Beggars, Booze and Drugs.
I see beggars in Tijuana but I do not feel like subsidizing their booze or drug habits with cash. If you want to help the beggars, carry some oatmeal bars or loose candy from Halloween candy bags or Ramen / dry soup packets, which you can get in 99 cent stores before you go to Tijuana. When beggars ask me for money, I usually give them something that actually helps them like a oatmeal bar that they can eat on the spot. If you drive to Tijuana, keep a box of oatmeal bars or ramen handy and hand out some from the window when they corner you at a stoplight or in a traffic jam. I usually go through couple of dollars worth of snack handouts during a day's visit to Tijuana which makes the locals happy since American candy and food usually tastes better than the Mexican version.
[QUOTE=Phordphan;2124776]Why are you carrying a wallet in the Zona? Why are you giving beggars $1? Why aren't you using pesos for that sort of thing. You want to give a beggar something, you reach into your pocket and pull out a 10 peso coin. Or a couple of 5 peso coins. If you're going to walk around Tijuana and give money, start doing it like a local.[/QUOTE]