Our last night in Mexico had to be in the town. Luckily there was a trailer park within about 10 blocks of the touristy shopping area of Obrera. It is also the home of Hussong's Cantina, the birthplace of the margarita. We saved visiting Hussong's for the last night so it would be a special treat.
We got set-up in the new trailer park by late morning, then headed into the fray. We took in a wine tasting at the Santo Tomas winery, browsed through some flea markets, had lunch in the park, toured a museum, and perused a local art gallery.
The sun was now on it's way to bed, so we stopped into a small sports bar for a quick pre-dinner beer. They had free wifi, so we couldn't resist. About half-way through our beer, the power went out. Not a single person in the bar seemed distressed in the least. It was like this happened all the time, so we didn't worry either. The staff quickly delivered candles to every table to try and save the evening. Another five minutes passed, and the power has still not returned. Some of the customers decided to leave, others enjoyed the peacefulness of the low light and reduced sound level (no power = no music).
We decided on leaving as well, since the wifi was the main draw to this place, and that was now unavailable. Upon exiting the bar we find the entire street is void of lights. Police cars block the entrance to some of the streets. Water was flowing on some streets. There hadn't been any rain lately. The first guess was a water main break and the power was cut for safety reasons. Second guess was a fire.
The search for power began. We walked street after street in low light. Thousands of people shared our seemingly aimless march towards the unknown in every direction. Hussong's was only a few blocks away, so we headed in that direction. When one access point was cut-off by police, we selected another. We eventually came within a half block of Hussong's and encountered the source of the power loss. Military vehicles and personnel had the street blocked off and taped. Smoked billowed out of one of a building directly across the street from Hussong's. No margarita for us.
We joined the spectacle for a few minutes before resigning to go for a late dinner.
Luckily our chosen dinner spot had power. We enjoyed a lazy meal, then stopped buy a small cafe for a final drink before heading back to the trailer. Power still hadn't returned to the area by the time we left - 5 hours and counting.
Despite the situation - no power, Mexico, night - we didn't feel the least bit threatened. Perhaps this is just the way in Baja. Perhaps it's different then mainland Mexico. Perhaps the travel advisories are wrong. Whatever the case, I wouldn't hesitate to visit Baja again or recommend it to anyone else.
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