of slack because this was his first trip outside of Canada and the U.S. He is also a great guy.

Nevertheless as this is a review, I must say Grant neglected to do sufficient homework about the cultures and histories of the people he would meet while traveling.

That fostered and exacerbated negative experiences.

I am not just picking on Grant. The issue of cultural sensitivity comes up with fun-oriented backpackers in general, as well as with any group focused on its own pleasure while traveling the world, such as cruise passengers.

Socially conservative

Backpackers like Grant—ones that balance a desire to experience other cultures with having lots fun with each other–often harbor significantly different value systems than the majority of citizens in the countries they visit.

As an example, unlike Grant and most of the backpackers he meets, Mexicans continue to be very socially conservative. I don’t mean that in the way Americans think, anti-abortion and all that, although those attitudes may be the similar.

What I mean, for instance, is that many Mexicans remain deeply religious in a conservative way and recoil at such things as nudity and sexual behavior on their beaches. In general, I also mean that Mexicans have far more traditional attitudes toward the role of women in society, the obligation of men to protect them, and so on.

A hostel incident

The closest Grant came to totally losing his composure on this trip came when an aggressive security guard tried to prevent him from bringing a close Mexican friend into the sleeping area of his Mexico City hostel.

To Grant, the guard was acting as a boorish “rent-a-cop on the power trip of a lifetime.” To the guard, I am very confident, Grant was an irresponsible, drug-bloated, American hippie sleazebag trying to deflower an innocent young Mexican girl not able to protect herself, while disobeying hostel rules.

Keep in mind too that this hostel interaction occurred within the greater context of Mexican history, which Mexicans tend to look at as a long chronicle of American aggressions against their people and exploitations of them continuing to this day.

I am not saying that a serious “I am very sorry. I mean no offense.I love Noret very much, and I will never do anything to harm her” would have resolved the incident or bought about world peace, but it just might have diffused the anger in an explosive situation. It certainly would have conveyed some respect for the traditions of the society he was visiting.

Captain or crook?

Another problem popped up when a boat captain on the lookout for more money tampered with the enjoyment of a portion of Grant’s trip.

In Mexico as some Americans see it, business people are constantly trying to rip you off, sometimes egregiously so.

In this case when he met them for their return trip, a boat captain claimed Grant’s group had paid only for the trip out. Having used his advanced Spanish to arrange passage, Grant knew this not to be true.

As many readers know, what some may think as an attempted rip off is actually an honored process in Mexico, as well as many other countries in the world. If you embrace the day-to-day Mexican financial system, it can become great fun. You negotiate. That’s the way it is.

Think of Mexico as one huge American “pre-owned” car lot with no set prices.

With the captain—and I don’t wish to diminish too much the loathsomeness of his business mode that affronts even Mexican standards–Grant could have smiled at least slightly to show that he knew the system, explained his side civilly, and, if needed, then dived into negotiation.

Certainly, Grant could not have ended up any worse than he did by losing every centavo of the group’s return fares, when he stormed away in anger. Grant’s group got nothing, and the captain returning with an empty boat got nothing, not even the little extra as a tip that he was probably hoping for.

Buy this book

As said, I loved this book.

I cannot begin to describe how interesting Grant’s story is. There is a richness of experience that few achieve in such a short time. In his shy non-congratulatory way, Grant even describes saving a life at much risk to him.

As with everything else in this tale, that is powerful reading.

I highly recommend Imagine: A Vagabond Story.

I cannot wait until Grant comes out with his next adventure.

Deep in the Bolivian Amazon, approximately 250 miles northeast of Santa Cruz, lies a rustic and soulful farm called Picacho.

I found out about the farm by becoming a member of the British based organization World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms (WWOOF). By paying their 15 British pound membership fee, you’ll receive a list of hundreds of organic farms worldwide at which you can work for room and board.

Picacho is one of 11 Bolivian farms registered with WWOOF, and is without question worth going to if you’re looking for a destination off of the beaten track. What we experienced far exceeded all expectations, and if you’re lucky enough to end up there, I think you will agree that it is truly unforgettable.

Getting to Picacho

I was on my way to the Santa Cruz international airport about to fly to Brazil for two weeks to visit a friend in Rio. Another friend Mitch was about to take the weekly bus to Picacho, (yes, there is only one bus that goes there and it leaves once a week on Thursdays) and the plan was to meet at the farm two weeks later.

When I returned to Bolivia from Brazil, ready to hop on the weekly bus north into the jungle, I was surprised to receive an email from Mitch sent only a few hours before my plane landed, saying that his bus had never arrived at Picacho.

In epic battle with mud, bus loses

I met up with Mitch that night and was astonished by what he told me had happened.

In the dry season, the bus normally takes three full days to arrive at Picacho, but it was the beginning of March, which is still a very rainy month in eastern Bolivia.

He explained to me that after about eight hours of travel on a muddy road through pond like puddles and small rivers, the bus came to a halt. It was stuck in such a muddy section of the route that the tires were barely visible above the canyon-like ruts that dug three feet deep into the road.

Mitch knew that his three-day trip was going take longer than expected. Knee-deep passengers did all they could to help, but their efforts seem pointless.

After two days of sleeping on the bus, eating nothing but bread and fried foods from a small village nearby, and drinking only warm soda they managed to get the bus moving.

Fifteen minutes later, they were stuck again and it took another three days to get out this time before turning around and embarking on a slow return back to Santa Cruz. Eleven days had gone by before the bus, covered in mud, rolled back into city.

Plan B

After hearing about Mitch’s epic adventure, I was surprised on how determined he was to still go to Picacho.

We heard that the final destination of the weekly bus was a mining village about six miles from the farm, and that occasionally there was a small plane that shuttled employees, food, and supplies to the mine.

We went to the small domestic airport and somehow convinced the pilot to fly us into the jungle. It was a cargo plane, so we paid by weight. At one dollar per kilo, it was 105 dollars for Mitch, and because I’m lighter, I paid about 80 dollars.

We boarded the tiny plane and enjoyed a low 45-minute flight over the jungle. We landed on a dirt runway and hopped into an old red truck that took us into the village. After negotiating for about three hours, we finally agreed on an understandably expensive price for a ride to Picacho in what seemed like one of about three automobiles in the village.

Everything is scarce in the Bolivian jungle during the wet season because the only road connecting the villages to the resources of the city becomes practically impassible.

Living the life orgánica

A friendly Swiss woman named Uschi runs the farm and there can be up to eight other people there at a time. The only electricity is from a generator and there is no contact at all to the outside world. No telephones, no Internet, nada.

Uschi may be the most resourceful chef in the world and I can safely say that the food we ate there was the best I’ve had in my life. Not only was it delicious, mostly everything came directly from the farm.

The water we drank and used to shower was sourced directly from a mountain stream running through plastic tubes all the way to the farm. It’s the same water we swam in while exploring the mountain stream. Occasionally, after a heavy rain Mitch and I would venture through the jungle with machetes to clear leaves and sticks from the water source.

We harvested bananas, coffee, pineapples, and limes, fed the chickens and pigs, helped spray the horses and cows for ticks and other insects, built shelving, helped build a mud oven, cared for a pregnant mama pig and her new born piglets, fished for dinner, helped cook, and spent a whole lot of time meditating, doing yoga, and practicing our Spanish. There are horses to ride, a beautiful waterfall to swim in, and land to explore. It is absolutely gorgeous.

Things to know

There are things to know before you go to Picacho.

Once you are there, there is no way to reach civilization, and no way to know for sure when you’ll be able to leave. The bus may or may not be running and you can never depend on the plane, for it is usually for cargo and cargo only.

That being said, if there is somewhere you must be on a particular date in the near future you must be okay with not making it. Flexibility is key. If you were to get very sick or injured, you must be prepared to be on your own for much of your recovery.

Prepare for the jungle

There are a LOT of insects, so be sure to bring insect repellent with a high DEET content, long sleeve shirts, and socks. You’re in the jungle, so if the thought of spiders, snakes, alligators, or jaguars freaks you out, you may want to reconsider going. The week before we arrived they caught an Anaconda in the chicken coop strangling a chicken, and the day we arrived we found a rattlesnake in garden and cut its head off. Tarantulas crawl around at night and little worms and sand flies nest in your skin. It is the Amazon jungle.

Will not be disappointed

The month I spent there was one of the best experiences of my life and I look forward to the day I return. It is a place where you can become one with nature and live away from all the distractions of modern society, something that is hard to come by in this day and age.

If you make it to this majestic farm, you will not be disappointed.

For someone 25-years old, Nick has enjoyed a remarkable variety of life experiences. Let him describe himself–

“I was born in Ottawa, Canada in 1985, grew up in Fairfield Iowa, and graduated from Colorado College in 2007 with a BA in Economics and a minor in film.

“Since high school, I have been lucky enough to spend time in many countries worldwide and have developed a great passion for travel.

“While in college, I studied abroad in India, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, and Holland, and traveled through most of Western Europe, Morocco, Mexico, Canada, and the United States.

“After graduating from college in 2007, I spent six months teaching English in Argentina and Uruguay and another year traveling throughout South America.

“I think seeing the world from a variety of perspectives is important and being able to experience and learn about different cultures first hand has shaped who I am as a person. I appreciate everything the world has provided for me thus far and I look forward to giving back as much as I can while continuing my journey.”

Nick has agreed to post some of his experiences before heading to Guatemala in a few weeks with his friend Talia.

Knowing them, they’ll spend a week or so studying Spanish in Antigua—Nick stays passionate about perfecting his Spanish–and then settle in several tiny villages so utterly off the beaten path that they have no Internet access.

In case you doubt that, wait until you read his first post!

Without question, Amtrak services in California subsidized by the state have become the best in the nation. These are used extensively where available and passengers generally like doing so. Nothing said here means to belittle that achievement.

Who would have thought that anyone or anything could get Californians out of their cars?

As an example, Amtrak California runs as many as 12 trains each way per day between Los Angeles and San Diego. It could run more if track capacity was available. Moreover, this service operates in addition to all the regional trains that serve the northern and southern portions of this route.

In the February issue of Trains Magazine, Fred Frailey, former editor of the Kiplinger publications, tells how the explosive Amtrak growth in California happened. It’s a superb read.

Nevertheless, I strongly believe that California can do much more, even with limited resources.

Routes

California oversees and subsidizes three rail routes under the banner “Amtrak California.”

• San Diego to San Luis Obispo via Los Angeles
• San Jose to Sacramento via Oakland, and
• Oakland to Bakersfield via San Joaquin Valley

Amtrak connects to San Francisco using buses across the Bay Bridge. Buses also connect to other cities not on these lines. (See pdf file for Amtrak California map, which may load slowly.)

In addition, four interstate Amtrak trains originate in California, which are not state subsidized.

Structural problem I

You may have already noticed several problems.

California hosts three major urban tourist magnets, the combined Los Angeles/Orange County metro area, San Diego, and San Francisco.

Nevertheless, Amtrak California does not connect Northern California to Southern California with trains!

True, the national Amtrak system operates a long-distance train, the Coast Starlight, from Los Angeles to Seattle via Oakland,

However, many seats between LA and the Bay Area are blocked for interstate passengers. You won’t even see this train serving coastal California in one of Amtrak’s timetables. Moreover, sleeping cars with little capacity but high fares make up a significant portion of the maximum number of cars that Amtrak will haul on this train.

Bottom line: both Amtrak and Amtrak California fall significantly short of meeting demand for seats between two of the most popular cities in America. Incredibly, this is also one of Amtrak’s most scenic routes, one featured heavily in its promotional materials.

Instead, the Amtrak reservation system usually suggests a two-hour and twenty minute bus connection from Los Angeles to San Joaquin train service at Bakersfield, a route that does not run along the scenic coast to the Bay Area.

High-speed rail

In 2008, California voters approved nearly 10 billion in bonds to connect northern and southern California with high-speed trains perhaps permitting a 2 and ½ hour trip between Los Angeles and San Francisco. Currently, the state seeks additional federal stimulus funding.

Considering the issues outstanding, such as the intense debate over its route in Los Angeles, don’t expect completion of an initial California High-speed Rail segment until at least 2020.

The proposed routes (there are four branches) seem to take in consideration population density and right-of-way costs, as well as and perhaps especially maximum political support.

In other words, a high-speed route between San Diego and Los Angeles will operate via Riverside, some 60 miles inland from Los Angeles, instead of a 120 mile direct route along the coast. (Still, even with this detour, high-speed rail may make this trip in as little as one hour and 18 minutes.) All routes bypass California’s sublime coastal scenery.

Amtrak California should not wait until high-speed rail to fill the demand for trains between LA/San Diego and San Francisco.

Structural problem II

California has grown explosively since World War II.

Predominately agricultural areas such as northern San Diego County, the Santa Clara Valley (San Jose – Silicon Valley), and the “Inland Empire” around Riverside and San Bernardino have become intensely urbanized.

Others such as the San Gabriel and especially the San Fernando valleys have become much more densely populated, due to replacement of single-family homes with apartment buildings and condos.

Yet, currently, Amtrak California operates as if the population patterns of 70 years ago still exist.

True, high-speed rail will do much to alleviate this situation, but again, why wait so long?

During the next decade, there are no plans to serve the Inland Empire at all, except for a few connecting buses to Bakersfield more than 170 miles away.

That means Amtrak California will not be serving a population of some 4 million people! That’s larger than 24 U.S. states.

Until high-speed rail, other than train service to Sacramento and a few bus services, Santa Clara County, with a population of some 1.8 million may remain not served by Amtrak California. Why not?

Somehow, it seems more important to run three trains per day to San Luis Obispo, a town of some 44,000 people (plus in fairness a state university). I am not begrudging San Luis Obispo this service—good on them for embracing it—but the priority seems strange.

Why such a lack of balance?

Because it divides its Amtrak services into three largely independently operated route systems, California does much to foster creativity and accountability.

On the other hand, these route operators overwhelmingly tend to look at their current turf instead of needs of the state as a whole. Even coordination among the three remains largely absent.

Los Angeles (San Diego) to San Francisco service

Take the matter of Los Angeles to San Francisco service. Keep in mind that you only have to add service from San Luis Obispo to San Francisco, as Amtrak California already serves the southern portion.

Amtrak California headquarters says it wants to operate that route now, but lacks the funds to buy cars for it.

Nevertheless, during the 12 months that ended 9/30/2009 per Fred Frailey, ridership on the San Diego to San Luis Obispo route fell 10.6%, most likely due to the deteriorating economy in California.

As a result, why not take some cars from other trains not operating at capacity and use them to fill the gap between San Luis Obispo and San Francisco? That would permit Amtrak’s first direct service into the city without bus transfers.

No severe operational hurdles

Often when attempting to introduce long-distance passenger service to lines already used for freight or other purposes, there are severe bottlenecks to overcome. Not in this case.

There is lack of rush hour capacity due to commuter trains between San Francisco and San Jose, but Amtrak California could easily operate on that route outside of rush hour and still travel through the best coastal scenery during daylight.

California would also need to reach agreement with Union Pacific, which owns the tracks between north of the Los Angeles area and San Jose, but happily Union Pacific operates very few freight trains on this route.

Instead of building additional passing tracks and the other infrastructure needed when there is congestion, Amtrak California could merely lease the line during the times of day its trains operate, with Union Pacific operating at other times.

Because Coast Starlight service already exists between San Luis Obispo and San Jose and commuter trains run between San Jose and San Francisco, you don’t even need new stations.

Go for it!

In conclusion

I would like to leave you thinking about fairness.

Every California taxpayer subsidizes Amtrak California services. Shouldn’t as many of them as possible benefit from these, instead of the limited groups that do now, especially if services can be added without great cost?

I do not understand how the California Department of Transportation and its Amtrak California division can justify virtually denying intrastate service to the 4 million plus people who live in Riverside and San Bernardino counties and to those who live in Santa Clara County, as well as the other heavily populated areas not served well.

Regardless of what you may think of the federal stimulus plan, the money is there. Why hasn’t Amtrak California stuck a spike in some? It seems as if nearly every other transportation agency in California has, but not Amtrak California.

(More on Amtrak California later.)

With these, travelers find comfort in dependable quality, not in distinctive features.

However, the Courtyard by Marriott in Avondale, Arizona (actually just across the line in southwest Phoenix) stands out.

Location

This Courtyard is one of the closest hotels to University of Phoenix Stadium. A Super Bowl was played just up the road.

It lies at the intersection of the I-10 and 101 loop freeways, which makes it very convenient to get around. (As a consequence, request a front room for more quiet.)

People

What stuck me most about this place was the exceptional friendliness of its staff. Everyone was so helpful and kind.

A special shout out goes to Tanya at check in and to the wise manager who hired her and the others.

I even enjoyed joking with the breakfast chef. How he can be from Tampa and not place black beans and yellow rice on the menu is beyond me!

Negatives

The same manager who hired all those wonderful people should worry about the elevator and hallway rugs. Shockingly for a Marriott, these are skid road flophouse-like worn and filthy at best, especially in the elevators.

Otherwise, everything was usual Courtyard by Marriott quality.

Directions

As one desk clerk said, we opened 2 years ago, but a Google satellite has not yet passed overhead. This impacts even the map used on Marriott’s reservation site.

Instead, use Yahoo maps.

Just because you do not believe in wide-scale profiling of American Muslims does not mean you are soft on terrorism. It also does not mean that specific groups of American Muslims should never be profiled.

For instance, I believe that al-Qaeda-type terrorism makes war on nations. We should not approach it as if it was merely a crime problem. I believe that Islamic terrorists should be treated just as if they were the enemy during World War II or other American wars, in other words not in U.S. civil courts. They should be treated morally and fairly, but not in a New York City courtroom.

However, as for weapons in this war, I do not believe that a religious profiling of U.S. Muslims, which blankets a huge group of innocent people, will improve the overall safety of Americans.

More than a moral issue

In a war, a nation sacrifices certain freedoms. However, it is important that a free people preserve as many liberties as possible. Otherwise, the positive values of a country may be changed forever.

The blanket religious profiling of Muslims that many propose to control airline-targeted terrorism is simply not the right thing to do on many levels.

It is morally wrong because it would impact negatively so very many innocent people, but even more importantly in the context of war, it is tactically wrong.

If you treat innocent people as the enemy in such an all encompassing way, you can be quite sure some will cooperate with that enemy. While others may not act, they will be sympathetic. The nation may lose the overwhelming willingness of American Muslims to cooperate in identifying threats.

Identifying Muslims 101

If only we profiled Muslims, some say, we wouldn’t have to take our shoes off at TSR security points. And, “My 80-year old grandmother wouldn’t have to be searched.”

Tell me. How do you recognize a Muslim? What do they look like?

• Do Nigerians (some 50% Muslim) “look like” Muslims?
• Does/did (he may be dead) Adam Pearlman (Adam Yahiye Gadahn) from Orange County?
• Does John Walker Lindh from Marin County?
• José Padilla from Chicago and New York City?
• People from Bosnia and Herzegovina (40% Muslim) who came to the U.S. during the Bosnian war?

Well then, should we just profile those of Arab descent? After all, “they” caused 9/11.

Again, take a look at Lindh, Padilla, and Pearlman on the list above.

Say what you want about it, but al-Qaeda performs as an equal opportunity employer. Pearlman comes from a Jewish background.

Setting up a watch list

If you desire profiling, how do you create a watch list of all American Muslims and include this information in the electronic strip on passports when the U.S. Census Bureau doesn’t even ask religious affiliation?

You can’t just presume that everyone from a so-called Muslim country is a Muslim. You can’t even assume that everyone from the Middle East is Muslim.

For example, some 40% of Lebanese are Christians, including my friend Jihad, whose family has been Christian since nearly biblical times. Believe me, he would not want to end up on a Muslim watch list.

Counter-productive

With estimates ranging from some 2 to 7 million, Muslins outnumber Jews in the United States. In stark contrast to countries like France and the UK, American Muslims have achieved economic and educational equality with the general population. Probably because of this, you have not seen the bitterness that sparked major riots in France.

Overwhelmingly, U.S. Muslims have remained loyal to the United States.

Are we to reward this loyalty by making their each trip an embarrassment or worse?

Should we profile certain Muslims

I am not saying that we should not profile citizens of countries that have shown support of terrorism, who want to travel to the U.S. However, with very few exceptions, American Muslims have not shown this propensity. In fact, American Muslims have helped identify those who have.

However, there are specific groups of Muslims and others in the U.S. that probably require profiling.

The Department of Homeland Security would certainly want to look closely at Americans who travel to countries that have supported, either privately or publicly, Islamic terrorism, and those who hang out with Islamic extremists who preach hate.

I am certainly not against this type of profiling based on suspicious behavior within limited groups.

Northwest 253

Having both flown on Northwest flight 253 and visited Ground Zero earlier this year, I need no reminder of just how serious the issue of airline safety is.

However, blanket religious profiling of a humongous group that includes nearly all innocent people is not the way to achieve it.

Those 80-year old grandmothers

As for searching the 80-year old grandmother, that may be the result of inefficient security procedures. Strangely, TSA agents seem to spend more time looking for weapons than on the type of individual profiling for suspicious behavior that I have observed at airport security points in other countries.

Passing through TSA security the day after the bomb failed to explode on Northwest flight 253, I don’t remember one TSR agent looking directly at my eyes, while talking to me, which supposedly can often tell a trained security person your state of mind. No one questioned me. Hardly a word was spoken.

In fairness, the first agent could tell from my passport 1) that I had not visited any problematic countries, and 2) that I travel frequently without blowing up anything. In fairness too, no one has done lethal harm to a flight after passing through U.S. airport security since TSA has been on its watch.

Nevertheless, I wish TSA would somehow cut down on the number of 80-year old grandmothers being searched by refining its techniques. This might dampen the call for a massive profiling of innocent people.

What’s it like traveling to Mexico’s border areas these days?

Winner: #MexMonday best blog post on Twitter

Super curious to experience how Mexico, a country I love, has been doing since my last visit in early 2008, I decided to visit the sole resort towns in the much maligned border zone, Ensenada, a popular cruise ship stop, and Rosarito Beach, a spring break destination, as well as the border town of Tijuana.

This is not a decision made lightly, with 843 people murdered in Tijuana alone last year. Without official approval, even U.S. Marines are banned from visiting Tijuana. As USA Today said, “Baghdad si, Tijuana no.”

In fairness though, the U.S. has its own crime problems. For instance, New Orleans had 179 murders in 2008, with just some 20 percent of Tijuana’s population. Although it’s been hard to estimate NOLA’s reduced population since Katrina, that’s a higher per capita rate than Tijuana.

Choosing how to go

Obtaining Mexican insurance and driving across in your own vehicle presents no problems, but I didn’t have mine on this trip. And, as you can imagine, although it can be done, renting a car to take across the border can present problems.

As one alternative, I could have taken the San Diego trolley to the border and used frequent bus services like Mexicoach to access downtown Tijuana and beyond, but decided on an escorted bus tour instead.

That decision turned into one of the most interesting and fun travel days I have ever experienced.

Gray Line San Diego

Gray Line San Diego offers three tours to Mexico:

• Tijuana only,
• Tijuana plus Rosarito Beach, or (my choice) these plus
• Ensenada, which takes some 12 to 13 and one-half hours depending on your pick up point.

Most travelers opt to tour Tijuana only, a shame.

With a pick up point in La Jolla farthest from the downtown San Diego waterfront tour office, the bus came for me at 7:00 a.m., with drop off at 8:30 p.m.

Mexico immersion

With this tour, Mexico began not at the border but when Abel Rojas, the incredibly friendly and good-humored shuttle driver, pulled up in La Jolla, and didn’t end until I was dropped off that evening.

Abel actually lives in Tijuana for the affordability of family homes compared to the horrific prices in San Diego. That means leaving home at around 4:00 a.m. to beat the border crossing crowds and not getting back until very late evening.

Early rising did not impact Abel’s enthusiasm and desire to make the ride as comfortable and interesting as possible, including an offer to grab a coffee along the way, when he found that I had not had breakfast.

Until other people joined us, we enjoyed an in-depth conversation about Mexico vis-à-vis the U.S. I was very disappointed to find that Abel was merely the shuttle driver for this trip, and was assigned to another tour later that morning.

Brandy Blackburn

No offense to Abel Rojas, who was awesome, but disappointment ended quickly when Brandy Blackburn bounded onto our bus at the last shuttle stop, in order to steer Ensenada and Rosarito passengers onto her bus.

Born in Colorado, but now living in Tijuana with her family, Brandy is quite remarkable. She is simply the best guide I have ever experienced.

“I don’t do Gray Line’s tour to Ensenada; I do mine,” she warned.

Believe me, you’ll love it.

The border

Brandy prepared us well for the seriousness of the crossing into Mexico at Tijuana. Heavily armed Mexican troops greet you at the border. Not a fun bunch.

While U.S. concerns about the Mexican border are well known, Mexico has its own, for example, how easily weapons can be obtained in the U.S. in order to try and smuggle these into Mexico for the drug cartels. Mexico also battles to stop illegally gained wealth from the U.S. from passing into Mexico to fuel even more criminal activity.

The border situation has deteriorated since the increase in crystal meth manufacturing in places like Tijuana and since the diversion of crack and cocaine traveling to the U.S. from Columbia by small boats and planes to land routes via Mexico. When mixed with the huge volume of legitimate goods that cross the border each day, traffickers face less risk.

This is a very complicated subject. The United States demands that Mexico stop drug traffic, while Mexico asks the U.S. to do far more to control consumption.

Yet, actions can have unintended consequences. When various American states cracked down on the sale of crystal meth ingredients, manufacturing moved in mass to Mexico, which has been able to produce a purer and more addictive product in higher volume to import into the U.S.

Crank up the machismo

Interestingly, Mexican officials and solders are simply not used to women bus drivers such as Brandy. In fact, some have never seen one.

This is not a country like India, Pakistan, or the UK that has had a female head of government. Of course, neither has the U.S., in spite of the steps America has taken toward equality.

From experience, Bandy has adopted a very macho and businesslike stance when dealing with the guards. She would not allow herself to be placed in an inferior position.

Perhaps not surprisingly this smoothed our way through each armed checkpoint, this border one plus six more combo toll booths/checkpoints by the time we made it back to the border. At one stop, perhaps sensing trouble, Brandy spoke only in her unaccented American English, instead of the seemingly perfect Mexican Spanish she used elsewhere.

At this first crossing, with no checks of passengers or of the cargo hold, we were waved through within several minutes, as we were at every stop within Mexico.

Nevertheless, I found the experience of crossing the border at Tijuana a far cry from when I last crossed by strolling across a stress free bridge over the Rio Grande to dine in Piedras Negras a few years ago.

Border fence

Within a few minutes, we were driving on a divided express highway along the actual border on the Mexican side. This was quite fascinating.

You have the true border with the remains of earlier boundary markers, an arid vacant space on the U.S. side that I dubbed “no person land,” and then that humongous new wall that seems impossible to cross.

Nevertheless, there were small groups of men sitting in the American “no person zone” and on the hillsides to the south starring at that fence.

Coastal highway

The same limited access divided highway travels along the coast from the outskirts of Tijuana to Ensenada. This offers fine views of the coast.

Because this is a toll road, a lot of traffic stays on parallel two-lane roads that are free. This helps smooth the trip.

Although beaches in Mexico are public and the government has set aside a few coastal parks, overdevelopment mars much of this shoreline, with seemingly endless fine homes and condos adjoining the ocean.

Happily, the coastal highway sits above much of the construction, which preserves many of the views.

Rosarito Beach Hotel

We reached the Rosarito Beach Hotel on the main street of Rosarito, a popular spring break destination, for our first sightseeing stop. This hotel, one of the nicest in town, fronts a rather nice long beach.

As with Southern California beaches, the water remains quite cool all year, and you really need the warmth of a hot day to enjoy swimming, which we did not have in mid November.

Those of us going to Ensenada had 90 minutes either to hang at the hotel and enjoy the beach and hotel pool or to explore the town.

Rosarito

If you take the tour only as far as Rosarito, not recommended in my opinion unless you can enjoy the beach on a warm day, you will have six hours in Rosarito.

That Rosarito is laid back (at least outside of spring break) is an understatement, but there are quite a few shops and restaurants near the Rosarito Beach Hotel to liven things up a bit, as well as Mexican branches of Wal-Mart, Home Depot, Applebee’s, and the like further up the main street, in case you are already homesick.

Based on my informal survey of sidewalk demographics, this has become quite a retirement area for Americans.

Speaking of Rosarito sidewalks, a number of intersections are meticulously engineered for wheelchair ease, but some sections between intersections maintained by merchants are incredibly rough, with changes in elevation that approach six inches. Watch your step when walking in this town!

Baja Studios – Fox Studios Baja

Just south of Rosarito, we stopped overlooking extensive Baja Studios, the former Fox Studios Baja.

Baja Studios was closed to tours, but from our viewpoint above it, we could clearly see the studio layout, including the infamous tank used for filming the drowning scenes in Titanic.

James Cameron, Titanic’s director, certainly did not have to overexert himself coaching his actors to look miserable in that water. You really feel the cold after a short time.

Other films shot here include Pearl Harbor, Deep Blue Sea, Master & Commander: The Far Side of the World, Ghost of the Abyss (again with James Cameron), In Dreams, and Weight of the Water, as well as the Tremors television show and various others.

Ready for filming, a tall ship used in Masters & Commander sits docked near the Titanic tank.

Just south of Baja Studios, Brandy showed us the exclusive condos and homes that house movie production staffs and actors, including the one in whose penthouse Leonardo DiCaprio stayed. He enjoyed a pleasant view.

Lobster Town Puerto Nuevo

My mouth watered as Brandy drove past—drove past!–the village of Puerto Nuevo, with seemingly every building devoted to a lobster restaurant. Lobster boats dock nearby.

A lobster dinner by the sea with a drink adds up to around $15.

Brandy, #fail. (Just kidding. I realize that it was a bit early for lunch, especially per Mexican custom, and that the cuisine in these restaurants might not have been appropriate for some tour members.)

Ensenada

Curiously, Ensenada fronts a harbor, not a grand beach or a grand beach with a small harbor, unlike other oceanfront resorts in Mexico.

If it had a rail connection, Ensenada would be one of the great ports on the Pacific coast. Nevertheless, it’s a busy port, and an extremely progressive and attractive city that is fun to visit.

Ensenada shines

In contrast to the slightly (or more) gone to seed appearance of so many American and Mexican cities, Ensenada shines.

Sidewalks in good repair sparkle, you do not notice trash, and the most modern plaza I have ever seen directly adjoins the downtown, with free wireless reception.

Overlooking all this flies the most humongous Mexican flag imaginable. They ought to haul that thing over for World Cup 2010.

In spite of its clean and orderly nature, Ensenada does not seem dull in any way. I really enjoyed it.

Viagra capital of the world

Overwhelmingly, this must be the Viagra capital of the world.

Pharmacies—and, you’ve never seen so many pharmacies in such a small area—blanket the downtown. Invariably, these display large signs advertising Viagra or Super Viagra, as well as often ones promoting “best prices here” for other sexual enhancement drugs, along with price lists for regular prescription medicines.

This is obviously where many Americans head to save on pharmaceutical costs.

Lunch in Ensenada

Included in the tour cost comes a complete lunch at a rather good Mexican restaurant with excellent service.

Along with salad and dessert and, if you wish, a margarita, choices include Mexican-style chicken, cubed steak, and two fish dishes plus a vegetarian meal by request. (Mexicans do not eat snack or home-style foods like tacos and burritos when they go out to “better” restaurants. Best not to ask for these in a formal place with “class.”)

I liked that tour members could dine at a restaurant “approved” by Gray Line that gives comfort to those worried about dining in Mexico, but did not like that the food was significantly less spiced than normal even for this type of Mexican cooking. Apparently, no one wants to disturb Americans who are perceived as wanting blander food.

After our meal, we were free to wander around on our own. Most shopped; I explored.

Because Gray Line deliberately parks at the tallest building in town, you’ll find it easy to make your way back after exploring on your own.

Ensenada waterfront

From the plaza, just up the street from the restaurant, I walked across to an adjacent park that overlooks the waterfront. This is a pleasant place to people watch and to enjoy the view. There’s also a very clean public washroom that you can use during your explorations.

From the waterfront park a boardwalk takes you along the harbor.

I continued north along the harbor beyond the boardwalk to the commercial section, with an eye on another tall ship in the distance. Its shipyard was securely fenced off from the public, but I could get an excellent view from across the street.

This shipyard seemingly had every conceivable small ship (usually very old) that could be used for film production. For some reason, I had my eye on a large old tugboat to start my collection.

Gray whales

Sadly, my tour departed too early in November to see the many gray whales that teem along this coast in winter (peaking in February). Nor did we have time to venture out of Ensenada to nearby attractions, such as to “La Bufadora,” a blowhole that spouts seawater 70 feet into the air.

In my opinion, winter and especially early spring would be excellent times to visit this area for the whales and for the green countryside that comes with winter rains.

Tijuana

Except for the periodic checkpoints (in this direction they were apparently looking more for drugs than guns–these were more serious in nature, with armed troops at one lining both sides of the roadway), the drive back up was quite relaxing, with the views of the ocean even better as dusk approached.

After a short tour of Tijuana, we parked on Avenida Revolucion, the main drag.

Again, nearly everyone shopped as I walked around. Leather and silver items plus discounted alcohol were most popular with our group.

Although infamous for the raunchiness of some of its entertainment venues, the mood on Avenida Revolucion was upbeat, with people of all ages enjoying a warm and pleasant evening. The street did not have the seediness that ones expects from its reputation. As in Ensenada and Rosarito, the streets and sidewalks in this area were very clean, with no homelessness or panhandlers visible.

However, far more so than in Ensenada, lounge and shop barkers approach you and try to entice you in. However, smile, quickly look away, and continue walking without pausing. It helps immensely not to walk too close to doorways.

Brandy’s family

Returning to the bus, I found Brandy enjoying a visit with part of her family, including her mother, a daughter, and several grandchildren. They spend time with her at this stop.

Knowing the long hours that she’s away from home, this was heart-warming to see.

Returning to the border

Also at this stop, on hopped a singer with a guitar that soon had the group—tired as we were—enthusiastically and loudly (and rather professionally, I might add) singing cliché but fun Mexican standards, and we weren’t even drunk. Seriously.

Until our mariachi, as we called him, left us at the border, this was a joyous way to end our time in Mexico, and I thank Brandy for this. Both Abel and Brandy imparted the spirit of Mexico just as if we were honored guests in the country.

Just prior to crossing, Brandy let a Mexican pastry vendor she knew sell to us and that helped alleviate the rather long time we waited for clearance to go into the U.S. customs and immigration office.

Regarding the pastries, I should mention that Brandy did not spend the day steering us into various shops for commissions, a habit of some guides that has so irritated me at times in the past.

Crossing into the U.S.

Crossing back into the United States by coach was considerably more complicated than entering Mexico.

Even the buses lined up differently. With so many, there had to be a space left between some, so that the U.S. guards could tell that no one was sneaking past on foot.

Brandy clearly spelled out what we needed to know in order to have a smooth process, as she could not to accompany us into the immigration office and then to a new location of our bus that we hadn’t seen. In this situation, we watched out for each other, making sure everyone cleared customs before leaving the office and finding the bus.

In spite of the crowds, the customs and immigration officers remained pleasant and professional.

Gray Line’s business decline

Since the “troubles” started–the H1N1 flu outbreak in Mexico, the ongoing drug war publicity, and the U.S. economic downturn–Gray Line has lost half of its customers to Mexico. Our tour had 18. Some days none show up.

Gray Line operates a tour with as little as one reservation, not wanting to cancel on anyone, but because of the licensing arrangements, it has to use big buses into Mexico, not an economical situation.

This decline in passengers impacts not only Gray Line but also the people in Mexico who depend on tourism, such as the restaurant we visited, and even the incomes of tour guides from tips.

Who travels on this tour?

Nearly our entire group consisted of very up-for-it Australians, Canadians, New Zealanders, as well as several other internationals, including a very fun honeymoon couple from Cornwall with whom I enjoyed lunch.

I am proud of the several older American couples that joined this tour. They had fun!

In general Americans tend to be very risk-adverse when it comes to travel.

I am not advocating that anyone take crazy chances, but too many forget the dangers of merely staying home in a country with one of the world’s highest crime rates. As mentioned above, Tijuana in the heart of the drug war zone has a lower murder rate than the popular tourist city of New Orleans.

And, after all, you can be a target if you become drunk in any country, a physiological state all too frequently found in Americans who travel to Mexico.

Some also tend to forget that much of the fresh food Americans enjoy, such as salad greens, comes from Mexico. In Mexico, as in other countries, it’s not so much what you eat as where you eat that determines your well being.

Comfort level

I found the comfort level on this tour very high. That means people were happy and relaxed throughout. Except for several joking remarks about the length of time it took to re-enter the States, I never heard a complaint.

Five concerns you may have

You must have a valid passport or approved alternative document to take this trip. If appropriate for your nationality, you must have a visa valid for reentry into the United States.

Baja is very used to tourists and nearly everyone speaks some English, often excellent English.

Public washrooms have attendants and all that I used were quite clean. Gray Line buses used in Mexico also have facilities.

There is no need to exchange money. Dollars are accepted everywhere. You’ll need some small change for washroom attendants. Fifty cents seems customary. If you give a dollar bill, you may get pesos back, which you can use at your next stop.

Except for those optional sidewalks in Rosarito, walking is easy throughout the tour. You are remarkably free to determine how much walking you want to do. Just one vista point (not at Baja Studios) has many steps, which you do not have to climb.

Go for it

Will I recommend this tour and this part of Mexico to others? Absolutely.

Brandy was awesome but so were all six people I talked with at Gray Line San Diego, a company that has much to teach about travel industry hiring and tour operation and planning.