Tucson restaurant gift certificate

Arizona's Southern seaport

You know the symptoms. Peering out over the shimmering desert sands conjures up mirages of rolling ocean swells. The wind blowing against the side of your RV sounds like surf crashing against a far sandy beach and in the hoarse croaks of ravens you hear crying gulls. You can smell the salt in the heady moist air. And your tofu surprise has you salivating for chilled fresh shrimp in a spicy cocktail sauce-well, hold on there, partner! You're almost over the edge. Prescription: Grab your surferdude trunks, your Cinzano beach umbrella and Betty Boop sand chair and head for the border.

Puerto Penasco, Arizona's closest seacoast resort, maybe Margaritaville to the college set, but for the flocks of snowbirds leaving down jackets and show shovels in their wakes, Puerto Penasco's winter weather is as good as it gets. With highs in the 70s and 80s, sun almost every day and sunsets to die for, Puerto Penasco may be the dash of salt, the squeeze of lime and the bite of tequila that will spice up your winter.

RV parks, where you can step from your RV right onto the sand, line the beaches south of town. Take your pick from the full-hookup Playa Miramar RV Park or the 300-site Playa de Oro RV Resort, both Good Samparks, to more modest and some nohookup campgrounds.

Kick back over a frosty Dos Equis beer, reminisce of lost weekends and semester breaks astride your long board patiently waiting for that perfect wave. Ponder the parade of itzy-bitzy, teeny-weeny, yellow polka-dot bikinis cruising the broad sandy beaches, or ply the streets in search of the supreme taco.

Does shopping tickle your fancy? Numerous shops and streetside stalls offer tempting bargains of handcrafted products: leather purses, wallets, boots, backpacks and coats, embroidered dresses, shirts and jackets, colorful hand-woven blankets and rugs, wood and onyx carvings fill the streets. Some businesses accept credit cards but most prefer-and all accept-U.S. dollars. Though English is spoken almost everywhere, try your Spanish. The friendly shopkeepers love to help you out. Don't forget to bargain for the best price-only loco gringos buy for the asking price.

Did somebody say pescado? The Sea of Cortez is renowned for its fishing. Tow your own boat, rent an outboard or take one of the charter boats for either a halfday trip or for all-day deep-sea fishing. Or you can do it the easy way. Rows of fishmongers line the Malecon in Old Port offering the catch of the day-marlin, yellowtail and fresh jumbo shrimp at $5 a pound.

But why cook when there are more restaurants than the ubiquitous window-washing ninos? You can start the day with a complete breakfast in town at Aladino's restaurant in the Hotel Paraiso for $2 U.S. Watch the sunset from one of the fine seafood houses in Old Port, like the Maria Bonita in the Hotel Vina del Mar, El Delfin Amigable (the Friendly Dolphin) or the Costa Brava.

When your energy level rises above chowing down and soaking up the rays, try hiring a horse for a gallop on the beach or renting a bike to peddle the port. Take a whale-watching tour or harbor-sightseeing cruise. Ride a Waverunner or try parasailing for a heart-stopping adventure.

For a gentler, quieter activity, paddling a kayak brings you up close and personal with the bird and sea life in and around the protected estero (lagoon) natural areas. Watch for egrets, great blue herons, curlews, sandpipers and ducks of all sorts. Talk to Mary at Puerto Penasco T-Shirts and Clothing (also home of Rocky Point RV Parts and Repair) in Old Port on kayak rentals and guided tours. Check the tide charts before taking off in a boat or going tide pooling. The great tidal fluctuation in the area can be as much as 24 feet from high to low tide.

Two and a half miles east of town in the Los Conchas community, a giant fin whale skeleton marks the home of CEDO, the Intercultural Center for the Study of Deserts and Oceans. The center's laboratory, classrooms and library serve as a field research station for scientists and teachers supporting CEDO's mission to research, educate and conserve the Sea of Cortez and the surrounding Sonoran Desert. The natural history museum, open every day, conducts classes, operates a bookstore and gift shop and offers free public tours.

WHERE IS THIS PLACE?

Take Highway 85 south from Gila Bend, Arizona, through Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument. After a short border check to make sure you aren't smuggling Elvis into the country, follow the signs through Sonoyta. Highway 8 takes you the rest of the way through a two-million-acre land and sea ecological preserve. Established in 1993 and covering more than 3,400 square miles, when joined with Organ Pipe Cactus and the Cabeza Prieta National Wildlife Refuge at the border, they form one of the largest biospheres in the world. Puerto Penasco, is only 66 miles below the border-212 miles southwest of both Phoenix and Tucson, near the northern tip of the Sea of Cortez.

BELOW-THE-BORDER TIPS

Don't forget to buy Mexican auto insurance before crossing the border, available along Highway 85 in the towns of Ajo, Why and Gringo Pass. Pick up your free copies of two newspapers, the Rocky Point Times and El Futuro, at most of the U.S. border businesses serving travelers to Mexico. The advertisements, special offers, maps and calendar of events are worthwhile guides for your visit.

The famed bilingual "Green Angels" patrol Highway 8 from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. in their green-and-white pickup trucks, providing mechanical aid, towing, information, basic medical supplies and first aid.

Leave all firearms and ammunition behind. Possessing a firearm in Mexico, in whatever state of disassembly, is a serious offense.

Pets require a veterinary certificate and a rabies vaccination in the prior six months before they'll be allowed back into the United States. Leave pet birds at home.

Declare all items purchased in Mexico upon your re-entry into the United States. Articles totaling less than $400 may be entered free of duty, subject to specific limitations on liquor, cigarettes and cigars. TL

Mexican Government Tourism Office, 2401 W 6th Street, Los Angeles, California 90057; (213) 351-2069, www.mexicotravel.com.