Yes, you heard correctly, even though you may think there are no possible reasons why you shouldn’t visit the beautiful beaches of the Sea of Cortez in Puerto Peñasco Mexico (a short 3.5 hour drive from Phoenix or Tucson, Arizona) and get your beach groove on by the sea…Here are some things you may want to take into consideration before you make that next trip. Read on and marinate the below information carefully.

1. Sunburn Sickness- yes, it’s true if you stay and play all day on the soft buttery sand, throw caution to the wind, and frolic around reading your juicy novel on a Mexican blanket with a cooler full of cold drinks or tasty libations you may find yourself running to the sparkly waters of the Sea of Cortez to cool off and with so much joyfulness going on…you may forget to reapply the sunscreen, if you fall into this trap you will get sunburn sickness, beware!

2. Shrimp overdose sometimes referred to as Rocky Point Shrimp disease- don’t laugh this is a common problem for those that visit Rocky Point. Shrimp overdose can be very serious and affect you for the rest of your life. The quality of shrimp may never be the same. Common side effects include but are not limited to: shaking your head No repeatedly and refusing to eat shrimp in any USA restaurant for fear it may be frozen, small and basically just not as succulent as the Rocky Point shrimp you once tasted. The seriousness of the Rocky Point Shrimp disease is that you may never be able to eat shrimp again, anywhere else, because of the scrumptious size, sweetness and full of flavor quality you experienced in Rocky Point. So what do you do? You partake daily of numerous shrimp cocktails Mexican style, shrimp salads, shrimp burgers, shrimp tacos, shrimp wrapped with bacon, stuffed shrimp, shrimp soup, grilled shrimp and shrimp ceviche. You find you have eaten so many Rocky Point yummy shrimp you might just overdose. (But, hey with all the delectable, mouth-watering, lip smacking, delicious shrimp in season why not see if you can buy a few pounds at the fish market and take it back with you to enjoy at your home?)

3. Air Quality System Shock – Now those coming from Phoenix or Tucson or other large cities understand air quality index. In Phoenix with the recent 114 degrees and heat advisory we also understand what it means to stay indoors. Well, be cautious when you come to Rocky Point. If you decide you want to take a morning or evening stroll by the sea, be careful as you’re breathing in salt air to your lungs, your lungs may be confused with all the clean, fresh sea air that you may experience air quality system shock. Symptoms include elation, non-irritated eyes, easy breathing and lack of allergy symptoms…

4. Trouble waking up early or sleeping through your alarm disorder- Agreed, this disorder is absolutely awful. When you find yourself, continuing to sleep through your alarm or sometimes forgetting to set your alarm altogether and wake up naturally (whoever heard of such a thing!) you may have contracted this disorder. It happens, especially in Rocky Point. You set your alarm for a specific time so you can get about your business, you don’t want to be rushed, you want to make sure you don’t get stuck in traffic (what traffic?) and it’s so quiet the sound of waves lapping against the shore is so methodically lulling, almost like a sound machine in your right ear, you sleep right through that alarm clock. Right through the beep, beep, beep of the alarm clock and your REM sleep is going crazy!!! You hear it going off and you just don’t care. But wait…does it really make a difference? Well, only if you have to race to an important meeting or navigate yourself through traffic jams on the freeway (no freeways in RP), but hey isn’t it better to relax a little and take some time off. Might be you need to sleep through a few alarms and forget the rush, rush, and hustle bustle and enjoy the calmness of the Rocky Point beach or wait is that just my disorder surfacing?

5. Sore muscles or over extension Virus- It can happen. You may be more familiar with daily exercise consisting of walking to the water cooler at work and driving in your car morning and evening and not accustomed to kayaking, jet skiing, sailing, fishing, ATVing, walking the beach, throwing Frisbees, golfing, swimming, strolling the Malecon, dancing to a live band or playing volleyball on the beach. Be warned if this is not part of your typical, everyday routine you may find you have developed the sore muscle or over extension virus and symptoms may even include weight loss, muscle building and increased appetite for healthy foods.

6. Overly Friendly People Infection – It may sound outlandish, but strangers whom you never met will say Hello or Hola to you in Rocky Point. If you are staying at a hotel or one of the numerous condo’s available for rent on the beach you may even meet your neighbors or other residents in the building. If you ride in the elevator to go up to your room, expect conversation and get ready to talk about the weather and how warm the temperature of the pool is and the best restaurant for a luscious meal (yes they might even use that word, “I had a luscious meal at Fish.” You will hear a few “Buenos Dias” in the morning when you wake up, and a couple “Buenas Tardes” in the afternoon. In the evening don’t be frightened of the “Buenas Noches and Adios!! Trust me, it is catchy, and you may even carry it back to the states. The infection may not last long, once you return from Rocky Point you might slip back into the familiar non-friendly way.

7. Cheap Rates Corruption- be careful of the cheap inexpensive room rates, they may corrupt you because you are getting such a steal. You might think they are charging you incorrectly and because of this, think you are being corrupt and untruthful. Why pay less than a $100 a night for an oceanfront condo that sleeps 4 with a full kitchen and gorgeous beachfront pool when you can pay 3 times that much for a hotel in California without air conditioning and you have to walk to the beach carrying all you beach gear because parking is nowhere in sight or you have to pay for it?

8. Excessive eye glare Infection- yes something a little different. Rocky Point has a phenom called “diamonds on the water.” The sky is so extraordinarily clear, no clouds in sight, no afternoon tropical cloud bursts, just unusually clear blue horizons. Thus, excessive eye glare infection can occur. Symptoms include a sense of how big the world is and how miniscule you are when you look at the deep blue see you may experience a bizarrely internal feeling of peace. To help prevent the excessive eye glare infection caused by the shimmering crystal diamond reflection of the beautiful clear Sea of Cortez buy some groovy shades and possibly a beach hat found easily by local beach vendors who will bring their wares to you ( yes, shopping is available right on the beach!) Be warned of excessive squinting and heavy eye glare, eye protection is highly recommended for awe inspiring gazing to be enjoyed.

9. Not enough rules at the beach infectivity- Don’t you hate it when there are no regulations, ordinances and strict postings of what you can and cannot do? Yes, it is terrible when there are not enough rules and regulations in place at the beach. Where are the rules that prohibit dog walking owners from wandering those 4 legged creatures, (where everyone can see them) along the seashore? Running around in the water, laughing uncontrollably, chasing balls, the nerve of those dogs and their owners. How about those people who spend hours picking up and collecting sea shells? Coolers on the beach? Unlike some state side beaches i.e. California, the big signs are gone. NO signs that read: no dogs, no drinking, no seashell picking, no fires, no picnics, no coolers, no smoking, no tents. If you are looking for those signs and need those rules and regs to go to the beach beware you will not find them here. You will witness kids with dogs, families lugging their coolers down the beach, couples setting up umbrellas with their blanket and in some areas a beach fire at night. The above actions will occur in Rocky Point so if you are looking for beaches with more rules and regulations it may not be the place for you.

10. Beach bum syndrome-very, very dangerous syndrome. Perhaps, the most seriousness of all the reasons not to visit Rocky Point. The syndrome may occur on the first visit to Puerto Peñasco although highly unlikely. Typically indicators occur after repeated visits to Rocky Point. The warning signs start slowly but progress rapidly once you first experience the very first signs, symptoms include but are not limited to: not wanting to leave after a weekend and actually convincing others to buy into the syndrome and stay one day longer. Then the fake “ I’m sick “ phone calls start occurring to your place of work, in repeated cycles so you can extend your time in Rocky Point. Excuses may vary (i.e. car problems, border was closed and the very extreme serious symptom, chanting of “I lost my passport”) signs of such dramatic lies are a sure indication you might seriously have contracted the syndrome. Severe symptoms highly untreatable occur when you quit your job and move to Rocky Point. (Note writer is an expert on this syndrome as she contracted the syndrome, left corporate America and moved to Rocky Point.)

Hence, if the above reasons are enough for you not to visit Rocky Point, then well you probably best heed your own advice!

If you are a traveler or interested in taking more vacations like visiting Rocky Point, check out “Travel Secrets: Insider guide to planning, affording and taking more vacations” now available on Amazon. Or go to http://www.examiner.com/mexico-travel-in-phoenix/anita-kaltenbaugh