A century-old church in old town Nogales.

Is Nogales, Mexico safe? Will we get caught up in drug trafficking? How long will it take to cross the border? Is it even worth it? Despite the reputation for drug violence and underground tunnels, we decided to see what the town is really like. Below is what happened when we crossed the border for the day.

Border lot on Park Street.

Walk or Drive Into Nogales?

Not a hard decision really for a first time border crossing. We left our car in a lot on the U.S. side of Nogales and walked across the border. We found a lot on Park Street (really). You can leave your car all day for $5.00, plus they have clean restrooms. There’s also a McDonald’s right in front of the border crossing, which is a good place for a restroom stop. We paid our $5.00, and left the green ticket in the car window. There were a few yellow boots on the tires of several vehicles. It makes one wonder what happened on the other side of the border? We were confident that we would be back by the 7pm closing time. We started walking.

Travel Safety

In 2007 and 2011 (when I was stationed in Arizona), military personnel were prohibited from crossing the border. We weren’t allowed to visit even the U.S. side of Douglas or Nogales. Although I’ve lived in southern Arizona for almost two years, we haven’t had the desire nor the time to cross the border. We really didn’t know if it was safe, or of the stories of shootouts in the streets were true. We decided to take a few safety precautions before we left home:

  • Only brought one credit card, passport, and $40.
  • Left the silver jewelry and coach bag at home.
  • Wore jeans and a t-shirt.
  • Left the big red DLSR at home in favor of a decade-old point and shoot.
  • Packed hand sanitizer and tissue paper.
  • Hats and sunscreen are a necessity. The sun was intense, even in March.
  • Bottled water is sold everywhere but we still brought a liter each.

Crossing The Border

Crossing into Mexico is quite simply, the most ridiculously easy border crossing ever. Just walk through the turnstile and that’s it. Welcome to Mexico. No one looked at or even talked to us. We weren’t asked for a passport, or to declare anything. No one searched or x-rayed our bags. We felt like we had done something wrong. So this is how it’s done. Stroll across the border like it really isn’t a border. After all, thousands cross every day to earn a living. After crossing the borders of twenty countries, this is by far the easiest.

Walking Around Nogales

Nogales, is not a tourist town. Were were among a few other Americans wandering around, but most people were going about the business of daily life. The tourists crossing into Nogales are going to visit the dentist or pharmacy, and that’s it.

No one but Joey and I were wearing hats. They’re hiking hats so we stuck out like gringo tourists. The first three blocks are lined with dentists, pharmacies, nightclubs, bars, shops, as well as the usual colorful Mexican tchotchkes. The dentists and pharmacies all have someone outside calling you to stop in for a minute.

No, gracias, I don’t need a half-gallon of unsealed vanilla extract right now.

Once you leave the three or four tourist blocks, a whole different Nogales emerges. As soon as we started to get the, “what are you doing all the way up here stares,” we turned around to find some lunch.

Be Prepared for the Staring and Requests for Money

Even though it was a Tuesday and the middle of the day, there were a lot of people just sitting around and doing nothing in Nogales. Men, women, children, just sitting. Mexico officially did away with the siesta a few years ago. People stared at us everywhere we went. Back home my teacher’s salary and side gigs don’t seem like much, but just across the border, it’s truly wealthy.

The requests for money began immediately. Children and adults alike all wanted a dollar. It was much worse and much more aggressive than strolling down the streets in Tulum. Although I did my best to hide my “wealth” by dressing in a jeans and t-shirt, and leaving the jewelry and expensive bag at home, we still looked like wealthy gringos. A few minutes into the trip I realized that we ARE wealthy. We have so much to go back to at home.

A government building in Nogales.

Is Nogales Safe?

First of all, the rumors of gun battles in the streets and drug trafficking on every corner are simply not true. We felt perfectly safe the entire time. However, the people watching our every move made me a little nervous. Nogales seemed fine for the day, but it’s not a place I would want to visit at night. Next to every shop was a bar or nightclub.

Just like Cancun, garbage is everywhere. When I say everywhere, it’s not an exaggeration. It’s also not a stretch to say that Nogales is the worst smelling place I’ve ever visited. China is a close second, but the stench of open sewage in Nogales is unbearable. We saw it bubbling up out of the street and being hosed away at one point.

Let’s Talk About the Sidewalks

Strolling through Tucson and Sedona’s perfectly maintained sidewalks can spoil a person. In Nogales, the pavement is broken and uneven. Unexpected changes in sidewalk elevation occur without warning. Holes big enough for your entire foot and leg to pass through are also common. Joey and I were continually looking out for each other by pointing out the hazards. My visit was uneventful, but it’s easy to see how a serious injury could occur. Be careful and pay attention to the sidewalks in Nogales. The residents are used to them, we aren’t.

Shopping

The main shopping areas are on Campillo and Obregon streets. As soon as you cross the border walk three blocks on Campillo Street, then turn left on Obregon Street. That was the extent of our three hours of wandering. There wasn’t a single item worth taking back home. Although I’m a huge fan of sterling silver jewelry, all of the “silver” jewelry in Nogales isn’t real silver. It felt weird crossing the border back into the U.S. without anything to declare. Although a pair of $15 Aztec-themed onyx bookends caught my eye, I had nowhere to put them and didn’t feel like carrying them around. My general feeling is that Nogales isn’t for shopping. Americans cross the border to go to the dentist and buy cheap prescription drugs and and then leave. Purchasing a trinket isn’t even on the radar.

Eating

We ate twice in Nogales. Even though I failed to follow my own rule of never eating on the “tourist” strip, both meals were inexpensive and pretty good. We had carne asada tacos at Restaurant Sinaola. The place was packed at 1pm. Crowds at a restaurant are always a good sign. The staff was friendly and the food was good. The beef was a little less lean than I’m used to. The total for five tacos and two drinks, $9. Not bad, even though during our wanderings we saw plenty of shops where lunch could be had for half of that. We also had ice cream at La Michoacana. Even though lunch didn’t win any awards, the ice cream was really good, and I would go there again.

The Border Fence

Crossing Back into the U.S.A.

My first question is, why do all of these people keep shoving to the front of the line? Yes, shoving, with sacks full of who knows what. While Joey and I were chatting with a lovely couple from Tucson, we noticed people still shoving their way up front. We also noticed tourists bypassing our line to go stand in a line with a big sign overhead that stated “Sentri Only.” I wonder why no one else was in that line? SENTRI is the pre-approved clearance, expedited border crossing process. No one was staffing that line. The tourists standing there were looking angrier by the minute that no one was helping. It was amusing to watch the spectacle from a distance.

Joey, after seeing the line to cross back into the U.S.

Still Waiting

After ten minutes or so of the line-shoving, our conversation partner asked what was going on. “Oh we’re over the age of 62,” was the scornful reply to us rabble still waiting in line. Evidently our conversation partners were over the age of 62 because by the time we turned around, they had pushed their way up front as well. We were left in a line talking to what was probably a soldier not supposed to be there. We continued to watch the minutes tick by. The line looked really long and it wasn’t moving very often. Since I still have a few more decades before I turn 62, we stayed put and watched the line inch forward. There was lots of complaining and angry looks. I thought to myself that no one in this line has ever snaked their way through three hours of customs at London-Heathrow.

It’s Our Turn

A half hour after we queued up we were finally standing in front of the U.S. Customs and Border Protection agent. He looked at my passport and didn’t so much as speak to me before waving me through. Could he see that I was ex-military or where I’ve traveled before? Who knows. Joey was only asked, “where’s home,” before being waved through. The total time from queuing up to setting foot on American soil: 32 minutes. Not bad. Although it was 3pm on a Tuesday. We both agreed to never cross the border on a weekend.

One of the colorful murals around Nogales

A Privilege Check

We’ve been to Mexico before. After living for almost two months in the Yucatan, we thought, “ok it’s just  touristy Mexico again.” Quintana Roo and Sonora are nothing alike. Nogales isn’t a tourist town. It’s a town filled with ordinary people just trying to get by. Would we go there again? Probably not, but there are other border towns to explore in Arizona. I am certainly grateful to return to a clean, safe home, hot shower, and pleasant smells. We chose a small apartment when we moved to Arizona so we could still enjoy the privilege of travel when we want. Visiting Nogales made us realize just how rich we really are on the other side of the border.