[maxmo]

When I lived in Tijuana I crossed almost every day for a year and a half and the author pretty much described the experience exactly how it is. The section on the Gaviotas was pretty funny.

[bajabill]

I can barely tolerate it crossing once every few months on vacation trips. If I lived close to the border and had to do it everyday for work I’d shoot myself.

Or worse.

[six-one-niner]

You look at it differently when you live and work on the border. Millions of Americans sit in traffic on freeways for hours very day and this is not much different.

[bajabill]

Point taken. I suppose when we head south we’re in vacation mode, not work mode, it’s OUR time. In the daily Mon-Fri 8:00 to 5:00 grind I accept that my time is not my own

[BajaGringo]

I think you put your finger on it; it’s the our time vs work time – t’s largely how we frame it in our minds. I remember several decades back when friends were up visiting from northern Argentina and had never really seen a freeway before with the exception of the expressway in Buenos Aires that took them out to the airport at Ezeiza. I had taken a day off work to take them up to Universal Studios and recall being frustrated as we were stuck in horribly heavy traffic on the 101. They were really into it, taking pictures and in one particularly bad section, one of them got out to film it all with his large VHS video camera. Years later when I would visit with them again at their home in Argentina they recalled that morning drive as one of the memorable moments of their trip.

I remember saying WHAT???

[JuanSoler]

That’s hilarious!

[bajabill]

On the 101 they were lucky that somebody didn’t run them over, I hate that freeway.

[BajaGringo]

I was in line every day at San Ysidro for about a year, 20 years ago and it really wasn’t that bad. You develop your routines, who you buy your coffee from and who you order your breakfast burritos from and once they get to know you and your schedule they have them ready and waiting for you as you make your way through. It sure beat sitting in traffic on LA freeways in morning traffic AND afternoon traffic.

[bajabill]

I can see that – would be great if there were people selling hot coffee and burritos when I’m stuck in traffic on the 405. And thanks for the perspective.