The friction

“Self-built Dreams” by Kinsee Morlan

I’ve been watching a house, a nice house, in Mission Hills for just under a week. I find myself leaving work earlier, laying on the couch in front of the TV more and just generally being lazier than usual.

I blame comfort. There’s something about the friction of Tijuana that keeps me energized and moving at all times. I miss it, and I can’t wait to get home.

I don’t have a television in my home and, until two days ago, I didn’t even have a couch. Tijuana reminds me of New York in the sense that homes are smaller and not as nice and cozy as they are in places like sunny San Diego. It gets you outside. It gets me on my bike and on my feet, wanting to escape the confines of my cement walls and experience the city outside.

I’ve found a few great places just right down the street from me on Agua Caliente Boulevard. There’s a place called Neopop in a tiny upstairs apartment behind an empty storefront. You couldn’t find it on your own even if I gave you explicit directions — believe me, it took me months to finally figure out how to get to the front door.

Inside the store is a little goldmine of Japanese pop-culture knickknacks, movies and art. A cute gay guy runs the place and, both times I’ve been, constantly has a tiny entourage hanging out in the shop.

On another one of my walks, I came across Baja Burger, which is located in a strip mall off of Agua Caliente near the Calimax. I wish I could provide a link or contact info, but you know how TJ is — sometimes you just have to discover things on your own.

Tijuana TV

 

“Tijuana Love” by Kinsee Morlan

Interviews with Nortec, Acamonchi, ERRE and the authors of Here is Tijuana are all part of Kobra i Tijuana, an online documentary program. Some are in English, some aren’t, but regardless, it’s a good way to introduce yourself to Tijuana’s more interesting side. Be patient, though, the videos take some time to load.

Tijuana tranny show

I have a tattoo on the back of my neck that will forever remind me of my perhaps strange, but definitely strong love for transsexuals. But you don’t have to be as obsessed as I to enjoy the vocal stylings and stage theatrics of Zemmoa, a beautiful boy in girl’s clothing who sings over live guitar mixed with Daft Punk and other electro songs while dancing around and just generally being fabulous.  Last night at Tijuana’s Tentaculo Bar, Zemmoa put on a quick but powerful performance for a small but extremely dedicated crowd of TJ’s more flamboant gay boys.  Her singing? Not the best, but it really doesn’t matter. She parades around with the kind of confidence and swagger most older drag queens take a lifetime to perfect.

Get out your glitter, boys and girls, and head to Younite Lounge, at 8 p.m. Saturday, March 15.

Tijuana urban hikes

“Hanging in TJ” by Kinsee Morlan

I finally have a partner in crime. Derrik Chinn, nightlife editor over at Signon San Diego’s Street site, has been blogging regularly about the entertainment/nightlife and generally positive side of Tijuana for the last year. Due to running in the same social circle, he is now just days away from being my upstairs neighbor in Tijuana’s Colonia Cacho.

Last Saturday, we went on the second of what I’m calling Tijuana urban hikes. If you’re a gringo, like Derrik and me, nearly every moment of the inner-city walks are picture perfect. The whole experience is so foreign and unique. I wish I’d brought a tape recorder and captured the sounds of the hundreds of barking dogs not used to seeing ambling pedestrians.

My camera lens is drawn to all kinds of things in Tijuana, but it’s the ingeniuty and resourcefulness in Tijuana’s architecture that I love most. Coming in close second are the colors and, as I’ve explained on this blog before, the texture that seem to be unique to northern Mexico.

The gates, too, are something we gringos aren’t used to. I saw butterfly wings, flower petals and even a vagina in some of the gates we came across that day.

Anyway, here are the rest of the pictures. Enjoy, and if you want to come on an urban hike with Derrik and me, just send an email to kinsee.morlan@gmail.com and we’ll work it out.

Click below to see the rest of the pics:

Border Meetup this weekend

 

“Border Watch” by Kinsee Morlan

This just in from Dan Watman, the guy behind the Border Meetup Group:

(español abajo y en el documento adjunto con más detalles)
(info attached in flyer with more detail and at www.bordermeetup.org)

A Cross-border peaceful send-off for an environmentalist’s Two Year
Walk With Earth - WE’LL EXCHANGE KITES THROUGH THE BORDER FENCE ON THE BEACH!!

March 9th, 9am 2008 on the beach at the US/Mexico border
- you can join us on either side

Join Rolene Walker as she embarks on a two-year Journey to educate on
sustainability all the way to Santiago Chile!! “The entire earth
should be treated like the Garden of Eden because all species are
sacred”

Don’t miss the Peace Kite Exchange through the border fence at Send off!
9:15 am sharp!

Peace Kite Exchange through the Border Fence
Planting of Native plants in the Bi-national friendship Garden.
You can watch the festivities and/or join Rolene for the first part of her walk

www.bordermeetup.org; www.proyectofronterizo.org.mx;
www.walkwithearth.org
bordermeetup@gmail.com
619.954.9710
Dan Watman

Celebración de la gran odisea de Paz. Dos años caminando en nombre de
la tierra. ¡¡VAMOS A INTERCAMBIAR PAPALOTES ATRAVE’S DE LA CERCA
FRONTERIZA EN LA PLAYA EN EL MOMENTO DE SALIDA!!

9 de marzo, 2008 a las 9 de la mañana en el faro de playas en la
frontera internacional
- se puede reunir con nosotros también del lado americano a través de la cerca

Para más informes: www.bordermeetup.org;
www.proyectofronterizo.org.mx; www.walkwithearth.org
bordermeetup@gmail.com
619.954.9710
Daniel Watman

Rolene piensa que todos los seres son amados por dios y toda la tierra
es sagrada. Debemos caminar “con” la tierra.

Participen en la celebración de Rolene Walker y su caminata por la
tierra. ¡¡Va a caminar hasta Santiago Chile!!

No pierdan el espectáculo del intercambio de papalotes através de la
cerca fronteriza en el momento de la salida a las 9:15 en punto!

Un Intercambio de papalotes de paz através de la cerca fronteriza en
el momento de la salida
Siembra de plantas nativas en el jardín bi-nacional de amistad.
¡¡Se puede también caminar con Rolene!! Comuníquense para más informes

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www.bordermeetup.org

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www.bordermeetup.org

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www.bordermeetup.org