Culture Shock?

When you travel to different parts of the world you sometimes encounter an environment that is so different from what you are used to, you experience what is know as "culture shock". During our two week stay in Yuma we experienced a bit of ..... not exactly culture shock, but close to it.

We rented a very nice house in a quiet neighborhood ..... so quiet in fact it was eerie! Those who inhabited theses homes were pretty much all seniors who took the odd stroll with a little lap dog, or sat out quietly in a sun room. There was no sign of a kid riding a bike, a skateboarding teenager or the sound of some guy using a power tool in the backyard. Like I said, eerie! And, there were acres of these subdivisions and RV parks .... all housing seniors, from the newly retired to the very elderly!

 It wasn't until we ventured out to the local grocery store that it hit us. At least ninety percent of the customers were seniors. (I know, I know, what do we expect in a retirement area). But seriously, it was like we had died (along with everyone else) and this was the afterlife where we all ended up. (The odd young person we saw must have met an early demise of some kind!) The parking lot had ten times the handicapped parking spaces as our supermarket at home, and as soon as you entered the store there was a fleet of electric carts for those with mobility issues. As we cruised the shopping aisles it was obvious that we weren't in Kansas anymore .......... just Yuma!

Our quiet neighborhood!

The parking lot at the grocery store near Yuma.

Medical Tourism

In about 20 minutes you can drive from Yuma to the little town of Algodones, Mexico and do a little "medical tourism". Hundreds (maybe thousands) of Canadian and American "snowbirds" do this. You park your car in a huge parking lot on the US side of the border and walk across to the little Mexican town where you can buy a forty ouncer of Tequila and get a tooth implant at a fraction of what it might cost at home. Crossing the border into Mexico is easy,(nobody even checks your passport!) and as soon as you arrive on the main drag you are greeted by a plethora of optical stores, dental offices, and drug stores as well as liquor stores and tourist traps. I was amazed by the hordes of old folks getting their prescriptions filled and dental work done as well as enjoying a cerveza and a little Mexican food. ....... I wonder if I could convince my dentist to offer a Margarita while I wait for my appointment? 

The Paraiso Bar and Restaurant in Algadones .... not a sole under 55!

I love the sign ... advertising the local bar and dental work all on the same sign!

Algadones Mexico, we had to wait 45 min. to get back to the US and that was a good day!

Culture shock is perhaps a bit harsh when I describe my experience in Yuma. Maybe being surrounded by "retirees" hits a little too close to home and I just don't want to admit that I could blend in quite easily. All I know is I'm not quite ready for the "easy life" yet. I want to be sure that I'm still alive ..... even if it involves shoveling snow!