Creature from the Blog Lagoon 6: Tijuana

Souvenirs from a day of shooting in Tijuana - face masks. 50 pesos (currently $2.01) each.

Today was my third trip to Tijuana in the last few months. With coronavirus making its way around the globe I’ve been hesitant to make the trek across the border. Would I be at higher risk of being infected?

Then I realized I was basing my thoughts on a pretty unfair mental image of the place. The truth? People in Tijuana want to stay healthy just as much as Americans. Any risk I faced there would be the same risks I’d face in the swankiest parts of San Diego.

I felt a bit like an ass.

I didn’t stay long in Tijuana today, maybe just an hour or so. It was hot and I wasn’t feeling 100%. (But it wasn’t coronavirus!) Today’s trip was so much different than before. People seemed so much more open to being photographed. In fact, several asked me to take their photos, and as promised I emailed them copies.

I’m starting to develop a bit of a fondness for the city. The city itself is a mess in some ways - some of the living conditions are still terrible, there are still people scraping to get even the barest necessities like food and shelter, there’s still a bit of tourist-targeted crime if you’re not careful (although I’ve never experienced it) and if you’re in the wrong place at the wrong time you could find yourself in a very dicey situation as drug cartels remove anyone that’s been a problem for them. Aside from the drug cartel problem, these are the same problems we have in San Diego.