184 replies to this topic

[BajaGringo]

As much as I hate to see the graffiti I have to admit that at times I am amazed at how resourceful they can be. I don't recall hearing any stories covered in the news but you have to believe that some of these guys have taken falls and seriously injured/killed themselves...

[TJGringo]

Hi folks
New member here and all I can say is I love Tijuana and this is like a single mans paradise! All big cities have issues you don't think Detroit or Boston, LA has the same problems that TJ does?
Again I am not saying TJ is perfect but I am happy and content being here. After reading I also agree that people shouldn't be upset with ones point of view. I am sure that if people do not like Tijuana they have their reasons. Just like I have mine why I love TJ!

[sdc]

TJGingo when was the last time that in all those sities combimed there were more than 10 officers killed in a 4 month period? 5 dead bodies piled on the side of the road overnight. High speed chases between rival gangs shotting at and killing each other? Armed gunman holding a hostipal under siege for 3 hours? A priest shot 6 times in the head and left in a club parking lot? The mayor well I didn't even what to start with him.... Show me some stats there, tiger... The same as LA or Boston? Detroit, uh well close....

[libertythor]

In my two years in Tijuana, I have lived in Florido 1ra Sección, Villa Fontana XII Sección, and Guerrero. The first most would be considered a pocket of poverty, the second an average middle to low middle class area, and the third is one of the oldest neighborhoods in Tijuana that borders Independencia.

In the case of Florido, most people have a halfway decent standard of living, until you start going up higher on the hill. There it depends on how stable the family is....drug use..etc. A stable family will usually overcome the poverty gradually by saving and slowly accumulating wealth. Those are the ones with "changarro" stores or who own their own property and may have a laser visa. Many in the area now have kids going to the Autonomous University or the Tech Institute studying to become Accountants, Chemists, etc.

On the other hand, I have seen signs of the extreme poverty such as, the "diablito" electric connections, kids not going to school, and yes....sometimes an expression of hopelessnes. But I never saw the Sally Struthers famine portrayal. It seems that almost everyone eats decently at least.

Now, most you would be surprised if you entered some of the "ugly looking" houses in these neighborhoods. Some have fairly nice furniture, and look great on the inside.

And most of all I assure everyone that most kids in Florido don´t see their future as hopeless. To say that things are completely hopeless for the youth of these colonias is like saying that everyone who lives in National City and Barrio Logan is a drug-addicted gangbanger!!!!

[diogenes]

why would anyone who becomes upwardly mobile want to cry out to the world this fact, when they live in fear to some extent. If you want to hide you must be like a pebble amongst pebbles, according to Cicero.

[TJGringo]

SDC that was a great line, Well Detroit almost :shock:

I used to fly into Detroit every other month a few years back and can say it's the most rundown city I have been to in the USA. From what I hear it's getting worse with more jobs being cut by the car companies.

Again I am just a new member here sharing my version of Baja and I can see you have been around for quite some time. Good luck and look foward to your posts.

[libertythor]

Lets not forget East Saint Louis, Newark, Camden, Compton, Inglewood, etc.

At least most of the cholos here leave you alone once they know you or you can effectively communicate with them. In the previously mentioned cities, the crack-addled idiots as a general rule just don´t care.

[libertythor]

Ldvee,

Welcome to Tijuana! It is always a good thing to stop and observe the normal people in their day to day life and not dwell on the negative all of the time. That is what keeps me motivated to stay here.

The first time that I came to Tijuana I asked the person who brought me to take me to an area where the regular people could be seen in their day by day routines without the hassles everyone speaks about. I was led over to 7th and Constitución. There we sat on the sidewalk and was given a briefing about many of the things that passed by.....the trucks filled with water jugs on the sides ..... the occasional kid with a decked out bicycle .... the fat guys in cowboy hats chatting on the corner .... nurses and doctors from the state-run free clinic .... basically people from every walk of life moving before our very eyes. Then we took the walk down Revolución.

That was in 2003. Now I am forever grateful to have been given a good first impression and didn´t come back to the US with the.....oh God what a horrible place reaction.

As time passes, you will meet people and be introduced to new places, experiences, and flavors; and hopefully it will make your retirement that much more enjoyable and interesting.


Welcome.

[the.ronin]

I hate the upset stomach I sometimes get after eating the tacos.

[libertythor]

Try asking for extra cilantro.

[the.ronin]

Try asking for extra cilantro.

What will that do? I don't like cilantro much though.

I also think the sour cream doesn't sit will with me. I love scrambled huevos con jamon for breakfast. But it just isn't the same unless it's accompanied with tortillas de harina and a good slathering of sour cream.

[edit] Oh crap this is the "hate" thread. Ok, I hate it when they run out of sour cream or tortillas harina for my huevos con jamon.

[libertythor]

The cilantro has natural antibiotic and enzyme properties that help buffer the stomach. Overall the food here is safe, but there may be some strains of naturally ocurring bacteria that you have to get used to. Nothing grave should happen.

Remember...it was US spinach that got recalled from Mexican supermarkets when thousands became ill with e-coli.

[diogenes]

My only concern, apart from all the brouhaha about the integrity of the food and water, is the mindset of the people that handle the stuff that you and I intend to consume. At the California Restaurant (now Fonda Argentina), which was directly across the street from the Grand Hotel Tijuana, I would watch this guy in restaurant issued duds, wear a disposable face mask like a necklace, and have a pair of latex gloves sticking out of his front pocket, basically defeating the whole process of those items intended utilisation as he practically handled food with his bare hands, and inspected it with his face almost in the various foodstuffs. A hypochondriac I am not, but sheesh. Also have you noticed how the water that comes out of the bathrooms' faucets there at the Fonda Argentina/California Restaurant doesn't get very warm at all. Scary, since the restaurants patrons and employees share the same bathroom facilities. Better head to Sanborns.

[Ryu]

I avoid Sanborns like the plague, the food there is horrible AND overpriced.

[the.ronin]

I avoid Sanborns like the plague, the food there is horrible AND overpriced.

I love eating there for breakfast when I just want a plain jane eggs over-easy and bacon.

[edit] Oh crap I keep forgetting this is the hate thread. Ok, I hate it when they forget to give me buttered bread at Sanborns with my over-easy eggs and bacon. grrr :x

[libertythor]

Sanborns is good if you want to sample a variety of Mexican foods and order the buffet.

However the California Bufet seems to have more variety...and yes the food is better...along with the beers being included in the all you can eat package.

[diogenes]

Okay, Sanborns isn't perfect, but at least you know your dealing with an establishment with a more professional attitude about things like HYGIENE!!!!!

[libertythor]

Here is something else usefull about Sanborns.....when you want to pay a dollar for a cup of coffee and not get a styrofoam cup of hot water, a jar of nescafe, and a cup of sugar! LOL

But more and more places are using drip coffee makers. Thank God.

[sdc]

If I ever eat at Sanborn's it would be for breakfast and nothing else...YUCK.....

[diogenes]

Yup, Libertythor & sdc, the nice thing about Sanborns is it is a straightforward operation by most US/Canadian standards. Its good for guests that might feel intimidated elsewhere, but then you gotta ask why they wanted to go to Tijuana in the first place. So its a first step, and it keeps the less adventurous happy. Anyway, you'll met a better healed local crowd, and visitors - so consider the possibilities.