General Reports

[QUOTE=ShortVisits;2882873]Any issues with parking at Pepe's car lot? I see all the posts about driving down there, but I have not had an issue. I plan on going during the day time, so no night driving for me.[/QUOTE]I always drive into Mexico and park in Pepe's lot. I drive a decent car too, not an old beater. I haven't had any issues using this lot. In fact, since I have been going to this lot (maybe in the last 8 years or so) I have not been stopped by the police in the Zona Norte (maybe its just good luck though). Prior to this, I used to park in the lot by Chicago club, and I have been stopped by the police a few times exiting this lot. One good thing about Pepe's lot is that it's free if you have the vip card. Once in a while, depending on when you go, the lot may be full, so you will have to park somewhere else (and brave more driving through the Zona Norte).

While getting stopped by the police is a major hassle, it's not really a common occurrence. In 10+ years of driving all around in Mexico, not just in the Zona, I have been stopped only a handful of times.

Just in case you do get pulled over, I recommend that you don't keep a lot of money in your wallet. I always keep "bait money" in there, like $40 or so. Hide the rest of your money in a place they won't look (like in your shoe). Assuming that you actually haven't been doing anything wrong, and the police just want to hassle you to get you to pay them, you can say that this is all you have on you. Usually, they are going to been fine with this and send you on your way. Actually, don't offer anything at first until it becomes clear that you are going to have a hard time getting out of the situation without paying. There have been a few times the police just sent me on my way with no loss. I say $40 because I feel like if you hide all your money or only only have a few bucks in your wallet the cops are going to be more suspicious and give you a harder time.

As to whether you drive your car in or walk across the border, it really comes down to how frequently you visit. If you only visit a few times a year, you should probably just walk across and take Ubers, but if you go there frequently like I do, it makes sense to take your car and not be "a walker".

Advantages of having your car:

1) No border parking fees. (Tijuana parking lots are cheaper).

2) Less walking. More convenience.

3) No waiting for a ride. No Uber / taxi fees.

4) Easier access to Tijuana and the surrounding areas.

5) Easier to make arrangements with girls outside the clubs.

6) If there is a wait time to cross the border, I'd rather sit in my car than stand outside in a line.

Disadvantages.

1) Policia.

2) Mexican insurance.

3) Driving on Mexican roads can be "different" than what you are used to.

4) Potentially longer wait times at the border (if you don't have sentry or global entry it may be anywhere from 20 minutes to 3+ hours to cross). If you can use the sentry lanes it will be significantly shorter, though.

[QUOTE=KBToys;2883234]Driving around Tijuana is more freedom and less hassle than doing Uber or Didi unless you plan to drink, smoke, or be under the influence. Also the only thing to worry about is policia in ZN. They don't hassle you much outside the Zona. You can drive around to various restaurants, sports bars, clubs, casinos, etc. If you limit yourself to ZN, then you are missing a lot of what Tijuana, Rosarito, Ensenada, and Valle have to offer. I used to do the walk across and cab it around until it was more expensive than just getting the insurance for Mexico. I feel for the guys that only have ZN and Revolucion as the only experience they have of Baja or Tijuana in general. TJ isnt anymore dangerous than downtowns in U.S. If youre looking for trouble, then youll probably find it. Also disrespect anywhere in the world will be dealt with the same no matter who you are.[/QUOTE]If I lived in a driving distance from the border I would have taken my car every time I am down there. It also makes much sense because I have sentri. I have a close friend who lives in SD and he is always parking his car in some iffy streets close to the boarder and is walking in. He has sentri but he swears to never drive his car in to drive far and wide, mainly because he is hung up in this thought that he could get attacked or his car may be stolen. We see all kinds of expensive cars with US plates being driven or parked around and his SUV is not that luxurious. He also always mentions the crossing back by car is a nightmare. The man is a Zona-rat and I am sure many of you will recognize him If you are a frequenter. The man is truly set in his thoughts anything out of the zona and centro is uncharted territory. Took him to a Mr pampas once against much to his fear. He really needs help, but I am not going out of my activities of laying women just to eradicate his phobia of Tijuana.

Let me ask you and other guys who drive into Tijuana. What is the crossing back looks like with Sentri, say, how are specifically Wednesday's? Remember this is with sentri I am asking.

[QUOTE=Zenduka1;2883524]If I lived in a driving distance from the border I would have taken my car every time I am down there. It also makes much sense because I have sentri. I have a close friend who lives in SD and he is always parking his car in some iffy streets close to the boarder and is walking in. He has sentri but he swears to never drive his car in to drive far and wide, mainly because he is hung up in this thought that he could get attacked or his car may be stolen. We see all kinds of expensive cars with US plates being driven or parked around and his SUV is not that luxurious. He also always mentions the crossing back by car is a nightmare. The man is a Zona-rat and I am sure many of you will recognize him If you are a frequenter. The man is truly set in his thoughts anything out of the zona and centro is uncharted territory. Took him to a Mr pampas once against much to his fear. He really needs help, but I am not going out of my activities of laying women just to eradicate his phobia of Tijuana.

Let me ask you and other guys who drive into Tijuana. What is the crossing back looks like with Sentri, say, how are specifically Wednesday's? Remember this is with sentri I am asking.[/QUOTE]I drive in TJ all the time and during the day no longer than hour wait and at night maybe 15 min. It takes more time driving to padre kino to the Sentri point. Also I have driven expensive cars and suvs no problem. Only issue would be if you have dark tint and drive near the centro or Zona, then be ready for them to mess with you. I would be in more fear parking in shady SY than a secured lot in Tijuana. Also convenient to jump in your own car and drive around with friends or chicas to various restaurants, bars, movies, pool halls, baseball, concerts, etc. Driving in Tijuana is equivalent to driving in Mario Kart. Sometimes you have to drive aggressive while other times defensive. I've seen plenty of higher end cars driving around Tijuana like G Wagens and other high end cars. I'm sure they are the business owners in Tijuana or possibly cartel, but I doubt cartel want or need to draw attention to themselves.

For myself the advantages walking across still outweign th e advantages you talk about. You can park on the streets for free on Border Village dr and it very safe. I normally tak the taxi vans at night. But I only have wait 10 minutes for a Uber. The biggest disadvantage is the police and Mexican insurance. My friends US auto insurance covers him up to 60 mils from the border. I believe he has Allstate.

[QUOTE=HKMonger;2883497]I always drive into Mexico and park in Pepe's lot. I drive a decent car too, not an old beater. I haven't had any issues using this lot. In fact, since I have been going to this lot (maybe in the last 8 years or so) I have not been stopped by the police in the Zona Norte (maybe its just good luck though). Prior to this, I used to park in the lot by Chicago club, and I have been stopped by the police a few times exiting this lot. One good thing about Pepe's lot is that it's free if you have the vip card. Once in a while, depending on when you go, the lot may be full, so you will have to park somewhere else (and brave more driving through the Zona Norte).

While getting stopped by the police is a major hassle, it's not really a common occurrence. In 10+ years of driving all around in Mexico, not just in the Zona, I have been stopped only a handful of times.

Just in case you do get pulled over, I recommend that you don't keep a lot of money in your wallet. I always keep "bait money" in there, like $40 or so. Hide the rest of your money in a place they won't look (like in your shoe). Assuming that you actually haven't been doing anything wrong, and the police just want to hassle you to get you to pay them, you can say that this is all you have on you. Usually, they are going to been fine with this and send you on your way. Actually, don't offer anything at first until it becomes clear that you are going to have a hard time getting out of the situation without paying. There have been a few times the police just sent me on my way with no loss. I say $40 because I feel like if you hide all your money or only only have a few bucks in your wallet the cops are going to be more suspicious and give you a harder time.

As to whether you drive your car in or walk across the border, it really comes down to how frequently you visit. If you only visit a few times a year, you should probably just walk across and take Ubers, but if you go there frequently like I do, it makes sense to take your car and not be "a walker".

Advantages of having your car:

1) No border parking fees. (Tijuana parking lots are cheaper).

2) Less walking. More convenience.

3) No waiting for a ride. No Uber / taxi fees.

4) Easier access to Tijuana and the surrounding areas.

5) Easier to make arrangements with girls outside the clubs.

6) If there is a wait time to cross the border, I'd rather sit in my car than stand outside in a line.

Disadvantages.

1) Policia.

2) Mexican insurance.

3) Driving on Mexican roads can be "different" than what you are used to.

4) Potentially longer wait times at the border (if you don't have sentry or global entry it may be anywhere from 20 minutes to 3+ hours to cross). If you can use the sentry lanes it will be significantly shorter, though.[/QUOTE]

I don't know about others, but the craziest driving I ever experienced was in the car line getting into Mexico and the line getting back into the US. I have seen T-bone accidents, cars flipping, a slow 3 mile per hour slow motion crash and crush, fist fights, Border Patrol guns drawn and busting a car. But once you get through the borders, it is pretty mellow driving. Just know that traffic lights and stop signs are more optional rather than strict rules of the road. Also you need to clean out your car and put everything in the trunk instead of leaving it in plain sight. Just like if you live in LA.

I saw a report on the USA version of this site which spoke very favorably of Mermaids. Does anyone have experience with it? How are the girls / prices relative to HK? I've walked by it many times and even had a tequila in the bar area, but have never gone up with a girl.

Don't know if you guys have heard of this guy. He has a youtube channel and posts videos about Tijuana, Hk, etc. He tries to come off as honest, regular guy, but it seems he is more interested in promoting his "agenda" and taking advantage of people than anything else. Just look at how all the comments on his videos suck up to him, and how none of them take issue with some of the laughably incorrect things he says. Under no circumstances should anyone join this guy's group, where he is trying to get you to pay $500 to get advice about women or something. Seems like he is just preying on venerable guys, or guys new to the scene. I hope a lot of those type of guys find this forum before they find this con-artist.

Don't know if you guys have heard of this guy. He has a youtube channel and posts videos about Tijuana, Hk, etc. He tries to come off as honest, regular guy, but it seems he is more interested in promoting his "agenda" and taking advantage of people than anything else. Just look at how all the comments on his videos suck up to him, and how none of them take issue with some of the laughably incorrect things he says. Under no circumstances should anyone join this guy's group, where he is trying to get you to pay $500 to get advice about women or something. Seems like he is just preying on venerable guys, or guys new to the scene. I hope a lot of those type of guys find this forum before they find this con-artist.

[QUOTE=Jackie888;2883740]I don't know about others, but the craziest driving I ever experienced was in the car line getting into Mexico and the line getting back into the US. I have seen T-bone accidents, cars flipping, a slow 3 mile per hour slow motion crash and crush, fist fights, Border Patrol guns drawn and busting a car. But once you get through the borders, it is pretty mellow driving. Just know that traffic lights and stop signs are more optional rather than strict rules of the road. Also you need to clean out your car and put everything in the trunk instead of leaving it in plain sight. Just like if you live in LA.[/QUOTE]I guess you haven't driven in Honduras. People try to pass you on mountain passes with blind curves. I am sure some go over the cliff. It isn't just cars that try to overtake you on blind curves, but also big trucks. I'd rather be in a big truck in a blind curve than some of those little cars. I guess they really let Jesus take the wheel.

[QUOTE=HKMonger;2883884]Don't know if you guys have heard of this guy. He has a youtube channel and posts videos about Tijuana, Hk, etc. He tries to come off as honest, regular guy, but it seems he is more interested in promoting his "agenda" and taking advantage of people than anything else. Just look at how all the comments on his videos suck up to him, and how none of them take issue with some of the laughably incorrect things he says. Under no circumstances should anyone join this guy's group, where he is trying to get you to pay $500 to get advice about women or something. Seems like he is just preying on venerable guys, or guys new to the scene. I hope a lot of those type of guys find this forum before they find this con-artist.[/QUOTE]Yeah, sending him $500 to join some "inner Jedi master" circle is lunacy.

Everyone is big on HK and to a lesser extent Tropical & Chicago, but not much love is given to the smaller bars.

Here are some experiences I've had at the smaller bars.

Dolce & Gabbana. Usually has a good number girls. Tend to be medicore, but have definitely seen some gems in the place. There was a girl with very nice tits & lips that another guy beat me to a couple years back.

La Carreta. Never seen anyone I liked in here, but still hopeful I will some day. Its pretty nice inside.

Mermaids. It's more a massage place, but they do have a bar where you can buy drinks & do the whole ficha thing. Some good lookers in here from time to time.

Playgirl (or formerly) - Usually not many girls, but there have been 2 really good ones I've seen in the past.

Golden Palace. Usually has a medium amount of girls with 2-4 really good ones. Have always found 1 good all around option my last few visits. My favorite smaller bar now. Can have lots of fun while buying fichas with the right girls. No hotel but decent VIP rooms for fun.

[QUOTE=HKMonger;2883883]Don't know if you guys have heard of this guy. He has a youtube channel and posts videos about Tijuana, Hk, etc. He tries to come off as honest, regular guy, but it seems he is more interested in promoting his "agenda" and taking advantage of people than anything else. Just look at how all the comments on his videos suck up to him, and how none of them take issue with some of the laughably incorrect things he says. Under no circumstances should anyone join this guy's group, where he is trying to get you to pay $500 to get advice about women or something. Seems like he is just preying on venerable guys, or guys new to the scene. I hope a lot of those type of guys find this forum before they find this con-artist.[/QUOTE]Yeah, he's a con artist. I'm sure his parents would be proud of him. Hosting a YouTube channel where he pretends to be a master of prostitutes. Pretty sure he could never get a real job in America now since his face is all over the web for hookers in Tijuana.

He's also a liar. Says all the time he has women and has reached a higher level of growth and he no longer frequents the clubs. Total bullshit. I've seen him plenty of times at Chicago and Hong Kong.

[QUOTE=Rainman306;2884122]Everyone is big on HK and to a lesser extent Tropical & Chicago, but not much love is given to the smaller bars.

Here are some experiences I've had at the smaller bars.

Dolce & Gabbana. Usually has a good number girls. Tend to be medicore, but have definitely seen some gems in the place. There was a girl with very nice tits & lips that another guy beat me to a couple years back.[/QUOTE]
I stopped by D&G a couple weeks ago for the first time with a chica friend of mine. She was actually more curious to check it out than I was and went at her suggestion. We only had a couple drinks and took off but there was more girls in there than I thought there would be. Probably around 10-15. Now, out of all those girls there were really only 1 or 2 that I would consider banging and they were of course busy with other clients. My chica friend was curious as to how much they charged for sex so she made me ask a pretty average looking girl how much and she quoted me $120. I scoffed at her quote and she quickly dropped it to 100. I could have found at least five street chicks that day that were way better looking and would only charge me a fraction of that. On the plus side it seems like they have recently remodeled since they have a lot of nice sofa style leather seats that looked new and fairly comfortable. I'll definitely pop in again some other time.

[QUOTE=Rainman306;2884122]Everyone is big on HK and to a lesser extent Tropical & Chicago, but not much love is given to the smaller bars.

Here are some experiences I've had at the smaller bars.

Dolce & Gabbana. Usually has a good number girls. Tend to be medicore, but have definitely seen some gems in the place. There was a girl with very nice tits & lips that another guy beat me to a couple years back.

La Carreta. Never seen anyone I liked in here, but still hopeful I will some day. Its pretty nice inside.

Mermaids. It's more a massage place, but they do have a bar where you can buy drinks & do the whole ficha thing. Some good lookers in here from time to time.

Playgirl (or formerly) - Usually not many girls, but there have been 2 really good ones I've seen in the past.

Golden Palace. Usually has a medium amount of girls with 2-4 really good ones. Have always found 1 good all around option my last few visits. My favorite smaller bar now. Can have lots of fun while buying fichas with the right girls. No hotel but decent VIP rooms for fun.[/QUOTE]I agree. While the majority of my time is spent in HK, TB, or CC, I've found that the smaller places can be fun, sometimes more so than the Big Three.

Another place you forgot to mention: La Gloria. Not a traditional strip club as there aren't many stage shows. But the girls are decent-looking with a few hidden gems. Once I had a good-looking mesara (waitress) who I bought fichas for, then we went to one of the VIP rooms, and we had a great time.

Only downside is that little if any English is spoken in the smaller bars, so using a translation app like Google Translate helps.

[QUOTE=Rainman306;2884122]Everyone is big on HK and to a lesser extent Tropical & Chicago, but not much love is given to the smaller bars.

Here are some experiences I've had at the smaller bars.

Dolce & Gabbana. Usually has a good number girls. Tend to be medicore, but have definitely seen some gems in the place. There was a girl with very nice tits & lips that another guy beat me to a couple years back.

La Carreta. Never seen anyone I liked in here, but still hopeful I will some day. Its pretty nice inside.

Mermaids. It's more a massage place, but they do have a bar where you can buy drinks & do the whole ficha thing. Some good lookers in here from time to time.

Playgirl (or formerly) - Usually not many girls, but there have been 2 really good ones I've seen in the past.

Golden Palace. Usually has a medium amount of girls with 2-4 really good ones. Have always found 1 good all around option my last few visits. My favorite smaller bar now. Can have lots of fun while buying fichas with the right girls. No hotel but decent VIP rooms for fun.[/QUOTE]This sounds like a recipe for driving from place to place all day looking for one girl that doesn't make you vomit in your mouth!