Tijuana day two

This post is a part two to my experience in Tijuana this past June. Here is a link to part one if you want a refresher. Where we left off is that I was following Joseph on a business trip to Tijuana and our Chinese hosts had warned me not to leave the hotel.


Despite recommendations not to leave the hotel I ran across the street to get some fruit salads for breakfast. We could see the fruit salads being advertised on the adjacent building from our hotel window. 

I then hung out in the hotel until lunchtime when Joseph and his Chinese Mexican crew picked me up. We went to a street taco place and I cobbled together a vegetarian taco situation in a very un vegetarian friendly spot. Hot peppers, guacamole, and fresh corn tortillas and you can't go wrong. 

Then we went to the electronic factory and Joseph gave me an official tour. It was quite interesting to walk through a real factory. Tijuana is known for making tv's and j saw where the electronic "boards" for tv's are made. I saw  the line workers dressed in what looked like surgical wear with blue hair nets, gowns and shoe booties so that the electronics are not contaminated by dirt or dust. Then we went to a plastic factory where we saw machines as big as locomotives that are responsible for producing big plastic molds. Back in the office Roc prepared us some delicious green tea with information about both how fresh the pot of tea was but also how fresh the leaves were. The leaves were harvested in April and the pot had just been brewed. 

Wearing my official visitors vest while sipping on a shot glass of green tea.

The make-do tea set.

 After my tour it was arranged that my Chinese friend Tiffany and I would do some Tijuana exploring. Tiffany doesn't drive so Roc entrusted me with the piloting of his Honda civic. Tiffany truly entrusted me with her life because driving in Tijuana is pure madness. Not being much of a driver, Tiffany was not too hip with navigation so we relied on her GPS. She mounted it on the dash for me to see but kept it in Chinese. So now I was driving in Tijuana Mexico with a Chinese GPS. We managed to survive despite the mayhem of the roads, lack of blinkers being used, and crazy ass drivers in all manner of vehicles. Truthfully I anticipated an accident and maybe death but somehow we evaded both. You haven't seen roundabout/rotary hell until you've visited Tijuana. We made it to a touristy strip where we were heckled by vendors trying to sell us their wares. In need of a bathroom we located a hipster coffee shop that could have been in any artsy urban setting. They offered us their bathroom with no attitude so I ordered a cappuccino. It was delicious. 

Coffee shop

The hip coffee shop

Downtown Tijuana

After our stroll tiffany and I made the journey back to the factory where she prepared and served me me more tea, carefully re-pouring tea into my glass as I sipped and we waited for our businessmen to conclude their business.

My overall impression of Tijuana was that it is a warm, hilly, multi cultural, and industrious town. I am sure I will return. Hopefully I will not have to drive next time.