First trip to Mexico was an eye-opening experience

Until Feb. 18 I had never visited a so-called “Third World” country.

It may have seemed as though after experiencing the crazy driver who passed me in the center turn lane while I was slowing to the 40 mile-per-hour speed limit while approaching Four Lakes?

Or when I was behind the wheel and bouncing over those wonderful unpaved, pothole-strewn dirt streets in Spokane.

The term Third World, now synonymous with many struggling poor nations around the globe, was originally used to identify countries that remained non-aligned with either NATO or the Communist Bloc following World War II.

But a weeklong winter getaway for the resort and party city of Cabo San Lucas, Mexico — on the very tip of the Baja California Peninsula — offered a most unique, yet insulated view of how so much of the rest of the world lives.

Mention the word Cabo, and for many, that’s code for party. It is a pretty wild and crazy place that seems to naturally be most active when the sun goes down. Renown nightspots like rocker Sammy Hagar’s Cabo Wabo, and the Giggling Marlin, thump and boom with the sounds of music, come evening.

But that’s just one side.

The approach to the airport revealed the first notion of the gap between the rich and poor. Average gross income is in the $6,000 per year range in Mexico. For every one paved road I saw out the plane window, there were dozens of dusty dirt streets where the residents lived.

No wonder so many want to risk their lives to come to the United States.

Just getting to the fun is an adventure, especially the drive from the airport when one decides not to use the toll road.

An important Driving 101 term to know is “courtesy stop.” In many cases it’s akin to having an intersection like State Route 904 and Cheney-Spokane Road — sans the traffic signals, or even stop signs — and everyone who approaches the crossroads is on their honor to stop and yield to one another in some fashion.

Tip: Buy some type of insurance if you plan to drive because there are many a horror story about impromptu courts staged at the local police station.

We picked Cabo because it was not only a fun destination with 80-degree temps, but because it is advertised as being much more safe than other parts of Mexico. Reports say cruise ships no longer have Mazatlan, directly across the Sea of Cortez from Cabo, on their itineraries because of Mexican drug cartel activity.

One of the first things that stood out was the pickup truck rolling north with two soldiers/police leaning on the roll bar with their weapons at the ready. And security measures are visible everywhere with both well-armed police or private security peppering the streets and other public places.

Traffic aside, Cabo itself, an area with an advertised population of around 70,000, is experiencing this incredible building boom. And while one would like to think it was ivory-tower investors with the bankrolls, one local we spoke to on a beach was sure it is laundered cartel cash.

The picturesque little harbor with its pristine water, is surrounded by brown hills and mile after mile choked with cactus and seemingly impenetrable scrubby trees and bushes. Receiving just under 13 inches of precipitation a year largely limits the color green, except for a few lush golf courses that are only bargains when one listens to a time-share pitch.

Mingling with the masses really brought the opposite worlds together.

While we gringos sat at the Mango Deck, quaffing cold cervezas with a lime and enjoyed the view of the harbor — wondering if rumors were indeed true that the massive yacht that sat in the distance was really that belonging to the Montana Grizzlies No. 1 booster, Dennis Washington — endless legions of locals selling every trinket imaginable sought our attention.

One of the most stunning scenes was the little girl, maybe 6 or 7 at best, who was outside the El Squid Roe nightclub at nearly 11 p.m. as we stopped to retrieve some lost eyeglasses.

Cabo is a regular yearly destination for many. It is also a place I’m glad to have visited because finding the sun in the middle of winter is really fun.

But while it was also an eye-opening experience not soon to be forgotten for many reasons, for me Cabo is a “been-there, done-that deal,” with many more places on the “Bucket List” left to experience.

Paul Delaney can be reached at [email protected].