I never had a meal at the famed Tijuana restaurant Chiki Jai, and now I never will. The restaurant burned down on January 19th. Founded in 1947, Chiki Jai (“little party” in Basque) was a …
January 29, 2018
Mexico
Tijuana's Chiki Jai goes bye-bye
I deported myself to TJ
My friend Jaime crossed the border illegally in late 2015. He didn’t climb the fence, sneak through a tunnel, or swim around the wall. He walked up to the Otay gate and told a Customs …
January 24, 2018
Tijuana rain + garbage + rats = chaos
Many Tijuana residents woke up on Wednesday (January 10th) to find garbage in the streets and no running water in their homes. The state’s water utility, known by its initials CESPT, had planned to suspend …
January 11, 2018
Southern neighbors — Tijuana culture and history
TeeJay — Back To The Way It Used To Be At Cali-Max, T-bone steaks were selling for 90 cents a pound, compared to American prices of about $1.88. Filet mignon, when bought uncut, costs around …
January 7, 2018
Tijuana pedestrians in the war zone
When the clock struck midnight on December 31st, Calle Sexta in Tijuana still resembled a war zone, with half-dug trenches and seemingly abandoned equipment. Partygoers didn’t seem to mind as they stumbled from bar to …
January 4, 2018
Foreign gas stations opening up to Mexico
“There’s an Arco by my house. It’s the same thing, just with more people in line because the gasoline is supposedly gabacha,” says Linda Goodman, a Tijuana local. “The gasoline liberation allowed foreign business to …
December 18, 2017
Border wedding included drug-smuggling groom
While local, national and international media delighted in the cross-border marriage through the open border gate at Friendship Park last month, federal agents with the U.S. Border Patrol were less than delighted. In stories for …
December 17, 2017
Deported U.S. Army vet wants in
A U.S. Army veteran who was deported to Mexico has filed a complaint against the federal government in hopes of returning to the U.S. Hector Barajas, 40, filed the complaint on December 12, and while …
December 13, 2017
Tijuana Uber report
There is a vast difference between what Uber was when they started in Tijuana in 2015 and what the company is now. Cars were new and clean. Drivers used to offer water, mints, candy, or …
December 10, 2017
Spanglish Christmas
During the holiday season, thousands of Californians head south of the border to join their families for a Mexican Navidad mixed with customary American Christmas traditions. In the Spanglish world, as with the languages, the …
December 6, 2017
Tijuana's 21st-century taco cart has arrived
The trend to design exteriors of exposed brick and finished natural wood has made it to Tijuana. Many of the new and remodeled buildings have that modern look, clashing with the old sheet-metal carts of …
December 4, 2017
Border protesters demand release of Sunshine
On November 29, the Mexicali side of the Zona Centro border crossing was blocked by protesters demanding the jail release of Sunshine Antonio Rodríguez Peña, the organizer of the fishing communes in San Felipe. Rodríguez …
December 3, 2017
Southern neighbors — business and politics of Tijuana
The Sport with No Clock Mexican baseball, like the Mexican economy, is just a half-step ahead of the creditors. The precipitous decline of the peso against the dollar has virtually destroyed the league’s ability to …
December 3, 2017
Border sewage and campground vie for state funds
Surfrider and Wildcoast, along with three citizens’ groups, have challenged county supervisor Greg Cox over funding for a campground included in a state bill the groups supported. The groups are asking that the $1.6 million …
November 17, 2017
New: Mexican/Baja 1000 Off-Road Walk of Fame
On November 8, at about 2 p.m, Diego Gomez admired the new marble tiles inlaid on Ensenada’s sidewalks. “They measure between half a meter and one square meter,” he said, “and three [tile] plates from …
November 13, 2017