TJ mongering - a newbie's perspective

8/31/2024 4:07:03 PM

I made my maiden voyage to the dream world of Tijuana's zona Norte in April. I did two evening trips and came back to San Diego and then stayed in TJ for one night. I stuck to Hong Kong only for one reason mentioned below in detail. I wrote one detailed review of HK earlier but here in this article I want to touch upon some topics that will be useful for newbies, first timers and maybe even veterans.

First about the travel to the border and crossing into Mexico. I used the trolley to travel from San Diego to the last stop of San Ysidro. This is an extremely safe, convenient and inexpensive option. I downloaded the pronto app and used that to pay for trolley fare. The scanning machines are located on the platforms of each station and you are supposed to pay before you board. However, I didn't know that the first time and boarded without paying. There was no enforcement and I got one free trip, but I paid the $2.50 one way fare next time onwards. Most of the commuters on the trolley were Hispanic people but they kept to their business and I was not bothered/stared etc. There is some homeless trouble in SD but it didn't become a problem. When you get off the trolley, follow the straight line direction of the trolley for the walkway to TJ. On the right immediately next to the station you will see the CBP office from which you will return on your way back.

After climbing the slight uphill walkway, you will enter through big revolving door. There is a separate line for foreigners. Here, I must mention that I am not a US Citizen. I was not bothered for Mexican Visa or entry card though. They checked my passport and let me through. If you have a bag you have to put it through the scanner. But it is not a big deal in general.

On exiting the building you will walk down a similar walkway. People have mentioned seeing the zona shuttle parked on the right even before exiting the walkway, and I saw it too.But don't bother with that. Walk through another revolving door. After that keep on the right sidewalk. Don't turn in the first little lane you will see and keep walking on the right sidewalk. You will then see the zona shuttle office on the right. They will put you in a free marked shuttle car in a few minutes. VIP members even get a better quality car, but the noraml car is also ok for the short ride. I did not bother with negotiating with taxi drivers. At the end of the ride, a $2 tip was perfectly welcomed by the shuttle driver.

Outside of HK there is a security check where you empty your pockets and they pat you down. If the line is long, then go through the Las Chavelas door next to it since they are internally connected anyway.

Much has been said about the bars, prices, soap show etc. I will not repeat much here. Girl drinks aka fichas are $10 to $30 and much has been said about those ase well. Do your research here. For negotiating with the girls, and talking to meseros I cannot overstate the importance of learning and practicing Spanish phrases from the big article on this topic. I was not very good at this and I suffered for it.

As for the service itself, I got my own condoms for otherwise they will upsell those and I am not sure how good those are. If you need the blue pills, they have those for sale at the hotel reception as well as club bathrooms. You can also carry your own from the US, but you may need a prescription on the way back. I didn't purchase those, so don't know the prices. The rooms are clean and well maintained. You will not feel like a shady brothel in these rooms. The first two girls I went with had their own lube, but the third girl seemed like a newbie. She didn't have her own lube. She tried to lube with her mouth but that didn't work as well. I am not too good at foreplay and with the short, plain vanilla experience that I was getting, there was no way I would get her wet enough. The first two girls let me go to pound town happily and the lube made it great. But the third girl without the lube was in real pain even with my average sized unit. Maybe she was really new into this. Another problem without the lube is condom tearing, which can give you a real big scare. So bottom line, carry a small bottle of lube as well. About the arriba experience as well, while Spanish was not necessary, I feel knowing some would have definitely enhanced it.

The hotel room reservation can be done on their website without real name, or credit card etc. They will however check ID at check-in. They will also charge for the room in cash and keep a small deposit for minibar items which will be returned at checkout if not used. I could not make the room safe work and would not recommend carrying any valuables anyway. They also did not allow any cameras into the rooms, other than your phone. I will also highly recommend wearing multiple pocket pants to keep your passport and money categorized properly, so that you don't have to take out everything everywhere. You don't need to take out cash money at the door security check, only metal and bigger items like keys, wallet etc. People have reported loud music in the rooms, but I didn't notice any on the fifth floor. I took the advice of booking a double bed room in advance. I used one bed for sleeping and one for action.

On returning via zona shuttle, which will be arranged by an attendant outside the club, you may have to wait in a long line depending upon time of the day. Late nights after midnight, there was practically no line. Morning time, I waited for 2+ hours. Sentri/Nexus card holders can take a quicker lane. You have to show your passport at the end of the line
at the entry gate where they let you into the CBP building. Here all CBP officers I encountered were extremely rude, especially the women officers. I had to show my non-US passport, US Visa and other documents. Once inside the building however I made it a point to stand in the line that led to male officer windows, because I didn't want a judgmental woman officer to harass me about exactly what I did in TJ. All the male officers, were really friendly. I told them all that I was just checking the nightlife and they were okay with it. One officer jovially asked exactly which nightlife I checked out and looking at his demeanor, I honestly answered that I went to HK. He laughingly asked me how much I paid and on answering he said that it sounded about right.

That ends my long due rant. Hope this helps. Happy mongering.