Arizona is the hot cool state next to Cali
I have always considered San Diego the southern tip of America, and that’s kind of the angle I take when I tell people in Japan about where I’m from: “You can be in Mexico in under an hour!”
But actually, if you look at a map, heading east from California, the US border slopes downward to the south, and parts of Arizona, New Mexico, and especially Texas dip way down into a climate and landscape I had always associated with Mexico. Even travel in your own country can broaden your perspective…
Tucson, Arizona,where you’ll find the most iconic cactus in the world: the Saguaro. Surrounded by these towering cacti, you’ll find a hostile environment that can easily be compared to the Australian outback, albeit with a few less poisonous critters; but only a few, gotta watch out for rattlesnakes!
