Half Moon Bay, California + Guadalajara, Mexico
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Alison is obsessed with her beta fish, Midnight. Really, she is obsessed with her ability to keep it alive. Lulu has moved on to TNG, that's Star Trek: The Next Generation, for those of you who don’t know about her ongoing obsession with the series.
Asking her daughter to help her come up with her wishlist for this week, Alison was not surprised when little Hannah said “that you never have to work again”. She is not wrong. Lulu is wishing for a monthly candle subscription, and came across the affordable Wicksly. It’s only $15 per month if you select the one-candle-per-month option.
This is really more of a road trip than a singular day, as Alison and her crew end up in Half Moon Bay, California. It is the tail end of Alison and Lulu’s wish-this-was-real-and-not-imaginary Christmas in July road trip! First thing to be taken care of is transportation. Alison is getting two RVs from Cruise America. Because she’s bringing her quarantine companion (her hubby Chris) and she’s also bringing Lulu and her quarantine companions (her parents), hence the two RVs. While the large RV can technically fit seven people, that level of closeness is too much even for those keeping close during COVID.
To be safe and prepared, the entire party gets tested for the coronavirus - everyone’s negative - and Alison purchases the personal kit and kitchen kit add-on options Cruise America offers. Bedding, linens, everything they could possibly need to cook on the road, all taken care of with the click of a button.
What makes this a Christmas in July roadtrip? The fact that every stop is a Christmas tree farm. Not sure if these farms all have Christmas trees available in July, but if any certain farm fails them, they can just screen a Hallmark movie in the RV while sipping on wintery cocktails. Their stops include:
A&W Christmas Tree Farm in Moss Point, Mississippi
Fiddlesticks Farms in Midland, Texas
Baird Tree Farm in Heber City, Utah
and finally, Santa's Tree Farm in our destination of Half Moon Bay, California
After cooking in an RV kitchen for the duration of the trip, the group happily picks up to go blue crab and shrimp from Sam's Chowder House.
Their next stop is Half Moon Bay Winery where Alison thinks four bottles should last the five of them the night. Or rather, she’s planning to fill up these outdoor wine tumblers so they can sip-and-stroll the Half Moon Bay Coastside Trail.
Trying to spend $10,000 in Mexico all in one day is a challenge, especially when you are not reinventing the wheel…10K Dollar Day has vacationed in Mexico a time or seven. Lulu chose Guadalajara as her destination, which is the capital of the Mexican state of Jalisco, the home of tequila. Wanting to give our audience some diversity in their Mexican travel inspiration, Lulu avoided the agave based spirit, not realizing how hard that would be without buying $9,000 in souvenirs like Alison did in Tequila, Mexico.
Lulu found the nicest Airbnb she could, which was only $103 for two nights! There is room for 6 adults in this brand new mid-century modern apartment in the heart of Guadalajara. The well-decorated apartment boasts stunning views and a central location, with a plethora of restaurants, cafes, bars and shops just steps away!
Lulu's first outing is this Guachimontones Pyramids and Haciendas Tour she found through Viator. Departing from Guadalajara, the tour takes you to visit the mystical archaeological site of Guachimontones which is composed of uniquely circular pyramids. The ruins are unmarked so the guide is essential to giving you an understanding of what you are seeing. After the tour you'll enjoy refreshments at a luxury boutique hotel which used to be colonial haciendas!
Next Lulu heads to visit The Deadly Rio Lerma. Not a typical stop for tourists, this river is one of the most polluted rivers in Mexico. After years of waste being dumped in from multiple industrial plants, the levels of many toxic chemicals are high enough to kill. Someone died from falling in, and getting right back out. Lulu is not going into it, but wants to dip a toe in it. We are not recommending this, by any stretch of the imagination. Feels a bit irresponsible to even write this out, but this is an imaginary trip, and even in her imagination, Lulu wears this haz mat suit.
Lulu is very excited for her dinner at Santo Coyote. Just listen to this: “For over 20 years Santo Coyote has brought together flavors, scents, spaces and moments wrapped in magic, culture and mysticism with the warmth of our people. Visiting our restaurants is a unique experience full of tradition and meaning in the spirit of the ancestors”. She loves the feeling of being satiated and culturally educated all in one.
Lulu’s final stop in Guadalajara is the Museo Panteón de Belén (Santa Paula Cemetery), a funerary structure built for epidemics said to hold the remains of many characters who stood out in politics, education, science, music and literature. There are also stories of offerings left at particularly storied and spooky graves, like that of a young boy who died in 1882. It is rumored that this boy’s fear of confined spaces was so strong that it caused his body to show up outside his grave every morning, after being reburied at night. Needless to say, the most popular event here is the night-time ghost tour. To shake off the ominous, eerie feelings, and to keep from being haunted forever by ghosts, Lulu decides to leave $7300 worth of toys at the little boy’s grave. A $2100 Margarete Steiff elephant on wheels, a $2000 Barbie® Millenium Princess Doll, and a set of three Matchbox Firetrucks from the 1950’s that cost just over $3200.
CHECK OUT THE CHARITIES WE FOUND IN THE CITIES WE VISITED:
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