After leaving Los Angeles, we drove Highway 1 until it ended. We then got on Interstate 5 South & drove to San Diego. We got to SD just in time to watch the sun set at La Jolla cove. This time, we were surprised with seals. Let’s see, where are we on the wildlife count: Sea lions in Oregon, whales & Elephant seals along Highway 1 & seals in San Diego. I’m loving the West Coast at this point!

The next day we set out to see the town. We visited Chicano Park first. I loved this park! It’s mostly murals under bridges paying tribute to Mexican & Mexican-American traditional art, history & heritage. Just across the street from Chicano Park, we got fish & shrimp tacos at a local restaurant for $1.75 each. We then walked a few doors down to a Mexican bakery & bought a bag full of goodies we had never heard of before.

We later set out to go to the famous San Diego Zoo. As it turns out, that’s a pretty expensive zoo to buy tickets for. We mulled over the idea of paying for tickets or saving money. Ultimately, since this was a road trip done a budget, we decided to forgo the zoo. We went to other parts of Balboa Park, instead. We wandered around the gardens & fountains at Balboa admiring all the beautiful succulents & flowers. It is really a lovely park & worth setting aside a lot of time for.

Once we were good & hungry, we headed to las Americas, a duty free shopping outlet. We weren’t there to shop, though. We went to eat at a restaurant a friend recommended, Achiote.  I had sopes with chorizo & Mr. FGK had the torta. Mexican food trumps all other foods every time. And this was authentic Mexican food done right. Good recommendation, my Bonboncito!

Later, we watched the sunset on Coronado Beach. For the evening we shopped around in Old Town then drove around the Boulevard & the Gas Lamp District. We were pretty exhausted at that point. We called it a night & prepared for the next day: an all day drive & sightseeing adventure on the way to Las Vegas.

Next stops: Anzo-Borrego, Salton Sea & Joshua Tree all on the way to Vegas!