There’s a part of Tijuana that is actually good – nothing like what you might think.
And if you just crossed the border from the USA and turned right, that perception would be pretty close to reality.
You’d head to a strange twilight zone that is neither the USA nor Mexico or like anywhere on earth, it’s Planet Tijuana Yet, if you went straight ahead, you’d end up in “Paseo de los Héroes” an entirely different world.
As you enter the paseo you see on the left an interesting piece of architecture, a completely round building next to El Museo de Las Californias. (The museum of the Californias.)
Later you’d go past a statue of the last Aztec emperor, Cuauhtémoc.
The avenue spits in two with a lovely green nature strip with tall palm trees down the middle. On the sides there are very modern buildings, terrific restaurants, and quality hotels all around.
At the next glorieta, (traffic circle/roundabout), you see a huge statue. It’s a very tall man, with a beard and no moustache.
What is the great emancipator doing in the middle of Tijuana? Yes, Abraham Lincoln stands tall over Tijuana’s best area.
It turns out the statue was a gift of friendship from the USA.
Apparently, Mexico also gifted a statue of Benito Juarez. It’s somewhere in San Diego. I am not sure where it is, if you know please email me to tell me.
What a contrast between Cuauhtémoc with his feather headdress and tomahawk and Abraham Lincoln in suit and barba sin bigote (beard without mustache).
There’s also a big contrast between how you say Abraham in English and Spanish.
So great is the difference you might just have a better chance of saying Cuauhtémoc right the first time than saying Abraham correctly.
In English we have three different sounds for the letter A, and we use all three in the name Abraham – AY BRAH HAAM.
In Spanish there is only one sound for the letter A.
Also in Spanish the letter H is silent.
So Abraham in Spanish is pronounced AH BRAH AHM Right there in the 16th president’s name you have two of 9 major differences between Spanish and English pronunciation.
The complete free course “Speak Spanish and be Understood” will help you nail those 2 and the other
7 differences between the two languages.
In Spanish speaking countries Split bills are much less common than in the English-speaking world.
And there’s always a check dance. It’s goes something like this:
pago yo
I’ll pay
No, no, no no, no, pago yo. Yo te invito.
No, no, no, no, no, (saying no 5 times has a good Latin rhythm) I’ll pay. It’s on me
No, me toca a mi
It’s my turn
There are a couple of phrases from that exchange you’ll find handy.
Me toca a mi is a very common colloquial way to say it’s my turn,
Yo te invito, literally means “I invite you”, but it’s understood as “it’s on me”
So, if you invite someone to eat be careful how you say it, otherwise you’ll be expected to pay. And if you don’t pay after inviting someone to eat, well in Mexico you’d be an elbow.
Yes, in Mexico codo (elbow) means tightfisted.
I have no idea why, if you know why it’s elbow email me and let me know.
Everywhere else and also in Mexico the word you’ll hear is tacaño.
It means miser.
You know, I picked up a lot of colloquial Spanish like this from day one of my Spanish adventure by reading a comic strip called Condorito.
One of the Characters in Condorito is Máximo Tacaño (Maximum Miser). As you’ll see below he is characteristically tightfisted.
Here’s a translation of “Regalo”.
First Frame:
Máximo: Tocaño: Is it true that today is your girlfriend Yayita’s birthday Condorito?
Condorito: Yes, Don Maximo
Second frame:
Máximo: Tocaño: Take, (this) and take it to her it’s a cake (as a) present!
Mexicali resident Michelle Walsh said she has had several bad experiences crossing the border, including alleged insults by U.S. a Customs and Border Protection officer.
Mexicali resident Michelle Walsh no longer wants to cross the U.S.-Mexico border by herself.
An incident involving a U.S. Customs and Border Protection officer allegedly calling her a “drug hag” and a “tweaker,” among other names, while she was detained at a Calexico Port of Entry in August has left a bad taste in the her mouth.
Walsh moved to Mexicali earlier this year and works in a dental office. She recounts numerous incidents where she has seen Border Protection officers acting aggressively, using profanity, and as a whole, making the border-crossing experience something she doesn’t want to go through again.
In the August incident, Walsh was coming across the border to price a numbing drug for her office called lidocaine. It’s not illegal in the U.S. or Mexico, but she didn’t realize she needed to declare it.
“I’m not a drug hag or a whore hag or a tweaker, or any of those things,” she said. “I should have declared that. That part is my fault.
I’m debating the way I was treated.” She emphasized that it was not an isolated incident and said many friends of hers have had similar experiences.
“This is what it’s like every time I cross the border. I hate it. It’s awful,” she continued. “I am a U.S. citizen. I was born in Des Moines, Iowa. It’s just not right. Something needs to change.”
Calexico Ports Director Billy Whitford said the number of complaints received by the Calexico ports is low considering the large number of people crossing each day. CBP interacts with the public more than any other law agency in the community.
“Most of those 45,000 travelers every day here in Calexico have a neutral, or even positive experience during their inspection with CBP,” Whitford said. “With that being said, one legitimate complaint is too many, and we continually work to improve.
“Their crossings are a vital part of our local community, and we do our best to speed these legitimate crossings, while still maintaining the integrity of our borders and stopping any and all illegal activity that we encounter.” In response to the community, CBP has improved the waiting area referred to as “the cage” by adding privacy screenings, a television and evaporative cooler during the summer. Whitford said it’s similar to holding areas at other ports of entry.
After complaining to authorities, Walsh received letters from CBP officials who apologized for the “unpleasant nature of the border crossing,” and then stated, “we have reviewed the matter closely and find no evidence of misconduct, unprofessional behavior, or inappropriate comments.”
We understand that Michelle’s story will next appear on Dateline.
We had a wonderful Thanksgiving dinner given by our friends in El Centro. Jim, Matthew and I brought two bottles of wine from Mexicali for them.
Edward greeted us at the front door, ”Well, I’m so glad to see y’all…Stella is puttin’ the finishing touches to the 17 pound turkey”. Edward is Jim’s classmate, who is also a pawnbroker, and business has been great.
At the dinner table, we had a spread of turkey, salads, cooked yams with walnuts, green bean casserole, baked rolls, fruit salad, mashed potatoes with a side of gravy and minced pies! And then, a home-made cake, chocolate with whipped cream stuffing all rolled up together and hot coffee to finish things up.
With dinner over, we all gathered in the living room, stuffed and relaxed. ”Glad to hear you are doin’ well with your pawnshop Ed,” said Jim.
“Yup, business is way up. People are just real desperate these days!” said a happy Ed. “Great time to be a pawnbroker!”
“I just had my new glasses made, see nice huh?” chimed in Stella.
‘How much?” I asked.
“Only $350, for non-scratch and progressive lenses…I got them at the mall…good price,” said Stella.
‘You say, ‘only’$350,’ wow! I have forgotten how expensive things are here in the USA!” I said. ”I could get two pair for that price, and even less.”
“Where?” asked Stella.
“Well, in Los Algodones, for starters,” I replied.
“Gosh, yes, even in Mexicali,” added Matthew.
”We’re all goin’ on a vacation for Christmas this year. Our five girls and ourselves. Tickets are costin’ me well over $9,000,” sighed Ed.
‘We’re going to Columbia, I’m so excited, haven’t seen my family for 25 years!” answered Stella.
Sofia Vergara
“Do they have tacos and burritos down in Columbia?” I asked.
“Are you kiddin? Tacos mean explosives and burritos mean donkeys!” laughed Stella.
“Really, thought they had the same menu,” said Matthew.
“No, no…We are all very different,” answered Stella.
“Sofia Vergara! She’s from Columbia, and she is the most beautiful woman I’ve seen,” blurted out Matthew.
“Erhhh…she’s more Caribbean if you ask me. She’s from Barranquilla, up in northern Columbia, near the Caribbean,” said Stella, sternly. “I’m from Medillin-second largest city, three million people, in Columbia!” ”You’re on a gold roll here Ed,” smiled Jim.
“Don’t know for how long. If and when any riots start, we are off and runnin’ to the mountains, armed to the gills my friend,” answered an unhappy looking Ed. ”All good things must end somewhere!” he continued.
”Forget the mountains—you can join us in Mexicali. We’ll help fix you all up,” smiled Jim.
”That’s right! I might just take you up on your offer. I know many Americans are leaving for Guanajuato, San Miguel and them there places.”
“Yes, but they can’t beat Mexicali!” I answered with a big smile. “Can those folks in the middle of Mexico be in the US of A in ten minutes like we can? Can they shop at a real American Wal-Mart? Can they watch American football? Can they get their mail at a real American post office? Can they get cranberry jelly? Can they buy a 17 pound turkey?”
“Yeah! Ain’t that what America, turkey and Thanksgiving is all about!” exclaimed Matthew, standing up and placing his hand over his heart.
A talented trio of one sister and two brothers from Mexicali have taken the internet by storm with their work in their dad’s music studio. They call themselves, “Los Vázquez Sounds.”
Their recording of Adele’s hit “Rolling in the Deep” had over 50,000 Internet hits after just a few days, with the numbers rapidly rising as Angie, 10, Gustavo, 13, and Abelardo, 15 found themselves juggling multiple interviews this past week with various media outlets, including CNN Mexico. Currently, they’ve got over 1.5 million hits and a huge Facebook following.
For all their overnight stardom, the siblings were just having fun doing what they enjoy. Their experimental jam sessions evolved into a professionally recorded production by their father that exposed Mexico’s most recently discovered young talent to people around the world.
Angie took up singing with her brothers 3 years ago when they invited her to join them. Gustavo plays the drums and Abelardo, the multi-instrumentalist of the group, plays piano, bass and guitar.
Their father, Abelardo Vásquez, a music producer, told the interviewers that he wants his kids to lead healthy, well-balanced lives, in which culture, school, sports and music all play a role. Yet, although the young musicians were taken by surprise with all the attention the received from their fans, they will be soon be coming out with new recordings.
In the third quarter of 2011, Baja California recorded a 5.58% unemployment rate, the lowest along the U.S.-Mexico border.
This may seem great to Americans, but, historically, Baja California has averaged 1.5% to 2% unemployment.
The main factors that keep a low unemployment are public policies and the Baja California’s attractiveness for foreign and national investment.
After an economic crisis in 2008 and 2009, economic activity fell considerably, but in 2010 Baja California showed some recovery with the economy growing by 4%—something the United States should envy.
Baja California’s strong economy is due partly to growth in the manufacturing sector, commerce and services. Mexican government spending also stimulated the economy by building infrastructure such as hospitals, roads, sports and cultural centers.
Still, some sectors are lagging behind, mainly construction, which was affected by the U.S. mortgage crisis.
Agriculture, cattle ranching and the extracting industries—those that extract natural resources—have also slowed.
The tourism industry, including medical tourism has also slowed down.
But there seems to be an upside to these lagging indicators.
In the last few years Mexicali has lowered its dependence on the maquiladora (manufacturing) industry and grown in the service sectors. Before, the maquiladora industry represented 50% of the economy—now it represents only 27% of Mexicali’s economy.
In addition, the gas is only about $2.40 a gallon, poultry and beef are untainted by growth hormones and antibiotics, and housing is inexpensive.
Since we could not get to watch the Manny Pacquiao vs Juan Manuel Marguez fight at home, we decided to go to the best taco restaurant in the whole of Mexicali (maybe the world), to watch the fight and eat tacos.
Matthew has also acquired a taste for tacos, and decided to come. I think he didn’t want to be left alone in the house.
The taco restaurant, called Asadero Tecolote Mocorito (tecolote is Spanish for “Owl”) is always full of patrons. This fight night was even more important for Mexicans, as Marquez, is a fighter from Mexico City, but now resides in Anaheim, California.
Everyone was shouting for Marquez to beat Pacquiao, and after the 12 rounds, we all applauded, as Marquez had put up a great fight. Manny Pacquiao was voted as the winner by the judges, and the Mexicali patrons at Tecolote booed the result.
Getting back to the tacos, Tecolote is like an open-air restaurant, by that I mean it has no doors. Tecolote has a great feel to it. You enter, on the left are the cooks, stirring up the best beef and pork tacos for everyone.
Tecolote has a full team of taqueros, which means cooks who do the job of making tacos—all neatly organized, ready for the orders of different types of tacos, meat, beans, pork, tripe-whatever you want. This is what a traditional and professional taqueria setup is all about.
There is a huge menu of other items, as well, and people order all sorts of food choices. I saw a lady chow down on a grilled potato, stuffed with carne asada and melted hot cheese over it.
At another table, there were patrons eating the same as us- carne asada con tacos de harina – that’s flour taco. Jim likes maiz tacos, tacos made out of corn!
Another patron had a huge order of quesadillas, dripping with melted cheese-hot flour tacos stuffed with hot cheese!
The condiments are all lined up, neatly. All kinds of salsas are available! There’s one that even has a ‘warning sign’ on the habaniera (Havana) sauce—extra hot! There are individual bowls of creamy guacamole, cucumbers, carrots, white onions, diced cabbage, all available—for free!
The way the chefs cook the beef, and pork, including the hot tacos, is in my opinion—impossible for me to replicate!
While we are there, I had 4 beef flour tacos, which I piled high with the salsas—well, they are free. I lift my paper plate, and chow down on the huge stuffed taco! Just writing about it is making me hungry!
The lady boss at Tecolote gave me an “official” sweater, with the ‘Tecolote’ name on it, and an owl on the back of the sweater. She knows I just love the tacos she offers!
Whenever I wear the Tecolote sweater, Jim loves to say, “My wife just won the contest—she is now officially, ‘Miss Tecolote!’”
The best horchata drinks are also available at Tecolote. So, we wash down our tacos with horchata, sit and wait for awhile, before we decide to order a large order of hot quesadillas. Can’t just do tacos, we have to have the other dishes at Tecolote as well.
Cachanillas, which means people from Mexicali really know where to go for the best tacos!
By the way, this restaurant has the special blue light, installed specially, to zap any germs away.
How cool is that? Mondays Tecolote is closed.
Asadero Tecolote Mocorito
Rio Mocorito No. 800 at Rep. de Ecuador
Mexicali, B.C.
686-561-1691
686-188-2886
Our view entering the U.S. Border Patrol Secondary Inspection area
As usual, we had errands to run. Jim and I were waiting to cross thru’ the Calexico Border Patrol.
When it was our turn, the Border Patrol Agent, took one look at us, as he inspecting the documents we had handed to him, and said, “Go to Secondary Inspection.”
I was surprised. Jim had been stopped before, and the agent had informed him that the computer at that time had done a random selection-nothing unusual.
This was my first time going into Secondary Inspection. I was nervous as one American lady we know, had been handcuffed and shackled in Secondary Inspection. Another, a Mexican lady, had also been handcuffed and attached to a wall so that her feet could barely touch the ground. Naturally, I am on the side of the Border Patrol, but was very worried.
We drove into the Secondary Inspection area. I wanted to see how the US border agents handled people and their vehicles there.
We sat in our truck for a good 25 minutes, just waiting for an agent. I checked—the area didn’t look too busy! While waiting for an agent to come over and check us, another truck moved into the slot next to us. A man and a woman sat, also waiting.
A Border Agent finally arrived; his name tag was “Chaparro.” Jim handed him our US Passports. Agent Chaparro told Jim to pop the hood, the trunk, and unlock the doors. He also told us to step outside of our vehicle and stand in front of our truck.
The agent spoke only Spanish, and Jim answered him in English. We were over on the US side now. Jim strongly (to put it mildly) favors the use of English in the U.S., especially when it comes to officials.
Chaparro refused to reply in English to us until Jim insisted. After he checked over our vehicle carefully we were allowed to get back into our truck and drive off.
While we were getting ready to do just that, the man in the truck next to us, was told to pop the hood of his truck.
Well—the fellow was unable to pop the hood! He kept trying, looking a little nervous. Soon a couple of agents came and escorted him and the woman with him to a cage, made of chain-linked barriers.
There were other people who were inside this cage, all sitting down.
Jim said, ”MaryAnn, look’s like the fella is in trouble, can’t open his hood.”
“Well, maybe the lock on the hood is not working Jim?” I said.
“Yeah sure…” answered Jim with a smile.”When have you seen a hood that won’t open? That’s why he’s inside that cage. Probably has some stuff inside his hood, maybe locked up by his supplier so he can’t steal it,” replied Jim.
On the way out, I said, “That border agent in the booth that told us to go here—I just know he didn’t like us Jim.”
“He made us waste a good 45 minutes, and I’m starving!” said Jim.
“We’re going to Yum Yum’s Chinese restaurant in Calexico for lunch,” I answered.
”Must be the new red sweater you are wearing, Jim, that ticked that agent off!” I huffed. “Probably thought we were a bit too rich.”
Three Dead in Halloween Mexicali Bar Nightmare on Wrongplacewrongtime Street
Shootings at the Mexicali Bar, “Cotorro”, 3 Dead What appears to be a vendetta by the dispute over the control of the retail sale of drugs, was raised a shootout in the Bar “El Cotorro” (the Parrot) in the hotel zone of Mexicali.
Three people were killed in the shootout which took place during a Halloween party at the bar.
In this bar there was a Halloween wedding party taking place. Most of the people were in costumes–a perfect setting for a shooting.
Once the shooting started the place became truly a night of terror, and while some were thrown to the ground, others ran stampede, along with a smiling gunman left the bathroom and kept the gun in his waistband and then left the bar and ran.
The bodies of two people were lying on the floor of the bathroom.
Major arrests
A couple days ago, we were at home, getting our place all ready for the festivities coming up, when we heard loud sirens, from ambulances, police cars, and even helicopters buzzing above us. Since we live right on the border, we assumed we were hearing U.S.
Border Patrol helicopters, which patrolling all the time. Instead, the helicopters turned out to be Mexican military helicopters.
Every Mexicali resident is always plugged in to what’s happening here. We soon discovered from some of our friends that former policeman was accused of heading the Sinaloa cartel’s operations in Mexicali.
He was arrested along with nine other suspected cartel members, in Mexicali by the Mexican military. This is big deal, as the Mexican military was involved.
The military operation took place in five separate locations and led to the seizure of more than 223 kilos of cocaine and 116 kilos of marijuana, along with $13,100 in U.S. currency and 10,000 Mexican pesos.
Also seized were nine vehicles, along with ammunition and numerous weapons, including 29 rifles, five grenade launchers, 34 40-mm grenades, seven defensive grenades, and 21,404 rounds of ammunition, according to the military.
On a brighter note, we found this great taco place, the best in Mexicali. It’s called Tecolote which means owl in Spanish. We’ll be heading out for supper soon.
We are having great October weather in Mexicali, finally! It’s in the eighties during the day, and fifties at night.
There are plans to install 11 earthquake monitoring sensors in the Mexicali and Tijuana after our 7.2 magnitude earthquake in 2010.
Finally! U.S. and Mexican officials said the monitoring equipment is critical so scientists can identify the worst-hit areas within minutes after a quake and tell authorities where to send emergency crews.
We are seeing an increase in crime here, like in the US. This is due certainly to the US recession.
Mexicali Mayor Tejada
Many Mexicans have and are returning from the U.S. In addition, lower demand from the U.S. for goods, has caused many local factory workers their jobs. We are seeing more houses for sale and/or for rent in Mexicali than ever.
The mayor of Mexicali, Francisco Perez Tejada, is feeling apprehensive about his own safety in Mexicali. The growing violence in the city has him fearing for his life. After a presentation at the University of Baja California, Tejada expressed his concerns. He says he reinforced his security and that of his public safety officer.
Tejada says the recent murder of a real estate agent and other violent crimes has him terrified. Mexicali residents are being cautious, and neighborhood watches are being set up.
On the upside, we attended a concert, the famous Puerto Rican singer, Chayanne, came to Mexicali, concert.
I am now a big fan of Chayanne—don’t think Jim is. Chayanne is a great singer, and entertainer.
Recent Comments