General Reports

Dilwala,

And this is coming from someone who just visited Tijuana for the first time this past week. You can read my recent trip report in the Hong Kong Club Report section, which has pretty good details of my experience including a budget. I did a 4 days /3 nights trip and while it ended up great for me, I think 3 days /2 nights would have done the job as well. Shorter trips would have been too fast, and anything longer I may have gotten bored by / too tired of mongering continuously.

At Phordphan, thanks for sharing your thoughts. You're definitely more experienced than me when it comes to Tijuana, but the picture you are painting regarding the safety in Tijuana isn't what I experienced during my recent time there. Granted I've done extensive solo traveling through pretty scummy parts of South America (in Brazil, Ecuador, Peru among others) and Africa (in Zimbabwe, Botswana) and Asia, so I'm pretty travel savvy and also can speak pretty good Spanish. I'm no stranger to danger / violence in traveling either as I've been held hostage before in a South American country for several hours which was a pretty harrowing experience among other things. That being said, I walked around a lot by myself or with a HK BG I befriended outside of Zona Norte as I always enjoy seeing the less-touristy / more-local scene and I didn't feel unsafe for one moment (traveling during daylight hours). Also, Avenida Revolucion / Zona Centro had a plethora of touristy restaurants and shops where I saw tons of elderly, WASP gringos who definitely didn't look travel savvy shopping, eating, and having a good time and I would think there'd be enough there to occupy one's time for a day or two.

I may be wrong, but it was my understanding that drug cartel violence has been declining pretty heavily these past few years after it peaked in the 2000's, which isn't unique to Tijuana, but even to places like Ciudad Juarez, etc. Doesn't mean they are 100% safe, but I didn't get the "war zone" imagery you've depicted.

But yes, outside of that I didn't really see much else that peaked my interest, though I didn't explore as much as I would like. What other traveling have you done besides Tijuana? Just curious so I can put your views in better perspective.

[QUOTE=Phordphan;1914432]You're correct. There is absolutely nothing safe in Tijuana. The Zona Norte is about 1 city block in size, at least for nightlife purposes, and it's full of ladies, drug addicts, thieves, crooked cops, deportees, booze, good times and bad. But ask around, it's the safest place in Tijuana. Look at any city map. All around the area of the Zona Norte are written the words "Beyond here lie monsters. ".

Oh, if only Tijuana had other, safer things to see and do, in addition to the ladies. But no. There are no places to see or to buy local handicrafts. There are no local microbreweries creating interesting specialty beers. There are no local clubs, or funky watering holes. Why, oh why?

There is certainly no Zona Gastronomico where once can find all manner of avant garde cuisine, from Baja Med, to various types of fusion, to traditional Mexican, to everything imaginable. No, nothing like that.

Being Baja California, there is absolutely no beach. No place to go during the sweltering days of July to wade, or to enjoy a cold beer, or eat some ceviche. Nope, and more's the pity.

And there is certainly nothing like the Ruta de Vino! No place where one can tour vinyards and wineries, sample delicious regional wines and eat world class cuisine in a pastoral setting.

And to rub salt in an already grievous wound, there are no women who, for a reasonable fee, would be willing to accompany a nice guy to see such places. That is, if such places were to exist. Which, of course, they do not. Because everything outside of the safe confines of the Zona Norte is dangerous. Hell, all of Tijuana, outside of the friendly confines of the Zona Norte is one vast wasteland of murder and corruption. Bodies of narcos line the streets on one side, and bodies of police line the other. It's like a war zone only more dangerous.

Best to hole up in the Hotel Cascadas for 3 days. I think that would be plenty. It will be like staying on Soi 6 in Pattaya, only with no Beach Road. Split your time between Hong Kong, Adelita, Tropical and Las Chavelas. They're within a half-block of each other. Taxi in and taxi out, you'll never have to leave Coahuila street. Try to have a good time and try to imagine what a fun place Tijuana would be if only there were some safe tourist-style activities to do.

The upside of this is that, when you're finished and back across the border you'll know exactly as much about Mexico as you did before you started.[/QUOTE]

I think you are a bit over the top on that report. I know you were being sarcastic! , In zona Rio and other areas there are tons of things to see and do. There are lots of fine new restaurants, brew pubs popping up all the time. Just like other cities there is crime. But streets lined with dead bodies, come on! Jaja. But I know that 90% or more people in the USA believe this! Just look at TRUMP! Fuckin Asshole he is! But scareing away others leave more danger-Ladies for me and you! Good work!

[QUOTE=Member#2041;1914423]The plan is for PedEast to be renovated into a new permanent facility over the next 2-3 years. I don't know what the plan is for PedWest once that renovation is completed.[/QUOTE]Yup a GSA (government) contract, scheduled to be completed by 2019. BUT PedWest should be opening southbound traffic lanes soon. Just waiting on the Mexican side to finish construction. When PedEast (original site) is renovated, they are looking to have expansion of "old" 20 lanes to 32 lanes of northbound traffic using both PedWest and PedEast.

[QUOTE=GolfSexRroll;1914534]I think you are a bit over the top on that report. I know you were being sarcastic! , In zona Rio and other areas there are tons of things to see and do. There are lots of fine new restaurants, brew pubs popping up all the time. Just like other cities there is crime. But streets lined with dead bodies, come on! Jaja. But I know that 90% or more people in the USA believe this! Just look at TRUMP! Fuckin Asshole he is! But scareing away others leave more danger-Ladies for me and you! Good work![/QUOTE]Somebody should commission PhordPhan to write a tour book titled "How to Enjoy Tijuana between Trips Arriba. " Several times I've followed his suggestions and had a good time.

[QUOTE=Monkey7212;1914443]Dilwala,

And this is coming from someone who just visited Tijuana for the first time this past week. You can read my recent trip report in the Hong Kong Club Report section, which has pretty good details of my experience including a budget. I did a 4 days /3 nights trip and while it ended up great for me, I think 3 days /2 nights would have done the job as well. Shorter trips would have been too fast, and anything longer I may have gotten bored by / too tired of mongering continuously.

At Phordphan, thanks for sharing your thoughts. You're definitely more experienced than me when it comes to Tijuana, but the picture you are painting regarding the safety in Tijuana isn't what I experienced during my recent time there. Granted I've done extensive solo traveling through pretty scummy parts of South America (in Brazil, Ecuador, Peru among others) and Africa (in Zimbabwe, Botswana) and Asia, so I'm pretty travel savvy and also can speak pretty good Spanish. I'm no stranger to danger / violence in traveling either as I've been held hostage before in a South American country for several hours which was a pretty harrowing experience among other things. That being said, I walked around a lot by myself or with a HK BG I befriended outside of Zona Norte as I always enjoy seeing the less-touristy / more-local scene and I didn't feel unsafe for one moment (traveling during daylight hours). Also, Avenida Revolucion / Zona Centro had a plethora of touristy restaurants and shops where I saw tons of elderly, WASP gringos who definitely didn't look travel savvy shopping, eating, and having a good time and I would think there'd be enough there to occupy one's time for a day or two.

I may be wrong, but it was my understanding that drug cartel violence has been declining pretty heavily these past few years after it peaked in the 2000's, which isn't unique to Tijuana, but even to places like Ciudad Juarez, etc. Doesn't mean they are 100% safe, but I didn't get the "war zone" imagery you've depicted.

But yes, outside of that I didn't really see much else that peaked my interest, though I didn't explore as much as I would like. What other traveling have you done besides Tijuana? Just curious so I can put your views in better perspective.[/QUOTE]I'll indulge you because you're earnest and you're contributing something to the forums. But jokes do lose their humor when they are explained.

The post was sarcastic. I thought the part about "here lie monsters," and the Wrigley Field reference gave it away.

The OP stated that he had read lots of FRs and had come to the conclusion that there was nothing safe to do in Tijuana except chase hos. (Of course, the only place to find these hos is the Zona Norte. Ipso facto, the Zona Norte is the only safe place in Tijuana). And, that being the case, he didn't want to hang around too long and get bored with the whole thing. Obviously he got that impression from glancing at a few posts here and maybe a few breathless travel advisories. He then contrasted the "nothing to do and dangerous" destination of Tijuana with Amsterdam and Pattaya. I can't speak to Amsterdam but I know a fair amount about Pattaya, a city who owes its very existence to sex tourism. Unlike the dangerous city of Tijuana, which happens to be an actual city, with an actual economy, and a whole lot of other things to see and do outside of the Zona Norte. So, when handed an ignorant question of these epic proportions, what else can one do but respond in kind? I illustrate absurdity by being absurd.

If you care to go back and look at posts you'll find several posters who state, with a straight face, that the ZN is the safest place in Tijuana. Primarily because of the heavy police presence. I say that the heavy police presence is due to it being one of the most dangerous places in Tijuana. Yet many believe that it's scary and dangerous to venture up to Revu, or to Calle 6 ta, or anywhere other than Coahuila. They believe that you can get popped by random cartel violence anytime, anywhere. They believe the US travel advisories.

I also thought my last sentence was a dead giveaway. But it's also true, not just for the OP but for many like him. They are ignorant of Mexico when they enter, they experience nothing but a taxi, a clip joint and some hookers, and they leave as ignorant of Mexico as when they entered.

So, go back and re-read my post knowing that I am illustrating the absurdity of the OP's premise by being absurd. There are many things to do outside of the ZN. It is safe to travel around TJ. You will be treated far better in restaurants and clubs outside of the ZN than anywhere inside the ZN. If one is not careful, one might have a good time.

Now as for me, I still travel as much as I used to, but I don't post TRs as often as I did in the past because my trips aren't usually centered around sex tourism as much as they used to be. I usually travel with one of several GFs. But I have traveled extensively throughout SEA, a fair amount of Mexico, much of Central America, much of Western Europe and a tiny bit in South America. This year I've spent just under a week in Chiapas and just under 2 weeks in Okinawa and Bangkok. Next month I'll be in Oaxaca for about a week exploring the cuisine. I'm no backpacker but I tend to travel as "local" as is reasonable to do (the 2nd and 3rd class trains in Sri Lanka are an experience), eat as local as possible and experience as much local culture as possible given that I am not a local. I've been hustled out the back door of bars into cabs, after closing, to avoid the cops in Yangon (before things became liberalized). I've sat in some hole-in-the-wall bar in a dinky village in northern Italy trying to converse in pidgin Italian and German with an old guy who was trying to discuss why his wife left him. I've eaten fried water bugs on the streets of Seam Reap. I still remember this ultra-dignified black gentleman expounding his theories of life and race relations on the island of Guanaja long before there were tourists. I became a surprise guest at a rural Nong Khai Buddhist funeral one sweltering afternoon. Many fascinating experiences you'll never get in a package tour. So, there you have my bona fides.

I feel like an idiot. Thanks for enlightening me with your very exciting experiences in your travels and your thoughts overall. I hope to go to many of the places you mentioned, in fact. Much appreciated.

Cheers!

[QUOTE=Member#2041;1914419]There are probably a half dozen cambios in San Ysidro that have no commission rates that are within 0.1 peso of each other per dollar, so if you changed $100 into pesos, the best of these would give you maybe 10 pesos more than the worst. In other words, about 55 cents difference on $100 US. So it's not worth spending a lot of time and effort to get that last 0.1 peso per dollar. I generally use an ABC Cambio right smack in the middle of San Ysidro Blvd, maybe a half mile north of the border. But if the line is long by that place, I'll take slightly less to save some time.

Last time I was down was Sunday, and the rates at most places were between 18.1 and 18.2 - And since I usually change about $60 US at a pop, the difference between those rates ends up being about 6 pesos, or less than 35 cents.[/QUOTE]Yea I'm not worried about the best rate 18.1 or 18.5 I just find the most convenient "Camibo" I can walk to after I park at the lot behind JIB. . I'm going to change like $400.

Dilwala, Phordphan was just kidding. For over 15 years going to Tijuana, I have never felt unsafe. I had walked the streets of ZN very early hours drunk on way back to hotel, when I was one of the few foreigners in the early days etc. There are micro brews in Tijuana, a street market on Fridays and Saturdays, in ZN, just east of the mongering places (buy anything pirated, including movies, musica etc), concerts some weekends day and evening on Revolution near Primero, lots of handicrafts shops, also some artsy stores too. There is enough to occupy you if you want to get some time away from screwing chicas. Just do not walk around wearing a gold chain around your neck and be street smart like in any country. As you are coming from East Coast, 5 days would be good as you want to relax and pick up the pace after jet lag. Enjoy and respect the country, do not get into any arguments or fights. A smile goes a long way. Have fun.

[QUOTE=LifeIsABeach;1914909]Dilwala, Phordphan was just kidding. For over 15 years going to Tijuana, I have never felt unsafe. I had walked the streets of ZN very early hours drunk on way back to hotel, when I was one of the few foreigners in the early days etc. There are micro brews in Tijuana, a street market on Fridays and Saturdays, in ZN, just east of the mongering places (buy anything pirated, including movies, musica etc), concerts some weekends day and evening on Revolution near Primero, lots of handicrafts shops, also some artsy stores too. There is enough to occupy you if you want to get some time away from screwing chicas. Just do not walk around wearing a gold chain around your neck and be street smart like in any country. As you are coming from East Coast, 5 days would be good as you want to relax and pick up the pace after jet lag. Enjoy and respect the country, do not get into any arguments or fights. A smile goes a long way. Have fun.[/QUOTE]Yes, I had some fun at OP's expense. I usually welcome newbies and try to be helpful. But OP has a history of asking the same basic questions, ad nauseum, in multiple forums. He expects recommendations, girl reviews and advice, and offers virtually nothing in return. Don't take my word for it, read for yourself. We're all here to be helpful, but not to spoon-feed every swinging dick that stumbles across this site. So, I made an exception. Plus, it really irks me when know-nothings who have never set foot over the border start spouting off about the dangers of Mexico. As if Delhi was the safety spot of the civilized world.

Thanks all for the positive replies. I have planned my trip for 3 nights.

Yes this is my first trip in Tijuana and yes I know nothing about Tijuana. Whatever viewpoint I have developed about Tijuana is the image portrayed by fellow brothers on forum in past. Mind it somebody else will also read your sarcastic review after 10 month and you can think what idea he will get. I personally feel if you don't feel like replying then don't reply. Wrong info on forum can be harmful to others.

I will definitely let you know the difference between Delhi and Tijuana once I will be back.

[QUOTE=Phordphan;1914926]Yes, I had some fun at OP's expense. I usually welcome newbies and try to be helpful. But OP has a history of asking the same basic questions, ad nauseum, in multiple forums. He expects recommendations, girl reviews and advice, and offers virtually nothing in return. Don't take my word for it, read for yourself. We're all here to be helpful, but not to spoon-feed every swinging dick that stumbles across this site. So, I made an exception. Plus, it really irks me when know-nothings who have never set foot over the border start spouting off about the dangers of Mexico. As if Delhi was the safety spot of the civilized world.[/QUOTE]

[QUOTE=Dilwala;1915078]Thanks all for the positive replies. I have planned my trip for 3 nights.

Yes this is my first trip in Tijuana and yes I know nothing about Tijuana. Whatever viewpoint I have developed about Tijuana is the image portrayed by fellow brothers on forum in past. Mind it somebody else will also read your sarcastic review after 10 month and you can think what idea he will get. I personally feel if you don't feel like replying then don't reply. Wrong info on forum can be harmful to others.

I will definitely let you know the difference between Delhi and Tijuana once I will be back.[/QUOTE]Positing a lunatic premise like the only safe thing to do in Tijuana is to fuck hos in a cheap hotel is "wrong info on forum. " To base a vacation, in which you have to fly from one coast to another, on such a premise, bolstered by "facts" garnered from one hooker board, is intellectual laziness. Had you stated something to the effect that the safest thing to do in the Zona Norte was to bang hookers, and in what other activities might a tourist wish to indulge, would have brought you many different responses.

Each and every one of my points in my original post may have been couched in sarcasm, but each was accurate. Each does exist as something a tourist can do, and easily. In fact, many do. Safely. None of it is "wrong info on forum. ".

Time will tell whether or not we see a detailed TR from you about your three days in Tijuana. I suspect we won't. It will be much like your history over in the Thailand section. Lots of informational requests, zero information in return. I challenge you to prove me wrong. If you do, I will happily apologize and buy you a beer.

I am bringing a couple of friends to Tijuana next week (their first visit. One of them has made multiple trips to Thailand. Thus he asked (and I quote): "My friend wants to see donkey show in Tijuana. Is he nuts? So, I ask any of you, do they have these bizarre events in Tijuana? I usually stay in the ZoNA the whole time, but they asked about something like this. Ahem *.

Occasionally there is a gorilla show handling a reciprocating saw getting a few naked chicas red hot horny on the stage in HK. I saw it one time at 4 AM!

For the right price, a few bros in this site may fit very well inside a donkey skin. Hehe.

[QUOTE=Caprese7;1915261]I am bringing a couple of friends to Tijuana next week (their first visit. One of them has made multiple trips to Thailand. Thus he asked (and I quote): "My friend wants to see donkey show in Tijuana. Is he nuts? So, I ask any of you, do they have these bizarre events in Tijuana? I usually stay in the ZoNA the whole time, but they asked about something like this. Ahem *.[/QUOTE]

[QUOTE=ClamSlammer;1915178]Phordphan is a storyteller. He always has to have a story to tell. Whether it is true or not it is of no relevance to him. I've stone cold busted him several times making up his fairy tales. He recently wrote on a different forum that BG's working for the HK group make $5 out of a $6. 25 ficha. That would mean their commission is 88%. Their true commission rate is around 21%. Also, he estimated the average HK girl earns something like $300 K annually (DOLLARS not pesos.) I don't remember the exact figure but it was ridiculously high like $300 k. He also asserts that HK management monitors exchange rates "like hawks" when in fact they don't give a fuck and may adjust their in-house tipo de cambio once every 2-3 YEARS! Read Phordphan's posts strictly for laughs and entertainment purposes like you would the Sunday comics. They hold no informational value whatsoever.[/QUOTE]ClamSlammer,

I think both you and PhordPhan have written good, intelligent posts that are very informative. I was fairly new on this board (maybe a around a year ago?) when PP made the over-estimation of chica wages, and I might have been the first to correct Phordphan. As I recall, he admitted his math error right away when it was pointed out, and was very gracious about it. I think you (ClamSlammer) have made a lot of good contributions to this board & I just don't understand the hard-on you seem to keep having for PP. We've all made errors in our writings from time to time. I try to thank people who correct me (because I strive to give the most reliable information possible for the readers).

If you are bring up a past discussion about about the compensation a HK BG earns on fichas, that conversation must have happened a fucking long time ago if the cost of a ficha was $6. 25. Maybe you should let it go, if for no other reason so that I can enjoy a greater portion of your posts. You both make far better posts than one clown who can't write a good joke despite hundreds of failed attempts. HeHe.

Thanks, ScatMan. Appreciate the kind words.

I don't get the attitude either. He gets belligerent when somebody stands up to him. He gave a ton of shit to another member recently over the HK peso / dollar rates. Trivial shit. Whatever. I'm happy when you, or whoever, points out errors in my drivel. It makes for more accurate information.

That latest thing was a post on another board, "mi amigo," when I talked about a stop at La Cueva del Peludo while waiting for a friend. I bought a few fichas for a girl. Said fichas were 90 pesos. I asked the girl how much she got of that. She told me $5 USD. I asked her several times, in Spanish and English. Each time she insisted it was $5. I relayed that in my TR. Yes, it's hard to believe that they pay $5 of a $6 ficha. Maybe they do, maybe they don't. I never claimed it to be anything other than just that, what a Mexican bar girl said to me. I am not a representative of said bar and have no direct knowledge of the girls' compensation. :) 'Nuff said.