heading S of the border - down Mexico way

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SUNDAY 23 May
this was Tijuana day. So walked down the end of 6th Ave to where the tram had ended last night. The tram went to a junction with the blue line down to San Ysidro/Tijuana but I coudl see where and wandered around the resticted area until someone took me in hand and pointed me in the right direction. Then its abt 10 stop or so and 4omins down to the border at San Ysidro. There - as the DoH had run out of combo vaccine at work and later scheduled after I had left, decided to avail myself of the San Diego free H1N1 vaccination in a tent - as you do on a Sunday at the Mexican border! Going across the border involves a lot of along ramps and over the highway. There were plenty of black uniformed US oficiaals on their side - just checked I did not have to do anything else - other than retain the green entry card stapled in my passport of course! On the Mexican side there were a couple of camo commandos but no presence at all - I don't even get a lousy stamp in my passport! I had read the State Dept travel advisories on mexico brder rgions - sary scary drug cartel shoot outs etc. No evidenc on any pf that in Sunday afternoon Tijuana. as everything was in pesos I decided to change $10 into pesos (about 119) so I could buy some food etc.

Just so many drug stores selling chep meds - guess a lot of people come down there just for that. I even saw some Metroprolol (heart med I was on once) on one board as well as the usual Viagra/Cialis. Found a second hadn record store - a large sotck of vinyl and I thought I did not recognise Sweet Martha Lorraine - from about 1975 or so by Country Joe and the Fish - yes, being played on Best of vinyl, of course. There were plenty of zebra/donkeys (painted with black stripes) for tourist snaps in Tijuana. Just wandeerd around he street checking ut eh atmosphere. I had definitely down-sized what I took with me in view of travel advisory - only small camera hidden under my long shirt out and no DSLR round my neck - only small amount of cash and passport in secret zippered pocket of my trousers. Went to a local restaurant and had local version - torta habanera - of what was really a hamburger, but different bread - sliced up yerros-style meat rather than patty, some ham and an egg in this case. A good snack. Went to a pasteleria (pastry shop) and got a sweet biscuit and custard filled pastryish thing mostly for breakfast as coffee maker in my room - water heats and bubbles thru disposable coffee basket with coffee in sachets. At least here in the Gaslight they had real mugs (not plastic cups as in LA Chinatown) and even 2 Earl Grey teabags. Bought a couple of Tijuana shot glasses (to add to my Vegas ones) just to spend the remaining 35 pesos or so. Back to the border - and ended going the wrong way I had come until a former navyman who had docked in Fremantle etc in the 70s put me right. Two very solid showers kept me under shelter for a couplee of minutes. Being Sunday afternoon see snap of the clogged car entry point on the highway.

Back on the trolley N out of San Ysidro and get value out of my $5 day pass by going to the end of the Blue Line at Old Town to see what was there. There was indeed an old town there and some restaurants and bars open there. Just had a $5 margarita then jumped on next trolley back south. The question then was I going to support the Afghan restaurant or the Persian one - the Afghan one (called Chaphu - just down the street) got the vote. A nice entree of sautee eggplant (called buranee badenjan - I wrote this down) with tomatoes and bell peppers and yoghurt and powdered mint - along with a few drops of a very hot green chili sauce on the side. The main was called yahkoot challaw - sautee chicken with pomegranate sauce and stewed cherries underneath as well. The basmati rice was quite flavoured with cardamon pod no doubt in the water. All in all quite flavoursome. Had a cardamon flavoured black tea to finish. It was pretty quiet and I had a chat to the owner - he has been here for 37 yrs so hardly recent.

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Photos

you want chilli with that?
many varieties - Tijuana market

cheese that looks like meatloaf??
in Tijuana market

Tijuana food market
strange kinda pods?

Comments

[lynne hudson]

hi from sunny qld
Hi Mike, enjoying all of your blogs, especially since we have been to most of the places. The photos are fabulous as always. Keep safe and healthy. luv lynne