Will the real Todos please stand up...

I guess I'm not the only one to share this experience in Todos Santos. One of the first impressions I had after arriving in Todos Santos last March with Trisha was, "nice little place," only to be replaced with almost a sense of disbelief at how damn expensive it is to eat out at any major establishment - makes Cabo look really cheap. Not the idea of a quaint little Mexican town I had imagined. Unspectacular burgers for over 10 bucks. Basic pasta dish - 15-20 bucks. An espresso for over 3 bucks. The thing is, back in good old Portland you can find much better food, even Mexican food, for a lot less. Hell, in Mazatlan I could eat well on 6-7 dollars for an entire day. I finally settled on Santanas as a semi-regular spot for all-you-can eat spaghetti, a good way for a carb fill-up, which is reasonably priced. In order to find the real Mexican food, which I can't say really exists in this area, I just headed to the taco stands, or bought ingredients at local markets, and just made my own. Maybe I'm just not that keen on all the 'gringo-isation' of this little town. I didn't come for Italian food, or pseudo-legendary places which aren't really what they seem. Where are the local chefs doing local cuisine? (not overpriced, Euro-California style,) Where are the regional artists and craftsmen? Are there any? It seems there is plenty of imported "craftwork" which comes from some centralized source on the mainland, cause you see it in most tourist destinations. Same stuff.

But, for me the saving grace of Todos Santos is the preservation of some of the old style in the city core, which does house some very good art, and the local Mexican folk who go about their daily business, not catering to touristas. If you look hard enough, you can see the real Todos Santos, but you better look quick, because rumor has it a new city council of gringo activists are trying to make an ordinance requiring local Mexicans to act more 'Mexican' for the tourists. Maybe soon, they can all just become employed in the new Disney attraction - 'Todos Santos, End of the Long Desert Highway.'