General Reports

[QUOTE=Tempe Jon;1310447]Just curious, has anyone ever tried to use the Otay Mesa border crossing? Is the parking situation better there so I can avoid the fiasco I had last time? Are the lines returning into the United States shorter there?[/QUOTE]Ever since the new border crossing construction started, the UETA lot has been reduced to a fraction of its former size. If you show up on a weekend afternoon, odds are things are going to be very full, as you experienced.

One alternative is to come early or late. Things will start to free up after about 6 or 7, normally.

A good alternative is to go north a bit and park in one of the trolley lots. One is on Beyer, another on Iris. Parking is free, it will cost you $2. 50 each way for the trolley.

BTW, the lines at Otay are often a bit shorter, but there are only a fraction of the number of agents working there, compared to the San Ysidro crossing. On a really busy day at SY, lots of folks will go to OM and the waits can be almost as long.

I am planning a trip to Tijuana in October. Waiting for hours returning to the States sounds like pure hell to me. Are there days / times when the crossing the border is consistently under 30 minutes?

[QUOTE=HelpRules;1310495]Why would you bring a laptop to Tijuana. Hotel ticuan has free internet in the lobby. Keep your valuables at home. Period. As far as gringos, it's like Children of the Corn. There used to be a whole bunch of adults and now there are only a couple left because the criminal kids scared them all away or killed them. I remember 7 years ago walking down revolution on the weekend, and it was packed with college kids from San Diego. Now all these clubs are boarded up. Its like Detroit. The least productive of society has destroyed it for everyone else, and all the non lazy people that actually want to work went to Texas. Welcome to Obama USA 2012-2016. Spread the poverty baby.[/QUOTE]. Did you just blame poor tourism in Tijuana on Obama? Dude. Not going to try to follow that logic, but I'm sure someone's proud of you.

[QUOTE=Dzlkdd;1310504]The fellow tourists are only to keep me from standing out in a crowd more than necessary. Large, black, alone in Tijuana will catch the eye. What are the salidas in Zona Norte? Also, any reliable taxi drivers in that town? Those guys are invaluable in places like Manila.[/QUOTE]While there aren't all that many black guys running around Tijuana, it's not as rare as you might think. The locals have certainly seen 'them before. And, unless you're fairly short, have brown skin, straight black hair and speak Spanish, you're going to stand out. In other words, gringos of any color are easy to spot. We're never going to blend. Don't worry about it unless you plan on doing something really stupid.

You can search here on prices for salidas. I've been told anything from $200 to $400. Whatever the price, it's not worth it.

There are a million taxi drivers in Tijuana. You'll never get the same one twice. If you're a regular visitor you can get the number of one of the Libre drivers you like and develop a relationship. If you're just a casual visitor, it's not worth the effort.

Keep in mind, this AIN'T Manila. Or anywhere in SEA. Not even close. Tijuana is set up for short-time encounters. Anything more takes several visits and a bit of practice.

[QUOTE=SeenItAll;1310641]I am planning a trip to Tijuana in October. Waiting for hours returning to the States sounds like pure hell to me. Are there days / times when the crossing the border is consistently under 30 minutes?[/QUOTE]Nighttime. Anytime from around 10:00pm to 4:00am should be fine.

[QUOTE=Phordphan; 1310802]While there aren't all that many black guys running around Tijuana, it's not as rare as you might think. The locals have certainly seen 'them before. And, unless you're fairly short, have brown skin, straight black hair and speak Spanish, you're going to stand out. In other words, gringos of any color are easy to spot. We're never going to blend. Don't worry about it unless you plan on doing something really stupid.

You can search here on prices for salidas. I've been told anything from $200 to $400. Whatever the price, it's not worth it.

There are a million taxi drivers in Tijuana. You'll never get the same one twice. If you're a regular visitor you can get the number of one of the Libre drivers you like and develop a relationship. If you're just a casual visitor, it's not worth the effort.

Keep in mind, this AIN'T Manila. Or anywhere in SEA. Not even close. Tijuana is set up for short-time encounters. Anything more takes several visits and a bit of practice.[/QUOTE]Good info, man. Like I said, I had written off Mexico, but I suddenly have business to take care of there. Trying to make the best of the situation, and experience the little bit I can. I think I've narrowed it down to Ticuan and Pueblo Amigo. One is cheaper and has a bar across the street, but the other is higher quality.

I have been offering 50 pesos for the short ride to / from border to the zona and have not experienced much resistance, not sure if others have gotten away with less

[QUOTE=Guitarrefreak;1310847]I have been offering 50 pesos for the short ride to / from border to the zona and have not experienced much resistance, not sure if others have gotten away with less[/QUOTE]My normal offer is also 50 pesos and the driver willingly accepts it about half the time. The other half the time the driver counters with 5 dollars, sometimes they ask for 5 dollars plus tip. If they accept the 50 pesos I will tip 10 pesos. If they insist on 5 dollars, I don't tip. It all works out the same to me.

I once had only 40 pesos plus some large bills in my pocket. I offered 40 pesos from the alley to the border and the first 2 drivers refused. A third driver accepted the 40 pesos. I felt bad giving so little to the driver because I have so much. After that I always made sure I had at least 50 pesos available for the driver.

[QUOTE=Guitarrefreak;1310847]I have been offering 50 pesos for the short ride to / from border to the zona and have not experienced much resistance, not sure if others have gotten away with less[/QUOTE]For the last few years I never negotiate price and just give the taxi driver 50 pesos when I get out. I have never had a complaint. The posted price (which is what the locals pay) for taxi libres is 30 pesos so I figure I am giving a substantial tip at 50.

[QUOTE=JPF;1310976]For the last few years I never negotiate price and just give the taxi driver 50 pesos when I get out. I have never had a complaint. The posted price (which is what the locals pay) for taxi libres is 30 pesos so I figure I am giving a substantial tip at 50.[/QUOTE]Same here. I always grab a Libre from the alley when heading back to the border. At the end I always hand the driver a 50 peso note. Never had a complaint, and often they seem pleased when I tell them to keep it.

If they guy is really friendly, or the ride is otherwise memorable, I give another $1 tip.

The Amarrilas from the border are another story. I always just hand them a $5 bill, no tip. Never had a complaint. One guy, long time ago, wheedled a bit for a tip. Once, one guy joked, upon dropping me off, "$10, senor." I, too, laughed, and handed him a $5 bill.

Me and 3 of my buddys heading down this Saturday weekend. Will be there 9:00 PM. I don't want to reserve because I don't want to give my C. C number to anyone out of country, do they accept walk in? Would the price be a big diffrent? Let me know if you guys have Hotel you recommended around the Zona norte.

Thanks

PS 4 of us would like to stay in the same room for our safety is this possible? Or will they make us get 2 rooms?

Since my visit in early May, I've tried to keep in touch by reading reports and it still appears that Hong Kong is by far the leader in hot girls and patrons willing to spend money. This raises a few questions. Do you think the other clubs in the area (Chicago, Adelita's, and Tropical Bar) are just happy with their slice of the pie? What I mean is, why not invest in their property, which would attract more girls, and then more guys spending lots more money? Perhaps I am looking at it wrong and there is still a lot of money being made by catering to locals or maybe if you get too large, you could become a target for more shakedowns. I remember leaving Hong Kong and walking around the block a few times and would have spent more time in the other clubs if quality and quantity were the same but that wasn't the case (while I was there).

Hey guys,

I speak a bit of Spanish but I don't quite understand the meaning of salidas. A salida is an exit of sorts depending on what you are talking about, so used here it must be slang for something else. Hmmm. Would someone explain to me what it means. Thanks.

[QUOTE=Phordphan; 1310802]While there aren't all that many black guys running around Tijuana, it's not as rare as you might think. The locals have certainly seen 'them before. And, unless you're fairly short, have brown skin, straight black hair and speak Spanish, you're going to stand out. In other words, gringos of any color are easy to spot. We're never going to blend. Don't worry about it unless you plan on doing something really stupid.

You can search here on prices for salidas. I've been told anything from $200 to $400. Whatever the price, it's not worth it.

There are a million taxi drivers in Tijuana. You'll never get the same one twice. If you're a regular visitor you can get the number of one of the Libre drivers you like and develop a relationship. If you're just a casual visitor, it's not worth the effort.

Keep in mind, this AIN'T Manila. Or anywhere in SEA. Not even close. Tijuana is set up for short-time encounters. Anything more takes several visits and a bit of practice.[/QUOTE]

Thanks for all the input.

I normally start the ride by asking if 50 pesos to [destination] was ok, where destination is normally linea or adelitas.

Most of the time they go siii senorrr without so much as a flinch.

I have seen a couple who go into that 'aye, muy dificil, senor, necesito cinco dollares' type convo at which point I tell them, 'hey, no puedes, no problemo, yo cambio taxi' to which they will wave their hand and say 'no to do bien'

Love it.

The rides back to linea on yellow taxi tends to want to play hardball a little bit more though, taxi libre normally takes it happily.

[QUOTE=Phordphan; 1310980]Same here. I always grab a Libre from the alley when heading back to the border. At the end I always hand the driver a 50 peso note. Never had a complaint, and often they seem pleased when I tell them to keep it.

If they guy is really friendly, or the ride is otherwise memorable, I give another $1 tip.

The Amarrilas from the border are another story. I always just hand them a $5 bill, no tip. Never had a complaint. One guy, long time ago, wheedled a bit for a tip. Once, one guy joked, upon dropping me off,"$10, senor." I, too, laughed, and handed him a $5 bill.[/QUOTE]

[QUOTE=JohnnyO52; 1310998]Hey guys,

I speak a bit of Spanish but I don't quite understand the meaning of salidas. A salida is an exit of sorts depending on what you are talking about, so used here it must be slang for something else. Hmmm. Would someone explain to me what it means. Thanks.[/QUOTE]Yes,"exit" is exactly what it means. It's an amount of money you need to pay the bar in order for them to allow the lady to leave the premesis early. Supposedly to compensate the bar for the money they would normally make from her hustling drinks, etc. Very similar to a bar fine in Asia.

I've never heard the same amount mentioned twice, so I'm pretty sure it's all whatever the market will bear. I do know it's not all that easy. Once, a couple of months ago, I got a girl to leave Las CHavelas to go party with me. I had to send her a fake text claiming I was her mom, and I was sick. Then she had to talk to the manager, then she had to twist her brother's arm. It may have been her brother, I don't know. She introduced him as such. He worked as a door man, or something. Anyway, it was an act of congress.

All in all, it's just a monumental pain in the ass and not worth the effort.