sleeping in was an obvious choice friday morning, so much so that my dad and i missed breakfast! cousin ali was parading up and down the corridor shouting our names. “uncle milo! kels!”
“here we are!” dad shouted. everyone piled into the room, demanding we get ourselves ready, for ensenada awaited! it was our one and only stop aboard the carnival imagination, and the time had come.
across the walkway we trooped to my first steps on foreign soil. fireworks went off, and crowds cheered upon my arrival! okay, that is not at all true. it was much less of a production, but it was still exciting. and i didn’t even have to awkwardly avoid the photographers, for they were swarming the families around us.
a quick pit stop and then we were aboard the bus and headed for town. the tour guide dazzled us with tales of local shopping, horseback riding, sightseeing, and delicious eating. our group, though? we were headed straight to hussong’s for drinks.
around since 1892, hussong’s once was, and still is, the watering hole of choice when my father and his friends come down here. we showed ourselves in, and i think milo was a bit taken aback. hussong’s had seen better crowds in its hey day, but that didn’t deter us from staying. i think their bartenders were glad to have our company!
several dos equis came our way with limes and salt, and we cheered our first drinks in mexico. as we worked through beers two and three, i took in this local establishment. very local, very mom and pop. famous faces lined the walls, and you could tell this place is where people once flocked.
right as we were leaving an hour or so later, i noticed the place was actually starting to fill up with more patrons. look at this trend we started!
we figured we had just enough time left in the afternoon to visit one more spot. we turned right out of hussong’s and walked the grueling 100 feet to pull together some tables on the patio at papas & beer. we had passed this place along our stroll into town, and it was already rowdy. rowdy is what it still was, too! the music was blasting, folks were being pulled up on stage for shots of jose cuervo, and people were just everywhere.
although the scene did not look much like one we would normally keep, we decided we could join in the fun. buckets of dos equis (yes, more dos equis!) were ordered for the group, and then uncle craig grabbed the attention of a local street chef. uncle craig had raved about his guacamole, and whenever something is made tableside just for you, you know you cannot go wrong.
the avocados were ripe, the lime gave it a lovely and citrusy zest, and the little bit of spice was the perfect kick. two orders for the tables, please!
as the beer flowed, our dancing feet could not sit still. it wasn’t long before we were all up out of our chairs, grooving along to the music. they thankfully had a decent mix between new stuff and old, so even milo and uncle craig joined in on the fun. we were posted up at papas & beer for a couple of hours and then made our way back through town to the ship. thanks, ensenada, for an afternoon of fun!
we boarded the ship again, and although we had done nothing strenuous that day, we all decided that a quick rest before dinner would be just fine. after checking out the exclusive adult deck at the stern of the ship, milo and i freshened up and headed upstairs to the bar for some pre-dinner drinks. the theme for the evening was golden oldies night. now, none of us may have really been in gold, and our outfits were not exactly “oldies” inspired, but you know, we cleaned up quite nicely that night! everyone looked sharp and polished, and i was proud to be seen with these fine-looking folks.
dinner that night was highly anticipated because our waiter alex had told us the evening before that lobster tails and lamb shank were on the menu tonight. how fabulous! it should come as no surprise to anyone that we all ordered at least one lobster tail that night, some of us even two. a couple diners commented that the tails were a little on the small side, but considering the amounts of food we were getting with the appetizers and desserts, i was fine with a more modest portion.
was it the best lobster tail i’d ever eaten? no, but i do not eat lobster frequently at all, so i savored that rich and buttery dish as much as i could. we were all a bit more lively this evening since we’d been relaxing all day, and some of us decided to keep the party going afterwards. brian was ready to check out the poker scene, so we headed over to the casino.
i’m not much of a gambler, except when i’m playing craps with my dad, so i was the perfect onlooker that evening. i cheered shawn on as he played the dollar slots and then applauded as brian did some work at the texas hold ’em table. watching people gamble is entertaining for only so long, though, so kate and i retired for the day around midnight. goodnight, to all!
kelsey v 
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