According to this story on vice: vice.com
Until I looked up the statistics, I didn't realize how violent Tijuana is. It's one of the world's most violent cities with thousands of murders a year. This makes me worry more about visiting the clubs and even walking around the tourist zones. Not sure how to make it less dangerous...I'd go with friends, but most of them would probably judge me for the hobby.
Am I worrying over nothing or is there a safe way to go about visiting TJ?
Everything we do has a risk involved. Driving, I live in a house that has more than one story, I could die falling down my steps tonight. I’m going out to eat tonight, I could get food poisoning at the restaurant and die.
What I mentioned has relatively low risk, visiting Tijuana may have a high risk depending who you ask. Many guys here say it’s safe because they are blinded by the sex. There’s one guy on here that’s been robbed by the police and he continues to go because he loves to bang Latina women too much. Risk<Reward. Many guys cross the border, take a Hong Kong limo and go straight to Hong Kong and do not exit the building until they are ready to return. Are they safe the entire time? Probably IMO.
Others can chime in that know way more than me.
@Perennial
I will play along and comment on your discussion.
Have you seen the Tuscl discussion about:
“Buffalo Trial Has Alleged Dirty Cops, A Dead Ex-Stripper, Outlaws And The Mob”
Now to answer your question:
Q: Am I worrying over nothing or is there a safe way to go about visiting TJ?
A: Yes you’re worrying about nothing, because it is something you have no control over.
The “safe” way to go about visiting the Happiest Place on Earth is to go being aware, and just don’t do anything stupid, like drinking too much or doing something illegal over there, or dealing with criminals, or go outside the Zona Norte area for tourists.
You should be aware that “Violence” in any part of the world where adult businesses operate is always a “possibility” just like at the Happiest Place on Earth (Tijuana Zona Norte, and the possibility will not disappear.
However the possibility of violence at Hong Kong is very remote and will not impact the core business so the Gentlemen clubs like Hong Kong will continue operating as long as there is supply and demand for paid-for-sex services, and the businesses is profitable.
So you can go and enjoy a couple of weeks at the Happiest Place on Earth
A good alternative is the Spearmint Rhino City of Industry if you want to explore north of the Happiest Place on Earth, but it will cost you more.
If you’re on a budget Figueroa Street in Los Angeles between 69th Street and 83rd Street has some 7s, 8s and even 9s in a nice afternoon and in my humble opinion and limited experience are affordable at $140-$200 per 15-20 minutes, room included.
The paid-for-sex hobby has a degree of risk because the “rewards” are worth it.
Just be careful out there, like you would be in any other country, including the USA, when you search for paid-for-sex services.
And remember Pics and Vids of it didn’t happen.
:D
I think you are more or less safe if you stick to the sex hotels and immediate areas around them. Riding their minibus from the border is a good idea. Walking around tj in general, looking like a gringo paints you as a target and is a bad idea. Factors like night, bulging wallets, doing things that Mexican cops will decide are excuses to stop you, being drunk, will add to this. But it’s far from 100% sure you will or won’t get into trouble.
I think the headline says it all though: don’t steal from the local power base and you’re really cutting down on your changes of being beheaded.
I've been down there many times. and I'm still alive. yeah. I got robbed by the bandits with badges... that was my own stupid fault carrying money without hiding it. I'm just kind of disappointed in the owners/ managers deciding to implement new rules that interfere with interaction and raising prices for drinks and rooms... and the girls raising their prices... I've been giving it a rest for a while... but I'll be back. I feel relatively safe there. there's a risk in living. I ain't going to hide in my house.
One of the biggest misconceptions about Tijuana is that Zona Norte is the safe area and everywhere else outside of Zona Norte is dangerous. The truth is most places in Tijuana are far safer than Zona Norte and only a few areas are more dangerous. People that know Tijuana are aware of this.
About 5 or 6 years ago, after they opened the 2nd floor of Azul restaurant in Cascadas, stray bullets from the alley shattered glass in the restaurant on the 2nd floor while people were eating. I know people that were in Azul at the time it happened.
Around that same time, but on another occasion, stray bullets hit the back stairs in Cascadas leading up to the back lobby. The bullet holes in the stairs stayed there for about two weeks and I remember seeing the repair man repairing the stairs when they finally fixed it.
Other incidents like this also, but they don't make the news and HK and other bar employees don't talk about it openly. It's better to keep it off the radar.
Not saying people should avoid TJ. Just be aware that even though cartels are mostly killing themselves and don't target gringos and tourists, stray bullets do happen on occasion and Zona Norte isn't Disneyland.
2AMers happen all the time in the US. And there was that recently averted potential mass shooting at a club I read about here on TUSCL. Going to a SC just entails some risk in general, and I think it's difficult to price the risk of potential cartel violence versus the risk of the general epidemic of gun violence in the US.
With that said, when I go to TJ, I try to avoid a lot walking around on my own. And not because I'm worried about Cartel violence, but the police. I don't want to be another cautionary tale like @Jascoi. The way to stay safe in TJ is to park yourself at a Hotel with a club such as Jalos, Cascadas or Rio de Oro and patronize the corresponding club, everywhere else, you take a cab or Uber.
Ive never been to TJ but I would during the right opportunity. Las vegas does a great job of under-reporting the violent crimes and general criminal activity. I go there allot. The crimes are most associated with criminals vs criminals. Look...unless it's a very lawless environment in my estimation its mostly turf war stuff and protecting their $$ flow. I suppose if you are an idiot you could get yourself in trouble as a an easy pickings target IMO
Going with friends ain't do much to protect against the savage tactics of the cartels.
Stay within the of confines of the RLD, and you should be fine. There are many, on both sides (government and cartels alike) who have a vested interest in keeping sex tourists safe.
Don't, however, try to save a few dollars by walking instead of taxi'ing, and limit/avoid drinking.
"At least 6 cops killed"
Score one, or six, for the good guys...
This is why. I always say to y'all who go to TJ. Don't be stupid & watch your back
Just ab FYI:
*thousands being about 2,000, 100 murders per 100k which is very high... en.wikipedia.org