Hola From Mexico!

What a great day we had!   Syd and Lynda invited us to join them on a day trip to the town of Los Algodones, Mexico.   We took off in 95 degree heat and walked (or in our case, scootered) across the border into one of the most confusing, loud, frenetic marketplaces we have ever seen.  From the moment you set foot in Mexico, the vendors are after you to buy something.  The "real gold" necklaces start at $100 but within seconds you can walk away with them for just $20.00.  If you start to walk away fast enough, you can usually get these priceless treasures for $5.00.  The merchandise is piled everywhere so you basically have to move in a single file and run a gauntlet of people trying to sell you everything and anything.  Oddly enough, the biggest commodity is dental work and many people cross the border for dental work at an incredible discount.  You can't turn a corner without finding a dentist - one of them even moonlights (daylights?) as a singer in a band playing in a courtyard restaurant.  She has a great voice - nice to know she has something to fall back on if her dental practice doesn't pick up.

Nui and RRR indulged in having their scooters hand-painted with desert scenes.  The artist (Marlon) can do amazing things with spray paint, plastic bags and cardboard!

On our return to the USA, we took a side trip to see sand dunes in California.  What a sight!  It looks like the Sahara Desert.  We were told that, later this winter, this area will have thousands of people camped out on the grounds for dune buggy rallies.