It is our second to last day in the United States before the long flight home. We've seen all California has on offer and long for something different. We're going south.
Just 25km from the glitz of San Diego is the planet's busiest border crossing. Almost 100,000 people travel back and forth from the US and Mexico every day. Most are on wheels - more than 7000 cars pass through an hour - but it is the walkers that hint of what's to come.
One minute you are in the US, the richest, most powerful nation on earth. The next, you are in a Third World country. Sights, sounds and smells assault the senses as the citizens of Tijuana welcome you to their city and urge you to spend your cash.
If it sounds a bit dodgy, perhaps that's because at one time it was. Once a large cattle ranch, the area was transformed in 1920 when the Prohibition Act outlawed the manufacture and sale of alcohol throughout the US. Tijuana seized the opportunity and hastily turned itself into a centre for gambling, drinking and prostitution. Americans flocked in droves.
Nowadays, a more demure Tijuana is home to almost 1.5 million people and is the fourth largest city in the country. But while a few swank buildings dot the skyline, Tijuana is very much a city that reeks of hardship.
The drive from Los Angeles to the San Ysidro-Tijuana border along California's Insterstate 5 took a couple of hours, all of it non-eventful - until the very end.
US car rental companies do not permit their vehicles into Mexico and we'd been warned to turn off the highway before the border. We did. But our travelling companions in the other car did not.
Getting into Mexico is easy. They didn't even have to stop. Getting out of the US is not.
It took Kim and my mother-in-law almost 90 minutes to get through American immigration and make their way back to us. But, thanks to the San Diego factory outlets and the shops at Las Americas, with everything from Liz Claiborne to Gap, the wait went by remarkably fast.
Back together, we began the journey into Mexico as intended. Leaving our cars behind was no trouble. Because so many Tijuana tourists are daytrippers unwilling or unable to drive into Mexico, secure parking stations and regular inexpensive shuttle buses are provided just minutes from the border.
We hopped on, found our seats and, before we knew it, were on the other side - and in another world.
Perhaps it is because the contrast is so abrupt that you can't help but stare. Where a few seconds earlier the people were mostly white or black and a big build, suddenly they are shorter, slim and olive-skinned. Where before you were surrounded by examples of wealth, now everywhere you look, you see poverty.
It is surreal. So very different. Even the language has changed.
We got off the bus at Avenue Revolucion, a 10-strip block of boutiques, stalls, arcades and eateries selling everything from jewellery, leather goods, woven blankets and tiles to designer clothes, perfume and cheap medicines. In Tijuana, it appears, Viagra is a non-prescription drug and readily available.
We separated, pulled into different directions as shopkeepers lured us to their bargains. "Let me show you something," screamed the chorus as we made our way down the street.
It didn't take us long to succumb, although we all managed to come away with something different. My husband bought leather belts while my mother-in-law clearly fancied the silver. And my daughter fell in love with the Mexican blankets which come in so many bright colours. She was told US$8 ($10.40). She paid US$12 for two.
I wanted a gold necklace. "Only US$40," said the man behind the counter as I finally found one I liked. "US$20," I replied.
"But it's Italian gold," he said. "Look, I show you." Out came an empty can filled with clear fluid. As he dropped my necklace into the can, the liquid began to boil. "Acid," he said. "See, it real gold. Only US$30." I brought him down to US$25 and walked away happy.
It was time to go. But we were hungry. Although the little café nearby didn't look particularly clean, we ordered tacos and fizzy drinks. My Diet Coke wasn't quite the same as the ones back home but I didn't care.
We headed back to the bus depot and noticed more children on the street. I realised school must have been let out for the day. While a few strolled along in uniform, most had been put to work peddling and begging - a grim reminder of the harsh realities of life in Mexico.
The ride back was full and chatter filled the air. Not everyone visited Tijuana to shop, I learned, as the Los Angeles man beside me explained how he visited a Mexican dentist to save on costs.
As our bus moved in and around tremendous queues, outside looked like an evacuation zone. What seemed like millions of people trying to flee Mexico and thousands more trying to sell them one last item on their way out.
But getting out isn't as fast as getting in. With passport in hand, we were finally permitted into the country and, an hour later, we headed home to our hotel.
That night the clasp fell off my necklace and I realised I'd been conned. Somehow, I didn't mind. It was all part of the adventure.
Looking back, I'm not sure whether or not we could claim we'd truly been to Mexico. After all, we'd spent such a short time there and in such a small area. And yet, we saw so much - much more than we ever expected. All at minimal cost and little effort. If you only have a day to see Mexico, there's no better way to do it.
CHECKLIST
Getting there: Air New Zealand offers twice-daily services to Los Angeles. There are numerous tours from Los Angeles to Tijuana. For airfares and holiday packages, including tours down to Tijuana, call 0800 737 000.
Furtherinformation: Visit seetijuana.com.
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