General Reports

[LookslikeLE]

I am going down to San Diego next week.

Can you still get back from TJ with just your Drivers license? If so when do the new rules take affect?

[Travel Addict]

Nasty cops on every corner last night stopping and searching people.
Saw a funny scene where some guy took a pic of the cops and the cops came and arrested him, threw his camera on the ground kicked into a million pieces. Also, the SENTRI cops had 3 guys spread-eagled at the taxi drop off. SHEESH!

My current advice, don't drive over, don't walk around a lot, try to travel in a group. Don't carry ANY pills, knives, mace, weapons, powders, rolling papers, etc., to give them an excuse to hassle you. You guys can argue hey there is no law against, e.g. taking pictures, carrying a Tylenol or Viagra in your pocket, but it doesn't work that way in TJ. Especially NOW as business in TJ is dead now, and the cops have nobody to pick on except YOU. It is true that with a confident attitude you can often talk them into picking on some OTHER guy, but there is no 100% guarantee. You want to spend a week in jail before you see the judge and then what? You are gonna lecture the judge on Mexican law? Better to be 100% clean, don;t give them any excuse.

[QuackUp]

Mike123,

Cj is right, try Dorians at Plaza Rio. The photo dept. is near the middle of the store and they do take digital memory.

Q

[Country John]

Are there any self-serve photo processing machines in TJ? I mean the kind that one now finds in WalMart or Target, that accept input from a variety of digital camera media and print on demand.

Anybody know?

Mike

Are you a Costco member? I think there's one in there. There'd be one at Walmart, on Blvd Insergentes (sic).

You can also go to the Rio Plaza. I believe there are a few photo shops here that can help you out.

Country John

[John Rain]

Are there any self-serve photo processing machines in TJ? I mean the kind that one now finds in WalMart or Target, that accept input from a variety of digital camera media and print on demand.

Anybody know?

Mike

[John Rain]

Mike....I thought I saw a SG who looked a lot like you,

Ha! Well, that would be one ugly gordita.

Mike

[Country John]

Yes, the Street Girls also have the same medical checkups as the club girls. It's common for social workers to sweep the alley checking for the medical cards. Those without them are taken away and fined $40.

They used to have paper booklets with their photos and checkup dates stamped in them. Now they have plastic ID cards with a magnetic strip holding the checkup data (as I reported earlier: Putas Go Digital). You can also ask to see it, though some may be reluctant to have you see their real names.

A few years back, I went to the clinic with a girl. We took a taxi about ten minutes away from Centro to a residential area. The clinic was working out of a regular house turned doctor's office. I waited outside on the porch. About every five minutes another girl would arrive either on foot or by taxi. As I recall lthey get inspected every two weeks and get blood work done for STD testing once per month.

This summer, a Street Girl friend of mine was in a panic because she lost her "Tarjeta" (medical card) and said it would take 8 or 9 days to replace. We tore apart my hotel room but never did find it.

Mike

Mike....I thought I saw a SG who looked a lot like you, are you SURE you didn;t find her card??????

Thanks for the update. Magnetic stripped plastic ID's eh? Good move. I used to card the girls all the time for laughs just to see who'd show 'em. They are supposed to show them when you ask.

I remember seeing some duck into the hotels when they saw the inspectors coming down the alley; very funny stuff to see them emerge 30 seconds later in street clothes walking briskly away.

Country john

[John Rain]

They apparently have their privates checked every two weeks by the Dept. of Health and then issued a card with which they can gain access to the many different clubs in la Zona. It's in the clubs' best interest to have clean girls present as it will ensure continued patronage from the many clients that visit. I'm not sure about the SW in the areas, though I'm sure that the ones that are mostly visible throughout the night are checked.

Yes, the Street Girls also have the same medical checkups as the club girls. It's common for social workers to sweep the alley checking for the medical cards. Those without them are taken away and fined $40.

They used to have paper booklets with their photos and checkup dates stamped in them. Now they have plastic ID cards with a magnetic strip holding the checkup data (as I reported earlier: Putas Go Digital). You can also ask to see it, though some may be reluctant to have you see their real names.

A few years back, I went to the clinic with a girl. We took a taxi about ten minutes away from Centro to a residential area. The clinic was working out of a regular house turned doctor's office. I waited outside on the porch. About every five minutes another girl would arrive either on foot or by taxi. As I recall lthey get inspected every two weeks and get blood work done for STD testing once per month.

This summer, a Street Girl friend of mine was in a panic because she lost her "Tarjeta" (medical card) and said it would take 8 or 9 days to replace. We tore apart my hotel room but never did find it.

Mike

[BillyGeek]

I recently found out that there are a little over 5000 'servidoras sexuales" in the TJ area. They apparently have their privates checked every two weeks by the Dept. of Health and then issued a card with which they can gain access to the many different clubs in la Zona. It's in the clubs' best interest to have clean girls present as it will ensure continued patronage from the many clients that visit. I'm not sure about the SW in the areas, though I'm sure that the ones that are mostly visible throughout the night are checked.

Another interesting fact is that many of these girls are from the surrounding areas north of the border. I once partied with one gal who said she was from Barrio Logan (about 15 minutes N from San Ysidro), but that was in Rosarito.

There's your TJ trivia for the day.

Geek

P.S. I can't source where I received this info as I was told in person by family who resides in TJ.

[Country John]

This thread is slipping off topic as there is a topic to deal with this issue.

I think what it all boils down to is this:

We all know that when you cross the border you are in a different COUNTRY. The customs and way of life are different. Very different. From the viewpoint of the police, they feel it's ok to take advantage of an opportunity once it is presented to them.

What do you mean opportunity?

An opportunity for the cops is when you are being stupid. Being stupid means that you ran a light, you jay-walked, you were in a place that you should not have been, you look like you fit a "profile," you have un-documented drugs, are easily intimidated etc.

How can I avoid presenting the cops with an opportunity?

Simple: don't be stupid. You're going there to have sex with the girls right? OK, do you have to get falling down drunk or will a few beers do? Do you have to bring dope with you (not your wing-man, drugs)? Can you dress so you blend in instead of standing out? Are you there to make a fucking fashon statement? Do you look like you got money? Do you avoid eye contact with the cops?

Once a dirty cop spots you, your body language and your appearance will mean a great deal in his decision making. He might think you're an easy mark and he can then intimidate the dollars right out of your wallet.

If you are a tough cookie, the cops will move on to an easier mark. Being prepared with your paperwork, and not being a drunkard will be very helpful.

I could go on and on. Nobody wants me to do that especially in this thread.

Should you go to TJ? Certainly. But do your reasearch first because what you learn from this board will help you handle the cops and not be at all worried about them.

Country John

[Japan]

Mike123, Bluescott, and One Wing Low--thanks so much for your much needed advice! You have convinced me to go! The info you provided is invaluable, and I will try to stay in a TJ hotel--the one you suggested if possible, near the action. One other question in that regard--does that hotel (or any others you can recommend) have an in-room safe? Thanks again!

[John Rain]

So here are my choices, the way I see them:

1. Cancel Tijuana altogether, and confine my mongering to the US (San Diego).

2. Stay in a hotel Tijuana for the two nights (as was my original plan).

3. Stay in a motel in San Isidro and cross over in the evening, and back to the US at the end of the night's activities (on foot).

Come on, you have to go!

Personally, I almost always stay the night in TJ.

Statistically, the chances of trouble are small. The most likely areas of getting stopped by Police are:

1. Walking within TJ from the border to the Zone.
This is a no-brainer, take a taxi from the border to Adelitas.

2. The taxi drop spot when crossing back at night.
Staying the night in TJ avoids this problem as well.

Other than that, you already know the basics:

A. Be aware of your surroundings.
You have no "rights" in Mexico. Know where you are going.

B. Be courteous to all.
Smiles, thank you's, and apologies can avoid or solve most problems. You know not to walk around drunk, right?

C. Dress plainly and comfortably.
Don't attract attention. Jeans and plain long-sleeve shirt recommended. Sturdy, comfortable shoes are a must for navigating the poor sidewalks and streets.

D. Carry as little as possible.
You need I.D. and only enough cash for the current task. Leave everything else in your room.

You have to visit Adelita Bar, Tropical, and Chicago Club. Needless to say, some time in the "alley" behind Adelita Bar is a must and certainly my favorite area. The alley is filled with hot girls. (It's an alley in name only, not in the American sense at all. It's a brightly lit street filled with girls and mongers.) Stop in at Hong Kong Bar to relax.

Have a great time and post a report!

[BlueScott]

Japan,

I have also visited many of the same places hyou mentioned and had some of the same reservations that you mentioned.

I saw plenty of cops, who appeared to be from a couple of different organizations. While I'm sure there is corruption, it don't think it is common enough to change your plans other than to exercise common sense.

Don't flash cash or valuables. Dress casual, don't advertise wealth. Keep your wits, I saw that the cops did pay much more attention to the guys who were obviously drunk.

I also stayed in areas where there were plenty of others (witnesses) around.

Have fun.

[Japan]

This is a query rather than a report.

I have pretty carefully read the last six pages of this thread, and am now in a quandry. These reports about Mexican police as well as US border patrol harrassment are absolutely appalling! Now, I am not so much concerned about the US side--if the US border control officials want to shake me down and strip search me for viagra or pot, so be it (they will find neither). And I don't give a flying fuck what they think when I tell them I went to Mexico to fuck *****s--there is not a damn thing they can do about it! I have entered and re-entered the US from over sixty different countries, and am quite used to US customs bullshit, and have no fear of it, since I will be breaking no American laws, and in America (believe it or not!) we still have a modicum of constitutional protection (Patriot Act notwithstanding). But this nonsense of Mexican police routinely harrassing tourists and extorting them is absolutely outrageous! But please understand, I am no greenhorn when it comes to either international travel, or to hunting pussy. I have mongered frequently in some far-flung locales, including Costa Rica, Hong Kong/Macau, Japan, Germany, Belgium, Netherlands, Portugal, Russia, Dominican Republic, Brazil, and Thailand. But I have yet to encounter ANYTHING resembling the kind of nasty, outrageous, and totally unjustifiable state-sanctioned criminal activity described here--directed by police against tourists who have committed no crime other than to pump much needed American cash into their impovershed economy. And right on our very doorstep, no less!

Anyway, enough grandstanding. This is a serious post and I'm trying to decide what to do! I have a couple of free days/nights on an upcoming trip to San Diego right before Christmas. Before checking in with this board (as I almost always do before a trip to a new place) I was planning on spending those two nights in Tijuana. But now I am having trepidations. I want to have a fun time fucking chica *****s (GFE if possible!)--and I would like to be able to concentrate on the normal trials and tribulations of the pussy hunt rather than on avoiding this off-putting, and apparently potentially quite dangerous police harrassment. So here are my choices, the way I see them:

1. Cancel Tijuana altogether, and confine my mongering to the US (San Diego).

2. Stay in a hotel Tijuana for the two nights (as was my original plan).

3. Stay in a motel in San Isidro and cross over in the evening, and back to the US at the end of the night's activities (on foot).

I would be VERY grateful for some advice on which option to choose, in order to minimize the potential for a run-in with this out-of-control Mexican gestapo. I am traveling alone, since that is what I prefer. (As a well known author once opined, "Whoring is basically a solitary activity".)

Thanks in advance for any advice about this that you guys can provide!

[Bunky]

There is absolutely nothing to fear with telling the truth as to why you were visiting Mexico.

While I agree with this guidance under the current state of security technology, I am concerned about how things are going to work come January 1, 2008.

One we all start crossing with "swipeable" passports, every last one of our trips will be recorded. That's a HUGE difference from the current system. Moreover, the Dept. of Homeland Security has announced they're going to create a "risk profile" for every person who crosses. While they SHOULD have better things to worry about than guys who admit to patronizing the Zona Norte, I remain concerned. Given the "Six Degrees of Separation" thinking that goes into building these databases, I can see DHS thinking that the less-glamorous parts of TJ are full of undesireables (of whatever stripe) and concluding that anybody who admits hanging out there deserves a database entry because he is possibly "linked" or "associated" with those undesireables.

I don't care if the inspectors know I'm lying. I'll never admit to chasing hookers in Tijuana when I cross.