Pacific Beach, CA

Oh the pain! I feel seedier than I can ever remember ever being. Fortunately a couple of trips to the bathroom and some panadine forte cured everything.

We head back to the hostel to pick up my stuff as Jodie, Mark and Emma have insisted that I stay with them while I’m in San Diego. This is fantastic – three blocks from Pacific Beach and in a house. The hostel I was in yesterday was probably the worst I’ve been in for far – luckily I didn’t have to sleep there.

On the way back to the house we picked up some donuts and various snacks for breakfast.

Once we were all up and kind of alive, Dave, Melissa, Mark and I drove down to the border and walk across into Mexico. We catch a cab to Tijuana where a fun day begins. We start at the Hard Rock Café, where Dave and Melissa do some pin trading. From there we walk from stall to shop to bar. People everywhere were trying to entice us into buying goods from them, and while haggling and bartering is not my thing, it was entertaining watching everyone else. We went to pubs that offered 99-cent Coronas, bag shops that would halve their prices – and then some, and a strip joint where we could have whatever we wanted – from booze to girls to drugs. My only purchase was a Cuban cigar (Real? Who knows?). Mark, Melissa and I bought one each for a total of $16 – which I thought was awesome as they were asking for $14 each. The store lit them for us and we walked around like rock stars all day. We ended up back at the Hard Rock for dinner – better safe than sorry in Tijuana. It also gave Dave a chance to score a good bargain on pins and merchandise.

We headed back home at around 6pm and met with Jodie back at the house. From there we go to Stingers, where Jodie works, for a few drinks before moving on to Carr Street for more drinks and shuffleboard until two in the morning.