Dear Stephanie,
Your geo gnome has traveled to Tijuana, Mexico. Just over the border from San Diego, California, is the city of Tijuana. Although for the most part it is sparsely populated on Mexico’s arid and hot northern Pacific coast, in contrast the city of Tijuana has one of the fastest-growing cities in the whole country. Even though it has an extremely dry climate, this area boasts some of the most suitable farmland in all of Mexico. The region has taken advantage of irrigation (the artificial watering of farmland through the storing and distribution of water accessible through rivers and reservoirs. The dams that have been constructed on the close-by Colorado, the Sonora, and the Yaqui rivers have allowed farmers to be able to grow wheat, cotton, and other crops. The close proximity to the California border also has a distinct advantage to draw crowds of American tourists to come across and stimulate the economy. The name of the border city is pronounced “tee WAH nuh” and it offers an interesting mix of culture. A big man-made arch has been built that is in the main tourist area. Here the tourist can find inexpensive souveniers and trinkets such as cheap imitation silver jewelry, leather goods, sombreros, and especially copies of authentic upper-end designer watches with designer names without the designer price tag. Haggling over price is expected and one of the reasons that customers coming over the border are attracted to the sport of shopping for these kinds of bargain products. Quality replicas of many of the most expensive Swiss, Italian, and French watches, such as Cartier and Bvulgari, are available in stores that specialize in counterfeit merchandise. Highly skilled salespeople are equipped with detailed color catalogues showing pictures of the authentic items for consumer comparison. These kinds of stores are sophisticated in catering to the snob appeal of more affluent customers who also are drawn to the replicas of designer purses with names such as Chanel and Vuitton where a huge selection is available. Because on-line sources such as eBay are prohibited from using designer names to describe and sell replicas these sellers have a ready-made client base in those looking for such hard to find items. Such luxury stores offer more exclusive products than the typical street corner where along with cheap crafts from local artisans one can easily purchase fake Rolex watches. Other attractions include the dentists, dermatologists, and plastic surgery offices and medical clinics where not only are medical services comparable in quality (though not as fancy) as their U.S. counterparts, they are much less expensive. Non FDA-approved procedures and devices are also offered here. Cheap prescription and non-prescription over-the-counter drugs and remedies are readily available with highly discounted and competitive prices. While there is still the fear for the tourist of having to deal with unpleasant situations, such as children begging in the streets and the obvious poverty and fear of gangs capable of robbing and kidnapping, there is the occasional visible presence of police authority in the tourist markets to increase security. Taxi service is readily available to escort visitors and bring them back to the border crossings. Shuttle service across the border also assists in transportation. Not all locals are poor and children in school uniforms are often seen at shopping malls where stores sell modern merchandise and theaters even offer some movies in English. The main religion is Catholic and while Spanish is the official language, many business people are well-educated and computer-literate, as well as being able to speak English as a second language. Some professionals, such as doctors actually live in California, and commute several days a week into Tijuana to make their living.
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