Monday, July 14, 2008
Travel in Mexico: Riding in the Famous Tijuana Taxis
By Steve
Dryden
Growing
up on the beaches and bays of San Diego was an amazing journey for my family and friends in the 1950’s and 60’s.
Mission Beach was a particularly nice haven for us kids, quite often our major decision of the day was “do we go out
the front door to the ocean or out the back door to the bay?” My cousins
were the ranch mangers of the 1400 acre Miramar Ranch (now Scripps Ranch), so when life at the beach got boring or too crowded
we’d venture out to the ranch.
And,
to make life’s choices more complicated, we had our fishing camp in Baja California, Mexico, near what is now called
Baja Mar. More specifically, the camp was located on the new Sempra site down below Baja Mar on a ocean side plateau where
the fishing was phenomenal.
In those
days of weekend visits to Baja California we often stopped in Tijuana to stock up on Mexican necessities: pastries, Mexican
beer, jug wine, firecrackers, cherry bombs, carne asada and tortillas. One important mission for our family was to drop off
food and clothing at the orphanage with the nuns who operated it. My father had a business in Mission Beach where during the
week he would gather food and clothing from his clients for our weekend visits to Tijuana. Because we generally caravanned
down with several cars and ORV’s, it was very practical to park the vehicles in the Jai Alai parking lot and to hire
a Tijuana taxi to run our errands, go to the track and place bets, or to find a nice cafe or restaurant.
Tijuana
was a wild place with a horse racing track at Aqua Caliente, gaming at the Jai Alai palace, bullfights at El Toreo de Tijuana
and plenty of bars, restaurants, clubs, and other venues to satisfy most needs or desires. Tijuana was always an exciting
adventure no matter what you did or tried to do, and tying it altogether were the famous Tijuana taxis.
I distinctly
remember the era of 1950 to 1954 Chevy four door cabs that were painted in bright yellow colors. Thankfully, I grew up in
the region and knew what to expect once I jumped into the back seat of those cabs. I can’t imagine the horror and terror
felt by foreigners, tourists or strangers who didn’t have a clue what they were in for. The famous Tijuana taxis were
an adrenaline creating combination of destruction derby, the Indy 500, a rollercoaster ride, and the movies: It’s a Mad, Mad World and Road Warriors united. In fact, musician Herb Albert wrote a popular song about this experience called Tijuana Taxi.
For
us kids, riding in a taxi around Tijuana was far better than Disneyland and Knott’s Berry Farm combined! My brother was always more cautious than me, so he often wore his motorcycle helmet as a precaution. Back
then seat belts weren’t available, ambulances unheard of, and medical treatment was a long drive back to San Diego.
And,
it seemed that Tijuana taxis were exempt from traffic rules and laws. For example, speed limits for cabs meant how fast can
you go? Stop signs were for maņana or tourists! U-turns, “hold on amigos, while we jump the curb.” Oops, we’re
going sixty miles per hour against traffic on a one way street, the cab driver would yell, “Stupid gringos.”
The
part I loved the most was the right hand turns from the far left-hand lane – at just the last possible second on a red
light! The most fun was bringing your friends or relatives (who had no clue) on a cab ride from Revolution Avenue to the race
track on Aqua Caliente Blvd.
I think
that in a way the old style of driving and riding in Tijuana taxis was a greeting, a way of telling you that you were in a
new country with different rules, a different culture and different attitudes. It was fun, it was exciting, and it set the
pace for a wonderful weekend excursion into the world of our southern neighbors.
Today
I still use taxis and buses in Mexico on a regular basis or as needed. Gone are the days of the famous Tijuana taxis, mostly
because the town is now too crowded and congested for that kind of behavior. But they do have their moments now and then when
possible.
I love
to stay at the Rosarito Beach Hotel and quite often I’ll take a taxi into Tijuana for shopping or to attend special
events. I discovered that if you walk out the front door of the Rosarito Beach Hotel, into the arcade and out to Benito Juarez
Avenue, you can walk across the street and get a cab to Tijuana for about US$1.25. You have to take the two-toned yellow cabs
or vans, and they are “share-ride” cabs, meaning that they stop, pick up and drop off folks between Rosarito Beach
and Tijuana.
If you
want your own cab it costs from US$20.00 to US$40.00.
Share-ride
cabs or vans take about 45 minutes to reach TJ and offer a great transportation option if you want to relax and have a few
drinks in town. In addition, you’ll save money on fuel, tolls, and insurance. One important tip is to always ask how
much the fare is before you get into any cab! Although share-ride cabs have prices on the right side of the windshield, fares
are not always written in concrete and can change at the whim of the driver or depending on the style of your watch, clothes
and attitude. Other than that, I’ve been using taxis in Mexico for years and I’ve never had any problems whatsoever.
I always ask the fare to my destination before I get into a cab, dress in sporty but not flashing clothes, and I don’t
flaunt jewelry or money. Always bring small bills and only display small amounts of cash as needed.
Public
transportation in Mexico is readily available, affordable and always some sort of adventure. I’ve had to shuttle a few
vehicles back and forth from Ensenada to San Diego and use the Mexican bus system to connect to the trolley system in San
Diego. I actually live in Valle de Guadalupe, but have learned to use public transportation from my house to get all the way
to the border, in about four hours.
From
Guadalupe Valley you can take a white bus into Ensenada for about US$2.00. You can get off a few blocks from the ABC bus depot
and take a bus from there to most Baja California locations. An air-conditioned Volvo deluxe coach from Ensenada to Rosarito
costs about US$6.00, or US$8.00 all the way to Tijuana.
Once
in Tijuana you can walk a few blocks to the border crossing and to the San Diego trolley system. If you get a Day Tripper
pass for US$6.00 you can take the trolley into downtown and transfer to all San Diego bus routes for a twenty-four hour period.
You do have to be careful on the trolley system in San Diego at night as it is not nearly as safe as most Tijuana or Baja
California locations.
Give
Mexico’s public transportation system a chance sometime when you need to travel in-country or to the international border.
You might not experience the “good old days” of the Tijuana taxis, but then again Mexico is always full of surprises
and adventure, isn’t it?
Because
of the reasonable fares and high fuel prices, it’s a great idea to use a taxi if you're planning a night on the town
that includes drinking alcohol. Once you get familiar and comfortable with the taxi system, you’ll probably find a driver
in your neighborhood that you like, and with his or her contact information you’ll have your own private chauffeur as
needed. And now, with seat belts, emergency medical care and traffic enforcement, you probably won’t need a helmet,
although a glass of wine, a beer or cocktail seems to liven up the action.
By the
way, be prepared with the “share-ride” taxis for the rare occasion
when you’ll have to share your seat with goats, chickens, a family reunion of thirty people, refrigerators or automobile
engines.
——————————
Steve Dryden, a MexiData.info guest columnist, writes
about wine, food, travel, Native Peoples, and history. He lives in the Guadalupe
Valley of Baja California, Mexico, where he guides wine tours for individuals and small groups.
