The San Diego Union Tribune
April 20, 1997
Traveler – Margot Reinke, 45, legal administrator for Nugent & Newnham, a downtown law firm. Reinke has been traveling since she was 21.
Her first adventure was to Mexico City and Guadalajara by herself. She planned to go with a friend, who backed out, but Reinke still went. It was in Guadalajara that she met her fist love; she moved from Atlanta to La Jolla, where he lived.
Since Mexico, her travels have taken her to Canada, Great Britain, France, Portugal, Spain, Italy, Yugoslavia, Greece, Cyprus, Hong Kong and Thailand.
Honeymoon adventure – Reinke recently married, and she and her husband, Richard Humphreys, opted for a spontaneous honeymoon.
“We took a limo to the airport the morning after our wedding and hopped a flight to London without reservations,” (They flew on “buddy passes” that were given to them by a friend. Airline employees receive such passes to give to family and friends. The recipient pays a percentage of the coach-ticket fare and airline taxes, then flies standby.)
From London, Reinke and her husband flew to Dublin, where she got her about-to-expire passport renewed. “I was able to walk into the embassy and get it renewed in about 10 minutes.” (She’d noticed a few days before her wedding, that her passport was about to expire, so she had photos taken in the Untied States. The cost of her passport renewal was about $55 – the same as it would have been in the United States.)
The newlyweds flew to Glasgow and took a train to Kingussie, Scotland, where they stayed at a 25-bedroom estate/hunting lodge. “It was the highlight of our trip. We hiked and picked mushrooms, ate fabulous food, had the perfect adventure. The host and hostess entertained beautifully; they were so gracious.”
“We took the train to Inverness one day but turned around and went back to the lodge. It really was perfect.”
Rooms for two at the Balavil Estate run $225. Phone 011-44-1540-661-413.
Favorite getaway – A house in La Mission, just north of Ensenada, that Reinke leases with some friends. “It’s right on a small beach with little or no traffic. There are always dolphins, whales or some wonderful wildlife right in front of you.”
“It’s the perfect place to do nothing. You don’t do housework. You don’t do laundry. You read books, play dominoes, play poker, watch movies and go for lots of walks.”
When friends come to visit, she takes them to the fish market in Ensenada. “It’s such an eyeful. It smells good. It looks good. There’s a lot of activity going on. We go down and get lobsters and bring them home to cook.”
For information on rentals in Baja California Norte, phone Jorge Cuadros in Rosarito at 011-52-661-206-45.
Find the Ensenada Fish Market as you enter Ensenada from the north. It’s one block from the first stoplight on the main drag.
Another favorite getaway – Santa Fe, N. M.” “It has the bluest sky you’ve ever seen – and is a wonderful walking town with great galleries and museums.”
The Rainbow Man gallery is a favorite because its owners are passionate about trader blankets. “They’re blankets that were traded to the Indians for pelts. You can tell the quality of the blanket by the number of stripes on it.”
Her favorite restaurants: The Shed and La Tertula. “La Tertula has the best black-bean soup, but they won’t share their recipe.”
Reinke likes to stay at Campanilla Compound, a private owned condo complex about four black from the town center. “It’s like staying in someone’s home. The interiors are wonderfully appointed; kitchens are completely outfitted. Bedrooms and living rooms have kiva fireplaces.”
The Rainbow Mans, 107 E. Palace Ave.; phone (505) 982-8706.
The Shed, 113, East Palace Ave.; phone (505) 982-9030.
La Tertula, 416 Agua Fria; phone (505) 988-2769.
Rooms for two at Campanilla Compund run $175-$250; 334 Otero St.; phone (505) 988-7585.
Memorable travel moment – “Be open for adventure. Take those things that go wrong and make them part of the adventure, then they won’t spoil anything for you.”
This article was written many moons ago when Lisa was an intern at The San Diego Union Tribune.
