A typical border town, Tijuana is not suited to everyone's
taste, with plenty of noise and frenetic activity. Its location on
the American border and proximity to San Diego and other
Californian cities ensures a steady stream of curious day-trippers
and souvenir hunters from up north. Tijuana's notorious 'sin city'
image of prostitution and sex shows has now taken a back seat; the
sleazy element, the drugs and violence that seems to be the lot of
a border town, is still there, but the focus has shifted in an
effort to clean the town up a bit, and it has become something of a
shopper's delight along with the intense nightlife and non-stop
entertainment. This is the place to shop, drink and dance the night
away; there are souvenir stalls, numerous duty-free shopping malls
and markets selling goods from all over Mexico, and countless bars,
restaurants and dance clubs. Tijuana has some traditional
attractions as well, including bullfighting and Jai Alai (a Spanish
ball court game), but this is not the classic Mexico that stories
are made of. It does however make a good starting point for
exploring the Baja California peninsula and the beaches and resorts
to the south.