¡Volver al Vergel! | Back at the Tijuana waterpark

There's not much more I can add to further my case that El Vergel is Tijuana's epicenter of pure, sheer (even if slightly perilous) summertime joy. Only that dollops of chamoy on your 20-peso can of Tecate are complimentary, and despite all slacked appearances the lifeguards will indeed step in to save you from any major harm, eventually, as they did after an unnamed turista from Atlanta who despite all preemptive warnings apparently breached his quota of goes on the treacherous red, yellow and blue Medusa. But only once he began channelling Evel Knievel with the intention of traveling from top to bottom while airborne, a goal which he apparently came too close to completing.

At least one person in the group had never visited Tijuana before, and although her friends back in San Diego thought her insane for deciding to do so with a trip to the city's waterpark, I honestly can't imagine a more perfect edition of Day 1 down here than a bikini-clad cultural cannonball such as this.