Tijuana

Ok, so my wife told me that I’d be grossed out by Tijuana. When I told my cousin I had gone, he couldn’t believe I had wasted my time like that.

They were mostly wrong. Yes, Avenedia Revolucion is loaded with lots of people trying to get you to check out their stuff. Cuban cigars for a buck? Come on, I wasn’t born yesterday. No, I didn’t care for Av. Revolucion.

The rest of the city that I saw from my pedestrian jaunt was really enjoyable. No, scratch that, better than San Diego in some ways. Sure, there’s obvious, grinding poverty here. But here’s what no one tells you about Tijuana: it’s pleasant to walk around. You don’t need a car. There’s shade under the trees lining the Paseo de los Heroes, a pleasant boulevard. Street vendors are conveniently located to sell you water and treats when you need a break. In short, this isn’t the USA. You can have a totally foreign experience within a long walk of the border.

The CECUT museum is worth checking out for 20 pesos (as of June 2008). The city was filled with decorated cow sculptures. The food was amazing in flavor and price (just make sure you stop at a place that smells like food and not anything bad—look for locals eating there). The Federal Police, seemingly stationed everywhere, were helpful when I asked basic questions. One of them, whom I asked for directions to CECUT, saw me later and asked how I enjoyed the museum.

Truly a fun place, if you bring a bit of Spanish, a sense of adventure and a dose of common sense.

One of the greatest days of my life was spent here..

Dress down and keep your money close. Try not to carry a purse. Bring someone with you who speaks Spanish.

I went to Tijuana, Mexico on a missions trip in the summer of 2003 with my church. The experience there humbled me greatly; that lesson has stuck with me as I continue to realize how blessed I am. It is worth visiting just to experience another culture and meet some very friendly and generous people.

Father was raised here…Grandfather was born here…. It reminds me of growing up and being around kids that I had nothing in common with but still played together like we were best friends. Made me realize how fortunate I really was.

You only need to be able to tall as the counter to buy alcohol, you can get your pic taken with a donkey that looks like a zebra, lots of markets, cheap cigs, weird named cigs like “chicken shit”, and best of all we ate at the burger king and the electric went out so the chained the doors shut

Never Again! Never Again!

One thing I remember is that my mom wanted to buy food from a cart in the street and my father nixed the idea.

Well I’ve been to cleaner places but I think anywhere is worth visiting at least once just to see what it’s like.

Park on the San Diego side and either walk or take a cab in. Good for cheap crap. Tacky and touristy, though.