The Sights, Sounds, and Smells of Tijuana

It's hard to find someone who really likes Tijuana. In fact, if someone in your life does really like Tijuana, it might be time to look into staging an intervention.

Reactions I got when telling people I was heading to Tijuana ranged from "be careful" to "don't die" to "ewwwwww."

One friend told me to enjoy the "river of piss" you must cross to get to the city.

Because I'm the kind of guy who can't reference a "river of piss" without taking pictures, I found myself crossing the border and immediately pulling out my camera. I looked like a more obvious tourist than Clark Griswold.

You know the people who go to New York City and leave with sore necks from looking up at the skyscrapers the whole time? I was like them, except even more conspicuous and instead of skyscrapers I was looking at giant holes in the sidewalk filled with trash.


I feel like we need more of these in America. Pedestrians are getting a little cocky these days. Nothing brings you back down to earth like a faceplant into a random assortment of refuse.

Tijuana is actually not without its charms, but when you're a city known for corruption, poverty, and drug-trafficking, you need the first thing people see when they enter to be less depressing. There's something to be said about first impressions. And Tijuana's first impression is that of a dirty, empty canal. There's just no effort being made here.

I'm not saying I'm kissing every pig with lipstick on it. But hey, it's nice to know that the pig cared enough to put it on.


My point is that Tijuana could do better. It's a party town that never cleans up after the party.

You see the guy walking down the canal on this picture to the right? He developed superpowers just two hours later. That's how dirty the entrance to Tijuana is.

Once you get across the canal, however, that's when things get interesting. Tune in tomorrow to find out what really happens at a donkey show.