Show Notes
We hear a lot from people that they’re scared to cross the border and visit Tijuana and Baja California. In this episode we share our experiences and some research we’ve done to help understand this fear better.
It all started around 2008 when the Mexican President at the time began to fight the Tijuana Cartel to reduce violence. This lead to a weaker cartel which then lead to a turf war between the Tijuana and Sinaloa cartels. During this time there were many cases of murder and violent crimes in the border town, which scared off virtually all tourists. Even those of us that had been visiting there for years.
We spoke with several friends and acquaintances and couldn’t find anyone that had spent any fair amount of time down there that had any fear of visiting.
Ben did some research as well into the crime statistics for Mexico and he found:
Tijuana is the 22nd most crime stricken city in Mexico
Of the crime in Tijuana only 9% is violent
Tijuana has 28% less homicides than Chicago
There are 1.5M people living in Tijuana
Anthony Bourdain had a great episode on Baja California that if you’re at all interested you need to watch. He visits lots of places and ends with a great quote which we’ll leave you with here 🙂
“We forget, most of us don’t even know about this amazing microclimate just south of San Diego another Napa right beneath our noses. Okay, Mexico is a country with a lot of problems but they are our neighbors. Our relationship with Mexico, however reluctant, is a lot more intimate and a lot more romantic than we even have with Canada.
I don’t know if the determination of a few musicians and chefs that we decided to make the most of a bad situation will save the world. I don’t know if incredible ingredients and exciting emerging culinary culture will change things around for Baja, but if there’s any justice in the world, it will. “ – Anthony Bourdain
Palabras Españolas (Spanish Words)
- Grabando = Recording
- Nueva = New
- Episodio = Episode
Consejos (Tips)
- Behave yourself in foreign countries
- Embrace the Mexican culture and cuisine in Tijuana
- Start learning Spanish 🙂
- Join a tour that will show you the best of Baja