Feb 172011
Yesterday I went to Los Algodones Mexico. Los Algodones is a border town located just southwest of Yuma in Baja California. It is a popular snowbird destination that has more dentists, pharmacies and opticians located in a 4 block area then any other place in the world. Of course there is also the expected street vendors hawking jewelery, pottery, painting and just about anything else you can think of.
Getting there is a short 20 minute drive from Yuma. There is a large paved parking lot right at the border that is run by the local Indian tribe and it costs $5 to park. A 100 yard walk will get you through the border into Los Algodones and you do need a passport or enhanced drivers license to get back into the U.S.
The streets are narrow and the sidewalks are lined with vendors selling their wares. The sidewalks are actually covered with the booths as the vendors pack things wherever they can. Be prepared for the vendors to try to sell you something as you walk by and if you find something interesting never pay their asking price. You can always get a better price with a bit of negotiation.
The prices at the pharmacies and opticians appear to be about 1/2 price what you would pay for in the U.S. I wanted to get new glasses and paid $150 for an eye exam and progressive lens with Progressive tinting. It took them 2 hours to have them done and I am happy with the results.
While waiting for my glasses to get done I found a fairly large outdoor cafe and grabbed something to eat, had a couple margaritas and listened to the band that was playing oldies.The dinner of 3 tostitas, refried beans, rice and 2 large margaritas was $10. I also picked up an 18" 14k gold chain for $30 (started out at $45) and got a head shave for $5.
I also passed by a few liquor stores and the prices in them are also about half of U.S. prices. My understanding is that you can bring back 1 liter duty free but will have to pay 10% duty on anything over that. Still a good deal. I also found some stained glass windows for that fit the window in the door of my RV for only $45 but didn't get one because I was running short of funds after my eye glasses purchase. Few take credit cards so you need to come in with enough cash for whatever you want.
I can see where people would not like it here as it is crowded and there are vendors hawking their items everywhere but I really enjoyed it. I never once felt there was any danger and all of the vendors were polite even when trying to sell you something. The worse part of the whole trip is that there was an hour and a half line to get back into the U.S. There was no problme getting back, they just asked if you are a U.S. citizen and what you purchased then let you go through. If I get a chance I may just have to go back to get that stained glass window and a couple bottles of tequila!