Our sixth day-long excursion to Tijuana began on a brilliantly clear, crisp December morning. It had poured the day before and would rain again on Sunday, but Friday was clear and sunny so we had a narrow window of extraordinarily beautiful weather.

Gazing out of the San Diego trolley's windows at the passing scene, I was struck by the diversity of the city, and how the streaming images defined social classes and coalesced into neighborhoods. First there was Little Italy and the aromas of olive oil, fresh-made pastas and baked treats. Then the fringes of the airport gave way to the Santa Fe depot, where Amtrak rolling stock awaited commuters bound for Los Angeles and more distant points. In the background, a netted, double-tiered golf driving range the size of two football fields beckoned, like a mirage. Next came the glitter and prosperity of the downtown skyscrapers, including the Westgate Hotel and the San Diego Chamber of Commerce offices with an upscale jeweler in the lobby offering Rolex and Tissot Swiss watches. Past that, as if in ironic juxtaposition was some of the underbelly of San Diego -- the County Jail, row after row of bail bond offices and pawn shops, the Rescue Mission with a Santa Claus just leaving after handing out treats, and settling into the back of a black Lincoln Town Car (how appropriate for California, I thought). Here there were men sleeping on sidewalks in doorways, markets with signs in Spanish and wine on sale for $2.39 a quart. Then came City College, the trolley hub at 12th & Market Street where a red-girder administrative complex overlooked row on row of toy-like red trolley cars behind it in the maintenance yards. Then the tracks ran along the harbor, with the Convention Center's sail-like roof in the distance, and sleek hotels and condos surrounding it. Next, we passed Barrio Logan, a Latino enclave with brightly painted murals depicting the history of the Hispanic community, as the graceful blue arc of the Coronado Bay Bridge rose overhead. Then came the 32nd Street Naval Yard, and beyond it, the mothballed fleet of decommissioned battleships, cruisers, and troop transports, in monotonous shades of gray and orange anti-rust primer. The trolley raced past warehouses, marshlands, go-cart tracks, shopping centers, mini-malls, tidy apartment blocks, freeway overpasses, green belts with baseball diamonds, and parking lots. I had viewed all of this before, often without fully realizing what I was seeing. An archaeologist might make much of this someday. But for now, we had arrived at the San Ysidro border station and exited to begin a new adventure.

Today there were three of us, my friend Alan and another friend also named Joel. Crossing the freeway pedestrian ramp, and going through the clattering heavy turnstiles, we again entered Mexico, and a world filled with unique sights, sounds and smells. We first went to an outdoor street fair, near 2nd Street and Avenida Constitution in the heart of the downtown area where we had lunch at one of the covered stands. Our meal consisted of an oval pancake, called Huaraches or sandals because of their shape. These were first baked, then fried and filled with salsa, cheese, chopped greens, and a large slice of cactus (nopal in Spanish) that had been cooked first. I chose not to have meat on top of mine. With it we had a hot drink called champurrado, made of corn mash or dough, milk and cinnamon. There were also the usual side plates of limes, cilantro, onions, salsa and hot peppers. The Mexican traditional diet can make our junk foods look tame by comparison! But the meal was excellent and very filling. Afterwards, we browsed through the vendors who were selling blankets, toys, clothing and religious icons. I found some delicious lollipops that had a piece of salted plum inside each one. The last time I had seen such treats was in Hawaii on the island of Kauai, so I was delighted with this discovery.

Then we boarded a bus, and headed off towards the beach about 5 miles away, climbing a long hill, winding through colonias, and passing cemeteries and storefronts along the route. We exited the bus near a neighborhood of expensive homes that was walled off from the street. Sections of the twelve foot walls had broken pieces of glass on top of them to discourage intruders. We found a gated entrance and walked through it. Some of the homes were quite remarkable and unique. The architectural styles ranged from Southwestern, to English Tudor, to French Provincial, with a mix of some very contemporary, modern designs with compound curves, angles, and organic textures. Some of the buildings were too gaudy, or formless, or overstated, but others were polished gems in design and execution, with stunning details. Overhead, with my binoculars, I was able to see a beautiful red-tailed hawk circling lazily while looking for its dinner. We also saw a gopher close up as he shoveled dirt out of his burrow. I love animals, and these were real gifts that we were all given to enjoy.

Past the old bullring on one side of the street, and a modern block of flats on the other side, with the German Consulate on the top floor, we headed north until we reached the border fence. Here we were able to look across at the vacant Friendship Border Park in Imperial Beach, empty like a ghost town, except for a lone, pale green U.S. Border Patrol van which prowled the parking lot on the other side of the fence. A sign in both Spanish and English, attached to the fencing proclaimed that the opaque barrier had voluntarily been removed by the United States on November 27, 1997 -- about three weeks ago, apparently as a good will gesture. I pondered the extent of this generous act as we turned towards the ocean.

We did some walking along a newly built promenade, or malecon in Spanish above the wind-swept beach, where palm-thatched umbrellas, called palapas, stood vigil like sentries. Most of the homes and buildings along it were quite ratty, and had a run-down, almost abandoned feeling and appearance to them. The beach area in Tijuana was not yet prime real estate, although I did discover an ice cream parlor and coffee shop with an elegant garden in back of it, that offered small and medium cups of Colombo's frozen yogurt in five flavors at the upscale price of $5 and $9 a serving. For Tijuana, this was extravagantly expensive, and I wondered if the price was variable, and set so high especially for me! Farther inland, we walked through a nice, upper-middle class neighborhood, and also explored the surrounding streets, stopping at a school yard to read the bulletin board which had drawings and sayings about the UN's Universal Declaration of Human Rights. They were in Spanish, but easy to follow. We also looked in at a cyber hangout known as the Virtual Space Cafe. It had two workstations set up along one wall, and the tables were all set with place mats and silverware! Finally, we found our way to a restaurant called El Yogurt Place, sort of a health food eatery with mostly vegetarian fare, but also serving seafood and chicken. The interior was beautifully decorated with hanging plants, wooden beams, and large glass windows that look out on the border fence which separates Mexico and the US. On the U.S. side, light green Border Patrol jeeps policed the area to intercept the large number of Mexican immigrants who try to make it across to find the low paying sweat shop jobs that nobody else wants. It strikes me as unproductive to try and catch these people. At least it is a sad commentary on the relations between out two countries, and the economic disparities which fuels this migration. While we were having dinner, a U.S. immigration helicopter swooped down level with the plate glass windows and shone a bright spotlight on the fields below. It was all part of the dinner theater free show, something we could have done without.

We had to wait about 15 minutes to be seated. Though it was only about 5 p.m., the place was already packed. Although separate menus were available in English and Spanish, it looked like we were the only Americans in the restaurant. Dinner was excellent. I had grilled fish, rice, vegetables, and a hot sauce on top of it. It also came with a big bowl of vegetable soup, and fresh baked whole wheat bread just out of the oven. I also ordered a Mexican hot chocolate, which was served in a tall ice cream sundae glass, and had lots of cinnamon in it. The bill for the whole meal came to $4.30, a real bargain I thought.

Afterwards we walked to a bus stop and caught a local blue and white bus back to the downtown area. A couple of us wanted to buy some liquor, so we stopped off at a Calimex market. Usually over the holidays I like to buy something called Santa Clara Rompope. It is light yellow in color and looks like eggnog, but not as thick. It has rum, cinnamon, and lots of other goodies, and is nice for sipping or adding to coffee. According to the bottle label, it is made from an authentic, secret recipe by the Clarisa nuns at the Santa Clara convent in Puebla de los Angeles. On the front of the bottle, the Mother Superior is holding a rosary and reading a Bible, while the back shows a picture of some hot cakes with some of the liquor poured over it. A full liter costs $4, which is a real bargain. One of my friends bought a bottle of coffee liquor for not much more. The stores were packed, and the streets outside even more crowded. We did some more shopping at a department store called Sanborns where my friend bought a Spanish dictionary, and then we walked back along Avenida Revolucion, the main tourist drag, and a street that I despise because it is filled with hawkers, and bars, and dopey under-aged Americans who come down to Tijuana to get drunk and act stupid, although I don't think that much acting is involved. Finally making our way back to the border crossing, we passed through the metal detectors, had our jackets and waist packs x-rayed, showed our passports to the immigration inspectors, declared our purchases, and were whisked through. A red trolley was waiting at the station just outside the customs building to take us the 15 miles or so back to San Diego. Total cost for the day including lunch, dinner, bottle of liquor, lollipops, fried doughnuts, and round-trip on the trolley was $16, a good deal for traveling to a foreign country and coming home with so many happy memories!

For another view of Tijuana, and beyond, see John & Linda Lipman's excellent perspective of a more traditional tourist visit.