South of the Border

Hola, mucho gusto y sea usted bienvenido.

These words - Hello, nice to meet you and welcome - greet visitors to San Luis Rio Colorado, Son., and Los Algodones, Baja Calif., when they arrive to experience the allure of these Mexican border towns.

Both offer diverse activities at short distances, meaning visitors can park their vehicles in designated parking lots on the U.S. side and just walk across the border.

Visitors are greeted by salesmen with beaming smiles and salutations in Los Algodones, a town that has what Francisco Navarrete calls the best health care in the Mexicali Valley at affordable prices.

The main health services found in Los Algodones are offered at numerous dental offices, optical clinics and pharmacies, said Navarrete, honorary president of the Algodones tourist bureau.

Visitors find it easy to combine shopping with hearty eating in a city where restaurants serving authentic Mexican food are located next to curios and art shops.

Art pieces from various Mexican states can all be found in one store or at short distances from one another. Gold and silver jewelry is also available from places like Taxco, a silver mining city in the state of Guerrero, Navarrete said.

He recommends that tourists do their shopping in established businesses that stand behind the quality of their products. If they're not happy with their purchase they can always go back, Navarrete said.

Bilingual police officers who patrol the thriving tourist town in the winter can help visitors with any inquires they may have, Navarrete said.

The tourism office is always looking for ways to improve the city's services for its tourists, Navarrete said.

Some of those improvements include the installations of restrooms on the pedestrian walking lane just south of the border. The sidewalk was also widened to shorten the return line to the United States, and more benches were placed for the comfort of the older visitors, Navarrete said.

"We want it to be more comfortable for when you come," Navarrete said.

Annual street parties are organized to offer tourists free food, drinks, margaritas and cultural performances as a welcoming gesture during the winter and as a thank you during the spring.

The U.S. Port of Entry at Andrade, Calif., closes from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. so visitors who stay late will have to cross in alternate ports of entry.

San Luis Rio Colorado, south of Yuma, offers an active night life plus restaurants that serve not only traditional Mexican food but Chinese dishes, seafood and other cuisine to please all palates.

Walking into San Luis Rio Colorado, visitors can find pharmacies, hair salons, shops, convenience stores and, of course, delicious food.

Taking a drive in the newly paved streets of this city will lead to numerous Mexican and Chinese restaurants, natural fruit snowcone shops and bars and nightclubs such as Las Chableas de la Obregon and Skyy Room.

And for outdoors people, the beach is an hour and 40 minutes' drive to El Golfo de Santa Clara, where visitors can enjoy fresh seafood and the dunes, said Paolo Navarro, director of economic development and tourism.

The Ciénega de Santa Clara, a federal wetlands reserve at Ejido Luis Encinas Johnson, offers tourists a tranquil day of kayaking and bird watching of over 80 species. No motorized watercrafts are allowed, he said.

"We invite tourists to come visit us so they can get to know everything that the municipality has to offer ... and the human quality that the people of San Luis have (is) very hospitable and very friendly," Navarro said.