May was rather a busy month for Mrs. Druid and I.
We went to Mexico for four days of fun and sun. We certainly got it, in spite of the concern for our health and safety expressed by friends and family. We were not decapitated by ruthless narcotrafficos, nor did we contract lethal cases of H1N1. Heck, we didn't even get Montezuma's Revenge, for that matter. Rather, we had a lovely time by ourselves, with only a few thousand desperate, out-of-work Mexican locals as compañeros. This is not a pejorative comment on the Mexican nationals. Rather, it is an observation of life in a third world fishing town. The town in question is only sixty miles from the U.S. border.
Puerto Penasco, or Rocky Point, is a small fishing town on the east shore of the Sea of Cortez, in the estado of Sonora, Mexico. The old town is built on a steep rocky headland, reminiscent of mediterranean fishing villages. The recent slump in the U.S. stock market, combined with fears of swine flu and increased violence in Mexican border towns, caused fewer Americans to travel this past winter, the height of the tourist season in Mexico: http://www.azcentral.com/business/articles/2009/05/01/20090501biz-rockypoint0501.html
Japanese expansion has had two major impacts on the development of Puerto Penasco. During World War II, Mexico allowed the U.S. to build a paved road from the Arizona border to the coast as a means to move troops rapidly, should the Japanese attempt a landing in the Sea of Cortez. Forty years later, Japanese commercial fishing had destructive effects on the sealife population of the Sea of Cortez:
Just as destructive, though, has been its impact on the local economy. As the supply of fish dwindled, the local small business fishermen were squeezed out of the picture. Attempts at protecting the upper portion of the sea are ongoing:
Another factor in the decline of a produce economy is the rise of mega-resorts along the region's coast. Tourism has been a part of the town's economy from its earliest days, but it was always within the town itself. The new resorts that dot the long sandy beaches are outside of town limits, and they draw the workforce out of the town itself, who take up residence in shanty towns that have sprung up closer to the resort buildings. These resorts now provide the majority of the cash income, upwards of 70%, leaving residents at the whim of foriegn travellers.
The second bit of busy-ness we had was attending Desert Magic Festival in Oracle, Arizona. That was a good bit of fun also. DMF is hosted every year by Sonoran Sunrise Grove of Ar nDraiocht Fein. We drove from Mexico on Wednesday, to the festival on Friday. There were no end of good classes, including one on ectstatic experiences using body stress techniques, and the usual drumming, dancing, and fellowship. Here is the article on last year's festival:
http://www.ssg-adf.org/photopages/DesertMagic2008/index.htm Afterwards it was back to work to make up the time and money spent.
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