Tijuana, a lovely city in the Mexican state of Baja California, is geographically a vertical strip of land spread out across the Pacific Ocean. It is connected by land to San Diego, California, The United States of America’s westernmost state.
Location is everything for Tijuana, making it a busy gateway to the country of Mexico. The city also shares a border with San Diego, making it the busiest border crossing in the world. You have to experience it to believe it, as crossing the border on your way to Tijuana from San Diego can take an agonizing thirty minutes to an hour.
After this ordeal, prepare to find some roads without traffic lights, meaning that drivers and pedestrians alike will have to take turns by honor system. Surviving this, you will be driving along the coast of the North Pacific Ocean, enjoying the breeze and the view.
At first glance, Tijuana may look like an island, but it is actually connected at its northernmost tip to the United States in the west and to Mexico in the east. Therefore, as you take that scenic drive from the north going south, you get the feeling that you have broken away from the continent of North America.
Politically you have not, as for as long as you are in Tijuana, you are in Mexico. Tijuana for the most part, though, is isolated from the Mexico mainland. Hence, if you choose to travel the city of Tijuana from west going east, you will be starting at the Pacific Ocean and ending in the Pacific Ocean!
No one knows for sure as to the exact origin of the name Tijuana, although some say that it is a contraction of the two words Tia that is Spanish for aunt and Juana, which is the Spanish version of the English name Jane. It might well be, except that native Indians who lived here had called it such or close to it, even before the Spanish colonizers came!
The city of Tijuana today has just a little over a million inhabitants of different descents, but mostly Mexicans, U.S. expatriates and Asian immigrants. It became formally a city in 1889.
Tijuana may well be called The City of Graffiti, as this practice thrives here, not as an act of vandalism, but more like a form of artistic expression. However, Tijuana graffiti is of a distinct kind. It is not letters, but for the most part, resembles murals about nature and memorable places. Hence, they adorn, rather than plague the city, although Mexican authorities are starting to clamp down on such practice.
Still, seeing them along the road can give any tourist a smile as they reflect the vibrant colors of Mexican culture. It also serves as a reminder to not forget to help oneself to a generous heaping of Mexican art like native paintings, clay pots and of course, the sombrero, or the straw hat.
Aside from murals that most people would like to refer to as graffiti, Tijuana is also famous for giant statues of the faces of famous Mexican historical figures. They usually adorn public parks and shopping places.
You see these images blend almost melismatically with the giant boulders or rocks that hang atop the hills as your car goes along that wonderful Tijuana coastline. Do not worry, should you end up feeling much too warm, just stop by any of the beaches, which adorn the coastline and just soak your feet in the waters!
All I ever want to do is write. Of course, I have to worry about the dishes and the laundry like everyone else. That includes taking a bath daily and keeping the house spic and span. A person has to sleep, too and enjoy a good meal. To detach myself from the writing and relax my eyes, I would go to the library to read a few good titles. Or watch an episode of CSI or Law & Order online. And then I'm back! Life is so simple for me.