Went down to Mexico today. When I started to make plans to come visit Merry, I wasn't even thinking about Mexico, or the Grand Canyon for that matter. I just thought I could go for a bike ride or two and enjoy the warm weather. Anyway, as we were driving down to Nogales this morning, I realized that I should have allowed more time to go into Mexico.
In 1994, when I went to work in Mexico, I flew into Tucson. Because I was a little worried about getting to Hermosillo (the start of my volunteer work adventure) over land, I decided to fly in. Thus, I missed the landscape and the atmosphere of Nogales. All I saw was the hot, dry land around Tucson International.
It was only a short drive (3 hours) from Tempe down to Nogales. There is not a whole lot to see on the way there. I think Merry is right about the desert having its own sort of beauty, though. It is too bad that some people have to come in and build little condos surrounding amazingly green golf courses. Just north of the border, Merry and I decided to stop at an Arby's for lunch. It was weird. Not only had I not had a roast beef sandwich in about six years, but I was also surprised by the average age in the restaurant. We must have been the only two people under 70!
Nogales, Mexico is a place of oddities as well. I picked up a paper in Tucson and was reading about how many people are freezing in Nogales because the weather has been so bad. We are only talking about sub-forties here, but if you live in a thin-walled house, then you might get a little chilly. We also read about the on-going problem in Chiapas which continues to rock the opposite end of the country- where it borders Guatemala. Anyway, we crossed the border as just average tourists with only a vague idea of what problems existed behind the storefronts on Obregon St.
The shopping in Nogales is not the most exciting. It is about the same as my parents describe in their border-crossing stories. I don't imagine it changes much in any of the towns. It is not unlike some of the selling that I have run into in Nepal or Thailand or Turkey. Lots of pushy people trying to sell you junk at inflated prices.
But the prices seem cheap to the American. Between the two of us, we ended up with two bottles of Kahlua ($10 for 980ml), a hammock (hey, I like hammocks), a T-shirt, some earrings, a CD, and a newspaper. I would have bought more, but I spent all but one dollar of the cash I had. I guess it was not a bad day, but not entirely satisfying either. You have the distinct feeling that you are getting ripped off without knowing exactly how or why.
I found the whole ordeal (though only a couple hours long) to be a bit unsettling. As we walked toward the border into the US, I felt a little relief. That wall sure does make a big difference. I took lots of pictures to try to capture the craziness of the whole situation. In some lights, the US side of Nogales doesn't look so different. Most restaurants are filled with Spanish-speaking Mexicans or former Mexicans (except for that Arby's) and the town has an air that is definitely different from Illinois or Colorado. However, that wall still holds a significance in the inequality that exists on both sides.
If there were no difference, then there would be no need for a wall. I can't really put the feeling into words. It reminded me some of the divide between North and South Korea, the village of Panmunjom. But wait, we are not enemies. In fact, the United States and Mexico both have a common origin and a common desire. Why is it that one side of that line has developed in such a different fashion? It is a question that I have never understood, and a day in Nogales wasn't going to help me answer it. Perhaps next time I visit Mexico, I can spend more time there.