What nearness to Baja brings

Sewage, smugglers, clubs on Avenida Revolucion, torture, snakebite, death near Cabo, the beauty of Canon Tajo

Author

By Various Authors

Publish Date

July 14, 2018

“Too many balcony bars will open up, and in five years, sooner or later, they’ll all be in the cocaine business.” (Paul Stachelek)

Water is the lifeblood of sewage. People may produce the waste but it takes water to carry the waste away. (Tuko Fujisaki)

Shocking facts and horrifying history of Tijuana sewage

In Tijuana maybe 50 percent of the houses have sewer connections. In those that don’t, the residents use outhouses or primitive septic tanks or they relieve themselves in the canyons. They buy their water from water trucks, and when they finish cooking or washing with it, they empty the dirty residue into the street.

By Jeannette DeWyze, Nov. 23, 1988 Read full article

Plane with marijuana crashed in the desert

Free if by air

Pilot Joe Penders says there are three general areas that smugglers favor: the Guadalupe Valley just south of Tecate; the Laguna Salada, Baja’s great salt lake southeast of Calexico; and the Colorado River itself, which is rimmed by hills.

Gringo street

Most bars are run by the sons and daughters of curio merchants. Armando Garcia, a young architect who remodeled the venerable Rio Rita, is the son of Luis Garcia, who was a merchant on Revolucion. Oscar Escobedo, a partner in Margaritas Village at Third and Revolucion, rented a curio shop at that corner from his father, Antonio.

By Neal Matthews, April 23, 1987 Read full article

Gibson's apartment on Paseo Costero, Playas de Tijuana

Was James Gibson tortured by Mexican police?

The Gibsons returned to their mobile home at Bernardo Shores in Imperial Beach, on Route 75 near the south end of the Silver Strand. Before entering the home, however, James left to take a walk. Mrs. Gibson recalls that less than ten minutes later, while she was cooking dinner, she heard a loudspeaker outside ordering everyone in the mobile home to come out.

By Stephen Meyer, Dec. 4, 1986 Read full article

La Grulla Meadow (Dick Schwenkmeyer)

Snakebite

Bob recalls, “I was getting pretty good mouthfuls of blood for a while, then everything seemed to coagulate.” Less than three minutes had elapsed since the time of the bite. He substituted the waist strap from his day pack for the flimsy string tourniquet, then helped Ray walk down to the edge of the water in the arroyo.

By Jeannette DeWyze, Nov. 6, 1986 Read full article

The fruit of the blue palm was probably the major reason the Cocopa Indians visited Canon Tajo. (Mike Palmer)

Like wind through the canyon

As for me, I was staring up at the magnificent block of white granite that overlooked the head of Canon Tajo. It was as large and impressive as Half Dome in Yosemite, and it could be seen from almost anywhere in the canyon.

By Steve Sorensen, June 5, 1986 Read full article

The handlebars of Susan's bike became entangled between the trailer ties. (David Diaz)

A slow dirge for Steve and Susan

The following day they reached La Paz. Holmes called the ferry office in Cabo San Lucas to make sure the ferry was on schedule. The ferry was canceled, he learned. They would have to wait a week. They drove south to Cabo Pulmo, a primitive coastal region, sixty miles south of Cabo San Lucas, and the next day they set up camp in a small stone hut at one end of the beach.

By David Steinman, May 8, 1986 Read full article