A LOVE AFFAIR
In Love with Rocky Point
by Gretchen Corpe Ellinger

In 1992, after a 300 mile drive from north-central Arizona, I parked near the Viña del Mar in Old Port, and stepped from the car.  A long panoramic look at the Sea of Cortez, the fish markets, the palm trees along the sidewalk, the little stores selling souvenirs and a few genuine handcrafts, the few restaurants, bars and hotels…I was enchanted! It was love at first sight! I knew I would live here some day.  After a long weekend in Paradise, I was sooo sorry when the time came to depart – we had eaten well, experienced warm Mexican hospitality, dipped in the Sea, shopped a bit, but I knew we had only scratched the surface, and there was so much left to see, do, and learn.

After years of looking and learning, I fell in love all over again, this time with Cholla Bay.  A property “with potential” jumped into my life, and weekends and vacations over several years turned my little piece of Paradise into a home. Construction was a new kind of adventure and, despite the inevitable ups and downs, my home turned out beautifully – well enough to become Casa Monica Cholla Bay Bed & Breakfast, which has been very good to me, allowing me to meet and get to know interesting people from all over the world who somehow find their way to Puerto Peñasco. Many of them fall in love, too, and come back over and over, or find their own little pieces of Paradise.

Nearly ten years of living in Puerto Peñasco, and visits to other cities in Mexico, plus two long road trips – one all the way to Cancun and back, the other with a Mexican family to the state of Jalisco – has slowed me down, helped me to appreciate the rich and varied culture of Mexico, and allowed me to make many friends, some of whom are “redirected northerners” like me, while others are Mexicans who patiently help me to learn their language and customs. I have fallen into what I hope is a long love affair with Mexico.

Our city has so much to offer, and we all have our favorite things to do, see, visit, eat.  Over the years I have written about restaurants, stores, craftsmen, interesting people, and more that I enjoy, but I have only scratched the surface!  I think I know Puerto Peñasco / Rocky Point well, then someone raves about a place of which I have never even heard!  What is your favorite in our city?  It could be a beach, an activity, a restaurant, a food, a store, a view, a character, a service, a doctor, a restaurant…please share!  Email me at GretchenInMexico@gmail.com, and tell me your favorite and why you love it.  I will “share the love” in future issues.