Mexican Border

Once upon a time, a friend and I went to the US-​Mexico border along the beach. We found the roadway to the beach closed, so we parked in a small dirt lot, next to some porta-​potties and a trail head. We decided to take this trail head, thinking it was a alternate route to the beach.
We walked along the road, coming across some interesting sights. First, we encountered an old non-​seaworthy boat sitting on the side of a hill. We checked it out, and found nothing in it. We thought it was weird that this old boat was on this hill since it is far from a big body of water. But on we went.
We then came across what looked like an old small house. But this old house looked like it was bombed out. There was debris everywhere around this place, and there was a significant amount of plant growth here. This house must have been bombed out a long time ago.
Then we came across a small man-​made lake, but very littered with trash. The smell was a bit much, and there was trash that I imagine floated in from south of the border.
Finally, we came across the new border gate. This gate was tall, silver-​colored, and extended into the horizon in both directions. Beyond this gate was an uphill.
I thought it was weird that we just walked upon this place like nothing, considering that the government spent millions of dollars reinforcing the border security. We never ran into a single person while we were there, so we decided to trek back to the car.
So we were maybe 100 meters from the trail head, when I noticed a border patrol car trailing us. Once the BP agent caught me looking back, he pulled up beside us and questioned us. Another BP agent pulled up in an ATV.
It turns out that this area is off limits to everyone except BP personnel. They ran my ID, and asked me a lot of questions. They could tell that I was telling them the truth, so they let us go. Lucky for us, as my friend left her ID at home, and she looked unmistakably Hispanic. I also had five days worth of beard growth, and looked very middle-​eastern. So I can imagine the thought running through their heads before questioning us. We joked about the whole matter, and had quite a story to tell when spring session began at university.

Get your sentry pass, this is ridiculous. However, you do get multiple last chances to buy things you never knew you needed, or wanted. The air is quite refreshing while waiting hours to get back to «MERICA»
The things you get to see.
Unilocal on

There should be a little bit more order, there isn’t enough shade sometimes.
The cool thing is cutters get sent to the back, and there’s a place that gives out free water and lends umbrellas for the shade or rain, but I wish there was still more control of how the line is, people sometimes get confused which line is which, a little more shade and order would be nice.

There are always horror stories when trying to go into Mexico and back, but I think most of them are either hyped up or come from morons. To get into Mexico it is as simple as paying $ 7-​$ 10 to park in the US, walking probably a quarter of a mile, and going through a turnstile. To get back, it takes the same amount of walking, a quick 3 – 15 minute wait, and they ask «What did you go to Mexico for?» and «Are you bringing anything back?» SO HARD. It is an easy day or half day trip, and assuming you are smart enough not to joke about bombs, drugs, or smuggling anything, you will be just fine. If you cannot manage to not do that, well, maybe just stay at home with pads and a helmet on.
As for once you cross, there is plenty to do. A $ 5.00 taxi can take you pretty much anywhere you would want to go for a day trip. You can go for cheap booze, street vendors, just to see the difference a man made line sadly creates, strip clubs seemingly without rules, because you want to practice Spanish, whatever. I would recommend not changing your money to Pesos, as your dollar is totally acceptable, and it saves you the trouble of figuring out an appropriate tip or counter offer. Culturally speaking, you tip EVERYONE. This is similar to many other countries, at least in Latin America. Guy gives directions? Tip him. Someone opens your door or hails you a cab? Tip them. It doesn’t matter, and since a dollar is all most expect, don’t be cheap and further the reputation of Americans as terrible people. Seriously, it is a dollar, you probably spend more on 3 beers than you will tipping the entirety of the people who help you out. Likewise, don’t make fun of the culture or what you see, it is a dick move. Cultures differ, situations differ, enjoy it for that, don’t mock it.
Next, it is important to note that in Mexico it is a crime to carry a knife. This is without regard to size or use of said knife. I assume most people reading would prefer not to end up in jail in Mexico, so if you carry one, leave it in your car. In the same vein, don’t be an idiot and insult or get mouthy with cops who stop you. Just because you are not from Mexico does not mean that their laws don’t apply to you. I cannot speak for Mexico, as I have not personally dealt with officers, but if stories are true, and my two years in Argentina are any indication, if you do have problems, cash goes a long way to making those problems disappear. But be respectful.
Finally, if you know where you want to go, stick to your guns. Plenty of businesses offer kickbacks to cab drivers to bring tourists to their places. So when your cabby says «That place is not open» or «This place is better» they are probably full of it. Research where you want to go beforehand and ask outright «How much to here?» Then if they try to talk you out of it, say no thanks, we will just take a different cab.
Enjoy!

Das war ein Erlebnis!
Der Übergang von den Staaten nach Mexiko war ja total einfach und ohne Kontrolle, aber einmal in Mexiko angekommen, war mir schnell klar, dass es wie der Übergang in eine andere Welt war. 20 m von dem Land der unbegrenzten Möglichkeiten und des Wohlstands in das herunter gekommene, dreckige und arme Tijuana.
Gleich wurden nahezu umzingelt von Händlern und Souvenirverkäufern. Merkwürdig und auch ein bisschen unsicher und unwohl war uns dort schon, aber es war ein toller und bewegender Ausflug, um mal zu sehen, dass die Welt kein Zuckerschlecken ist und es nicht allen so gut geht und leider auch nicht alle die gleichen Möglichkeiten haben.
Der Rückweg war dann auch noch einmal abenteuerlich, mit wahnsinnig harten Kontrollen, als wären alle unter Generalverdacht Drogen zu schmuggeln oder so. Irgendwie fühlten wir uns schon wohl wieder in den Staaten zu sein. Auch wenn der Puls mitunter sehr hoch war, lief alles problemlos und günstig war’s auch :-)

Wer die Kontrollen der ehm. Deutsch-​deutschen Grenze vermisst kann dies hier nachholen. Besser als jeder Museums Besuch. Auch der grenzstreifen mit 2 Mauern und Sicherheits Streifen für Patrouillien ist ein Photo wert. Man sollte nicht verpassen den Grenzverlauf am Strand anzuschauen!
Auf jeden Fall die Erfahrung machen einmal zu fuss hin und her die Grenze zu überqueren, sehr unheimlich.

see at least once

Das Überqueren der Grenzen von Californien nach Mexico als Fußgänger ist eine beklemmende Erfahrung. Ich rate sie jedem, der vom Schwärmen über den American Way of Life den Boden unter den Füßen verloren hat oder Niemanden hat, der einen mal zwickt.