Mexico Memo

A note of advice to travelers going to Mexico: I made a phone call from a public phone in Cabo San Lucas on a recent visit there. There are large signs on all public phones directing callers to dial an indicated number to call the U.S.A. The operator was American.

The billing shows 288 seconds (yes, they count by seconds) or 4.8 minutes. The charge was $35! Inquiry revealed that $5 goes to the restaurant in which the pay phone was located. A second $5 goes to the carrier phone company, American Telesource International of San Antonio, Texas. And then they charge $5 per minute for the call. I should have ignored their signs and asked to be connected to AT&T; or another U.S.A. long-distance carrier.

INGRID SCHWARTZ

Manhattan Beach