Tour of downtown San Felipe, along Ave. Mar de Cortez...

San Felipe's downtown is a combination of a "real" downtown, where the locals shop for the things they need, and your typical downtown that caters to tourists has all of the things that the tourists want, like curio shops, honky-tonks and bars. On that note, since San Felipe is a small city, it doesn't have a "Zona Roja" nor does it have anything that even remotely resembles a shopping center or a mall. (Note: Shopping centers and malls haven't really caught on in Mexico. I've only observed the phenomenon in Mexicali, Tijuana and Ensenada.)

Photo: San Felipe's downtown is dead on this early Wednesday morning in September, as we look north on Ave. Mar de Cortez, from the corner of Calle Ensenada. Downtown San Felipe is decorated in patriotic colors, as is the custom in Mexico during the month of September.

The main street in San Felipe, appropriately named Mar de Cortez is one block inland from the sea, and it parallels the Sea of Cortez, running north and south. The downtown starts at Blvd. Calzada Chetumal, and runs south for about three blocks, and west for another three blocks, with most of the action clustered around the streets of Mar de Cortez, Mar Baltico and Paseo del Mar. Downtown San Felipe caters to tourists, as tourism is big business of the town, but it is a real downtown, with real stores where real people come to purchase life's necessities. Like most Baja California town, there are many shops that cater to the desires of tourists, selling locally-made art, ceramic statues, clothing, hats, leather good, gaudy plastic toys, every kind of souvenir that you could imagine and Mexican curios. There are also fine restaurants, a few tourist bars and night clubs, dental offices and the ever-present farmacias. If you look hard enough, you'll even find a couple of banks, grocery stores, clothing stores, hardware stores, and just about any business that caters to the local trade.

Photo: The tourist Mecca malecón, along Paseo del Mar is dead at 0630, on a September morning.

Photo: Most of the shops along Ave. Mar de Cortez display their merchandise on the sidewalks, under the awnings. The awnings protect the merchandise, and the customers, from the intense sun.

Just north of downtown, along the beach, is the hill where the Virgin of Guadalupe Shrine stands, and the shrine is reachable by a metal staircase. It takes a bit of time to get to the shrine, as to reach it, you first have to negotiate a catwalk, over a boat repair yard, wind your way around a landmark, but rarely open seafood restaurant, and finally climb the metal staircase to reach the shrine. Inside the shrine there is a statue of the Virgins, surrounded by artificial flowers, and a Protestant-style cross mounted on the wall. Mexican's are quite respectful of religion and their faith, so the shrine is clean, and free of graffiti.

Photo: Cheap, plastic toys make a colorful photo for my camera.

Photo: One of the Green Angels trucks is parked on Ave. Mar de Cortez, in front of one of the many bars. The Green Angels are truly knights of the road, as they offer help, repairs, and roadside assistance to travelers at little, if any cost. When you see these guys, honk and wave, as they're good guys!

The hike to the top of the Virgin of Guadalupe hill offers a spectacular view of the water, the malecón, the town, and the San Felipe mountains in the distance. If you're interested in photos, plan on visiting the shrine shortly after the sun rises, as the morning light will bathe the town and the mountains in a mellow light; check out my photos and you'll see what I mean. Look to the north, and you'll be able to look down on another San Felipe landmark, the lighthouse.

Photo: Two shopkeepers hard at work, in one of the stores that cater to tourists, along Av. Mar de Cortez.

Photo: Taken from the malecón, the photo shows sport fishermen taking a break from their fishing duties, with the Shrine of the Virgin of Guadalupe in the background. The photo clearly shows the staircase leading up to the shrine. It's worth the climb, as you're rewarded with spectacular photo opportunities.

North of Calzada Chetumal, which is the main east-west street in town, and the baseline from which north-south is derived, the landscape becomes a mixture of residential and small businesses. Further north, the business disappear, and it is strictly residential, where some of the town's nice indigenous neighborhoods are located. Of special interest to me, at the corner of Av. Mar Bermejo Norte and Calle Puerto Peñasco is the Telnor central office, which is the building that supplies dial tone for the town's telephones. Being a telephone company professional for nearly 30 years, I'm always interested in what the other guy is doing.

Photo: Inside the Shrine of the Virgin of Guadalupe. That's a Protestant cross behind the statue, which is quite unusual for a Catholic Shrine.

Photo: These fishermen are taking a break, and are "dragging the main," San Felipe style. In Mexico, its perfectly legal to ride standing up in the open bed of a truck.

Like most Mexican towns, San Felipe is quite compact and has a relatively small footprint, for a town of 20,000 or so people. Practically everything is within walking distance, and to a person who likes to walk, that's a good thing, as you get a chance to mingle with the friendly people and see tour the town up-close and personal, which you can't do when you're in a vehicle.

Photo: The telephone company central office, where switching and carrier equipment is located, and where San Felipe's dial tone originates. San Felipe is connected the outside world via microwave radio, as illustrated by the microwave antennas on top of the building. Your author has worked in the telephone business for the last 28 years, so I know a little something about how all of it works.

San Felipe has a vibrant downtown that caters to locals and tourists alike. When you're visiting San Felipe, check it out.

Web page design has been created by eRench Productions, Inc., custom photography for any occasion...