Public Pulse

May 29th, 2008

About the Northern Baja, Mexico Boycott

Editor’s Note: We've never had so much email as that which we received following our cover story calling for a boycott of Northern Baja Mexico. About half and half. Half thought we were wonderful for pointing out the problems, the other half thought we were looney and afraid of our own shadow. I have to say, with one exception, the letters opposing our view were all polite and made some good arguments.

In the process I managed to develop a couple of friends, expatriates who are living in the Tijuana/Rosarito Beach area. They love it there but they do bolster my argument that it is a dangerous place to live.

This interesting gentleman, Patrick Mullen, jotted down some thoughts that we thought you might enjoy reading:

Lyle:

Here are some personal observations about living in Baja California, in no particular order. I hope it helps answer some of your questions about living here.

•The electric or phone service is interrupted about once a week.
• That truck is traveling down the road at me IN REVERSE!
• I will never be able to understand what any Mexican lady tells me on the telephone.
• That kid thinks I have a funny accent.
• That cop actually thinks I am supposed to give him money.
• They have gasoline station attendants who sometimes wash your windshield.
• The gasoline is cheaper here than in the States.
• There are potholes everywhere. I bet tire vendors/repairmen made a good living here.
• I will seldom beat the currency exchange rate.
• A cobblestone road is a good road!
• I asked a street vendor for a bowl of fruit, and he put powdered chili on it. ACKKK!
• Some doctors still make house calls.
• There is no such thing as three-wire home electrical wiring.
• Every home has a cistern and a water pump.
• The renter who just moved in across the street was just deported from the U.S.A. He eventually stole everything he could get his hands on and left.
• I saw the mailman the other day. I actually received a letter from the States in my mailbox!
• My neighbor shows up at the front door with an extension cord. He forgot to pay his electric bill, and the Electric Commission cut down his service drop the day after the bill was due.
• A family from the States rents a house down the street and spends the entire weekend riding up and down the narrow streets of our "Colonia" in some sort of noisy, off-road/all-terrain thingy while drunk. At night they shoot off fireworks (which are prohibited in this locale). The security guard shows up at their door and tells them they are at risk of being escorted to the border by the Tijuana police. They are indignant. When they leave, they drive down the street while beeping their horn. Creepy...
• Our maid, who has worked for us for about eight years, has never stolen anything.
• A dinner or gathering with other expatriates is a really big deal. If you don't show up, you will have to explain this to everyone.
• People will stand in the middle of the main thoroughfare and sell almost anything.
• Since The "Christmas" season is celebrated in a different manner in Mexico, children in Baja California have two days when they expect to receive presents:
1. The first day is the birth of Jesus, in December (American-style celebration - this is when gifts are traditionally given in the States. Baja Californians, or at least their children, have adopted this custom).
2. The second day is the arrival of the three wise men from the East, which is in January; this is a part of the traditional Mexican Posada celebration (the children here receive another batch of gifts).
• Firemen will first attempt to put out a fire with a fire blanket; water is expensive.
• Beggars have a social status, and must be respected.
• Taco Bell (home of the very bad Stateside taco) opened a restaurant in Tijuana I am told. This is a scary development....
• Foreigners cannot own real property in most parts of Baja. Don't believe anyone who tells you differently. Don't invest in anything in Baja unless it has wheels on it.
• Many laws in Mexico are quite different than the ones in the States. Why are you surprised?
• The only place I knew of that features American-style home baked pies is "Cha-Cha's" on the old road south of Rosarito, on the way to Popotla. Yum!
• There is a Starbuck's in Playas! Yesss!
• The functions and qualifications of a plumber or electrician, as commonly accepted north of the border, do not exist here. There is no license testing or apprentice training as far as I am aware.
• Expect to wait in the north-bound line at the border for at least two hours during the Christmas or Easter season.
• The national universal health care system in Mexico isn't universal.
• Laws intended to restrict the possession of firearms here don't restrict the use of firearms by criminals. Mexico doesn't have the Second Amendment or the NRA.
• If you walk up to a native here and start babbling in English, he or she may not understand a single word you say (This is Mexico). It is hilarious to watch someone do this.
• If you are arrested and put in jail; don't sign anything. It will be held against you. The Mexican legal system holds you guilty until proven innocent.
• Everyone here is a smuggler. There was that truckload of toys and beans for the Posada celebration ....
• CALIENTITOS (Christmas fruit punch) is tasty!
• The woman pushing the baby carriage, horses, goats, dogs, and the nitwit zig-zaging between cars on a bicycle have the right-of-way even if the guy behind you is honking his horn as you slow down or stop.
• Most Mexicans are polite, happy, good dancers, and can sing well (even if a little off-key sometimes). Most norteamericanos find this perplexing, but very cool.
• Mexican soldiers assumed security posts at the Palacio (city hall) when the local police are out-gunned by a band of thugs. A good cop in Mexico is one of the bravest people you will ever meet. Some wind up dead.
• A neighbor was held up at gunpoint in broad daylight. It happens in the States also. They caught the guy later when he shot at a policeman.
• People here are fed up with how widespread crime affects their daily life. A neighbor writes: "I have lived (here) for 14 years now and had no problems until the last 2 years...and have been here on and off about half that time..

Here is what has happened to my family during that time:

1. Home robbed twice
2. 2 cars stolen
3. attempted shake down by the police in TJ 4 times.
4. Daughter and friends shaken down by police and physically threatened.
5. Asked to pay money by various public officials to do their jobs.
6. Even the trash pick up guys want beer every time I see them.

The problem is not the people or the laws but those who enforce them and who we hire to represent us.

• A "coconut warning" from a friend in Yelapa, near Vallarta:
"There is fruit everywhere! Raul needed some limes for the bar, and ha, ha, he just went out to the tree and got them. I saw this tree moving like it was being blown with hurricane force winds….it was Raul… and I said 'What are you doing?' his reply…'Picking limes.' We have avocados that are bigger than softballs, coconuts, and all sorts of tropical fruits. One thing I learned is that you don’t sit under a coconut tree! When they drop, and you are under their path, they will kill you."

This is true of the boulders in the cliffs along Highway 1, 1D, and Bulevar Internacional between Playas and Tijuana City.

• Tamale recipe tips from my neighbor, the tamale genius:
• The masa, made from white corn, should be fresh; not reconstituted from masa harina. I imagine the best place to find this would be a tortillaria. She says masa is available "anywhere."
• Knead the masa well. If you don't do this, it screws everything up.
• The masa and meat are placed on the shiny side of the corn husk. Fold the husk around the masa, then fold the bottom half up and place in the tamale pot.
• Pour the drippings from the cooked meat (she uses a beef and pork concoction which is delicious) into the pot.
• Place a wet cloth on top of the tamales, cover with a lid and steam them.
• The tamales are ready to eat when the masa is firm. If the masa is soft or runny, simmer them some more.
• It takes about two days to make a pot of tamales. You have to know what you are doing; it's tricky.

WATCH FOR THE STORM DRAIN THAT IS MISSING ITS COVER IN DOWNTOWN PLAYAS DE ROSARITO! It's about 6 or 7 feet long X 3 feet wide, and is located next to the curb in the northbound lane of Bulevardo Benito Juárez, across from Smart & Final. There are no traffic cones or barricades.

Advice from a friend

• I watched the moon set over the Mar Pacifico this morning. It was gawdawful beautiful. There are things in Baja California that are priceless. You had to be there.
• "This isn't Mexico. This is the border."

/s/Pat Mullen

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