By Bill Taylor
This Thanksgiving weekend, the Arizona Outdoor & Travel Club (AOTC) is going to Kino Bay again. I did this trip last year. It’s three days and three nights in a beachfront condo. A chartered luxury tour bus provides the transportation from Phoenix to Kino Bay, around town, and back to Phoenix. It’s only $180 per person, and this includes the condo (double occupancy per room), the bus ride, continental breakfasts, and munchies for happy hour. Optional extra costs include the Thanksgiving Day turkey feast at John’s Cantina, the incredible lobster dinner at the Marlin Club Friday night (with dancing afterwards), a boat ride out to the Seri Indian village, and of course the contributions for the alcohol for the happy hour.
Kino Bay is much more remote and relaxed than Rocky Point. It is primarily the summer getaway destination for the people of Hermosillo, the capital of Sonora, much like San Diego is for Phoenix. The cool weather months are the off season, when the gringos show up. There are not as many places to shop or eat as in Rocky Point, but there are several very good restaurants. There is more time to relax, read a book, go for long walks down the beach, and, in general, get away from it all. The local Seri Indians are famous for their basket weaving and ironwood carvings. You can bargain with them for some good deals on their handiwork.
Of course, it is Mexico, so there is little in the way of medical facilities in Kino Bay, and the tour bus is subject to the more severe inspections both going into the interior of Mexico and re-entering the U.S. at Nogales. A passport is helpful, but not required. A birth certificate or other form of proof of citizenship is required. Our government is cracking down on the importation of prescription drugs, fruits, vegetables, meat, etc., so last year the U.S. inspectors went through the bus with a fine-toothed comb when we entered at Nogales.
Seating is limited, and is open to non-AOTC members starting September first. Until then, non-members can be bumped. There were empty seats on the bus last year, but this year may sell out early. Please contact Diana Yarbrough at 497-8694 to make reservations, and the earlier the better.