Mexicali With a Local

Almost two years ago, I met a woman in Hong Kong Tijuana from Mazatlán who ended up working in the Mexicali clubs. I had done some OTC TLNs in TJ with her the first year and had a lot of fun. Last year I was going to visit her in Mazatlán, then Covid. Saturday (5/29/21) I drove down and met her in Mexicali for a TLN.

It was a holiday weekend, so I expected parking to be difficult. I got in line to park at Double A Parking (or AA Parking depending on which ad you read). It is a dirt lot that operates on a one-in-one-out basis. In other words, you wait in line until a vehicle leaves. The line can stretch into the street, where you are not appreciated by passing drivers, but there isn’t an alternative. I arrived about 12:20 and waited in line an hour. (Another monger who had some Mexicali experience told me to expect at least a 20-minute wait.) The staff was very friendly during my brief interaction. Didn’t seem to be other options, so I continued to wait. Finally was let in and found a little space on the far end of the line. I was a concerned that someone making the corner might clip the car, but it was a rental and I bought the extra insurance, because I had no idea what the conditions would be. The plates on the truck behind me indicated that they are from Georgia. After entering I chatted with the driver briefly. He said he has parked there many times before and it was safe.

Walking out of the lot, you turn left and a few blocks up and over is the pedestrian entrance to Mexico. I had the 180-day visa acquired in TJ at the ready, but there was no passport check or any barrier, save an X-ray of my backpack. There was a table where they were doing temperature checks, but most people simply walked past. I wouldn’t cross without a passport, because of the grief you would get returning to the USA, but going into Mexico was a big nothing. Across the street from the border crossing was a taxi stand. Rates are posted on the windows, but like in TJ, there is no meter, so I asked how much to Hotel Araiza? $10. It is about five miles from the border, so it seemed fair. The city that I saw was clean and typical of any moderate sized city. Unlike other border towns (including Nogales and Juarez), the streets were not lined with bars and pharmacies and trash. Researching it for safety, one remark was that police officers in other cities raise their families in Mexicali, because it is safer than most.