The first great exodus happens in mid-June. Gringos button up their “cabins” in La Cholla and head for the hills – literally. So many Chollans have a second cabin or RV in the White Mountains of Arizona, that they call the area Cholla in the Pines.
The next flight occurs after Independence Day. The sea warms up, the humidity rises, the activities and events dwindle to happy hour, and tempers get short. Time to head for the land of air conditioning and the “dry heat.”
Only a few hearty souls make it to the end of July. With their tongues hanging out, sweat dripping off their brows and sand caked into every crevice, they throw in the towel and head for the Border with their panting little dogs in tow.
That leaves the Year-Rounders – the die-hard devotees of the Cholla/Peñasco lifestyle who love their Mexico homes, heat, humidity and all. But what is there to do besides park in front of the fan? Where is the social interchange that makes life rich and enjoyable? It has to be created.
So, a group of La Cholla Year-Rounders have organized indoor gatherings to occasionally pull themselves out of summer hibernation and rekindle the camaraderie that drew them to this area in the first place.
Those of you who have lived in the mid-west or northeast understand. When you were shut in by snow or wind or sleet or hail (or any of those other things that mail carriers tolerate), you created your own diversions and found creative ways to stay close to friends and family. It’s no different here in the heat, but we don’t have to shovel sunshine or scrape the humidity off our windshields – well, sometimes.
Besides potlucks and game night, high on the activities list is 2×1 Tuesdays at the Citi-Cinema. It is a big, comfortable, well air-conditioned theater complex with first-run movies that accommodate both English and Spanish speakers. They show movies that are dubbed (Dub) in Spanish, and films in English with Spanish subtitles (Sub), which can be a good way to learn a few new words and phrases en Español while enjoying the story line. Occasionally, movies are available in 3D as well but check to see if it is English with subtitles. You select your own seat when you buy your tickets at $59 pesos for two seats on 2x1Tuesday, and the popcorn and soda are reasonably priced. Plus, you have a choice of 3 different types of popcorn!!!
You can find out what’s showing and what’s coming up by going to the Cinepolis website at cinepolis.com/mx?cinema=cinepolis-puerto-penasco-puerto-penasco – where you can also watch trailers for the movies. You can even buy your tickets ahead of time.
The theater is on Blvd. Benito, one block north of Sam’s Club. If you haven’t visited the movie theater yet, it’s the perfect season to do so. In the meantime, “be cool and carry on,” Fall is on the way.
Photo Caption: The Cinepolis in Puerto Peñasco is large, modern, comfortable and a great summer retreat from the heat. Movies are in Spanish or English and Tuesday is two-for-one, but get there early, it’s a popular activity.
