Right after that intense fitness class in Pasadena, I walked to the closest metro station and made tracks for downtown.  As an aside, without a bicycle, walking was replacing this means of transport and adding up the miles quick.    

The metro was quick and once downtown I got a supply of cash at the ATM from my now-functioning Hong Kong account.  This would need to last for awhile as I didn't want to take out too much for personal safety reasons.

After a long walk to the Greyhound bus station, I was sure missing my bicycle more and more.  A folding bike could have been taken along but the main reason I didn't was because of all the airline fees etc..  So I decided for the first two weeks of this trip I'd do it without the bicycle and it sure was a challenge.  At the bus station, I found out it was delayed by over an hour.  Finally the bus arrived and I got off at San Ysidro which is the last stop.  Due to how late it was, I basically decided I wasn't going to cross into Mexico that night even though I had made a booking.  It would just be too dangerous to venture in Tijuana that late, and so it was a much better call to stay in some hotel near the border on the US side.

That turned out to be an excellent decision because I had one of the best sleeps on this entire trip, and felt very peaceful while recovering from some pretty tough jet lag.