Ensenada, Mexico

Our shore excursion on Day 2 of the cruise was to the Mexican port of Ensenada, which offers all the exotic attractions of foreign travel without any of the inconvenience of having to change currency or meaningfully negotiate the local language. Even the street vendors deal primarily in US dollars and speak passable transactional English.

Despite the third world ambiance, Ensenada is a thriving tribute to the spirit of capitalism. From the tiny children hawking Chiclets (chewing gum) and slingshots, to the relentless wandering Mariachi bands who won’t even busk until they get paid, everyone is in the tourism industry. This energetic enterprise has reached the point where tourists have to actively resist the industry. Despite my determination to acquire mountains of Mexican souvenirs for friends, I still had to refuse a lot more commercial approaches than I could ever have accepted.

Admittedly, some of the products on offer were a little scary. I was sorely tempted by the business advertised below, but had some reservations about possible long term side-effects from the familiar-yet-somehow-different active ingredient.

Perhaps the most impressive evidence of Mexican willingness to serve the special needs of visitors is their obvious national commitment to meeting the pharmaceutical demands of their northern neighbours.

The accessibility of Viagra is so universal that my new friend Tim referred to our journey as being to “the land of the little blue pill.” Even forewarned, I was still surprised, not just by the omnipresence of the advertising, but by its considerable descriptive detail. Note particularly the helpful inclusion of instructions for use on this sign on the street OUTSIDE THE STORE! Note also the little kid in the background. Sensitive readers should not zoom in on this image.