[QUOTE=GolfSexRroll;1636441]WHY would you drive in Mexico / Zona? Going South for a vacation trip. OK. But Tijuana NO way. Like Anywhere else? I don't think so. The COPS are the WORST! My friends I work with in San Diego (Mexican) NEVER / if they can help it. Drive in Tijuana if they can help it.[/QUOTE]Well, I also know Mexicans, with whom I work, who refuse to visit relatives in MX due to the drug violence in Tijuana. I know others who swear the saw the Virgin Mary in a stain. So, basing all your decisions on what some local Mexican thinks may not be the best way to do things.
I noted that Officer Fife, after we parted company, drove back to the same area he was lurking in. He was loitering a short way from the La Cueva exit, waiting to nab people coming out and getting in their cars. Unfortunately, I didn't see him. My point is that the club was full of locals, and I think maybe two gringos other than me. He probably wasn't targeting just gringos. As an aside, if one of the members of this August board was the tall ultra-dorky looking guy, with baggy gym shorts, shower shoes, a too-large T-shirt and hair that hadn't seen a comb in about a week, get a fucking life and clean up your fucking act. I've seen winos who dressed better.
I've only been jacked up by the cops, in car or afoot, after dark. In this case I was driving well after I have usually parked for the night, due to extenuating circumstances. I will certainly redouble my efforts to not drive after about 7:00 pm.
La Mordida has become a fact of life since the Spaniards shook down the Indians. It truly sucks, but, if the "bite" is small, it may just be a cost of doing business in Mexico. My time is worth more than the $15 spent avoiding fucking around with these guys any more than I had to. However, being in the right, had Officer Fife demanded some exorbitant amount I would have marched over to the station, blown into that fucking machine and then told the Jefe all about dear Officer Fife and his demand for a bribe. That might have been interesting.
I wouldn't normally drive, and I don't really enjoy driving in Tijuana, but, despite having a lot of taxis it can be rather hard to get around. Try going from your hotel in Centro, to, say, 5 why 10 to pick up a Craigslist date, to a short-time hotel on Via Rapida, then to lunch in the Zona Rio, then back to your hotel. It's doable in a taxi, but not fun. You can take a trip to Mexicali or Ensenada in a taxi, too, but it's going to be a bit pricey. So, these days I find a car a necessary evil, primarily because I don't hunt much in the Zona these days.
