I recently took a very quick trip to TJ and I had a blast but also noticed some major shifts in the atmosphere of this border town.

In my quick report, I will discuss my recent GFE experiences in TJ as well as update you on the talent level on the streets and in some bars. There will also be a very special section devoted on safety.

We are waiting for your security updates.

MM

I recently spent less than 24 hours in TJ so what I experienced may simply be a snapshot and not representative on how it really is, day in day out.

Getting there:
It's easy, walk across the border or take a shuttle from the parking lots on the US side of the border.


Money matters:
30usd = approx 400p. Always negotiate/pay in pesos to take advantage of this exchange rate!



Hotels:
I recently stayed at one of the streetgirl hotels and it was a bad mistake. The roaches, used condoms on the floor, dirty tissue, broken toilet, used needles are one thing, but when I discovered bed bugs, that was the last straw.

Costs are about 200-250p for most flea bags in the callejon. The nice thing is, it's close to the sg action and they don't charge a guest fee unless you're at the cascades, and mini also charges if you're not friends with anyone at front desk.

I don't recommend the sg hotels in the alley. I do recommend leyva. It's relatively clean, safe and should cost about 230p w/o TV or parking.



EATS:
I recommend the taco trunk at the northeast corner of coahuilla and constitucion and also a small hole in the wall on ninos heroes between coahuila and callejon coahuilla. The food is cheap and amazing. I recommend breakfast at the eatery on ninos heroes.



Safety:
Over the years, I've had about 4 mugging attempts and luckily managed to get out of all of them. This occured at night mainly up on ninos heroes and articulo 123. The time of year that the streets are the most dangerous are around x-mas when it's cold and many of the chicas leave the zona to go home. At this time, there is less influx on money so corrupt cops and muggers are out in full force.

Fast foward to nowadays, summer of 2009. With all the bad publicity mexico has endured (drug wars, swine flu, passport to re-enter the US), it's no surprise that the influx of cash has diminished significantly throughout TJ. The once famous revolucion is now pretty deserted. Rateros (thieves) are looking for another source of income and are heading to the zona for some action.

As I walked the streets of la zona, I had countless streetgirls that I had know for years, suddenly warn me about the real threat of being choked out or knifed in high traffic areas of the zona. They advised me to have my back to the wall, and to take off my cheap plastic watch, stating that they've seen multiple instances of choke outs and guys being held up at knife point.

Theses areas include:
Revolucion: north of articulo123
Consitucion: between coahuila and articulo 123
Articulo123: between revolucion and Av. E
Ninos Heroes: articulo 123 to points north.
And of course all the well know places like on coahuila, west of ninos heroes, the alley behind tropical, etc.

The recent spike in violence was also mentioned to me by a local mexical local friend of mine that visits the zona multiple times every week. Early that evening on my trip to TJ, I saw an older caucasian male making a mugging report to the police, stating that he got choked out on constitucion! A week prior to my visit to TJ, supposedly at least 3 guys got choked out on constitucion between coahuila and articulo123, and one guy even in callejon coahuila! Despite all this, I saw many US based mongers walking around, carefree and nothing happened to them, so....

Another thing. Many of the sgs are afraid to take taxi libres these days. They tell me horror stories of rape and robbery by desperate taxi drivers and advise me never to sit in the front seat. I walked in from the border crossing and took a taxi libre the next morning without incident.



Talent in TJ:
The numbers are down everywhere but there is definately talent out and about. I saw perhaps the best looking girl I've ever seen in tropical while I was there. She seemed very pro, but she was a solid 8-9. Blond hair, gorgeous face and what looked like a great body.

In HK there were at least 3-4 8s, and 1-2 9s!

In the alley, paola is back, so are the sisters at edwardo. But the best talent was in front of mini hotel. There is a blue eyed brunette with wavy hair there that looks like a AV star named nikki dial, but younger and hotter! Some other spinner scattered here and there.



GFE:
Literally. Got into the zona early evening and I cheated and called in an ex-puta that used to like me and give me freebies. She has long stopped working in the zona and quickly agreed to meet me. Big eyed Brunette with long hair, early 20s. Long bbbj, with long cg to creampie, then repeat with more positions...about 3 hours of non-stop sex. She wanted a couple more rounds, but I was drained and also had to go meet a friend for some drinks.

GFE2:
The next morning, walked along the alley looking for some of my favoritas. None were present, so I took the next best thing, the competition! Found this avg-cute 18yo big-eyed dark skinned 5' spinner with nice b-cups. She informed me that xxxxx wasn't there today and that she'd like to give it a shot. I told her I got gf sex from my regular and expected nothing less. She agreed on 250p room included and really made an effort to please in la cama. bbbj avg to poor technique, light-moderate dfk, even bbfs after some rubs on her clit with the head of my dick. She did however request that I pull out. We fucked in many positions and at the end she was vigorously riding in cg, when i told her i was going to cum. She didn't seem to mind that I was about to cum inside her, but I pulled out anyways. While cumming, she slid her pussy lips along the the shaft of my dick, causing the sperm to shoot in the direction of my head! If I hadn't swerved out of the way, I would have most likely given myself a facial! lol. We had a chuckle about that, then she popped it back in to milk the last orgasmic contractions out of me. I wiped the cum off my shoulder and we both washed up in the sink.



Conclusion:
La zona in TJ is more dangerous now, no doubt. GFE is possible with some spanish, and the food is great. If you ever find yourself in SD, pop on down, just be more careful than normal and don't forget to bring your passport and use good street sense!

Pictures to come...

I forgot to mention, the closing of the police station at the mouth of the alley is probably a huge factor in the increase incidence of mugging in la zona.

The serious increase in muggings over the last few months come down to the simple fact that police protection in the zona and other parts of El Centro have essentially ended for the time being. In the early spring the police were randomly targeted by the cartels and were shot in the back - one infamous day nine police were murdered this way by roving SUVs with armed mobile snipers. There was not another day like this but there were additional murders.

Very simply, the police have fallen back into defensive positions. They sometimes come out in a show of massive military force to remind people that they still exist, but it is an all or nothing proposition. If they don't totally take over the zona with caravans of vehicles and blocking off intersections, etc., they just aren't there at all. It is rare that they patrol in regular police cars, on motorcycles or on foot unless it is en masse. The police substation at the east end of the alley is usually abandoned.

So what happens? The rateros who have absolutely nothing to do with this turn of events decide they aren't going to wait for the police to return and have come out in swarms, perhaps like never before, but most likely very similar to the conditions we mongers faced in the late 1990's before the cops established the substation and decided that they were going to monopolize thievery in the area. At that time the rateros just about went extinct. But now the cat's away again, and the rats are out running around.

So bottom line is that the situation is no different than the veterans faced in the 1990's. At that time it was always anticipated that rateros were ready to pounce on unwary victims in the darkest areas of the zona - specifically the same ones you have mentioned as being ground zero for the current dangers. We talked to each other and on the boards developing codes of street smart behaviors such as maintaining 360 degree vision, walking on the street, having a wingman when possible, stepping aside to let close followers know you're aware of them and letting them pass, et al. We were relieved of these problems early in this decade and replaced these codes of streetsmarts with codes of how to deal with the crooked cops who took over the petty larceny business. Some of us longed to return to the days of the rateros because we had more control in those situations whereas you can't ignore a cop when he wants your attention.

So now we have returned to those days. TJ is what TJ always was. It's always something - either rats who look like rats or rats with badges. Yeah the choke outs present a higher level of potential violence in place of police intimidation.

Socrates, I don't know if you noticed what had become a daily lineup in broad daylight in front of Hotel Eduardo. Not a chica lineup, but buyers standing in lines sometimes consistently 20 deep to purchase small bags of crystal meth from a vendor - a dude who must have something like 150-200 bags at his immediate disposal compared to the days when there were cops and they'd pull a bag out of a crack in the sidewalk or a planter and deliver to one buyer at a time in a secluded setting. I've never seen behavior this brazen by street dealers anywhere. It is a badge of the abandonment of law enforcement in the zona.

This could get extra sketchy to the point of actually threatening the zona trade if the cops don't return soon. For the first time some of these street level punks are armed with guns - with all the armament slipping into the country to feed the drug war, it is inevitable that some of the weapons are draining down to street level criminals who previously did not ever carry firearms - choking was pretty much it. This is what concerns me. Firearms in the hands of rateros could spell the death of the zona. For now, everything is just fine - as fine is defined in this notorious tiny patch of urban thrill rides.

I am about to spend most of a week in and around TJ, though only a couple of days in the vicinity of the zona panocha. When I am there it will be with the expectation of being mugged, and hopefully, that expectation will keep me safe.

Btw, your report is the very first I've ever heard of Taxi Libre drivers being a potential threat. It comes from chicas so I suspect it may not be true or extremely isolated incidents.

Thanks for your detailed insights.

I actually did notice the drug dealer. As I walk down the alley, nowadays people seem to stare at me in a way as if something could potentially go down, and if so, they want to catch a gimpse for entertainment purposes. Anyways, I noticed a line of druggies buying from a guy standing between teresa and edwardo. It was very odd to say the least but I was more concerned with juggling between checking out my surroundings for potential rateros while perving on the street chicas. It was very odd to do both simultaneously.

Choke holds are common, but what concerns me is that they are now using knifes, very discretely against the side of your ribs below the kidneys....according to the sgs. And as you state, this might escalate to guns. I heard they are now checking more with incoming cars into mexico because they've found stashes of guns in some of the vehicles.

Some other ways to protect yourself is to walk through LC or HK to get to the alley instead of constitucion. Also, if someone is following you, immediately cross the street and look back at him so he's aware that there will be no sneaking up opportunities there. one hand on your chin like you're rubbing your beard is a way to block agains t the choke hold. I also stash my cash, and carry no wallet or jewelry and have been dressing down.

The taxi libre story was also new and suspect to me as well, but it has been confirmed by others. I know someone who personally lived though a taxi libre mugging attempt. Also, the dangers of taxi libres was supposedly reported on in the tj and sd news. I suspect it's not a huge problem, but I'm sure there are incidents. I think it's more of a problem for weak and vulnerable females vs. tough guy males.

I also believe that some of the rateros who would only use chokeholds before now may have knives. The good news on this is so far there has not been a report of a knife attack against a monger on the websites with more posting about TJ then this one. There are regular mugging reports but all or at least the vast majority so far have been via choke hold.

Mexico was going to inspect every vehicle going south into Mexico starting August 1 for mainly weapons caches, but also drugs. It didn't happen because they realized that would deal another crippling blow to cross border commerce and tourism. A libre driver told me his daughter works for Mexico customs and they are just trying to figure out how to do this - and perhaps start up the inspections this week on September 1. They have a legit interest in preventing arms smuggling but it puts them between a rock and a hard place to add another obstacle to enjoyable travel to Mexico. So its up in the air as to what will happen. I think there have been some random nights where every car is inspected, but not very many.

Tomorrow is Sept. 1 and I'll be driving across around 10PM. I'm leaving my crack pipes and assault weapons home.

You'd think the vice business would be so profitable that the cartels themselves would step in and fill the vacuum at some point and restore a version of orderliness simply because petty street punks will start driving away more lucrative business.

You'd also think that the Del Rey would get rid of the cigar idiots in front of their hotel, but they don't do that either.

I am curious what the logic is behind not riding in the front seat in a taxi. I prefer to ride in the front seat. My thinking is that if he tries to pull a gun on me I am in a better position to see it coming and grab his arm before he can take aim.

Also, if he tries to pull into an alley where some of his buddies are lurking I can reach over grab the wheel and put my foot on the gas to try and get out of there.

If I am in the back all I can do is jump out and attempt to run.

Thank God for AC.

Actually the locals ride in the front seat, and it suggested that tourists follow suit. I do when I'm down there.

I typically sit in the front as well but I believe the logic is....If you sit in the front seat, the drivers arm is within reach of your body in case of a big knife or a gun, if you sit in the back seat, you've got his back.

There's logic to that. Any other country I always sit in the back but for whatever reason i'll jump in the front in TJ. Enjoyed your report. TJ does have its charms.

I like to sit in the back, probably outta habit. My thoughts are that if he pulls someting out, he'd have a bad angle on me. I sit w/my hands near the door handble so I can bail quickly, and to the rear.

If in the front, it would take seconds to point something at your head or vitals. Plus, I've heard it's dangerous to struggle with someone who is armed. Then again, I've been told that you should not follow an armed assailant into a car.

I was mugged in TJ several years ago by a cop who drove me around to all the ATMS in TJ for 3 hours.

It's called the million dollar ride and happens frequently in central and south america, usually by rateros. Sorry to hear you went through it.

Wow thanks for all the great info. Bummer the violence has escalated. I believe the general defensive sentiment is that regardless of where locals sit (whom are poorer than the average gringo) and less likely of robbery. If you are sitting behind someone in a taxi you have a tactical advantage that is of benefit in any fight. YOu have his back. IF YOU sit in the front this is lessened. You offer him less resistance to holding you at bay and driving. I would much rather choose to sit directly behind him. A) it gives you a tactical advantage B) Makes it more difficult for him to properly view all of you and place a gun or knife your way. (Guns are always more serious, but none the less more difficult to use since he would need to be a lefty, reaching around his entire body to sneak it up on you and properly use it. If a righty then it becomes all together more clumsy and awkward of a position to achieve effective control of you not to mention easier to disarm.) C) you can see where he is going, what situations he is driving you into. D) you can lock the two rear doors as you see fit and the front passenger and you can see his door lock as well. If you are in front it becomes all together more difficult to lock those doors especially the rear left which of course invites all kinds of unwanted types into the rear no giving them the advantage I described earlier. E) Fighting a guy with a gun/knife and then knocking him out and pressing the gas and driving off from the passenger side is much more difficult to achieve outside of the movies as most of the vehicles have a center gearshift or bump or center console making you putting your leg on his side during a fight more difficult. Not to mention diminishing the facility of your exit from the car after the crash or what have you.

I am no expert, but I would view the strategy that offers you the best tactical advantage is one where you have all or the most options for defense/attack or escape. If he drives you down an alley and has 10 guys waiting for you. If you are in back you have already locked 3 of 4 doors. If you are sitting behind him and you are certain your screwed and immediate choke hold of the driver is your way of controlling this situation. Perhaps convincing him to drive the 2 ton weapon backwards. If not you offer the 10 person party outside of the car a show of "hey i am not easy prey" . Don't get me wrong unsavories of TJ will cut you without a second thought which is a mindset that is different than the US, but as through all of nature easy prey is much more appealing. You can think of a myriad of unrealistic scenarios where you could be screwed, but the average plan is take the money from the horny preocupied gringo right? Easy prey. Only an emotional investment make the target's destruction the prime objective for example you screwed his sister and got her pregnant and then left. He has a different purpose, but money??? They are looking for easier money the better.
IMHO.
Good luck all

I go to TJ about twice a week, during the day. I cross the border into TJ at 11am & back in the USA 5pm. I have a great time with the street girls & never have any trouble. I sometimes ride the small school buses to the zona, 65cents one way. The buses are located near the taxi stand. Sometimes I walk. It's less than a mile. I didn't notice the small police station being closed. I'll check that out this week. During the day many cops are on the street anyway. I'd be happy to give a street tour with intros to some sweet girls if anyone is interested. Please, contact me.

(Message edited by Earthy on September 07, 2009)

(Message edited by Earthy on September 07, 2009)

(Message edited by Earthy on September 07, 2009)

I'm just back from most of a week in TJ and can report that during this particular week things were back to normal or almost normal with regards to police presence. Actually, it was pretty heavy all along Revo and in the zona, plus federales were roaming the zona seemingly clearing out young locals they didn't like the looks of at random. The wide open crystal meth street market operated only one day I was there and was frequently dispersed when police were in the area. It's likely the muggings were way down during the week. So if this continues, we can stop worrying about the rateros and go back to worrying about the police.

Ahhh, thanks for the updates. I may head back down again really soon then.

I was in TJ yesterday, during the day. The mini police station is closed. I tried Adelita's for the first time. It was fun. Here is my restaurant info. Try the Costa Chica. It's located a few doors up the hill from the mini police sta. They are very busy with dine in locals, take out and delivery to the local businesses. It's a very small place. They serve small meals. The most expensive thing on the menu is 42pesos or $3. For example: grilled fish (pescado planca) with rice or beans,salad & bottomless tortillas = $3. Soft drinks are .50. You are allowed to bring your own booze, but you have to brown bag it. They are happy with a .50 tip. If you really want to impress them, a $1 tip. I have never gotten sick there. Some of the girls even eat there.

Photo: Blue Top
Photo: Red Stripes SG

Soc
Glad to know you are still going to TJ
Thanks for the detailed safety report
Certainly does not paint an appetizing or even remotely safe picture in my eyes.
The closing of the substation is key news for me as I have not been around lately and a huge factor in increased crime I am sure. All this takes away from the fun the zona once was .
I don't go to TJ for urban thrills I go for a relaxing visual experience capped with fucking thin fake boobed hotties mixed in with an occasional cute SG.
Hopefully one of these days things will get much better.