Tijuana logistics

Was planning to go fishing over the Christmas weekend, but the weather is supposed to be below zero for the next few nights, so probably not. I did run into a nice looking pattern that could replace/augment a Prince Nymph, so maybe I'll tie some up rather than go fish.

Having decided to go to Tijuana, and having never been there, we (myself and the wife) looked on the web to see if we could find out some details about how to plan a trip and what to expect when we got to Tijuana. I didn't have much luck, possibly because I don't frequent chat rooms, forums and the like. I couldn't find a lot of information about Dr Calzada on the web.

We did find out that we could stay at the Best Western Americana in San Ysidro, right off I-5, exit 2 for around $90/night. This included transportation between the BW and the clinic. We didn't know a lot more than that.

Lessons learned from a week in the area.

1. Stay in Tijuana. The Lucerna hotel is a block and a half away from the clinic. It's way nicer than the BW, and we were told you can get a patient rate by referring to the clinic. The regular rate for the cheap rooms is less than the BW. We went there and inspected a room, and it was nice and clean. Check it out at Trip Advisor or Yahoo. There's another hotel right next door to the clinic that's supposed to be OK, clean, probably on a par with the BW, only cheaper.

2. Stay in Tijuana. Once you're done at the end of the day, you have to go back across the border. It took us at least 1.5 hours every time, and it didn't seem particularly backed up. Which is better? Walking a block and a half at most after a full day of treatment, or sitting in traffic for an hour or more, exiting the vehicle, going through the border with your passport, explaining what you're doing to the border guard, putting all your junk on the X ray machine, then trying to find your van on the other side?

We made the trip every day, and it can be tough on the patients.

3. Pay in cash. You have to at the clinic, but you're sure to get prescriptions costing several hundred to a thousand dollars or more. You fill those at the pharmacia downstairs, and you get a 30% discount if paying with cash. 20% with a credit card.

4. If you fly into San Diego, have the Lucerna (if you're staying there) send a van to pick you up. It costs $70 for one or ten, each way. Renting a car cost $180 for the week, and you can't and don't want to take it across the border. There are probably other cabs or shuttles that can do it, but we know about the one at the Lucerna.

5. If you go to the main shopping district (Revolution Ave), take a cab and negotiate the fare in advance. IN ADVANCE. It should cost $5 each way, but if you don't negotiate it IN ADVANCE, who knows what you might have to pay. We didn't have a problem, but heard of others who have.

6. If you want vanilla, get it at a grocery store. Molina is supposed to be the best brand. Others can contain coumadin. If you want your blood thinned while you eat your snickerdoodle, buy it off the street.

As a side note, we asked the pharmacist for directions to the local grocery store. We heard it was about 3 blocks from the clinic. The pharmacist pretty much insisted he pick it up for us, which was nice. It cost $4 for a liter, so we're pretty sure there was no surcharge on his part.

7. If you go to Revolution Ave, go to Hand Art first,or at least before you buy much. They've been there since 1955, and they're great. Some of the merchants have a BBB type org, and the folks at Hand Art will give you a map showing who's in the org. It doesn't really matter who's not shown. You're on your own with them. You might get silver, then again, probably not, unless you go to the stores shown on the map.

I'm pretty well sick of writing, so I'll leave it there for now. If I think of more recommendations, I'll pick it up later. Until then, just say no to bait.