Crossing the line

I ventured into Mexico yesterday, and I'm tempted to weave a harrowing story about bandidos and coyotes. The truth, however, is a lot less interesting. Despite its reputation, the other side of Nogales is just as calm as our side. The trip was almost disappointingly easy!

I didn't have much of a travel agenda. My loose plan was to explore the medical tourism industry and have a nice meal. Other than that, I just wanted to walk the streets and see the city in person.

But first, I had to talk my travel buddy into coming down from Tucson.

It wasn't very difficult.

Crossing into Mexico is pretty easy. You literally just walk right in. Occasionally, the country uses a stoplight system to randomly check bags, but even that's not too hard. You just press a button as you walk past the customs desk and a stoplight activates. If it turns green, you keep on walking. If it turns red, you open your bags for the agent. But yesterday, they weren't even doing that. It was a sleepy Sunday morning, and the Mexican customs agent just eyeballed the few people trickling across. We didn't even have to show our ID.

And just like that, we were in another country.

We only had to walk another twenty or thirty feet before the activity started to pick way up. But the bars, restaurants, and shops that the area is known for have almost entirely been replaced by pharmacies and dental offices.

Now, you may be picturing one or two pharmacias dotting the streets, but literally every storefront for the first two blocks into Mexico was for a medical tourism operation of some sort.

Gone are the street hustlers beckoning you in for a cerveza, amigo. They've been replaced by well-dressed professionals offering amoxicillin, CPAP machines, and tooth cleanings at very competitive prices. It was surreal.

The Sonoran government has been heavily promoting medical tourism along the border, and it's a smart move. For a variety of reasons, the stream of southbound leisure travelers has dried up, but people are more willing to head across the border if they can save hundreds of dollars on medical or dental care.

It's no secret that the cost of care has been skyrocketing in the US. There are many reasons for that, but a major one is that drug and device companies see the well-insured, highly-subsidised US patients as their primary profit centers. It's not at all uncommon for a pill that costs $.02 to manufacture to be sold for $10-50 each here in the US. In other countries (even developed ones), the profit margins are far more reasonable. Of course, it's entirely reasonable for the drug companies to make profit from their developments, but charging hundreds of dollars per dose seems a little exploitative.

I don't want to go too far down the health policy rabbit hole today, but I think it's important to know that  in 2003, Congress passed a law that prevents Medicare from negotiating drug prices. It was a huge win for Pharma lobbyists. No other country or private business has tied its own hands so tightly, and that's reflected in the price we're paying for our medications. The same pills that sell for hundreds of dollars in the US are available for pennies across the border. Literally the same pills made in the same factories. I can't blame people for seeking a better deal across the line. In fact, until we get a better handle on drug prices here in the US, I strongly support it.

Ok, that wasn't too bad. Just a two paragraph detour. Now back to the adventure.

Aimee and I were more in the market for a margarita than a medication, so we kept walking south. After you clear the first few blocks of pharmacies, the streets start to look more classically Sonoran.

We continued forward towards our main goal: good food. Although the number of restaurants has dropped dramatically since Nogales' tourism heyday, there are still plenty of world class establishments. La Roca is arguably the best and most famous. We're inclined to agree.

The restaurant was built into a rock cliff (hence the name), and is the kind of place that could easily cost $100 per plate in the US. But this isn't the US. We had multiple courses of some of the best food we've ever eaten, and washed it all down with a few beers and margaritas. The service was impeccable, and the price was entirely reasonable.

And that's it. No crime witnessed, no maps misread, no diarrhea suffered. I don't even know if I can count this as international travel. But it was a wonderful way to spend the afternoon, and a surprisingly easy escape from the Arizona heat. We'll definitely be back.