BY THE UNKNOWN GRINGO
Erle Stanley Gardner wrote in one of his books on Baja, Hunting the Desert Whale, that ” those who are familiar with the land of Baja California are either afraid of it or they love it, and if they love it they are brought back by an irresistible fascination time and again.” That perfectly describes me since I first crossed the border. I just have to keep going back because my fascination shows no sign of diminishing. And I can easily think of passions / interests in my life that have faded over time.
When Covid hit I didn’t go to Mexico anywhere near as often because I wanted to protect myself and my father. Here at home, a lot of my hiking trails were closed down so I took city walks instead because that’s how I get my daily exercise and I like to be outdoors. I discovered Chinatown. W. H. Auden, the British-American poet, wrote “Man needs escape as he needs food and deep sleep.” I learned that my “escapes” to Mexico over the decades and then Chinatown have strong similarities.
I go on Sunday mornings. It’s only a 15 minute drive. They have shops just like the botanicas in Mexico with ground-up organic compounds for what ails you. The shop owner will give you advice based on your symptoms. They have prayer candles, too. Vendors on the street sell fresh fruit, vegetables, iced drinks, and offer samples before you buy. Individual citizens, usually senior women, will spread blankets on the sidewalk to sell a very small variety of food or personal objects and will chant loudly in their accent “One dollah. One dollah.” (Amazingly, each one of them almost always has a can of tuna or salmon to sell.) Men will be selling small electronic devices and USB cables. Baseball caps for $3. You can find hair care products, sandals, toys, used tools, etc. One guy sells straw hats made in Mexico for $5 that sell for $20 at Home Depot. It all reminds me of how people in Mexico have small specialty stores or are self-employed with folding tables under pop-up canopies on a city street or just a blanket with goods on the ground.
There is a strength of culture there in Chinatown that makes me feel like I am in another country. My senses get filled. And that’s what has had me addicted to Mexico for decades. I get to “escape” my own normal daily life to enjoy something I find a lot more interesting. Both cultures fully embrace fireworks and festivals with bright costuming. Both are rich in mythology and have sacred rituals respecting their dead. Both have a history of strong prejudice against them up here and created ethnic neighborhoods for their own support. (What a comfort to have neighbors that speak your language. That would make your house feel like a home and not a remote island.) And both are fully aware that the dominant culture in the States also absolutely LOVES their food. What a world.
I have always felt welcomed in Mexico. For decades I have described the Mexican people as “warm and gracious”. It is a louder and more colorful country than my own and I love that. The citizens of Chinatown are more reserved but I feel welcomed there, too. Next door is the Plaza de Los Angeles, close to where the city was founded in 1781. When I’m home on Sundays I get my two breakfast tamales there with three different salsas to choose from and then I start walking Chinatown where my favorite bakery will sell me a baked custard bun. I get a 2 for 1 escape bargain.
It’s interesting to read and observe the gringo (both the article’s author and the US based GG publication) perspective, as a long term (retired) gringo expat. I don’t begrudge the “escapism” of mingling with the colorful peasants-a few days at a time, but recognize it as a former tourist myself. It’s a pleasant illusion, to buy their trinkets, food, and services, but should understand what a limited perspective, and somewhat racist one that it is.
Most Mexicans may never meet a gringo. They’re too busy in their jobs, families, and life to interact with the tourist world. The gringos have little or no contact with the professionals, local politicians, business owners, nor the lower underclass. Geographically, the same holds true. Mexico is a big country with millions of people outside of the popular tourist destinations, where gringos would look and feel out of place.
Sorry for the buzz kill, but here’s the other side of the coin: I “escape” from the rural fishing village where I live, with dirt streets, mufflerless cars and motorcycles, street dogs, horses, and an occasional lost cow, for a quick foray across the border to Gringolandia, for VA doctor visits, shopping, and banking every month. I can’t imagine what it’s like for someone who has lived rurally much of their lives to enter into this world because I find it overwhelming, (and now, politically hostile and xenophobic): the pace, the impersonalness, the shiny expensive cars, the traffic, the countless strip malls, shopping centers, and suburbia (that all look the same), and (what it must seem like) outrageously expensive rent and food in “supermarkets”. (I pay a dollar, 22 pesos a dozen for eggs!). While I have a comfortable 1 bedroom, ocean view apartment in Baja, that I pay $300/month +$25 for utilities, in the US I would be considered “homeless” because I travel in an older campervan. And can’t wait to “escape” from a place where I no longer belong.
Hello Martin, and thank you for taking the time to share such a thoughtful and honest perspective.
We’d like to clarify first that while the author of the article — The Unknown Gringo — is indeed American, Gringo Gazette North is a Mexican publication, owned and operated by locals who live in Baja California and work closely with both the foreign and local communities.
This particular piece wasn’t written by us directly, but we chose to publish it because we believe many people — tourists and long-term residents alike — connect with these kinds of personal reflections. Yes, it’s a subjective take, but there’s value in sharing experiences that resonate with others. And as your comment shows, it can also spark meaningful dialogue.
Your contribution brings a different and important angle, more critical, and we believe it also deserves to be part of the conversation. At GGNorth, we welcome respectful discussion about what it means to live between cultures — it’s something we all learn from.
Thanks for reading and engaging with us.
— The Editorial Team at Gringo Gazette North