Guest blog by @alessandrawhite: A #hivefest Seven-Part Photojournal Series – Imagine Yourself in Rosarito, Baja California, Mexico for HiveFest-8!

@alessandrawhite is guest blogger to @hivefest. She is founder and artistic director of Creative Work Hour, the online community that meets daily to bring about creative work IRL, to Web 2 and to Hive.

As a solo traveler, Alessandra made her very first trip to Mexico to sneak a peak of the HiveFest-8 venue at the holiday resort of the Rosarito Beach Hotel in Baja California, Mexico.

Although I grew up in a US border state to Mexico, I had never been there. Although I studied Spanish in school for two years, I had never been anywhere near the border, but I had heard many things about our Southern neighbor.

I had heard that it was not friendly to gringos, that the weather was insufferable, that the food was too spicy hot, that the currency was too volatile to manage on a travel budget, and that basically it wasn't safe to visit, even for a woman quite used to traveling alone.

What I never heard was that the people were so friendly. What I never heard was that it was easy to get there even from out of the way Spokane, Washington, some 1,400 miles away (I was at the beach in Mexico in less time than it takes to drive to Seattle). What I never heard was that the beaches were clean and that I would go to sleep and awake to the sound of the Pacific waves rhythmically reaching shore before slipping back to sea.

Here are some things I was relieved to find.

1. As a North American, I needed no international power adapters to charge my devices. Easy packing!
2. Every place I went accepted US Dollars, stated the exchange rate, and converted currencies from one to the other on the bill or receipt to save the effort of dividing by 17 to estimate the Peso (MXN) to US Dollar (USD) ratio.
3. There was no language barrier for me at the hotel, the shops and eateries I visited and the transportation I took.
4. The opening hours of some restaurants and watering holes are quite extensive, unlike many other destinations I visit.
5. The weather was remarkable with temps in the range of 20-24℃ (68-75℉) during my mid-July stay.

But what surprised me the most about my visit was how easy it was to be there and how comfortable I found myself, minding the same conventions of safety that I would at home.

At reception, the Rosarito Beach Hotel fits each guest with a colorful numbered wrist band to wear during the stay. There are security guards just like at any other holiday resort, not only at entrances of the hotel, but also at the exits from the beach, which family-friendly and offers plenty of live music.

Truly, I hope you come and experience Rosarito for yourself. I already miss it and look forward to my return to this sea-side resort which has been hand-chosen to optimize for the social nature of Hive as well as to learn, share and relax with friends you know and the ones you've yet to meet.

I can't wait to meet you in September at HiveFest-8 in Rosarito, BC, Mexico. I'm already counting down the days!

The Photo Journal, Part 1 of 7

🚌 I landed 🛬 to the San Diego (SAN) airport to begin the over-the-border journey to Rosarito, Baja California. San Diego is a busy, but relatively small airport, so the baggage claim hall may have a few different flights’ passengers pick up their baggage from a single carousel. Do yourself a favor: keep your baggage claim ticket handy.

🚌 If your arrival airport is San Diego, this is the view to reward you for clearing the multi-lane merger in the canyon. The traffic hold was 15-20 minutes, then surprise! The Ocean. The Pacific is SO close to the highway!

🚌 Welcome to Rosarito!! 🇲🇽 It's a seaside residential town. No chains or big box stores in sight!

🏨 There's a pedestrian zone at the approach to the hotel. Just past the security gate on your left is the wine & liquor shop and a small touristy mall of shops.

🏨 You'll notice many architectural details as you wait your turn to check in at reception. The rich interiors are highly saturated with the colors of Mexico. In the hallway across from the conference room you'll find an amazing Mayan artifact: a flat-framed recently discovered leather scroll.

Like in the early days of the hotel, the staff keep most all lights off during the day. It makes for a more peaceful environment.

🏨 My friendly bellman told me all I needed to know to get settled into my room at the hotel. Remember to ask yours to snap a quick photo of you. I'm glad I did, so I could share this image of the famous Rosarito pier, or as @Starkerz calls it, the HiveFest pier!

😎✌️ Dan & César arrive to take me to lunch at El Nido. Check out where we dined!!
https://www.facebook.com/ElNidoSteakHouse/

Next Post will feature: Alessandra's August 7 photojournal previews what is available during your stay on property of the Rosarito Beach Hotel.