Nana Prue

My mum arrived in San Diego airport from NZ this evening. With Ahmed here to look after Maya, I could make the trip to the US to go and pick her up. This was my first experience (of many, many) with the San Ysidro border crossing. With approximately 14 million people crossing this border every year, it's the world's busiest. There are at least three major roads feeding into the 24 lanes of border control, and each one is bumper to bumper with about 4 lanes of traffic.

There's obviously an art to inching forward in this line of cars, and most of the other people in the cars seem like old hands. Some are reading newspapers at the wheel, applying make up, eating, drinking, buying things from the dozens of vendors along the way, while maintaining their places in the queue.

I quickly learnt that you stick like glue to the car in front of you and don't muck about or your spot will be taken. Anyway, finally at the front after about an hour, a few questions about why I'm in Mexico - don't suppose they have many New Zealanders resident in Abu Dhabi living in Mexico adopting babies - and I was on my way. To Hillcrest. My new favourite suburb. That's where I found Whole Foods and wandered around in foodie heaven and spent about $150 on 4 small shopping bags, but oh, they're full of such good food!

San Diego is everything Tijuana isn't. Obviously wealthy. Clean and pretty. Full of boutique-y shops and giant shopping malls. Leafy and green. I picked up my mum and we headed back to Tijuana, and I actually felt at home when we crossed the border back into TJ. I like the gritty back streets, and funny little taco stands, and canyons with houses perched on every patch of dirt. And what Tijuana is trying to become: a cultural and economic force. This is evident by the signs advertising wine and food festival, jazz festival, environmental initiatives, an Indian festival, Cow Parade (hundreds of painted cows planted around the city). It feels like a truly lived in, well-used city, and I'm glad to be here.

Nana Prue arrived, tired and happy to finally get to her destination, albiet minus her luggage, and met her brand new, first ever, grandchild. Who couldn't fall in love with this irresistible little baby at first sight? Certainly Nana Prue had no trouble...