Tijuana, Mexico
has grown from a sleepy, little community of 11,000 people in 1930 to nearly 2 million today. I think the last time I crossed the border into Tijuana was nine years ago. Reed was with me at the time.
The entrance for those walking into the city had not changed. I had a
rental car but was advised by several folks not to take a chance driving in
Tijuana. There are several parking lots within a block of the border so it
was no great inconvenience to leave the car on the States' side.
Tourists walking across the border first come to a fairly modern plaza featuring
permanent stores selling the usual south-of-the-border merchandise: handicrafts
made of cloth, stone, silver, or wood. It was around 9:30 a.m. when this
photo was taken and many of the shops were still closed. If you look
closely, you will see a number of pharmacies. They were overly abundant in
Tijuana. It was not unusual for a local to walk up to you and ask if you
wanted to buy some drugs--not marijuana, but Viagra. Maybe I just looked
haggard.
I got a kick out of the sign on the blankets.
Need some dental work done? Someone told me the dentists in Tijuana charge
about 50% of what they do in the U.S.
About 1 1/2 miles from the border, through downtown, I found a nice, small park
to rest my feet.
When Reed and I were last in Tijuana, we had a good talk about poverty,
something brought to mind by the numerous people, and especially children,
begging. Some things do not change. This unfortunate woman suffered
from elephantiasis (elŽefantiŽesis), sometimes
mistakenly called elephantitis. It is the abnormal enlargement of any part
of the body due to obstruction of the lymphatic channels in the area, usually
affecting the legs or external genitals. In tropical countries the most common
cause is filariasis, infestation with certain filaria, small parasitic
roundworms.
This man had no legs to be infected. He did play a pretty good
harmonica. I noticed many of the shops near the border were closed or
abandoned, even in mid-afternoon. I do not know if this is a result of a
recession.
Back in San Diego, I was taking some shots of the harbor when a middle-aged man
excitedly asked if I was capturing the "gorgeous sunset." I
replied that I was doing my best. I didn't tell him that despite their
beauty, the sunsets I witnessed in San Diego paled in comparison to those back
home. Some compensation for the nasty winters, I guess.
Even so, I'd love to return to San Diego, especially in February when the
alternative is to turn up the thermostat and pray for an early spring.