Tijuana – 3 Day Photo Trip Across the Border

Story by Lane Brugman

It all started in a dark room… Most stories involving Tijuana begin that way, or so I’ve been told, but this is a different story. Kelly Wood and two of her classmates were trying to figure out what to do for spring break in an ACTUAL dark room. Yes, those rooms full of film, chemicals, and… let me google this… enlargers and processing trays, do still exist. Amongst the red glow and distinctive smell, they discussed their upcoming break when someone suggested they head down to Tijuana for a short trip and take photos. Their collective response…

“Hell yeah!”

Tijuana has always held an interesting allure and connotation in American culture, the name alone evokes primal impulse. It’s long been the city where Americans could let their typical rules fall by the way side and allow their vices to abound, sort of a Mexican version of Vegas. More recent history’s media coverage has colored the city’s image even darker with lawless drug violence. Kelly, a friend of mine from high school, and her friends wanted to see the real Tijuana. They wanted to experience what the city has to offer with their own eyes so the trio headed south and crossed the border into Mexico.

“Short trips where you simply walk around and let the world happen around you are the best!”

With small backpacks with a few change of clothes on their backs and cameras in hand, they quickly got outside the normal tourist areas and started exploring outer neighborhoods. Even though it is a border town and influenced by its strategic location with the United States, what they found was a distinctly Mexican city. Paintings of La Virgen de Guadalupe, the mother of Mexican catholicism, graced the side of colorful storefronts. Expansive street art murals filled exterior walls and the rolled down shutters were tagged with random graffiti. The quiet alleys were filled with a tender, sweet sound of a guitarist and his music. It was a genuine, earnest sound that lacked the empty, transactional feel that sometimes come with street performers. He really wanted to play. A proud Chihuahua stood guard in the middle of a dusty walkway. The sidewalks were interrupted with parked cars and building’s columns. They also had no consistent width or material type, all Latin American staples. With tired feet, the crew grabbed a couple shrimp tostadas and took in the street art.

“The graffiti is a giant disruption to the norm. I like things like that.”

The sun reflected off of the surf as they headed down the stairs to the local beach, Playa de Tijuana. Bands wandered along the malecon -boardwalk- looking for willing listeners. Their flip flops flinging the last bits of sand as they smiled by. Families were cooking on small grills on the beach. They’d collect a few pesos from hungry passersby caught and compelled by the smell of asada. Used by vendors, sun lovers and joggers alike the beach was at it should be, a communal affair. The trio looked over the Pacific and found the horizon encumbered by a slat wall extending into the surf.

The Wall in the Surf, Tijuana, Mexico Be a Man of the World, Be a Woman of the World

They walked closer to get a better look and found the Mexican side of the slats filled with art. Flowers, hopeful messages, political statements and murals hugged the angled faces. The only remaining rectangular steel plate that hasn’t fully rusted through has a quote written in Spanish:

‘Ningún obstáculo puede impedirnos alcanzar nuestros sueños. Somos mexicanos, somos imparables.

‘No obstacle can prevent us from achieving our dreams. We are Mexicans, we are unstoppable.’

Past the slats, several Border Protection police cars were parked. The cars were just far enough away that the glare on the windshield concealed the face of the agents. They stayed there all day. Multiple helicopters circled the air above, looking and watching. A seemingly ironic International Friendship Park extended just north of the border. The intensity of the wall spoke for itself and a bizarre juxtaposition it was. One side full of life, art, hope and community. The other filled with promise, intimidation, power and authority. The line in the sand is real and a heavy line weight. The manifestation is a wall, dividing the same beautiful coastline into two halves. Two countries from each other.

The wall didn’t seem to bother the locals though, it must be their normal. The Tijuanense joked with Kelly and her friends and wished them all the best for their few days in Tijuana. Smiles were abundant as they all enjoyed the beach in that easy, warm, Mexican way.

Kelly always had a confidence and ease about her and I think it comes through in her photos. The framing and use of space in her shots really stand out to me. In collaborating on this piece, we were able to reconnect for the first time since high school and that has been a real gift. Kelly’s Featured Traveler page is awesome because she comes from a family of travelers and she goes into why travel is so critical to expand your perspective! – Lane