October 21-22, 2015

Without a functioning GPS Jay and I may still be in Tijuana trying to find the auto repair shop (I’m writing this 2 months later). Without the help of some very kind people we may also still be driving around in circles in Tijuana. At one point we pulled over to ask directions from some guys on the street. Jay shot the breeze with them as best he was able in his limited Spanish. They made phone calls for us trying to locate the shop referred to us by the Tecate shop. We had already been directed to the wrong location by a policeman and another couple of people. This place wasn’t easy to find. So the security guard hopped in the passenger seat and Jay sat up on the counsel while I drove to the shop with the help of our Good Samaritan. Now that we found the place which was quite a long distance from his place of employment he refused our offer to drive him back. There is a random act of kindness for you.

This shop was located at the end of a narrow and congested alley and to make a long story short we took a pass on his services based on instinct because at this point what else did we have to go on? Now what? Back on the road we found what looked like auto repair row and pulled into the Differenciales shop. They could begin work in the morning but we had a problem. Where could we stay for a couple of nights? This area wasn’t exactly hotel row and we needed to be close to the shop so Jay could walk there and check on the progress. No problemo, they would escort us to a hotel very close and so they did.

OK, Jay and I have traveled high and we’ve traveled low so how bad could it be? Well a clue would have been the 6”x 6” square opening in the glass at the front check in window. Was there anybody in there? We could barely see the women quoting the price and sliding the keys under a small opening. Another clue would have been the 2 hour, the 4 hour and the overnight rate printed on the no see through window. Up to the room and the first (shall I say unusual thing) I noticed was the paper towel dispenser next to the bed. Hum…and the 5 channels on TV…you guessed it and I’m not talking high quality material folks! Jay seemed confused by the paper towel dispenser so I shared with him the time I visited a peep show in early 70’s. It was for research, I swear. I believe I was a junior at University of Wisconsin, Madison and my class in human sexuality or some such thing required some field work. In the olden days before the internet, guys actually went into these places with little dark rooms, deposited quarters into a slot for a few minutes of fun…and then another quarter and another while looking through a peep hole. On the wall next to the slot machine was the paper towel dispenser which apparently was included for the quarters. So that’s how I knew! I assume that place is no longer in existence just a few steps from the Wisconsin capitol building. Governor Scott Walker must have put a stop to that.