Commentary on dining scene at Bahia Tortugas...

If you're a fan of taquerias, taco carts, street vendors and small, family-owned an operated restaurants, Mexico is a world-class destination, as the country is a street food lover's paradise. You see street vendors, small taquerias everywhere, especially when you prowl the business district of most towns and cities. You go into taco overload, and torta nirvana, and you basically eat yourself silly... Ah Mexico!

Photo: Peering inside the windows, I determined that this vacant convenience store once sported a small restaurant.

Bahia Tortugas has a population in the range of 2000 to 3000 persons, but only a handful of restaurants, street vendors and taquerias that are open for business. There are many eating establishments, but the majority of them are shuttered and closed. How can this be? The good folks at Bahia Tortugas need to eat too? I made my own observations, and I quizzed Ernie, the friendly and talkative manager of Motel Nanci about the lack of open restaurants, and between the two of us, we came up with these reasons:

* Lack of money
* Lack of tourists
* Lack of interest

Photo: Prosperous Tienda Rojas once operated a restaurant, to the left of the photo, but now the restaurant is closed.

Bahia Tortugas has no real industry, as the largest cannery in town is closed, and the other cannery only operates sporadically. Commercial fishing is practically non-existent, as there are only a few operators, and they primarily supply fish for the locals, and the couple of sit-down restaurants that are still in business. There are state and municipal jobs, and service jobs in the private sector, but very little else. According to my gracious host, most people just eek out a living doing whatever they can do. Take a look around the town, and that shows.

Photo: Taqueria El Tacorrio is closed, and quite dusty inside.

Tourists, what tourists? The few tourists that arrive mostly arrive by yacht, as Bahia Tortugas is strategically located near the halfway point between San Diego and Cabo San Lucas. It's a popular fueling spot for the yacht set, but few of them hit the beach for more than a few hours, and most of them don't make it past Tienda Rojas, or Motel Nanci. There is absolute no tourist infrastructure in town, and most people would complain that there is little, if anything, to do. That point was observed by me, as during my four day stay in town, I didn't see any other gringo tourists.

Photo: Restaurant Veracruz is located on a hill, near the center of town, across from the Pemex gas station, but it's long closed. It appears that it could be opened practically at any time.

Few visitors come by road, as Bahia Tortugas is out of the way, as it's slightly over 100 miles from Highway 1, over a mostly rough, partially-paved road. The few visitors that visit the town usually arrive by sea; a few come by air, as the town has a paved airstrip. Many locals asked me which boat in the harbor was mine, and when I told them I drove, they seemed quite surprised.

Photo: Restaurante Enrique's Jr. is located south of the municipal pier, with a great view of the beach, and at one time featured outdoor dining. I was especially sorry to see this restaurant closed, as it looked like the sort of place that I'd like to spend some time at. Note the sign that reads "Cold beer.." Darn!

Since most folks don't have a lot of discretionary income, dining out doesn't seem to be a big activity in town. Combine that with lack of tourists, and a bleak, stark environment, with dusty streets, it's just not conducive for restaurants. The town does have several well-stocked grocery stores, so the locals have plenty of raw ingredients to choose from.

During the four days I wandered over town, I saw quite a few restaurants, but very few of them were open for business. Maybe it was just bad timing on my part, maybe it was the recession that was gripping not only the U.S., but Mexico as well, or maybe it's just... whatever.

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