By Justin Juul
One of the first things I noticed when I went down to Los Algodones, Mexico, to get my teeth fixed (this week’s Guardian cover story) was that many of the people roaming the streets there were Canadian (and somewhat older). The “ayes” and “aboots” gave it away. “What are these funny hats all aboot?” I heard one of them say.
I asked around and discovered that Los Algodones has become a popular vacation destination for Canadians. They drive down in RV’s by the thousands and spend their winters drinking cheap margaritas, relaxing in the warm Mexican sun, and getting their teeth and eyes fixed for a fraction of what they would pay back home. But I always thought Canadians got free health care and free dental care. Turns out our neighbors to the North aren’t sitting as pretty as I’d been lead to believe.
Here’s what one of them had to say: