May 14, 2026

We sailed from Astoria, Oregon enroute to Los Angeles, California but stopped in Mexico first? That seems a little confusing! Ensenada is on the Pacific coast of Mexico’s Baja California peninsula, south of San Diego and Tijuana. Cruise ships from Los Angeles commonly sail south along the California coast to Ensenada overnight. Princess decided to include Ensenada as a port of call on this World Cruise to give passengers a final international experience before we disembark in Los Angeles to head home after 136 days at sea.

I start every morning by going out on our balcony and doing my daily devotional followed by a routine of stretches with some exercise bands. As I pulled back the curtain in our cabin this little friend was waiting for me on the balcony to wish me a nice morning. I am not sure why some of God’s beautiful creation has chosen to visit me on our balcony this cruise, but I am sure happy that they did. In short order, a school of dolphin swam by but by the time I got to my camera I was only able to video the last few. Yet, what a nice welcome to Ensenada, Mexico.

If you’re arriving by cruise ship, most of the shopping areas are very close to the cruise terminal and easy to walk to- usually about 5-15 minutes from the port area. You stroll along the Avenida Lopez Mateos and find yourself quickly in the shopping area filled with pottery, jewelry, arts, crafts and clothing.

I could have taken countless photos of shops all selling very similar items. This is, of course, a tourist area. But I did like the ingenuity of some of the shop owners who had direct to consumer initiatives. Here is enterprising fellow selling smart phone screen covers from his decked-out bike. As you can obviously tell, he is a Dodgers fan!

You may be interested to know that the margarita, the most common tequila-based drink in the U.S., is said to have been invented at Hussong’s Cantina, which has occupied the same spot in Ensenada since 1892.

Thanks for traveling with us.

Thirdmill Update: Thirdmill has partnered with the Kachema Afrika Institute in Zambia, Africa for the last two years. One of the Bible schools in Zambia, Apollos Bible Institute have integrated our curriculum into their structure and will be launching the Thirdmill Institute in June for online students. The materials are being used to train future church leaders in Zambia.