Can't remember the last time I posted a real trip report, but I'm sort of rediscovering TJ after 2-3 years of extremely limited opportunities to spend quality time there, and I am a little bit surprised at the disorientation I'm feeling from the accumulated lengthy involuntary hiatuses.

The zona norte is changed to a significant degree from the days that I inhabited it so frequently that I felt the "ownership" of a place that comes with it becoming your home away from home. Now I feel a little bit like a newbie again - lacking fundamental information about what's up, and regaining anonymity (mostly a good thing). The faces are mostly new to me whereas a few years ago they were almost nauseatingly familiar - chicas, mongers, meseros, street characters, et al. Bars I have favored and frequented over the years are redesigned and have new spaces that are new to me and I don't understand all the options, costs, etc. How weird it feels and even a little intimidating.

The action used to come to me and I was a known quantity with a very useful rep, now I've got to cook it all up from scratch again. Yeah there's enough ghosts and shocks from the past lurking around to create some happy reunions and some drama and add texture.

In my "ownership" years I always had a stable of "marinated" chicas who would part the Red Sea for me if they could, and another growing crop of fresh chicas I was marinating for future consumption. Now virtually every chica who catches my interest needs to be marinated and I don't always feel the energy to win the best that the chicas have to offer. The good news is that my perception is that the new crops of chicas being shipped in from points south in Mexico arrive much readier to provide good service and gringo friendly than 10 years ago. No more delusions that they are traveling up from Sinaloa to the likes of Tropical Bar and Las Chevelas to be waitresses or hostesses who can earn a little extra taxi dancing. These chicas are arriving in TJ with PUTA mentality in place, no matter where they end up working.

Yesterday I made my first true bombing run to TJ since 2004. Arrived at 3PM and departed at 3AM - 12 hours of carousing and no comfortable hotel room to call my own. I was reminded of why I don't like bombing runs. I require the leisurely approach I'm afforded when I'm staying for a couple of nights or more and doing extended sessions and TLNs with the special chicas in my room untouched by the elements of the zona norte. Throughout the day I felt too much time pressure to keep the program in motion and didn't look forward to the pre-dawn border crossing or 2 hour drive back home to L.A. I'm accustomed to the luxury of leaving it all out there in the zona with no need to retain any energy (or sobriety) for crossing north and driving home. When the tank is empty, I'm a $3 7 minute taxi ride to my comfortable hotel room. When an agenda isn't completed on Thursday or it doesn't go as planned, there's always Friday, Saturday and maybe Sunday to follow. It will all get done and I'll spend all the time I need on Bliss Island. Bombing runs are more challenging.

As I've posted before, most TJ mongers experience TJ mongering as bombing runs, but most live closer than L.A. and make frequent bombing runs. It is unlikely that I'll get back until at least August.

OK, some specifics about the day:

First, my experience over 15 years of TJ mongering is that Sundays on holiday weekends aren't much different than routinely slow Sundays week to week. I never understood why more dudes weren't down on these Sundays with Monday off. I did understand that chicas didn't pay attention to U.S. holidays and Sunday is a day off for most, U.S. holiday or not. So, its quiet business as usual and that worked for me. Started out that way yesterday afternoon, but as the prime time hours approached it was clear that this too is changing or there is something special about Memorial Day. Tropical (CH Link) was a wasteland as I expected and it has been in my limited sampling over the last two years (but this was once my favorite venue). LC (CH Link) is currently my favorite venue and it was more than good enough but still slower than a typical weekend night. However, the primary gringo hangs AB and HK were on weekend overdrive. An early evening sausage factory atmosphere at HK (CH Link) was balanced out soon enough by an army of seriously hot chicas who arrived to get the money. AB (CH Link) was tough to walk through as in the old days with I'd say 80% high tier to top tier talent, and only a smattering of the truly ugly and over the hill chicas that can only be found at AB in recent years.

I was on a mission to hook up with a fast rising legend at LC - a chica ingloriously known as "Tits on a Stick" due to her natural D rackage, slim waist and long slender legs. Her actual bar name is Korina - and she claims credibly to be 18 years old, gives A+++ service to most if not all cummers, and is one helluva big fun party girl in the bar. She is also NOT a ficha fucker and seems to have a genuinely great time hanging out and servicing dudes to the max. She was pointed out to me about 6-7 months ago and I was interested. Hot chica in a sea of other hot young chicas that LC has surprisingly evolved into (the former home of the the LC fugly crew - NO MAS!). I observed her with other customers and understood why she'd become the rarest commodity: a contemporary TJ legend - the type of chica everybody can enjoy and share their experiences about more than the low volume type chicas who get swept up by tight lipped PLMs who keep the good news to themselves.

3 weeks ago I finally met her on a more leisurely TJ trip. A wingman was lucky enough to have her bounce into our booth next to him in the jam packed Saturday night bar when the Mayweather fight was being shown. My back was to her or I would have grabbed her up on 1st sight. Another chica fell in with me and we had a big party at the table though my amigo tends to prefer more mature specimens - so he was not enamored with her but she didn't want to leave and started moving in on the action I was getting from my chica. Flashed her incredible tits at me, observed my every move and listened to every word, and when my chica was grabbing my junk all of a sudden there was another hand on it coming from Korina on the other side of the table. She even proposed a 4-way with all of us going up to a room together, but the idea was lost to my amigo in the noise and I was probably going to need some strong persuasion anyway, though no doubt we were with two chicas who would have surely turned it into a wild PSE. However, we made our mutual interest clear and she understood that if she saw me in LC again soon it would be to get with her. I'd settle for the 2-way PSE down the road.

So the "Tits on a Stick" followup is what motivated my bombing run yesterday. Unfortunately I didn't have her contact info and I was surprised she wasn't working. I wasn't going to lament for long since there were almost an intimidating number of very hot chicas everywhere else in LC, HK and AB.

My wingman on this trip and I headed for HK. I was starting to feel a little run down from drinking beer more than happy and invigorated by it as I commonly experience. Didn't really have energy for marinating a new chica. I hoped to see an at least semi-familiar face or chica who had served me well in the room in the past. But anybody I was hot for was a stranger. The hottest chica in my book that I noted was standing on a staircase by herself and looking unhappy - chica was just plain gorgeous - statuesque, blonde highlighted hair, beautiful face. Only deficit for me was apparent fake tits, but it looked like good work hidden under a tiny bikini top she was wearing. Just a string to barely cover la panochita and nice ass fully exposed. Chica was either angry or the proverbial deer in headlights as she was unsmiling and looked at nobody - just stared straight ahead. Not an inviting pose. I felt that I'd be wasting my time with her but nevertheless approached and hit her up with some silly shtick that had her immediately thawed and laughing and showing that she could be as inviting as she was hot.

Mesero found us the best and most secluded table on the main floor and it was on. Her name is Leah...she's as sweet and charming as can be, 22 years old and in TJ just a week or two from Puerta Vallarta where she worked at one of the luxury tourist hotels and developed some English. However, I couldn't get her to use her English once she realized that my spanish is OK. When she did speak a few words it was obvious that she can speak the language to some degree.

She really was everything I look for in a chica and when I find one like this I don't want to consummate short term in the zona hotel. No problem. She aggressively took the lead in exchanging contact info and is already Emailing me. The plan is for an outdate and TLN at Hotel Ticuan the next time I come to TJ, but that could be a little while. She has star potential so hope she isn't spoiled by the time I return.

Ended up doing a session near midnight with a SG (CH Link) favorita - Kelly who hangs out next to the entrance of the glorious Hotel Eduardo - an SG hotel so completely disgusting that it was actually closed by the local health authorities a couple of years back for a few months. But somewhow, I always find young, hot and super friendly SGs at this hotel, day and night - service far superior to the princesses hanging out in front of Hotel Cascades. And no knock at Eduardo after you pay your $3 room rental. Kelly goes as long as I can go and it is big hot fun. Last night we went about 40 minutes and I paid her 400 pesos ($30 mas o menos) but she wouldn't balk at 200. Kelly is 20 years old and the definition of pristine and petite. Really nice slim all natural body and sweet face with gleaming brown eyes - looks like a high school chica. She's been around about 18 months and is learning her trade. She used to put out SG stoic attitude on the street as if she wasn't interested in attracting business. Covered her hot body neck to ankles cause she didn't want to be cold - but in the hotel she was all great attitude, laughs and excellent service. Last night she was dressed in a skimpy but dignified outfit that revealed her slim legs and even some cleavage - and she smiled and waved at me when she saw me emerge from the bars across the street.

Finally ended up back with my wingman in AB. Nowhere to sit in the club so for the first time, we went back to the newly developed VIP area and sat there. I'd walked in before in the past and wondered what is the point? Last night I found out. This room is an excellent place to get the room express chicas of AB to slow down their aggressive sex factory push and tap into your energy. The seating is comfortable. The dancing on the small stage is more personal, more naked, and more intimate than the tired ongoing floor show in the main club. The sound system and acoustics are incredible - the sound is loud but clean and crisp and you can carry on a conversation. The propulsive bass is so powerful and clean that I joked that I was going to blast in my trousers from the bass pounding my balls were absorbing. Right next to where we were seated the incredibly well preserved veteran Bebe had stripped completely naked and dancing and rubbing all over her companion for not less than 45 minutes. It was one helluva show. Bebe's 40 plus years show on her face under bright light, but under club light she could be the Playmate of the Year - as fit a madura as exists on this planet. She strongly resembles a young Bridgette Bardot and that's what I've been calling her for years. So coincidental since La Bardot's nickname was Bebe (or BiBi?). I did her out of CC about 8 years ago and her service was so good that it didn't matter that she had put TWO condoms on me - stupid and counterproductive, but she fucked me so well after intense foreplay and excellent single cover BJ that it wouldn't have mattered if I was wearing a burlap condom. I was astounded how beautiful her face and body was last night and I'll be going back for an 8 years later 2nd helping of that when I can.

Now after some late night chow at the Sonora Grill that AB operates across the street, we headed back to L.A. As always I had my car in TJ and if the Coahuila mob was any indication, I expected a mob at la linea. They have always closed all but a couple of lanes in the wee hours, so even if there aren't many cars, they are still backed up in one or two long lines. Now with the re-construction of the Port of Entry in progress at San Ysidro, they somehow had many lanes open and there was virtually no wait - except that the piece of shit who was doing the inspections in my lane was checking every person and car as if they were on a list of known international smugglers or terrorists. He talked to my wingman and I as if we were putrid garbage and asked too many questions loaded down with bad attitude and inspected the vehicle as if we were being filmed for a Nat Geo docu-series about the border. Finally grudgingly returned our passports to us so clearly disappointed that he had no basis to send us to secondary. And who are we - a couple of late 50's clean cut preppy dressing professional dudes. I know these guys have a job to do, but that doesn't excuse the miserably ugly attitude that this uber-jerk brought to his work.

Home and to sleep finally at 5AM. Good times but hopefully I don't need to do TJ too many more times in bombing run format - and Leah and "Tits on a Stick" still to look forward to.

The young chicks are arrving in TJ from Southern Mexico with a full-blown I AM A PUTA attitude.

Why am I not too surprised at this considering the way of the world today.

Thanks to the internet, these fresh flowers have been "porn again."

By the way, very interesting and insightful writeup. Always enjoy your stuff...

Great report. As expected, very articulately expressed. Could this disorientation you have been feeling have anything to do with, say, burn out?....As in same old thing, with no light at the end of the tunnel?....As in same old revolving door?...As in going home to an empty home after spending time with a hot young chica? Just wondering. I'm asking because I feel the same way.

You say you haven't been to TJ since 2004? did you change mongering destinations? But wait a minute...I could have sworn I've seen you in certain bars (one being the Las Chavelas) not too recently? I noticed lots of new hot SG's in the alley also.

Master Bates.

MB, I haven't made a "bombing run" since 2004 - up until a couple of years ago I was in TJ many times each year and following my newbie years of the late 90's, these were almost all extended multi-day adventures and not bombing runs. I've only been to TJ about 8-10 times total over the last 2 full years and those visits were all 2 days or more, but I am locked in with a couple of "amigas con derechos" civilian chicas during most of my TJ time and as a result, even when I'm in TJ I've had very little opportunity to prowl as a free agent in the zona norte.

I was a little burned out on the zona before I became deprived of it. Now it is beyond fresh to me again - like a born again newbie. Thus the disorientation is from my lack of familiarity with places and people there. The other side of the spectrum from burn-out.

You do raise an interesting syndrome though that undoubtedly contributes to mongering addiction. The last two years for me have been difficult and depressing because I'm overworked and have been dealing with personal and family health issues. This is why I haven't been able to spend more time in TJ. When I have, my special amigas have delivered intense bliss while being absurdly low maintenance. So the brief breaks I've had from this recent difficult phase have been almost too good - too sharp a contrast from the daily stresses. The sweet life I experience in TJ makes it almost too much to endure getting back to the real life. I read the posts on the monger sites with envy - I too want to be a lifestyler...an addict. I want to be lost in monger bliss at least most of the time to cover the pain of my obligations and burdens.

This is not to say that all high volume mongers here are addicts. Many have it all going - balanced lives with enjoyable work and with enough money and support systems to help them through crisis phases that we all have to deal with if we live long enough. Mongering as a true hobby and real life pretty decent as well.

That was me before and will be again I expect in the near future. But in recent times it is indeed difficult to come back to the empty bed on the mainland after a rare and special weekend on Bliss Island.

I have the phone number for Karina if u want it...pm me.

Whats the rate at the clubs these days also is it safe in tj for all nighter

Prices same as always:

$40-60 U.S. for bargirls relative to hotness and business conditions;

$20-25 U.S. for SGs;

HK chicas and AB premium in particular will often ask for $80 but most accept $50-60 if you insist;

Pesos: If you don't limit yourself to HK and AB premium, most chicas will take $400-600P. 13 plus - $1 U.S. exchange on this bombing run equals a big discount paying in pesos.

SGs almost always take 200P for basic service which is less than the price of a good breakfast plus tip at IHOP. Add 100-200P for SG "extras" that are part of basic cabling for BGs.

TJ for tourists and zona norte hobbyists is safer than most big U.S. cities right now. No cartel dude is gonna shoot you or take your cabeza off your neck unless you get in the way of his business (i.e. you are in the same business). Rare petty choke artist muggers around the fringes - maintain 360 vision, don't be hypnotized texting in the middle of the sidewalk, don't act like an idiot and don't draw attention to yourself or flash your bling and no worries.

Yes, okay...granted, maybe the Zona Norte isn't quite what it used to be regarding violent crime and choke artists muggers, and there may be a safer atmosphere there nowadays, but there always seems to be this sense of tension and uneasiness with me when I'm either walking through the alley scoping out the latest SG talent, or up there on Primera Calle.

And I am certainly not alone in my suspicion of street crooks scoping me out, as this is a subject matter I have had numerous times with fellow mongers. I think this has a lot to do with me being paranoid about always keeping alert and being fully aware of the recent parolee deportees that seem easy to spot.

It seems they are everywhere, perched on each corner, eying you and sizing you up as you walk by. This never happens further inland in Mexico, only in that toilet Tijuana, where we put our safety in jeopardy all because of a quick bombing run.

Btw, you mentioned a visit to Hong Kong Bar...I am wondering if the GFE service has improved in that establishment, much the same way it's improved in the neighboring bars, one being Tropical.

Master Bates.

> This never happens further inland in Mexico

Don't you believe it.

I've done a few bomb runs in the past month and actually had more fun with day-evening timers than the night time crew... on GFE level in HK its been 4/5 not bad. AB is lower scoring 2/4, street is a way low 1/4, las chevals 1/1, tropical 1/2.

BBBJ, CFS, DFK a few CIM (2)..... Prob could have gone BB with some of the girls but not my style in TJ.

Great report Erip... i too gave up on TJ for many years drifting between LOS & SA but now back in the states its funny that some things are new while others remain the same....