Tcat

Vonage is great in that they do have MX as a plan option. Not all VoIP providers do... And the down side is they are the highest bandwidth useage and the lowest quality of voice of any VoIP provider I have tried...

Making it more difficult is the choice of DSL vs. Cable... My experiments have sold me that DSL is the preferred option.

I have found it depends on the owner...

Before moving in, the best thing seems to be to just chat about the neighborhood. The locals will have the data 8)

I agree that western TJ is A Lot less of a dust bowl than East TJ.

OtayBill and I we're chatting over a beer a little while back about the Pemex on Bellas Artis near the Otay crossing.

Comparing notes, we both found they do not give either the correct change or give no change at all. In other words, they have a pattern of stealing from the gringos :!: This is the only Pemex I have had a problem with in over 10 years. And OtayBill had the same issue.

OtayBill, can you note the Pemex station # for the folks here?
TIA
Tcat

No secret I moved to Otay Mesa 2.5 years ago from "a bit" north...

I loved Otay. Notice the letter d.

The super bridge going up on Industrial diverted traffic.
Suddenly I had buses, trucks, etc. 24/7 in front of my casa.

Further, I had never had the occasion to be here for Christmas.

Someone thought fireworks we're a great way to say Hi Santa!

<I wanted to dig a foxhole>.

When I was told they add guns to the mix for New Year's Eve... I promptly got on the net and booked a ticket and motel in Berlin, Germany. I always wanted to see that anyway! Figured it would be a lower price than shooting at the folks with guns.

I came back and in the famous, never say never, moved to Playas de Tijuana.

I blew Playas off on my first visit. At the time, I traveled Way Too Much for Playas. And things change. I maybe see Lindberg field, *maybe* once a month now.

My reactions are:

Each "zona" is wildly different. So are it's people.
Finding a Great Place is going to be who you know... the best places are discussed in whispers, not ads.

I don't think I would be here if I had to commute every day across the border.

OF all the things one has to watch out for is electrical ground. This is my 3rd place in TJ. I am seeing a pattern where the electrical ground starts to get weak as the water table goes down... If you got a bit of sensitive and/or expensive equipment, do yourself a favor. Plant some stuff that likes/needs water. Hook up a drip irrigation from a water tap. Drop in at least a 4' (about 1.5 M should work) copper pipe or solid copper rod and run a PVC coated solid copper (12 gauge should work) to the casa. Use a 'ground cheater' to attach the wire, and run the outlet screw through the cheater so it grounds the house wiring.

You won't know you don't have ground (in many cases), until the product you are using <requiring it for safety> mal-functions, and you become the new ground.

Yes, a small chance. And if you roll the lucky dice and get this combo, well... everyone is allowed one fatal mistake.

The (new) place in Playas, so far, so good. I see the ground is 'weak' some days, and for now, it's working, and I got plan B should it 'dry out'.

HTH
Tcat

PS... part of my new life is more writing and more Internet business... As a formerly very busy road warrior, I got ticked off and started a travel agency... I'm pretty happy with the bottom line pricing I'm getting out... so no, this is not a sales pitch! It's data. If my stuff saves ya grief and money, great. http travel4roadwarriors.com I'm certainly not getting rich on booking fees. And I don't care. Its my little s*ew U to all the Basic Stories (BS for short) I got as a professional traveler.