Hey dear Chatterbees,
today I would like to present to you the place where I live for almost 7 years now.
Mexicali is the name of the city that is approximately a 45minute drive away from my house. Its name is composed of the two words Mexico and California due to Mexicali being a border city with the United States of America. The US counterpart is called Calexico.
Mexicali was founded in 1903 and its valley is one of the largest and most fertile valleys in Mexico which is why it is very popular for its agriculture.
Among others, Cotton was the most important crop and helped develop the textile industry in Mexicali.
The Colorado River which irrigates the whole valley is 30meters away from our ranch and a great way to refresh in the hot temperatures 
Every year we on our ranch harvest our own fruit and vegetables, here a picture of our watermelon and cucumber harvest.
An interesting fact is that a lot of Chinese workers were brought to Mexicali to work in agriculture which is why we have a large Chinese community in town and are very known for the great Chinese cuisine here in Mexicali.
The only indigenous people left in the area are the Cucapah - we actually have a friend who is of Cucapan origin and who has taught us some words in his parents language.
Mexicali is approximately a 1 hour drive away from the Golf of Mexico to the East and 3,5hours drive away from the Pacific Ocean to the West.
San Diego, USA is 3.5 hours away with interesting places to visit like San Diego Wildlife Park and Disneyland amongst many others.
The climate in Mexicali is very harsh with extremely hot summers but very mild winters.
I recommend visiting from October until April. May until September is too hot for any European 
Mexicali is also known for its medical tourism. Numerous Canadians, US Americans and people from all over the world come to the area for medical procedures because of the lower prices but very good quality of medical services.
The Mexicalenses call themselves Cachanillas which is a plant that was used formerly to build shacks.
In Mexicali you can find a wide variety of food. The most popular dinner in town would be Tacos de Carne Asada which are tacos with beef and prepared with Guacamole, hot salsa, coleslaw and other toppings.
Seafood like grilled fish or Ceviche is also great and always fresh due to the vecinity of the Golf of Mexico and the Pacific ocean.
There are countless restaurants for every occasion, from amazing street food to fancy dining, we have it all.
Baseball is one of the most popular sports in town but also soccer is widely played in all the schools and towns.
Between Mexicali and Tijuana lies the beautiful Valle de Guadalupe which reminds me a lot of the Italian Tuscany with its windy mountain roads and vineyards.
There you can find beautiful restaurants with great food of all kinds, hotels, camping sites and countless outside activities like hiking, horse riding, sand dunes, water activites and so on.
The Mexicalenses are very friendly and warm people that love to reunite with family and friends in Carne Asadas or Pinatas frequently.
If you ever swing by the area, definitely let me know, so that I can show you around and take you on a horse ride through the valley
All the best,
Larissa
!
!
The landscape and the food looks amazing! Thank you, 
.
