I have been lurking on here for a few years and finally felt guilty enough to share some info of my own.

A close friend baptized his kid in Ensenada on Sunday so being as I had Monday off my buddies and I decided to head down for the festivities making a pit stop on the way.

We left LA Saturday night around 8pm and crossed over around 10pm. New to me was the CBP agents stopping cars on the way into Mexico. We crossed over with no hassle and headed directly to Tacos El Franc.

I have been coming to Tacos El Franc since I was about 13 and in the 20 years since they have become a TJ Institution. The place is on Ave. Sanchez Taboada on the corner of Calle 8va. They are open from 4pm to 4am and are closed on Sundays. The giant spit of Adobada will draw you in. Sit at the counter and the smell of freshly grilled Asada and handmade tortillas will make your mouth water. The crowd is great for people watching locals who come in everything from sweats to formal gowns. For those of you who only see la zona on your trips down this would be a great opportunity to see the way mainstream Tijuanans act.

From there we headed over to La Villa Zaragoza on Francisco Madero about 7 blocks away. Check In was no problem the rate was $56 for a room with two queens. Now La Villa Zaragoza isn't new or fancy but it gets the job done. It is well located behind the Jai Lai Palcae which keeps away the noise from Avenida Revolucion. You can easily walk to La Zona or hit up the Bars and Clip Joints the line Calle 6ta and Avenida Revolucion. The hotel is clean in basic terms and the rooms have what you need to lay your head and get ready in the morning. My main motivator for staying here is the parking lot with security. I drive a nice car and once I get to the hotel I like to park it and forget it. I have yet entered La Villa Zaragoza without the security guard taking a good look at me.

I was impressed by the number of locals partying it up in the area. This used to be a just for tourist neighborhood but I definitely saw groups of young local guys and girls hanging out in the bars and anteros. Also new to me this trip was the shift of many bars and clubs to calle 6ta. There looked to be 10 - 15 newer looking establishments all with crowds this saturday night.

We got to La Zona around 11:30 and there were people everywhere. As I have mentioned on the discuss boards there are many non mongers hanging around in La Zona now just looking for a thrill. After walking through the alley and around the block we popped into Adelitas for a quick beer. WOW. The meat market that was has evolved. Yes Adelitas is still a whore house but the Hong Kong remodel must have taken tons of market from them to inspire this. The fist thing is the double level stage in the middle of the room surrounded by a few gogo cages. The lights have been changed and there seemed to be choreographed shows going on all night. The girls were the same as always, something for everyone, however they were much warmer than I remember.As I walked around girls reached out for me, would say hi, and smile. I recall the girls at Adelitas knowing one word, Arriba. If I had to guess I would say their were 40 girls on the floor at any moment and 2 or 3 going up every minute. I interviewed a stunning girl from Jalisco whose name I can't remember for the life of me. She smiled and was friendly and quoted 80 for 30 mins all covered. I brought her down to 60 and she was in agreement but I then remembered the robotic nature of Adelitas girls and being so late knew I was only going once and didn't want to waste it. I hastily made my exit.

Next up was the Infamous Hong Kong. $4 cover, warm beer included. Quickly swapped the warm tecate light for a sol and began my first tour of the night. A group of 6, 18 year old locals were partying hard in the big booth in the corner with 2 girls a piece doing whatever they wanted. Oh to be 18 and know what I know now. I digress. There were easily 80 girls on the floor again ranging from 5 to 9. If you like it you can probably find a close copy here. After about twenty minutes I found Juanito number 99 and slipped him 5 bucks for a table. He sat us on the second floor just diagonal from the shaving cream stage. I generally shy away from meseros and their pushy antics but was actually quite impressed with Juanitos restraint. I guess he pegged us for a bunch of drunks and knew he would get his in the long term, which after 20 or so rounds of beer he did. The best thing about this table was that it was directly under an AC vent. Anyone who has been in an overcrowded under ventilated whore house knows that this is a godsend.

The crowd at Hong Kong was eclectic but enthusiastic. Guys were spending dollars on the girls and many of the lookie loo's where getting a second beer. I saw at least ten girls come in and hangout on a date. One asian guy had brought his novia and sat at the small stage all night trying to convince her to touch a dancer. I will never understand what goes through the head of a guy who thinks bringing a girl to a whore house is a good idea.

The girls were busy and not to hungry for money as plenty was going around. I met two girls, one a stunning blond bombshell in a short black dress the other a short dark chubster in black lingerie, that told me they only ficha, no arribas or private dances. Im sure either would go for the right amount. The blond was actually understandable as she was getting pulled all over all night and probably hustled 100 fichas. She was drinking juice. I finally met a Chilanga named Shovani. She was a little older close to 30, and was wearing a corset which makes me nervous as it is hard to tell whats under it. She had a nice ass and small tits, a crooked smile that was endearing and a pretty face. We started talking and actually got along well. I only got her one drink in the 30 minutes or so she danced for me and we talked. I figured this was about as close to GFE in TJ as I would get, so I pulled the trigger. She asked for 70 for 30 to which I countered 90 for an hour and up we went. I dropped 24 on the hotel although I wanted a sencilla for 34 but they were all gone. I hate the knock on the door.

We got to the room and just joked around for a few minutes. When i finally got the corset off I was pleasantly surprised with a flat belly and only really light scarring. This girl had a perfectly clean shaven symmetrical pussy it looked great. Had she not been a TJ whore I would have gotten to eating it but my big head warned me against it. the BBBJ starts as I finger her and get her going. about 1o minutes in I can tell she is tired of having her face fucked and we switch to covered fucking. Then the TJ plank comes out of there as she just lies there and moans. I'm nowhere near at this point so I take my time until she gets the point that I want her to fuck me. we finally get into it and I can't last from behind so I drop a load in her as I thumb her butt hole. A few minutes pass and we get the knock We quickly shower, she washes me off, we dress, I pay her, and off she goes. A great TJ session but a mediocre session compared to Lima, Medellin, or Havana.

Back to Hong Kong to hear about the other adventures. My buddy tells me he took a girl up to the privado for $24 to the house and 60 to the chica for a half hour. I may try this next time as the lap dance/ voyeurish nature of it seems interesting to me. The idea of fucking with the music on sounds like it may be easier to keep the party vibe going.

We made it back to La Villa Zaragoza around 4:15 am and were warmly greeted by the look of disgust on the security guard and counter guys face. We smiled back and hit the hay.

The Nextel starts blaring at 9am and I groggily explain that we are already on the way. I was called out on my BS so I had to wake everyone to head to Ensenada.

That was the extent of my mongering this trip. I found TJ to be a lot cleaner than my last few trips. As we left the city Sunday morning more buildings seemed painted and new businesses seemed to be doing well. Overall the scene seems to be evolving. It is less hardcore whorehouse and more party den. Still full of Putas but changing all the same. Is this good or bad I don't know. I like it better as I personally have more fun. But it also bring our hobby more into the mainstream which is generally a bad thing. In any case Tijuana remains a ritual in many a young mans life. Hopefully it continues and prospers.

(stepping off the soap box)

We came back on Labor day. Got in to TJ around 3pm, it took us 30 minutes to find the right line. We crossed at 6. A 2 1/2 hour wait on a holiday isn't too bad, but it definitely isn't worth it for a bombing run.

Take it easy on me guys. This is my first TR in years of mongering I hope it's not my last.

Cheers

Nice informative report. I live in the Inland Empire which is about a 2 hour drive, so I go down there about once a month. I park on this side of the border, walk across and get a taxi to the Zona for a "bombing run". I never drive because of the long waits you mentioned. Of course it can happen even when walking across, but I have a Sentri card, and there is never more than one person in that line. I sometimes walk close to 3 minutes passing people waiting in line. When I get to the front, I occasionally hear people screaming at the guards about the long 3 hour wait. Unbelievable to have to stand for that long when a sentri card is easily obtainable. And if you have a Sentri card, it's easy to upgrade it to Global Entry status. I've used the kiosks on my last few trips arriving at LAX from Thailand and Colombia. It's nice not having to talk to a guard, and at customs they have a special line where you very rarely get asked any questions.

I enjoyed your report. You're an old TJ hand, but I will dare to offer a couple of suggestions that may boost the quality of your TJ visits, session quality in particular.

Hotels: Villa Zaragoza was my home away from home for most of a decade and I still maintain personal friendship with some of the employees and have even recently dated one of the housekeepers. For the last 2-3 years I've been staying at a new luxury hotel named Ticuan - just a couple of blocks away on Calle 8 between Revo and Constitucion. This is a full scale luxury property comparable to the best hotels in the Zona Rio. Room prices bounce with the peso as they do at the V de Z. Currently a single is $53 U.S. but you must make the reservation online or you'll pay more. 2 queen bed doubles are a few dollars more. Parking is in a built in structure and is free and secure. The hotel is very chica friendly and chicas are very very happy to be in these rooms though most find the V de Z more than comfortable enough - but this is real luxury.

The place is owned by the same family that owns the giant Las Pulgas dance club and they are connected. Admission to LP is free for Hotel Ticuan guests except on nights when they have big name live concerts.

All in all, you'll be much more comfortable for a few bucks more if you stick to getting a double. Better yet if you want to spend the bucks to get a single for yourself. There is nothing close to comparable to Ticuan in Centro and of course not in the zona.

The one negative of Ticuan based on your report, is it can be loud at night, especially on weekends given its proximity to Las Pulgas. If you ask for a room facing west towards Constitucion instead of Revo, it will be much quieter, but not exactly silent night.

Bars: The best service to be found as a rule in TJ is found in two bars you didn't visit on this trip- those being Las Chevelas right next door to HK, and Tropical which is across Calle Coahuila from HK. Chica quality varies day to day in these bars even more than in HK and AB, which also experience day to day fluctuations, so it is certainly possible you won't find a chica who makes it happen for you. Usually you will. Trop chicas are most likely to fit the FOB model - freshly minted putas who go up in very low volume. If you present as confident and speak some spanish and buy them a couple of drinks and maybe dance a little bit, they will be putty in your hands in the room - whatever you want and most don't know how to fuck like a robotic hard core professional. LC chicas will have the highest percentage of chicas who will do whatever you want - some fresh ones but some hardcore pros too, but willing to do what it takes to get the business.

Trop is a dump. LC is recently remodeled and is real nice. Both follow ficha bar dance hall format. LC chicas will shark, Trop chicas will never ask you to the room - you need to take the lead. Both bars have the same ownership as HK.

I apologize if you know all about these places and just haven't had success finding the girl of your dreams there. However, be aware that LC in particular has seriously upgraded their chica quality to go with their extensive remodel. BT is hit and miss so always worth a look. Virtually all of my all time favs, at least from bars not way off the gringo trail, have been LC and Trop chicas - and many more from Trop. I am very discriminating in my taste, but would rather be with an above average chica with heart and GFE/PSE service than a robotic glamourpuss in AB.

IMO, HK girls are crazy hit and miss - everything in there from the best to the worst both in looks and service.

BTW, I've written 100 essays on it for a decade so I won't belabor it, but don't discuss money unless the chica brings it up. Asking her price is an invitation for an inflated quote and this has become the norm in HK. Set a GFE/PSE tone in the bar over a drink or two, be a caballero, and just go. Pay true "going rate" after you have your trousers fastened at the end of the session...$60 for a hot chica who gave you good service. You will rarely catch a complaint...only an invitation to exchange phone numbers.

"BTW, I've written 100 essays on it for a decade so I won't belabor it, but don't discuss money unless the chica brings it up. Asking her price is an invitation for an inflated quote and this has become the norm in HK. Set a GFE/PSE tone in the bar over a drink or two, be a caballero, and just go. Pay true "going rate" after you have your trousers fastened at the end of the session...$60 for a hot chica who gave you good service. You will rarely catch a complaint...only an invitation to exchange phone numbers."

Thanks for your contribution. But isn't the price quote drilled into these girls by the management? Do the girls keep 100% of the session money? Isn't it better to negotiate and detail the acts expected with the chica BEFORE going up to the room? This $60 you mention is for 30mins, right?

Sorry for all the questions, I am an East Coast guy and still have not visited ever TJ yet. I hope to go in early 2012.

Can you take the chicas to YOUR hotel instead of the short time rooms upstairs from the bar? How much more is the damage? I know bars may have different policies so you can be specific with your answer.

Thanks, I appreciate it very much.

Traditionally the clubs do not take a single peso of a chica's hotel earnings and in a strict legal sense it is not permissible for them to do so. The bars are not brothels and what the chicas do with customers they meet in the bar is their own business - otherwise you have a pimping relationship, and the hotel operation is required to be totally separate from the bar even if there is common ownership. Thus, the interest the bar has in the chica hotel earnings is the room rental, and I know that at least AB and CC will take a ficha or two from the chica each time her customers book a room. That would not seem to be legal either, but apparently it is done.

Chicas certainly get socialized to "going rates" planted by their compeneras, but the management doesn't care. Plus companeras often bullshit by highly elevating the prices they report getting which they think gives them status. Pretty soon the chicas can smell the shit coming off their amigas and conocidas. HK is different from the rest as hot chicas can make an adequate living in the various attractions of the bar without going to the room - thus they may set and stick to inflated rates. In more standard hooker bars the room trips are essential and the chicas are happy to accept $60 or 600 pesos which is a nice discount depending on the strength of the peso.

The important point you ask is knowing in advance that you'll get what you expect in the room. For newbies and mongers who can't really break through the commercial barricades of the chica, you have a point - and in such cases you may as well negotiate more often than not. However, you can during verbal play in the bar suggest what your needs are and you can tell if they will be met without strictly resorting to negotiation.

There comes a time in a TJ mongers career when he knows how to push the buttons on many or most of the chicas he encounters. Chicas never appreciate cheap charlies, but they also don't respect guys who they can totally control including issues of price. They do respect vets who they know won't be cheap or pay insanely inflated prices. So the idea is that if you know enough spanish and have enough personality and spirit of fun to make it fun for the chica, a sort of bond happens and unspoken expectations are met and exceeded in the room. Sometimes the bond goes beyond "sort of" and becomes quite tangible and the monger wins control of the situation from start to finish. Notice I'm not talking about "game" - just the gift to be a positive in a chica's day for having met you, issues of money aside.

In my personal case, if I don't sense that has happened, I don't go up - period. I have no interest in getting laid for the sake of getting laid, so the pussy has no leverage. A front loaded negotiation can take the GF out of the GFE. For many years TJ was a lifestyle for me and I developed the 6th sense where I could tell who was going to control the action upstairs. Many or most of my veteran amigos have sharpened their wits in chica selection as well, though some don't require as much in a session as I do.

I don't want to make it sound like it is a huge deal or the be all and end all of how well the good times flow - we all have different expectations and needs. It works for me because I prefer a natural flow.

Choice of hotel is only yours during the chica's shift if you are willing to pay the club a bar fine (salida). These are all over the place but are negotiable. They are justified by the club as they will lose a dancer, or desirable piece of eye candy, or frequent short term hotel booker for an extended period and possibly the remainder of her shift. So hotel arrangements away from the bar's "attached" short term hotel should be planned for when a chica is not on shift, or if she's close to the end of her shift when you meet her, wait it out. They won't all go with you because there is security for them in the local hotel. But win "confianza" and they are happy to go - especially if you are staying in a nice place. Extras almost always come with bringing a chica to a nice hotel for an extended period as compared to the bang and run arriba from the bar.

Some chicas will go along with little scams that you can play on the bar to get 'em out mid-shift without paying a salida. Basically, you say goodbye to the chica and take off. 15 minutes later she tells the manager the nanny just called and she's got a baby emergency, or she's got a killer migraine, et al., and she needs to go home early. She changes in to her civvies, and meets you in a designated spot at a designated time and for once, it is the bar that gets scammed instead of the monger!

Probably the best way to go is to get the chica's number, maintain some text contact when you're back east, and when you come back to TJ text suggested "fuera la zona" ideas for spending time with her. Granted this is tough if you come in very infrequently as momentum and memory of your charm is key to building these things to their greatest potential. Of course it also opens the door to the chica thinking she can make you PLM for her with frequent contacts and stories of tragedies that are occurring to her family all over Mexico that require your financial intervention. Admittedly there is an art to getting this right and avoiding the minefields.

If you're a very casual monger, you may need to keep it simple.

Erip, thanks for your in-depth reply to my post. I appreciate it.
How often do you visit TJ? I think I would like to learn from your expertise.
Unfortunately, I think I will only be an "once a year for two weeks" TJ hobbyist.
I am looking to be there mid-January. Hopefully we can meet up.

TJ was home away from home for more than a decade but the last few years have put up some tough obstacles and I'm now visiting for about 3-4 day trips about once every 10-12 weeks. Contact me when you're coming in and I'll let you know if I'm coming in. my trips are not planned far in advance - they happen when the obstacles get out of my way.

Beyond touching the main themes, I think I need to retire from writing these long blah blah primers. After I press "send" I realize that nobody is going to elevate their TJ experience very much from reading this stuff - it is the product of experience and a 6th sense that develops. So all I want to contribute to inexperienced TJ travelers and those who have been there and left disappointed, is that there is more there than immediately meets the eye. It's a tough destination to find the greatest satisfaction with little effort or know how compared to the rest of the world, and sometimes it just plain sucks.

Overall though, I think it is pretty much the best it has ever been right now with the most options and cutest girls and service going up due to competition and the bad economy and chicas becoming more sophisticated about understanding what makes dollars fly out of gringo wallets.

The burgeoning escort sector has really added a new dimension to the TJ menu, and allows mongers who could never get comfortable in an atmosphere like the zona norte to line up appointments in their own hotel rooms with superhotties who know how to satisfy. Not cheap but makes it damn easy to line up a series of virtually guaranteed GFE encounters. Not my thing because I like carousing in the bars and I love the hunt, but it's not your daddy's Tijuana anymore.