This past weekend I went to Tijuana to check out their Día de los Muertos activities. There was just so much to do and see in one afternoon!
My friend and I stayed in Zona Rio, right near the border, all afternoon. We went to the Centro Cultural Tijuana to see their altars and then to the Mercado Hidalgo to check out their altar, which they tout as the largest in Tijuana.
You can check out all the gorgeous photos of catrinas, piñatas, altars, and more below.
Spending just a few hours in Tijuana makes for a perfect time for full immersion in Spanish. While some people, especially certain vendors at the market will speak to you in English since they're trying to make a sale, the majority of people will only speak Spanish.
We had to ask for directions several times about how to get back to the border crossing, as well as ask for prices of products we wanted to buy. We ordered delicious chilaquiles and agua fresca de sandia at a cute restaurant in Plaza Rio. We drank fresh coconut water (even got to take home some coconut meat!) at the mercado. We even asked about why hundreds of people were lined up in a large tent at CECUT (job fair!).
While we still would've had fun, it would've been a much more limited experience had we only known English.
If you ever want a fun cultural immersion in Spanish just across the border, ask me! I'm always up for showing folks around.