Our Visit To Molar City

Yesterday we took the much anticipated trip to Los Algodones.  Bill and Pat always visit on the way down to their winter spot in Arizona and also again just before they leave, so this was a special trip they made to show us the ropes.  I can see why they plan a stop on the way down and back as it is the premier spot to get quality eyeglasses and frames, as well as dental services ranging from simple cleaning, polishing, fillings, crowns, plates and I am sure even more.  There are literally hundreds and hundreds of dental offices and eyewear stores.

To get to Los Algodones you leave Yuma and travel a short distance west into California for a few miles before turning south onto a road that takes you to a huge parking lot where you leave your car to walk across the border.  This parking lot was not filled for our visit, but I would not want to cross the border when it is.  There is room for likely thousands of cars.  When we arrived we met Ken and Kim who we have spent some time with already, and friends Deb and her daughter Riley.  Ken and Kim are from Ingersoll while Deb and Riley are from Manitoulin Island, and they have been staying in a desert LTVA location not far from the border so joined us for the day.

The town is nestled in the absolute northern most point of Mexico right along the US border to the north and east along the Colorado River.  It is across the border from California but as most of its business is tied to Arizona it stays on Mountain time.  Wikipedia says the name comes from the word Cotton Plant so I suspect there was or is a lot of agriculture centred around cotton in the area.  There was no evidence of cotton in town other than the tons of vendors selling blankets and such.  Strangely enough on the two times now we have been through Yuma there are a number of fields that grow cotton as we see the large bales set up ready for transport to wherever it is further processed.  The town is apparently nicknamed Molar City as it has become known primarily for the place to go for dental work for Americans and Canadians alike.  The dentists and most of the facilities are as good as any in Canada and the US and the dental surgeons trained in the US.  You do have to check around as some will be better than others, but for example we were told you can get single crowns fitted for about $450USD, so a lot better than Canadian pricing.

We were not inside the border more than a hundred yards and you feel like you are in any of the hundreds of tourist towns in Mexico or the Caribbean countries.  Hawkers and vendors are every five feet trying to give you their card to refer you to ‘their’ optical place or dental office.  Intermingled are hawkers and vendors selling just about anything you can imagine.

We turned a corner and one of the guys spotted Bill, called out his name and they both hugged each other as old friends.  As Bill and Pat have been going as regularly as they do, the people they have known through the visits remember them and warmly greet them, knowing what they are there for.  It is amazing to me really how these individuals can remember a face and a name from the thousands of people they will see and meet between each visit, and think it is a testament to how well they do what they do.  Their livelihood depends on reading peoples faces and remembering who they are.  Bill explained to the guy what we were there for and he promptly led us to what he claimed was ‘the best’ optical place in town at least in terms of price.  The fact that he led us there and we didn't just walk in meant we got some form of discount.  The discount was never disclosed but we felt good about the pricing of what we purchased so that is what counts.

We did not go for any dental work but may opt for that another time.  On this trip we were focussed on eyewear.  Pat has two pairs of quality frames that needed new lenses and I opted for a new pair of frames and lenses.  It is amazing you can go into an optical place, pick out new frames, get the existing frames tested against what your current vision is, choose the coating types for the lenses, pay $120 in my case and come back in two hours for them.

Despite our total bill being just over four hundred bucks, the unknown additional cost was going to be in what Pat spotted in the two hours we were waiting.  I didn't have to wait long as she was first to see the optometrist which meant I was the last one to come out.  By the time I did Pat had already commissioned one of those guys who paints scenes on stuff to paint a maple leaf.   The painting style is almost like Bob Ross and his technique, but this guy is nowhere near as slow and deliberate.  His ability is based on quickly painting something so he can keep people moving to make more money.  I don't know what his day is like but he can paint a maple leaf complete with mountains, trees, a deer and a few birds for $38 in fifteen minutes.  People were lined up buying stuff from him so I don't think he is hurting.

With that sale complete, Pat was off to the next booth for a lively discussion on how much to spend on blankets.  From there the ladies went to a jewellery store in order to get a shot of tequila with a beer chaser while browsing the aisles for that special piece of jewellery they don’t need.  As Pat says though “it is never about need, rather about want”.  She got out of there without buying anything so I suspect it might have been just about the tequila and the beer.  I joke a bit about it but being in a place like that for some is like being a kid again in a candy store.  The people who work and sell know what they are doing and while they don't get upset when you just walk by, they are very attentive once they make eye contact or you stop for a second.

Finally we went into one of the many pharmacies that also line the streets to see what they were selling.  You can buy virtually any medication that you can think of and the prices are very low.  Many of the items we saw were as cheap as dispensing fees back home.

It was time for lunch and Deb recommended an open air restaurant she had been to before, which did not disappoint.  Service was started with the obligatory margarita round for those that like them and then orders were placed with food coming out fresh, hot and very good.  It was typical Mexican food and was excellent.  Of course while we were seated every street vendor came around to their now captive audience to try and sell something, but as long as you said no thanks they would move on.

After lunch we returned to get our glasses while Bill and Pat had also purchased a few of the metal painting from the same guy so we were off again through the narrow aisles.  From there we walked the few blocks back to the border.

Bill said that typically when they have been to Mexico the wait at the border can be up to two hours.  This day we were very fortunate as the wait was less than five minutes.  There were not that many going back at the time we went so it was an easy out back to the US.

On the way back to Quartzsite we stopped at a local market that we were at a few weeks ago when we first travelled to Yuma.  It is reminiscent of the fruit stands that used to line Highway 8 all along the Niagara Penninsula.  Wooden stalls with fabrene walls, dirt floor and a steady flow of traffic.  The last time we were through we picked up some things that we definitely wanted to repeat.

This stop did not disappoint.  The celery, broccoli and cauliflower had been picked that morning so were about as fresh as you can get.  Prices are better than the grocery stores down here and even with the currency exchange as bad as it is right now, the prices appear to be about half what they are at home.

Radishes, Broccoli and Celery - picked Fresh

If you made it this far, thanks for reading.