Ed and I tripped over to Tijuana Mexico the other day.
Instead of walking across the border and taking a cab downtown as originally planned, we took the MexiCoach shuttle bus from the border parking lot. Two return tickets were $10 and would prove the best deal of the day.
Our little sojourn across the line was fun.
We enjoyed a guitar serenade of Cieto Lindo while sipping coffee and munching chips with real salsa at an outdoor cafe. Later, we had a delicious lunch of fish tacos and Mexican beverages (Tecate for me, Margarita for Ed). I also downed a big cup of pomegranate seeds from a food cart on the street. At 2 bucks, I’m quite sure I paid much more for those than the locals ever would, but considering whole pomegranates at home are 2 bucks — that was a great deal.
The strangest thing we saw were ‘zebra burros’ (see pic below). Their owners take and sell pictures of tourists’ kids wearing a Mexican hat while sitting on the burro.
We managed to pass that one up, but got caught by a vendor who threw the hats on our heads, blankets over our shoulders and insisted on using our camera to take a picture. How embarrassing!
I fell for the overly charming souvenir vendors and bought a nice embroidered shirt, silver bracelet, a couple of Tijuana ball caps and postcards. Love how the bracelet started at $45 and somehow ended up being $10 – with a buck tip thrown in for the salesperson’s tequila. 🙂
By mid-afternoon we were ready to head home, so we caught the MexiCoach on Revolucion. Driving back to the border we were astounded by the long vehicle and pedestrian lineups — Turns out that the wait for pedestrians was 3.5 hours!
By contrast, we sat and waited in the Mexicoach for just over an hour, leaving only for 10 minutes to go through customs.
What a great deal!
Hi Rozalind,
Tijuana is quite a place to see. Your comment about the bracelet reminds me of when my wife bought a knock off bag when we were there. The tie up trying to cross the border is like the worst rush hour traffic getting out of New York. I viewed a lot of the pictures you posted and enjoyed them. We travel to San Diego periodically and never miss having lunch at the Del. I fell in love with San Diego while stationed at NAS Miramar, mostly because of the weather and also because it’s just a beautiful city.
Regards,
Lee Hartner
Hi Lee,
Thanks for stopping by and sharing your thoughts.
I quite like San Diego as well. Despite the fact that they’re having what for them is a super-cold stretch, I’m still out in shorts and sandals, which beats the heck out of the socks, boots and ski jacket I’d probably have to wear back home.
I love how laid-back it is here. That much is a lot like home. 🙂
Wishing you the best of the holiday season,
Cheers,
Ros
Hi Ros,
Thanks for the good wishes and we wish you the same. If you ‘re looking for good restaurants try George’s in La Jolla or Jake’s in Del Mar. In old town there’s Casa Guadalajara and The Old Town Mexican Cafe. in old town..
No matter how cold is is there it’s got to be warmer than Jersey.
Regards,
Lee
Hey Lee,
Guess we’ll have to check those out the next time around. We left S.D. today for the desert, where I’m thrilled with the nice clear air. 🙂
And Jersey???
Cheers,
Ros
While I understand the need for border checks, I’m surprised the pedestrians take that long. Was it because of the sheer number of pedestrians or were there other reasons why the longer delay. Sure made your choice of travel seem the much smarter move.
I’m sure the vendors have learned to be as friendly as they were because they know that sales will follow. Your photos are fantastic and a lot of fun to look at. Thanks for sharing and glad you enjoyed your day.
Hi Edie,
Glad you like the pics. I do have fun taking them.
Seems like the 3.5 hour wait is pretty standard for that border crossing. Can’t imagine how a grandma or anyone who has trouble on their feet would cope.
Cheers,
Ros
Sure is differnet from when I was there as a kid in the 60’s, although I still have a photograph of us in a setting just like your shot of the burro. I was the one who got to sit on the burro. Maybe some things don’t change (except probably the burro). No big lines, no buses, very little customs hassle.
Hey Rusty,
Was your burro a ‘zebra’ burro? That was one of the weirdest things I’ve ever seen and I’ve seen a lot of weird sh*t. 🙂
Cheers,
Ros
thanks Ros, I love your article. Have a nice day!