Has anyone ever been to Tijuana??

[patchamalbion]

just spoke to my girlfriends sister who is comming towards the end of her travels. She went to tijuana the other night and said she witnessed a full-scale shoot out between police and a drug gang and she was sure at least one died,she's a tough cookie but said she has never seen anything so shocking in her life. anyway she tells me this place is the craziest city she has ever been to so i looked it up and it looks a seriously f***ed up place but still has a busy tourist trade. 870 murders last year,regular shoot outs,child prostitution...seems lovely also saw an incredible pic on google image on google of how close the place os to US.

anyone have any experiences? she has obviously left now and will be home in 2 weeks,incredible story

 

[Teddy Maybank]

Went to college in San Diego in 87 and used to go to TJ every other friday night. It took about 40 minutes to get from campus to the heart of the town. Used to be the only place US college kids under 21 could go for a legal drink. Have to say it was alot of fun but complete carnage.
Very easy to end up in jail,

 

[nevergoagain]

Went there about 20 years ago, hated the place. Proper dodgy bandit town. Nogales was a much better border town, still the same vibe but hardly any of the annoying US teenagers getting wasted everywhere.

 

[patchamalbion]

looking at few articles it looks like its gone down hill in a big way.Didnt no san diego was that close to the border

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

I went there as a young backpacker in 1990. Remember it was a mad and dodgy place full of young US service men on the booze.

As a footnote I left my passport in a mate's backpack and he left without me. This led to a rather interesting adventure where I was smuggled back over the border. Once back on the US side I became increasingly concerned for my personal safety trying to get back to my San Diego hostel (the previous night a fellow hostel stayer was mugged for his pizza). It was about 4am and the bus station and surrounding areas were full of very shifty people. I walked into a police station feeling rather scared and asked if I could wait there until the morning. Credit to the plod as they let me...and then drove me all the way back to the hostel when a car became available. I sat up front with a shot gun in a sealed dashboard clip between my legs. We even pulled over a drunk driver as well. An epic night.

 

[NMH]

As long as no gangsters got hurt by the police, we can breathe easy.

 

[NMH]

oh yeah, and yes I have been there a few times.

Jai Lai is interesting to watch, they have a stadium there.
Mexican stuff is cheap - hammocks, pottery, leather goods etc. But it's much more expensive there and in Ensenada, due to the dumbass tourists.

Pop down to Rosarita Beach, for frolics in the sand ..and safety - there's an area that's fenced in (like South Africa) to keep the native crims out.

 

[Lady Whistledown]

I went there from San Diego a few years ago.

It is a dive, full of shops selling a million varieties of cheap tequila and black velvet sombreros. There's also a massive drug problem going on. Plenty of Americans cross the border regularly to buy things that are a lot more expensive or illegal in their home country, but in terms of scenery, it's only worth seeing if you're a big fan of 1960s concrete shopping arcades.

If you want a more pleasant Mexican experience in that part of the world, they do say you should head straight past Tijuana and into the next town/village.

 

[NMH]

If you want a more pleasant Mexican experience in that part of the world, they do say you should head straight past Tijuana and into the next town/village.

See above.
Next village = Rosarita
next town = Ensenada

 

[Man of Harveys]

Mother of Harveys lives in SD so I popped over the border in my youth in the company of some young San Diegans who, as has been said above, go there to drink etc. I didn't see anything that dodgy, other than my margarita-fuelled dancing, but I've heard some scare stories. Non-Tijuanan Mexicans that I've spoken to about it hate the place with a passion.

 

[Austrian Gull]

I have a Mexican student in one of my classes. He only last week described Tijuana as, and I'm quoting here, "a shithole".

I feel proud how his English is coming on.

 

[Mr Blobby]

When we were in San Diego last year we considered a trip accross the border, but after talking to locals decided against it. We were on a whale and dolphin trip so first entered Mexico at Ensenada and then flew back to San Diego from Los Cabos. Sadly that was all we saw of Mexico, we didnt see it at its best as didnt see Ensenada other than from the shoreline and had a day in Los Cabos which was full of Yanks who go there surfing and fishing. They even had a lion cub kept in a tiny cage to have you photo taken with by the marina. Hated the place, but after 10 days at sea watching Blue Whales, Humpback Whales etc and Dolphins everything was going to be a let down!

 

[Citrus]

Was there over the summer for a night out (although the locals seemed to think it was a bad idea). Was sitting in a bar on Avenue de la Revolucion (sp?) and 2 or 3 hummers casually cruised past full of police/army types in balaclavas.

There was an 'Irish Wednesdays' club night on later - quite a surreal experience. $18 all you can drink with probably the best part of 500 Irish. We stayed over just of the Avenue but most of them hit the border pissed up at 3/4am apparently - bet the border security LOVE the Irish.

 

[acrossthepond]

More to the point, does anyone know the way to San Jose?

 

[NMH]

I did a u-turn in a main street in TJ, and got pulled over by a Mex motorcycle cop.
The beaner only wanted $50 "and then we could go"!

I let him know we were not rich and gullible American gringos, and that we were hiking around the coast on a low budget. He let us off - which was lucky or we would have to make that place a British Colony and sort his type out.

 

[Lokki 7]

If you want to learn why Tijuana is the way it is, you could do a lot worse then read "The Power of the Dog". Cracking read, one of the most thrilling books I have read. Fast paced, gripping and although fictional, only just. Chronicles the rise of the drug trade through Mexico through the eyes of players on every side. Also documents the atrocities committed by the US in central and southern america. Would recommend it to anyone.