Beaches in Tijuana
Life in ExileHalloween in Tijuana Mexico
My memories of Halloween are quite a bit different than the present day activities in Tijuana. When I was growing up, there was usually snow on the ground and it was too cold to wear just a simple costume. The event was always dampened by the fact that we had to wear a heavy coat over our cool leopard or witch costume. And forget trying to dress up like a princess without a full length coat to protect you. At least the weather in Playas is a tad warmer and we are lucky enough to avoid snow covered streets. Lack of community and participation in the celebration makes it difficult to walk a few blocks for a trick-or-treat.
We gave out candy one year and decided it was not worth the financial effort to do it again. The problem is, there are not that many houses that give away candy. It’s really not a Mexican event, after all. Being that the supply of candy is so low, the demand far outweighs the number of candy donations. People have to drive around to find places with scant decorations and a young witch or Frankenstein handing out candy at the door. With so few locations, it makes the outing more like a treasure hunt, and a bit more adventurous.
One year, we ran out of candy in seven minutes, flat. I was screaming at my husband to turn off the porch-light in fear of a goblin riot. I had brought home a meager $30 portion of candy from the Vons in San Diego; good candy like Butterfingers, Baby-Ruths and Snickers. Cars full of costumes came up to park when they saw the donations being handed out and it was like the word spread across the blocks or the smell of sugar wafted through the air. Either way, we ran dry after seven minutes. Wam-bam-thankyou-ma’am, just like that.
This year, there was an entire block full of retail stores and vendors that were giving away candy. Stores like Waldos, MaMaMia Pizza, local tortilla and taco merchants and Ross’ cafe participated with enthusiasm. I know that I appreciated the effort and hopefully next year, we’ll have a consistent place to “tricky, tricky” as they say in some parts of Tijuana.
Cafe Aquamarina
My new favorite hang-out is Cafe Aquamarina. Within a block from our house, we are able to stroll to the Playas boardwalk and stop in for coffee or a heavenly slice of chocolate cake, or both. A few weeks ago we decided to stroll the boardwalk on a Friday evening and were thrilled to hear drums playing from the cafe rooftop terrace.
Beachfront coffee shop
Tijuana Beaches
We live within a block of the lifeguard station at the Playas Tijuana beach. There is a very small OXXO on the corner, about the size of a moderately priced walk-in closet. A little cabana with benches next to the guard station marks the beginning of the boardwalk that winds north towards the border.
There are a handful of worthy novelty shops and restaurants that line the existing boardwalk. After talking with the owner of one coffee shop the other day, I learned that there are non-profit groups asking the city for new paint. New paint could slightly improve the boardwalk but what is really needed is an overhaul. The existing boardwalk was originally lined with pavers but the years have taken a toll and there are many pavers missing or misaligned. It makes it very difficult to walk without carefully watching your footing. I’m thankful though, for the little boardwalk that there is.
A year ago before they made improvements to the border fence, I actually saw a couple pass their toddler through the slats in the fence and then back again, while they enjoyed their lunch and conversation through the fence. Credit to Eric Thayer for the beautiful photo below, http://ericthayer.blogspot.com/search?q=tijuana
Tijuana Beach Border
Renting in Tijuana
One of the biggest advantages to living in Tijuana is the cheap rent. Especially compared to the very affluent and over-inflated San Diego rentals, our rent has been exceptionally reasonable. Our first one-bedroom apartment was $450. Our first 3 bedroom house was $600 and had a full-size front and back patio. Our third, even bigger 3-bedroom was $700. Paying that much made us feel extravagant and most friends wonder why we pay such a high price. We love it though and feel most comfortable here.
Our first landlord was a rental whore. He was a cheap bastard and sucked every penny out of any situation he could. He kept our entire deposit, even though we left the apartment clean and without any major damage. We assumed every landlord and all rentals were going to be like this, which made me furious. I am so accustomed to the U.S. standards for rentals that I was shocked when he treated us this way. We later chalked it up to a grumpy, old, alcoholic and unhappy man and his kingdom. He did whatever he pleased and he will retire well because of it.
Our second landlord is the sweetest lady you could ever meet. We consider her our good karma. She says we are her favorite renters and we never want to leave her. She owns probably 15-20 properties in Playas de Tijuana alone. This area attracts some of the very affluent and is considered the most expensive place to live in Tijuana, second only to Agua Caliente. I doubt if we would live anywhere else along the border unless we decided to go to the much more secluded Tecate and live in peace. And whatever is peace around narcos…could be relative I guess.
Introduction
My husband and I met in Colorado while working at a Wahoos Fish Taco’s chain restaurant. He worked in the kitchen with his cousins and I had just started working as the General Manager. I would take cigarette breaks after lunch rush on the back loading dock routinely. After a week or so of polite smiles and pardons while rushing around and working, he asked me in a combination of Spanish and sign language if he could have a cigarette. I later found out he didn’t really smoke. During our “smoke” breaks, I would throw out names of music that I liked and he would agree if he knew them or loved them. I made him a audio cassette of my favorite songs from that year. He returned the gift with his favorite songs for me. We moved in together after a month into a tiny studio for rent in downtown Denver.
He decided to visit his family in Mexico City. He hadn’t seen them in 3 years and he figured crossing back into the U.S. would be just as easy the second time around. After all, his father, uncles and cousins had all done the same thing numerous times and punishment had never been doled. I pleaded with him to marry me before he went back so that we could start making plans for the future and apply for visas. He refused my proposal to marry in hopes of reassuring me that his love was true and not a ploy for a permanent visa. Very reluctantly I watched him go back and then immediately after the 911 attacks, he tried to cross again. Not surprisingly, he ended up in jail for two months and then deported back to Mexico. After a year of separation, we decided to reunite in Tijuana, and here we are!
Disclaimer
And so this is my first experiment with a blog. I’ve got a lot of things to say, but most things no one would be interested in. So what do I have to say that someone might want to read? I’m going to write about living in Mexico….Tijuana…Baja, California Norte…Playas de Tijuana. Our home. Our home because the United States would not allow us to live within their territory. Our home because we refused to separate our kids between custody in Mexico and Colorado. Our home because we couldn’t stand the thought of trying to survive in Mexico City and my husband couldn’t get a visa to live in Colorado. And our home is what we make it. Our home is in Playas de Tijuana, Mexico, Baja California Norte. And we are happy as we can be. This is our story.
