OTAY MESA Border crossing Basics.

[BowSeat64]

Otay Mesa was a pretty decent way of crossing. I got a little confused when I searched on google but there is a pedestrian crossing without the need for a passport, LOL.

Anyway, I crossed at the USA Customs Border and Protection. The best parking in my opinion would be at a gas station or further down the street for 8-10 $. It is on Rolls Drive so if you google map Rolls Drive, Otay Mesa CA you should find it. From there just keep walking down Rolls Drive till you see the building. You'll see 2 long lines of people right in front of you. Don't go there, apparently those lines are for "permits". To the right there is a bridge, go up the stairs and through there. You will go through an Iron Swivel Door and then another one (2 total). Right after those gates you are in Tijuana. Keep walking and following the crowd, no one will check your passport and then eventually you will walk to a small tent with taxis. From there just ask the guy where you want to go.

Hope this helps.

[Watnow78]

I didn't realize there was an Otay Mesa Thread. Here are a couple of pictures I took 2 weeks ago. It kinda shows the progress. This is the best way to cross into Mexico, 15 minute walk from parking my car and to jump into a cab ($18 to the Zona no negotiating). Literally, it took me 8 minutes from the time the cab driver dropped me off and to cross back into the US. The was no line for the Ready Lane!

[ItsXJustXJizz]

Nice. Thanks for posting. This helps me out big time. Was reading all kinds of shit on wait times heading north. This helps tremendously with my flight choices!

Its way cheaper to use ubers in MX. You don't have to haggle and you get local prices for rides.

[BeHeMoth904]

I've been getting a lot of questions about Crossing at Otey. So I'm going to make this as simple as possible.

1. Times are about half the time or less than San YSidro. You can check the times here:

http://traffic.calit2.net/border

2. Yes, you can catch a bus to and from Otay to the Trolley:

http://developer.sdmts.com/sdmtsapp/.splay=V&tod=wd

3. Where to park and cost: 5/24 hrs or if your lucky along the street for free. Put this into google maps.

32. 552289-116. 943547.

4. Cab fare: check your negotiation skills: $12-18.

There is a govt run cab when you cross over to Mex but the average cost will be about $15. Walk down a little and go cross over to the other side where cabs are dropping those who are going to US. You can negotiate a better fare.

Hope this helps.

Nice. Thanks for posting. This helps me out big time. Was reading all kinds of shit on wait times heading north. This helps tremendously with my flight choices!

[Phordphan]

Not much to speak of in terms of conveniences. I attempted to find taxis on the North bound side behind the strip of shops but did not see anything. It was dark, and while I felt safe, wandering through a dark parking lot wasn't worth saving $10 so I crossed back over to the south bound side and hailed a cab to "the arch". Driver immediately saw through my polite ruse and said "Hong Kong? Pussy!" Dropped me off at the 7-11 under the arch. Asked for $15, I gave him $20 because I didn't have smaller bills.

...

At 9:45 I headed back up the the 7-11 and hailed a cab back to Otay. Now for my fellow gringos it's pronounced "oh-tie". I made the mistake of pronouncing it the way it's spelled, which led to some short confusion. Anyway dropped off at border at 9:58, paid another $20, probably could have gotten off with less but oh well. Walked about 100 yards to the ready line which was 4 deep, waited about 90 seconds and was back in the USA.

The taxi stand is a bit effed-up during the construction. After crossing, watch the locals. They will cross the traffic lanes through a gap in the concrete median, and then there is a turnstile-style gate near where the pedestrian line goes into the building. This is near the end of the north-bound street, where it makes a you-turn. The makeshift taxi stand is there. Get a cab there, or nab one dropping off somebody.

Carry pesos for cabs. You got screwed at $20 per way. The libre should be somewhere in the 100 - 150 peso range to Zona Norte. Even at 200 pesos you're still only paying $13.

The SENTRI lines are almost always non-existent at Otay, the Ready lines are generally short. The regular lines can be as long as San Ysidro sometimes.

[Scriviner]

I haven't crossed at San Ysidro since May so it appears my experience there may be a bit dated. I've been to the zona about 10 times over two years.

Business brought me to SoCal and I had Monday free so I thought I would try crossing at Otay. Overall I was happier with the experience, but that experience had a price tag to it. Events happened between 5:30 pm-10:30 pm on Monday.

Approach and US Side.

Fairly easy to get to. The whole area is newly built up and tons of convenience type shops (gas stations, fast food, 7-11's, Starbucks). It's many many many times cleaner, more organized, and generally feels more like the USA than the area around San Ysidro. Also allows you to avoid downtown traffic if your approaching from the far North. I was able to actually relax a bit on the US side before crossing. San Ysidro is not relaxing at all, to me. I paid $10 for parking but if you know the area and are willing to walk free street parking was available. The $10 was for up to 24 hours, they had a cheaper rate for 2 hours.

Crossing to Mexico.

Pro: they're not stamping passports anytime soon. I wasn't even eyeballed by the normal guard. I didn't even see anyone until about 300 yards into Mexico and he wasn't a guard.

Con: you seem to walk forever and it's through a construction zone.

Mexico side of border.

Not much to speak of in terms of conveniences. I attempted to find taxis on the North bound side behind the strip of shops but did not see anything. It was dark, and while I felt safe, wandering through a dark parking lot wasn't worth saving $10 so I crossed back over to the south bound side and hailed a cab to "the arch". Driver immediately saw through my polite ruse and said "Hong Kong? Pussy!" Dropped me off at the 7-11 under the arch. Asked for $15, I gave him $20 because I didn't have smaller bills.

Funtime.

Spent most of my time at HK but I stopped in Adelita for a few minutes and walked the alley a couple times. Things picked up around 8 pm. Ended up taking "Ricci" pronounced ree-CHEE from HK upstairs for a decent romp.

Taxi back and crossing into USA.

At 9:45 I headed back up the the 7-11 and hailed a cab back to Otay. Now for my fellow gringos it's pronounced "oh-tie". I made the mistake of pronouncing it the way it's spelled, which led to some short confusion. Anyway dropped off at border at 9:58, paid another $20, probably could have gotten off with less but oh well. Walked about 100 yards to the ready line which was 4 deep, waited about 90 seconds and was back in the USA.

Exiting area and summary.

Much shorter walk heading to car. I stopped at the Carl's Jr. For a burger and then made my way back north. So, during the daylight hours from San Ysidro I usually walk to then zona, but if you taxi you're looking at $12 are / t and I usually park behind the Jack in the box for $7. So, overall a $31 premium in price for faster crossing both ways and more US side conveniences but longer cab rides and no Mexico side conveniences at the border. Day trips in the future I'll probably still use San Ysidro (unless Mexico bound crossings get snarled due to passport controls). Night trips I think I will start using Otay.

[Phordphan]

Howdy.

Well no detailed report sorry. I did email them and they replied that they opened at 10 am. I went to to Tijuana. Via Otay. This past Tuesday and got to La Cueva around 10:30 am it was open but no one was in there no girls nor any customers so I left. I can only report don't plan on going in the morning / day. At least. It was worth stopping wouldn't know it if I hadn't stopped by. If I ever get to go at night I'll stop by.

As to the whole issue going on at San Ysidro Port it will also going to occur at Otay. There was a government employee for tourist department right when you enter Mexico that I asked and he confirmed it. As to when I heard 2 things: a man on Trolley was saying that he talked to some CBP guys and they told him it would start in November which a lady respond that was not true someone in Tijuana told her that they were behind schedule. I asked the taxi driver if he knew when construction be completed he said that they had projected it be a 2 year project and were 6 months (or 3 months) into it. Doubt it start in November place didn't look like it was about done to open that soon.

Again thanks for info I would have gotten lost without you guys telling me where to go to get taxi. Ride on second taxi was an adventure in itself on how fast guy was driving within city and taking yellow / red lights.

Thanks for TOFTT, Spartan. I wasn't surprised that there was nobody there that early, especially on a Tuesday. I suspect there would be more people there, that early, on a Friday or Saturday. But we all appreciate different TRs, even if they weren't successful.

The target date for the construction probably was November (LOL), but when you get the US government AND the Mexican government working together, it takes forever. It may be finished in November, but nobody knows which year!

[ItsMeBeyatch]

Construction started 7 months ago. It'll be a while till they open up that section

Howdy.

Well no detailed report sorry. I did email them and they replied that they opened at 10 am. I went to to Tijuana. Via Otay. This past Tuesday and got to La Cueva around 10:30 am it was open but no one was in there no girls nor any customers so I left. I can only report don't plan on going in the morning / day. At least. It was worth stopping wouldn't know it if I hadn't stopped by. If I ever get to go at night I'll stop by.

As to the whole issue going on at San Ysidro Port it will also going to occur at Otay. There was a government employee for tourist department right when you enter Mexico that I asked and he confirmed it. As to when I heard 2 things: a man on Trolley was saying that he talked to some CBP guys and they told him it would start in November which a lady respond that was not true someone in Tijuana told her that they were behind schedule. I asked the taxi driver if he knew when construction be completed he said that they had projected it be a 2 year project and were 6 months (or 3 months) into it. Doubt it start in November place didn't look like it was about done to open that soon.

Again thanks for info I would have gotten lost without you guys telling me where to go to get taxi. Ride on second taxi was an adventure in itself on how fast guy was driving within city and taking yellow / red lights.

.

[Jackie888]

Howdy.

Well no detailed report sorry. I did email them and they replied that they opened at 10 am. I went to to Tijuana. Via Otay. This past Tuesday and got to La Cueva around 10:30 am it was open but no one was in there no girls nor any customers so I left. I can only report don't plan on going in the morning / day. At least. It was worth stopping wouldn't know it if I hadn't stopped by. If I ever get to go at night I'll stop by.

As to the whole issue going on at San Ysidro Port it will also going to occur at Otay. There was a government employee for tourist department right when you enter Mexico that I asked and he confirmed it. As to when I heard 2 things: a man on Trolley was saying that he talked to some CBP guys and they told him it would start in November which a lady respond that was not true someone in Tijuana told her that they were behind schedule. I asked the taxi driver if he knew when construction be completed he said that they had projected it be a 2 year project and were 6 months (or 3 months) into it. Doubt it start in November place didn't look like it was about done to open that soon.

Again thanks for info I would have gotten lost without you guys telling me where to go to get taxi. Ride on second taxi was an adventure in itself on how fast guy was driving within city and taking yellow / red lights.

Appreciate the effort, but Tuesday morning is a bad time to do a recon mission. I think that there is about 2 girls in HK and 2 girls in Adelitas at that same time and they're probably a part of the cleaning crew.

[Spartan94]

Howdy.

Well no detailed report sorry. I did email them and they replied that they opened at 10 am. I went to to Tijuana. Via Otay. This past Tuesday and got to La Cueva around 10:30 am it was open but no one was in there no girls nor any customers so I left. I can only report don't plan on going in the morning / day. At least. It was worth stopping wouldn't know it if I hadn't stopped by. If I ever get to go at night I'll stop by.

As to the whole issue going on at San Ysidro Port it will also going to occur at Otay. There was a government employee for tourist department right when you enter Mexico that I asked and he confirmed it. As to when I heard 2 things: a man on Trolley was saying that he talked to some CBP guys and they told him it would start in November which a lady respond that was not true someone in Tijuana told her that they were behind schedule. I asked the taxi driver if he knew when construction be completed he said that they had projected it be a 2 year project and were 6 months (or 3 months) into it. Doubt it start in November place didn't look like it was about done to open that soon.

Again thanks for info I would have gotten lost without you guys telling me where to go to get taxi. Ride on second taxi was an adventure in itself on how fast guy was driving within city and taking yellow / red lights.

[Jackie888]

It is like a ZN bar, in that they have tables, a stage, a large dance floor, fichas, girls, a hotel next door, etc. It's a bit like a much larger Tropical. Beers are 17 pesos. Unfortunately, although I've been several times, it was always with other people, so I never had the chance to go arriba. I *thought* the fichas were in the 90 peso range, although I haven't purchased one in a while and they could be more. I'm told the girls' prices are the same, although the crowd is certainly not high-rolling locals, so I do wonder. I can't believe, given the crowd, that the girls want $80 to $100 as they seem to want in HK. I can't tell you what it will be like at 10:00 am. I know they're open after 1:00 pm. Their web site doesn't say, one way or another, but you can contact them. www.lacuevabar.com.

I hope you go and post a detailed report. It would make a nice change from the constant AB / HK content.

Their website offers several coupons including a free ride from / to the border. So it may be worth it a test run.

[Phordphan]

Thanks for the information it will be useful.

I go during the day. I get to Tijuana by 9:30/10 am and leave by 2:00 pm if line isn't long if it is I leave sooner; I know I need to get a Sentri card. I recall La Cueva del Peludo mentioned before here. Is it like Adelitas / Hong Kong where you buy fichas, chit-chat see how girl is, and take them to hotel next door? Or is this a 'normal' bar? How would it be during early part of day.

FMM?

It is like a ZN bar, in that they have tables, a stage, a large dance floor, fichas, girls, a hotel next door, etc. It's a bit like a much larger Tropical. Beers are 17 pesos. Unfortunately, although I've been several times, it was always with other people, so I never had the chance to go arriba. I *thought* the fichas were in the 90 peso range, although I haven't purchased one in a while and they could be more. I'm told the girls' prices are the same, although the crowd is certainly not high-rolling locals, so I do wonder. I can't believe, given the crowd, that the girls want $80 to $100 as they seem to want in HK. I can't tell you what it will be like at 10:00 am. I know they're open after 1:00 pm. Their web site doesn't say, one way or another, but you can contact them. www.lacuevabar.com.

I hope you go and post a detailed report. It would make a nice change from the constant AB / HK content.

[Spartan94]

Thanks for the information it will be useful.

I go during the day. I get to Tijuana by 9:30/10 am and leave by 2:00 pm if line isn't long if it is I leave sooner; I know I need to get a Sentri card. I recall La Cueva del Peludo mentioned before here. Is it like Adelitas / Hong Kong where you buy fichas, chit-chat see how girl is, and take them to hotel next door? Or is this a 'normal' bar? How would it be during early part of day.

FMM?

[Artisttyp]

It doesn't matter where or how you enter. You still need an FMM. Any immigration official will tell you that.

[Phordphan]

Hello.

Since this is thread for Otay Mesa Port of Entry posting here. Based on post on other thread (on here) it seems that Mexican officials are stamping passport at the San Ysidro Port. Since I don't want my passport stamped one post suggested OTM. Any update if they are stamping passports at Otay? Does anyone have an idea how long it takes from OTM to the Zona? Below post (2013) says $7. 50 or 100 pesos for taxi. I'm taking it it shouldn't take me more then $10. I guess I can offer $10 and see if one of them accepts my offer. Hate the idea to waste time going from San Ysidro to OTM to have to go back the same direction since I am always on a time frame.

Thanks for info.

Currently they are not stamping passports, and really don't have the facilities to do so. I'm sure this will change because there is a ton of construction going on at Otay, on the Mexican side.

After crossing you MUST cross the road to the drop-off area (follow a local) in order to pick up a Taxi Libre. If you stay on the entrance side and get a White / Gold taxi they will [CodeWord123] the snot out of you. Otay to Hong Kong should be about 100 pesos, surely no more than 150, depending on the time of day / night. Night fares are usually a bit higher. If the driver wants 100, give him $7. If he wants 150, give him $10. That's fair.

Time depends on traffic. You didn't say what time you'd be doing this. During the day, figure between 25 and 30 minutes. Night will be a bit faster.

Go someplace different. Have him take you to La Cueva del Peludo (it's a bit closer to Otay) for a taste of how locals party. The beers are tons cheaper.