The whole day total was 1110 pesos $74, a lot cheaper than Comic-Con, and I got in a lot of exercise walking. Bus and taxi fees were most of the cost.
I have a lot of mixed emotions about Tijuana, but overall it felt like a much bigger, dirtier version of Ensenada. There were gigantic "suburb" like housing areas, and interspersed everywhere was horrible poverty, squalor, trash, and people who are clearly just surviving.
As the bus drove through the city there were more affluent areas, but the percentage of nice to run down shacks was low.
I went to Zona Norte, the red light district of Tijuana. I was there just to check the place out on this trip, I may go back for an overnight visit. Zona Norte seems like every other part of Mexico I've seen so far, doing everything humanly possible to remove dollars from tourist wallets, oh yeah, and hookers.
I didn't take any pictures of the hookers, but someone else filmed the same streets I was walking, this is exactly what I saw yesterday afternoon.
I expected Tijuana to be different, but to me, it's the same thing I see all over this area, just WAY more city.
Just my opinion of yesterdays very limited bus trip, and being someone who has never left the U.S. before.
To be honest, Tijuana made me deeply sad.
Ensenada Bus Terminal
Bus stations, they suck everywhere
The areas around Zona Norte
2 for 1 Margaritas, tacos, 80 pesos $5.33
30 minutes later I was shitting my brains out, only for a couple minutes, then felt fine. The food all tasted good, not sure what set me off, I regret nothing.
Hotels everywhere, by the hour or longer
This was the third one I saw. I think they are painted, I did't look that close.
It seems every other street looks like this
I thought these prices were interesting for a little walk in pharmacy.
I haven't translated this one, but you get the idea. 150 pesos is $10
After all the Zona Norte craziness, I went to a church, a beautiful place, it doesn't make me believe in "gods", but I appreciate what people do in their name.
On the trip back to Ensenada
The erosion on this hill was almost like art
Lots of construction of these beach front condos, not sure who is going to buy them, some looked like they have been half built for a long time.
That's a fishing boat and way out there is a cruise ship heading back to California
Dinner back in Ensenada, I haven't had any fast food since I left California.
A Whopper Combo, frys, small drink, 68 pesos $4.53
It was the same as the U.S. version, home of the Whopper
Very cool. I like seeing your photos.
ReplyDeleteI should have taken more, but it's all beginning to look the same to me.
DeleteI will put more emphasis on interesting pictures on future trips.
Just depressing. Devastated by NAFTA, a worthless drug "war,"and a culture of oligarchic palm-greasing displayed even more blatantly than ours.
ReplyDeleteYeah, it is pretty bad. From what I have read about the history of this countries government it has been bad for a LONG time. The current government and president seems to be doing some good things for the country, he has I think two more years in office, hopefully it will keep getting better.
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