Be careful out there! See the news report.
[url]http://biz.yahoo.com/ap/080105/mexico_frightened_tourists.html[/url]
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Be careful out there! See the news report.
[url]http://biz.yahoo.com/ap/080105/mexico_frightened_tourists.html[/url]
Happy New Year fellow-Mongers.
I saw this article regarding the recent drop in tourism into the northern Baja area which I thought would be of interest to you. Nothing new, but just keep vigilant out there. As a side note I will be posting my Hot Fox/Anthonys experience from the holidays in the Ensenada forum.
Tourists Shun Crime-Hit Mexico Beaches
Saturday January 5, 1:24 PM EST
PLAYAS DE ROSARITO, Mexico (AP) — Assaults on American tourists have brought hard times to hotels and restaurants that dot Mexican beaches just south of the border from San Diego.
Surfers and kayakers are frightened to hit the waters of the northern stretch of Mexico's Baja California peninsula, long popular as a weekend destination for U.S. tourists. Weddings have been canceled. Lobster joints a few steps from the Pacific were almost empty on the usually busy New Year's weekend.
Americans have long tolerated shakedowns by police who boost salaries by pulling over motorists for alleged traffic violations, and tourists know parts of Baja are a hotbed of drug-related violence. But a handful of attacks since summer by masked, armed bandits — some of whom used flashing lights to appear like police — marks a new extreme that has spooked even longtime visitors.
Lori Hoffman, a San Diego-area emergency room nurse, said she was sexually assaulted Oct. 23 by two masked men in front of her boyfriend, San Diego Surfing Academy owner Pat Weber, who was forced to kneel at gunpoint for 45 minutes. They were at a campground with about 30 tents, some 200 miles south of the border.
The men shot out windows of the couple's trailer and forced their way inside, ransacked the cupboards and left with about $7,000 worth of gear, including computers, video equipment and a guitar.
Weber, who has taught dozens of students in Mexico over the last 10 years, plans to surf in Costa Rica or New Zealand. "No more Mexico," said Hoffman, who reported the attack to Mexican police. No arrests have been made.
The Baja California peninsula is known worldwide for clean and sparsely populated beaches, lobster and margaritas and blue waters visited by whales and dolphins. Surfers love the waves; fishermen catch tuna, yellowtail and marlin. Food and hotels are cheap.
News of harrowing assaults on American tourists has begun to overshadow that appeal in the northern part of the peninsula, home to drug gangs and the seedy border city of Tijuana. The comparatively isolated southern tip, with its tony Los Cabos resort, remains safer and is still popular with Hollywood celebrities, anglers and other foreign tourists.
Local media and surfing Web sites that trumpeted Baja in the past have reported several frightening crimes that U.S. and Mexican officials consider credible. Longtime visitors are particularly wary of a toll road near the border that runs through Playas de Rosarito — Rosarito Beach.
In late November, as they returned from the Baja 1000 off-road race, a San Diego-area family was pulled over on the toll road by a car with flashing lights. Heavily armed men held the family hostage for two hours. They eventually released them but stole the family's truck.
Before dawn on Aug. 31, three surfers were carjacked on the same stretch of highway. Gunmen pulled them over in a car with flashing lights, forced them out of their vehicles and ordered one to kneel. They took the trucks and left the surfers.
Aqua Adventures of San Diego scrapped its annual three-day kayak trip to scout for whales in January, ending a run of about 10 years. Customers had already been complaining about longer waits to return to the U.S.; crime gave them another reason to stay away.
"People are just saying, 'No way.' They don't want to deal with the risk," said owner Jen Kleck, who has sponsored trips to Baja about five times a year but hasn't been since July.
Charles Smith, spokesman for the U.S. consulate in Tijuana, said the U.S. government has not found a widespread increase in attacks against Americans, but he acknowledged many crimes go unreported. The State Department has long warned motorists on Mexico's border to watch for people following them, though no new warnings have been issued.
Mexican officials acknowledge crime has threatened a lifeblood of Baja's economy. In Playas de Rosarito, a city of 130,000, police were forced to surrender their weapons last month for testing to determine links to any crimes. Heavily armed men have patrolled City Hall since a failed assassination attempt on the new police chief left one officer dead. On Thursday the bullet-riddled bodies of a Tijuana police official and another man were found dumped near the beach.
"We cannot minimize what's happening to public safety," said Oscar Escobedo Carignan, Baja's new secretary of tourism. "We're going to impose order ... We're indignant about what's happening."
Tourist visits to Baja totaled about 18 million in 2007, down from 21 million the previous year, Escobedo said. Hotel occupancy dropped about 5 percentage points to 53 percent.
Hugo Torres, owner of the storied Rosarito Beach Hotel and the city's new mayor, estimates the number of visitors to Rosarito Beach since summer is down 30 percent.
In the city's Puerto Nuevo tourist enclave, which offers $20 lobster dinners and $1 margaritas, restaurant managers said sales were down as much as 80 percent from last year. One Saturday afternoon in October, masked bandits wielding pistols walked the streets and kidnapped two men — an American and a Spanish citizen — who were later released unharmed. Two people who were with them were shot and wounded.
Omar Armendariz, who manages a Puerto Nuevo lobster restaurant, is counting on the new state and city governments to make tourists feel safer. He has never seen fewer visitors in his nine years on the job.
"It's dead," he said.
I visited Tijuana a few time when I lived in the Southern California area a few years back and it was a lot of fun. I thought about going visiting further south of TJ but it sounds like it's not as safe as it used to be!
[QUOTE=BillyGeek]Happy New Year fellow-Mongers.
I saw this article regarding the recent drop in tourism into the northern Baja area which I thought would be of interest to you. Nothing new, but just keep vigilant out there. As a side note I will be posting my Hot Fox/Anthonys experience from the holidays in the Ensenada forum.
Tourists Shun Crime-Hit Mexico Beaches
Saturday January 5, 1:24 PM EST
PLAYAS DE ROSARITO, Mexico (AP) — Assaults on American tourists have brought hard times to hotels and restaurants that dot Mexican beaches just south of the border from San Diego.
Surfers and kayakers are frightened to hit the waters of the northern stretch of Mexico's Baja California peninsula, long popular as a weekend destination for U.S. tourists. Weddings have been canceled. Lobster joints a few steps from the Pacific were almost empty on the usually busy New Year's weekend.
Americans have long tolerated shakedowns by police who boost salaries by pulling over motorists for alleged traffic violations, and tourists know parts of Baja are a hotbed of drug-related violence. But a handful of attacks since summer by masked, armed bandits — some of whom used flashing lights to appear like police — marks a new extreme that has spooked even longtime visitors.
Lori Hoffman, a San Diego-area emergency room nurse, said she was sexually assaulted Oct. 23 by two masked men in front of her boyfriend, San Diego Surfing Academy owner Pat Weber, who was forced to kneel at gunpoint for 45 minutes. They were at a campground with about 30 tents, some 200 miles south of the border.
The men shot out windows of the couple's trailer and forced their way inside, ransacked the cupboards and left with about $7,000 worth of gear, including computers, video equipment and a guitar.
Weber, who has taught dozens of students in Mexico over the last 10 years, plans to surf in Costa Rica or New Zealand. "No more Mexico," said Hoffman, who reported the attack to Mexican police. No arrests have been made.
The Baja California peninsula is known worldwide for clean and sparsely populated beaches, lobster and margaritas and blue waters visited by whales and dolphins. Surfers love the waves; fishermen catch tuna, yellowtail and marlin. Food and hotels are cheap.
News of harrowing assaults on American tourists has begun to overshadow that appeal in the northern part of the peninsula, home to drug gangs and the seedy border city of Tijuana. The comparatively isolated southern tip, with its tony Los Cabos resort, remains safer and is still popular with Hollywood celebrities, anglers and other foreign tourists.
Local media and surfing Web sites that trumpeted Baja in the past have reported several frightening crimes that U.S. and Mexican officials consider credible. Longtime visitors are particularly wary of a toll road near the border that runs through Playas de Rosarito — Rosarito Beach.
In late November, as they returned from the Baja 1000 off-road race, a San Diego-area family was pulled over on the toll road by a car with flashing lights. Heavily armed men held the family hostage for two hours. They eventually released them but stole the family's truck.
Before dawn on Aug. 31, three surfers were carjacked on the same stretch of highway. Gunmen pulled them over in a car with flashing lights, forced them out of their vehicles and ordered one to kneel. They took the trucks and left the surfers.
Aqua Adventures of San Diego scrapped its annual three-day kayak trip to scout for whales in January, ending a run of about 10 years. Customers had already been complaining about longer waits to return to the U.S.; crime gave them another reason to stay away.
"People are just saying, 'No way.' They don't want to deal with the risk," said owner Jen Kleck, who has sponsored trips to Baja about five times a year but hasn't been since July.
Charles Smith, spokesman for the U.S. consulate in Tijuana, said the U.S. government has not found a widespread increase in attacks against Americans, but he acknowledged many crimes go unreported. The State Department has long warned motorists on Mexico's border to watch for people following them, though no new warnings have been issued.
Mexican officials acknowledge crime has threatened a lifeblood of Baja's economy. In Playas de Rosarito, a city of 130,000, police were forced to surrender their weapons last month for testing to determine links to any crimes. Heavily armed men have patrolled City Hall since a failed assassination attempt on the new police chief left one officer dead. On Thursday the bullet-riddled bodies of a Tijuana police official and another man were found dumped near the beach.
"We cannot minimize what's happening to public safety," said Oscar Escobedo Carignan, Baja's new secretary of tourism. "We're going to impose order ... We're indignant about what's happening."
Tourist visits to Baja totaled about 18 million in 2007, down from 21 million the previous year, Escobedo said. Hotel occupancy dropped about 5 percentage points to 53 percent.
Hugo Torres, owner of the storied Rosarito Beach Hotel and the city's new mayor, estimates the number of visitors to Rosarito Beach since summer is down 30 percent.
In the city's Puerto Nuevo tourist enclave, which offers $20 lobster dinners and $1 margaritas, restaurant managers said sales were down as much as 80 percent from last year. One Saturday afternoon in October, masked bandits wielding pistols walked the streets and kidnapped two men — an American and a Spanish citizen — who were later released unharmed. Two people who were with them were shot and wounded.
Omar Armendariz, who manages a Puerto Nuevo lobster restaurant, is counting on the new state and city governments to make tourists feel safer. He has never seen fewer visitors in his nine years on the job.
"It's dead," he said.[/QUOTE]
[QUOTE=Alguem]PP,
One thing a border guard said to me that was interesting. In talking about the vagueness of the new requirements he said, "Legally there is nothing that can prevent a US citizen from re-entering his own country except for some criminal reason." So the gist I got from that guard is they might hassle you, delay you but at least he wouldn't keep you out of the country.
Remember, if you know your rights things will go a lot smoother.
Besides worse to worse, the passport requirement for sea entry won't go into effect until 2009. You could always hit La Playa and swim for it! ;)[/QUOTE]
Yes but remember when you come to the border from Mexico you are entering a DMZ.
If customs wants to they can do a full body cavity search on you and they can hold you (last time I checked) for 72 hours for no reason at all. Just do what they tell you to do and do not speak until spoken too.
I get down to TJ on a somewhat regular basis and becuase of the hassle with the policia at the border I started taking the Mexicoach located on Revolution between 6th and 7th. They are cool because for $5 they take you from downtown, thru the bus line and let you off at the side of the US immigration building and into a shorter line than the rest of the pedestrians are going through. I've made it through in as little as 10 minutes and also had a 2 hour wait at times (but at least you're sitting in what is usually an air conditioned bus). Only problem is, they only run every half hour from 9AM to 9PM and unless you're staying down there, the hours are not conducive to mongering schedule.
Last weekend I left around 1:00AM to get back to my room at the Comfort Inn.I hid most of my money in various locations keeping $30 in my wallet for the cops and caught a cab just outside the Chicago Club. While talking to the cabbie who spoke perfect English I mentined how I didn't like going past the policia that wait at the border. He told me that he knew a way where he could let me off past them but that the road was shitty and he would have to charge me more - $9.I told him to foget it and that I'd screw with the cops if I had to.He said he would take me any way for $5. Kind TJ cabies always make me leary, but I agreed.
He took me down some really shithole streets. Dirt, large rocks, it did take a toll on his car. Wen we got to the end of the last street, he motiond over his left shoulder and said "you don't have to worry, the cops are back there." Looking out, I could tell that I was only about 200 feet from the entrance to the building. If there had been a line, I would have had to walk to the back of it. I gave him $9 - hell, he was a nice guy and it was worth it (though next time he'll probably only get $7). He left the haedights on and insisted on walking me to the line because it was such a sihtty street.
His name is Perfidio. He says he always.parks outside CC and is well worth it if you want to bypass the cops.
Just curious, has any one else taken this way to the border? Perfidio can't be the only cabbie who knows about it.
[QUOTE=Phordphan]I see in some other posts that a passport is not going to be required after Jan. 1. Is this true? Does anybody have a link to the Feds' web site with this info? (Cuz I'm too friggin' lazy to look).
I need to send my passport off to get more pages, and I don't know how long that'll take. I hate to put off a visit to TJ while waiting for the PP, and, now, maybe I won't have to.
The last visit, I asked the border guy about the '08 requirements, but he was non-commital. I'm not sure what we pay these guys to do, but finding evil people crossing the border to do evil things, doesn't appear to be one of them. Maybe the chairs in the border station need to be kept warm?
PP[/QUOTE]There seems to be a lot of different dates coming up for this. When I crossed the border last weekend I asked an agent And he told me that it is suppose to go into effect this June.But who knows. It was supposed to go into effect a couple of years ago. Our tax dollars at work!
[QUOTE=Corndog]
If customs wants to they can do a full body cavity search on you and they can hold you (last time I checked) for 72 hours for no reason at all..[/QUOTE]
What is your source for the 72 hour holding period? It's true that customs does not need probable cause to search and detain you since you are entering the country but I would be surprised to learn they can do so for 72 hours.
[QUOTE=Pumphernickel]His name is Perfidio. He says he always.parks outside CC and is well worth it if you want to bypass the cops.[/QUOTE]Porfirio is his name hehe. He is a good hearted guy, we've partied before, known the guy for about 4 years now.
Pumpernickel
I've used that back door route in a cab a few times just because I got tired of dealing with the cops as I 'm there a lot. Currently the cops seem to have backed off under a new administration so it isn't nescessary right now.
If you want to use it it runs parallel to where the peddestrian line forms but it's poorly lit and you'll have to direct the cab to it as most aren't used to using it although they know about it. If you speak Spanish it's not a problem although it will cost a few bucks more. The cabs drop you about a 100 feet from the Caliente Sports book just before the border and like you observed you are already past the cops at this point.
A simple and easier way is to always take your remaining funds and any remaining condoms and tuck them under the inside sole of your shoe leaving just a few bucks and cab fare back in your wallet.
Don't do it in the cab, do it just before leaving, I always do it in the room after my last session. Then have the cab take you to the Mcdonald Dropoff and walk the bridge just past the taxi drop off. There are sometimes cops on the bridge but more often than not there aren't any.
Even if you get stopped, when they find nothing in your wallet they want little to do with you and that's it. I've never lost a dime to these dopes this way.
People tell you all kinds of things like hold your money in your hand and that generally works but for newbies or those who don't speak Spanish, this way is even better.
The reason for hiding the condoms is to not let them know where you have been and they will ask, always lie and tell them you were shopping or with a friend at dinner or lunch, remain calm and you 'll be fine. They'll ask if you've been drinking, again just say no, always no. I always have mints with me but I drink very little anyway. NEVER try to cross at night in front of the cops if you're drunk. People get away with it all the time, I don't recommend it.
I posted this information earlier on what found on the US Department of States website...
[url]http://travel.state.gov/travel/cbpmc/cbpmc_2223.html#compliant_document[/url]
and here's information from the Homeland Security website...
[url]http://www.dhs.gov/xnews/releases/pr_1182350422171.shtm[/url]
It looks like after Jan 31st of 2008 that you can use your drivers license but you will also have to have proof of citizenship, such as a birth certificate with you. Like you said it's our tax dollars at work so we'll see what happen at the end of the month!!!
[QUOTE=Pumphernickel]There seems to be a lot of different dates coming up for this. When I crossed the border last weekend I asked an agent And he told me that it is suppose to go into effect this June.But who knows. It was supposed to go into effect a couple of years ago. Our tax dollars at work![/QUOTE]
Gentlemen,
I've been a TJ man a few times (personally, I'm more a BKK man myself) but seeing how I can't take 2 weeks off every month to fly over to BKK for some RNR, TJ is the closest I can get.
Given the fact that Adelita girls run you $60 for 30 mins ($120 an hour plus about $10-15 for the room) doesn't it make more sense to hire an escort in San Diego for $140+ an hour?
It's safer and it seems like you are getting the same quality type girls. With the San Diego girls being more GFE.
Course if we throw in the Alley Girls, then yes the equation does tend to lean towards TJ.
Your thoughts?
I'm planning a TJ run on the weekend of the 18th? Anyone fellow members here going?
[QUOTE=Mofo Monger]Given the fact that Adelita girls run you $60 for 30 mins ($120 an hour plus about $10-15 for the room) doesn't it make more sense to hire an escort in San Diego for $140+ an hour?
It's safer and it seems like you are getting the same quality type girls. With the San Diego girls being more GFE.[/QUOTE]Actually I'm impressed if you can find hot escorts that provide GFE for $140. I haven't gone down that route in a long time, but generally I'd think it'd be more expensive than that. Also, unless you want the girl to go over to your place (and know where you live), you're going to have to get a hotel which will probably run you at least $45-50 after tax. Then if you live in the area where you call an escort, you also run the risk of bumping into her at some public place. A small risk, but one some may not want to chance.
Of course, going to TJ is more than just $60 and $12 for a room. You have gas, parking, taxi fare, takes more of your time (which some of us either have or don't have), etc.
Then in TJ you'll also have a selection you can choose from, whereas even a real pic of an escort might be far lacking in what you thought. At least in TJ you get to see him up close and personal first. And if you're talking about doing 1 girl for 1hr, I'd like that to be my option and not a forced 1 hr min. Also, you have the option of cutting your losses on a bad choice, or even walking out before it starts which is much more acceptable in TJ. Besides, doing 2 girls in 2 30 minute sessions is usually preferrable to 1 for 1 hr (even if the escort stays the full hour).
Then again, if you don't know much spanish, it is actually nice to be with someone who spoke english.
Certainly it's all personal preference, but even if all things were equal, I think I'd still prefer TJ. Mainly, as someone else mentioned, the anticipation is fun. I like going to HK, CC, and SG to see what's out there, waiting to see if any new girls are in, cruising from club to club, checking out the SG's, etc. You get to roam around, get a few drinks and then decide who you want. Some don't care for it, but I also like the social aspect of getting a sense of the girl, or looking for a fav and reconnecting (perhaps for an even better trip upstairs this time).
I used to go to AB on the typical Fri/Sat nights when it was packed, you walk in choose a girl within 5 minutes, do your business and then hit a taxi ride back afterwards. But then standing in line back or on the drive home, it just seemed a little anticlimatic, a bit empty. Nothing to look forward to anymore. I guess it'd be like heading out to Vegas and blowing your bankroll in the first couple of hours and deciding to drive home. Much more fun to at least have a couple of days in Vegas for your efforts, the ups and downs rather than just pouring your money down a hole. In the few times I tried an escort, it was very much the same.
Now when I'm in TJ, I find it more enjoyable to spend a day/night of it, if I have the time. Nice to hit HK to get warmed up, or catch a good game on TV with a few beers. Gives you a chance to remind yourself of some real good trips to Mexico and maybe who/what you feel like looking for/doing that day.
As for BNK, never been but heard its great! Probably nothing over here can compare, and spoils the experience on anything in this continent.
[QUOTE=Mofo Monger]Gentlemen,
I've been a TJ man a few times (personally, I'm more a BKK man myself) but seeing how I can't take 2 weeks off every month to fly over to BKK for some RNR, TJ is the closest I can get.
Given the fact that Adelita girls run you $60 for 30 mins ($120 an hour plus about $10-15 for the room) doesn't it make more sense to hire an escort in San Diego for $140+ an hour?
It's safer and it seems like you are getting the same quality type girls. With the San Diego girls being more GFE.
Course if we throw in the Alley Girls, then yes the equation does tend to lean towards TJ.
Your thoughts?
I'm planning a TJ run on the weekend of the 18th? Anyone fellow members here going?[/QUOTE]
One can stack the financial odds a bit more in one's favor by NEVER paying the asking price. This is Mexico, not USA. We're not shopping in Oxxo or Gigante. Everything on the street, from trinkets to p*ssy, is negotiable. $120/hour is a phenomenal amount of money in Mexico.
Instead of $120/hour, $80 - $100 is extremely do-able, and it's still a ton of dough. If they won't budge, they're not that interested and they're not gonna be that good. There're a lot of chicas, and they all gotta eat.
If we stick together we can, maybe, help make this more of a buyer's market.
Also, there's no danger of a police sting in TJ. THe girls are just that, girls selling a service. In SD, who knows? I'm certainly no expert, but I just don't bother taking the unnecessary risks.
PP
[QUOTE=Phordphan]Instead of $120/hour, $80 - $100 is extremely do-able, and it's still a ton of dough. If they won't budge, they're not that interested and they're not gonna be that good. There're a lot of chicas, and they all gotta eat.
If we stick together we can, maybe, help make this more of a buyer's market.
Also, there's no danger of a police sting in TJ. PP[/QUOTE]
Very well said. It's really a monger's (buyers) market in TJ these days and everything is negotiable down in Mexico even pussy. Some guys just don't want to drive a couple of hours and go through the hoops it takes to get to the TJ Carnival. For me it is a lot more fun and challenging than calling an escort or dropping by a MP. Not to mention a lot less risky from a legal stand point.
[QUOTE=Mofo Monger]Gentlemen,
I've been a TJ man a few times (personally, I'm more a BKK man myself) but seeing how I can't take 2 weeks off every month to fly over to BKK for some RNR, TJ is the closest I can get.
Given the fact that Adelita girls run you $60 for 30 mins ($120 an hour plus about $10-15 for the room) doesn't it make more sense to hire an escort in San Diego for $140+ an hour?
It's safer and it seems like you are getting the same quality type girls. With the San Diego girls being more GFE.
Course if we throw in the Alley Girls, then yes the equation does tend to lean towards TJ.
Your thoughts?
I'm planning a TJ run on the weekend of the 18th? Anyone fellow members here going?[/QUOTE]It is exciting going down to TJ. I frequent an MP in LA that gives great service but the experience only lasts for an hour at most. In TJ the experience is much more than the session; it also includes everything before the session. For the same amount that I spend for an hour at the MP I can make it last for about 4 hours at TJ. At least for me when I leave TJ I leave satisfied.
I do agree that service in TJ is hit or miss, and mongering in other countries is a much better experience than TJ. I have mongered in El Salvador, and Costa Rica and the service is excellent most of the time. The proximity of TJ to the US makes it a practical mongering destination.