NO PROBLEMS IN MEXICO

A friend asked me to go to San Carlos with her to stay in a family condominium. I'm proud of myself- I said "yes" without a moment's hesitation. Why is that such a big deal? Because where I live in Southern Arizona all we hear is that it is dangerous to go to Mexico, via Nogales, now because a big drug war is in full swing. People don't walk on the streets of Nogales any more because there are bodies found in the morning, (without their heads). It is a war between the Mexican government and the big drug cartels--the cartels seem to be winning. I am not exagerating.

San Carlos is on the Sea of Cortez, and to get there you have to drive through Nogales, or swing around the side of it. Adventure is not my middle name, but I thought at my age "what the hell" and so I told Kate I would love to go, especially since Kate's son and 15 men would be going too. Kate's son is in the diving business, and they were all going on a diving and spear fishing jaunt. Kate and I had a car and the condo on this lovely beach all to ourselves.

Now I want to talk about this lovely little town of San Carlos for a while. The sea of Cortez is calm and inviting here - sunsets are incredible. Everyone is laid back, and eager to help you find things. We would stop to ask directions of a man fixing his car and he would be so gracious and helpful despite our minimal Spanish -- waiters would describe the entire menu in great detail. The shrimp were enormous, the beer was cold. I slept as though I were not an insomniac (which I am).

The way home was uneventful except for the sight of rifle bearing policemen at checkpoints along the way. At the Border in Nogales you wait for a while in a long line of cars. I always have a little worried feeling that for some reason my passport will not be up to snuff, because as beguiling as San Carlos is, I would still like to get back (with my head).

Later I have begun to think that when my money runs out, which is not too far-fetched to surmise, I would like to go to San Carlos to live. I could walk the beach and collect shells, eat fish every night, and learn Spanish so that I could really talk with those delightful people. I would be an immigrant going the other way.