At the beginning of last month, I was pretty depressed. A mixture of birthdays, sadness, life going by, and also finances. It seems like I do great, then the month ends, I gotta pay my bills and more… and it’s like I didn’t make any money.
I drink too much and eat outside too often.
I spend most of my money on that.
And when I want to cook… I waste fucking expensive ingredients. I paid $20 for some scallops. I overcooked them. They were rubbery as fuck. So rubbery that my teeth hurt from eating them. I wasn’t going to let them go to waste.
The first time I cooked scallops, they turned out great: asparagus, butter, garlic, lemon juice, shrimp, and scallops over rice. It was delicious. This time, I tried to cook a creamy pasta instead.
I overcooked the fucking scallops. Such a fucking dumb way to waste money. The pasta ended up being fine. But the scallops ended up being shit. Unlike the first time I cooked them.
You live. You learn.
You make money. You waste it.
Life.
This month started with 0 tours. I was worried until…
I just confirmed a tour for this weekend and another for the end of the month. And perhaps one for tomorrow.
The one this weekend is a bachelor party. A massive fucking bachelor party. 20 people. The name is Indian, as in Hindu, not Native. After a short research, I can see that they have traveled as a big group before. Big group of friends. Bachelor party in Tijuana… and there I am in the middle of it, helping them navigate this city.
It’s going to be WAY shorter than other bachelor party tours. Just the one afternoon. Short notice. Short tour. Quick money. Fun times. Tijuana Adventure!
Book me for a tour! NOW!
On more Tijuana Adventure and going viral.
Ooooeee… Writing the Tijuana Newsletter here again so I can copy and paste it on my other blog! The other blog contains more pictures because this blog is full.
1,000 new followers on my main Instagram! From two videos!
The one visiting San Diego and my new favorite burger in Tijuana: McMorris by Morris Wine Bar.
Morris Wine Bar became a quick favorite after visiting it a year ago. They didn’t have the burger back then, but everything that they served us was top-notch. After watching the viral burger video, I discovered why they have such a great kitchen. It has over 1,000 shares, but one of those was by the chef. And the chef is… the chef from another favorite restaurant of mine: La Cevicheria Nais.
Chef Abril Borunded, you create wonderful dishes. I just wish it were so expensive. And that the burger came with fries, tater tots would be my preference.
Speaking of preference, what I want in a burger, I chase my childhood bliss. The first time you had McDonald’s or a really great burger, that made your taste buds flower. Simple stuff. A meaty, cheesy disaster. I don’t dislike burger monstruosity with a ton of toppings and extra ingredients; it’s just not my preference.
And stop calling chicken sandwiches chicken burgers, you dumbfucks. Or do. I don’t care. If you like burgers that you need to unlock your jaw to eat them… Then good for you as well. Those fucking burgers with onion rings, bacon, and more shit in it that you can possibly put in a burger, then topped it with Cheetoh dust or nacho cheese… then… good for you! They make okay food, but it is not the burger of my dreams.
To understand my burger preference, this is my In N Out order: double double, animal style, and raw onions, extra spread (sometimes I say: no pickles, no tomatoes, sometimes I just let them be). Pretty in line with what Anthony Bourdain’s favorite burger was. A cheap burger slut, except I am not. The McMorris comes at a hefty price, 250 pesos or $14, but it’s still that slutty cheesy, meaty monster disaster. It is topped with caramelized onions and a lot of spread. But instead of being served out of a fast food place, it is in the bar of the lobby of a hipster refurbished hotel decorated with art by Art Pusher.
Does it justify the price? Probably. But I’m not rich… so I can’t be eating $14 burgers and $12 cocktails regularly. I wish I could. They also have a great selection of wines… but those are also expensive (like wine tends to be). I’ve never been much of a wino, but this bar makes me want to be a winesnob. Featuring local wines from Baja California, I have found some of my favorites here. The bartender/server, Nahim, knows his shit really well, so he is great at recommending wines according to your taste buds.
If I could afford it, I would spend many afternoons at Morris. Alas, I can only do it once or twice a month if the finances agree.
There is still a lot of food that I haven’t tried at Morris Wine Bar, but from the previous year, we had the beef tartare with anchovies and cotija, the softshell crab mounted on a bed of babaganoush, and the pork belly aguachile. In that video, I gave it 9 out of 10… which is accurate. 9 is one of my highest praises ever, and for now, Morris gets the highest praise in fine eating in downtown Tijuana.
People want me to do a top 5 burger places in Tijuana … and well… It’s not ready! There are too many burger places to try in this city, but so far on the list are the McMorris at #1, 80/20 at #2, and a bunch of other places that I’m not sure I can include in the list: Bite Me!, Yo Mommaz, and more. I need to try at least five more places before I make a proper list. Discarded from the list are: Barrio Burgers, El Purista, Smash Bros Burgers, and many more.
The best burger in the area is still The Friendly in San Diego. And I still believe the USA does way better burgers than any place in Mexico… but hey… the burger game in Tijuana has grown EXPONENTIALLY in the last couple of years.
Finances are fine for now. I need to make more money. I’m going to New York City with my girlfriend in a month! The most expensive parts are already settled. We got the plane tickets (for only $177 round-trip) and we are staying with my cousin.
We have five full days, and we plan to spend around $100 each on everything. That’s plenty for food, drink, and entertainment.
I need to save money for that. I need to make more money for that. I need to not drink or eat as much as I do outside.
So no more Morris Wine Bar for a while…
I downloaded It Takes Two for the Switch. So far… great! And my girlfriend is enjoying it. She is not much of a gamer, so I have to force that side of her. It’s a great game so far… we gave up on the second boss because she gets frustrated. But I am confident we will finish it.
We finished Club de Cuervos. Great series. The spin-offs from that show… not so much.
And…
The Gringo Hunters. It came out a few weeks ago. The first episode didn’t convince me much. It seemed like another forced Mexican Netflix drama with a bad script. Mexico is not great at doing action sequences, not sure why they keep trying. And the first few minutes started with that… a shitty action sequence. They seemed to hire a good parkour athlete to make an escape… but it was… so shitty.
That’s the main issue with the show… the action sequences are… meh. But that seems to happen in almost any Latin action sequence. The script is not that horrible. And the series… well.. it gets a pass.
I’m mostly watching to see what parts of Tijuana made it in the show. And to complain when they make obvious cut scenes that have nothing to do with the city. Oh.
And the accent.
The two main characters have used words that you never hear in Tijuana: coche, ya te la sabanas, and more. Whenever they say a non-Tijuana word, I look at my girlfriend and ask her if she knows anyone in the city who uses that word. Tiny mistakes, but someone from Tijuana notices that shit. Besides the two main characters, other actors in the show sound more Tijuana-like, which is a big feat. So kudos to The Gringo Hunters. You managed (so far) to do a good action drama in Spanish on Netflix. Based on a true story as well… so I know the stories well and they will fit well with my tours.
This could also be part of the Newsletter. Well… The Gringo Hunters part.
I’m three days sober today. I couldn’t manage not drinking coffee. I had a splitting headache yesterday and felt like shit in general until I finally had coffee.
I can keep it for four or more days sober. I might have a tour tomorrow, so that might make me stop. I can drink less, but sometimes I just go on binges. I start drinking a few hours after breakfast and never stop.
But coffee… Oh, I need my coffee. And coffee also got expensive. Fuck.
Everything is expensive.
I’m 200 followers short of making it to 10,000 on Instagram. Around 1,000 new followers this last month. Not one $ spent. All natural followers. Two videos that accomplish that.
I’m 200 followers short of making it to 20,000 on TikTok. I get a few new followers every day. I’ve been stuck in 19,000 for a long time. Sometimes it feels like TikTok is shadow-banning me. My account has a ban warning for strikes I didn’t commit. Two old videos that were bar reviews got flagged as inappropriate. A few nights ago, I was doing a TikTok live and someone flagged it as promoting sexual content, which it doesn’t at all. I’m a 39-year-old man, bro. Like what the fuck? I talk about my books, my photos, my merch, and other subjects. Sometimes sex is mentioned. But I wasn’t promoting sexual content.
Oh well. It’s just fucking social media.
I started posting on YouTube Shorts again. I stopped because it doesn’t pay. I just started again to keep myself busy (posting old videos). They are doing alright. I’m almost to 2k on YouTube.
I crosspost everything from Instagram to Facebook automatically. That shit can get wild, and I don’t realize it because I don’t use Facebook. I know there is money on that, but I’m just going to continue to do my shit.
Last month, I was depressed because I was growing on social media, and the pressure mounted. I get more recognizable, I get more comments, I get more hate. Fuck that shit.
But at the end… I went through it. Fuck that shit indeed. I don’t care. I just want money. Free food and drinks as well. Let’s make money. Let’s keep getting followers. By the character Matingas, aka myself.
I still don’t get how many people make money with ragebait. I know. Money. But I wouldn’t be able to handle the hate.
I’m too sensitive.
Sensitivity killed Anthony Bourdain. Or depression. Or heartbreak. Or he knew something. Or all of the above.
It’s happening.
I have a massive bachelor party tour this weekend.
They paid the deposit. The plans have been set in motion. I have to make reservations. This is going to be a FUCKING wild one. And it’s okay money. Double the normal tour, so it’s like I did two tours.
It saves the beginning of August. I have a tour in late August. I need to fill my schedule with more tours and more paid gigs.
Back to photography?!
More influencer bullshit?!
More merch!!!
More MERCH!!!
Tote bags and shirts are almost ready. Like always, they are made by the best, Serijuana. That’s my brother, and he truly is the best at it.
It’s my other brother’s birthday. He truly is a better photographer than me. But he doesn’t believe in himself. He could dominate Querétaro if he wanted and believed in himself.
I love both my brothers. Love you, bros!
But give me my merch! I’ve sold some already, so I need to send it soon.
This post needs a picture. There haven’t been many pictures.
Found one:
Picture by Oyuki (my girlfriend) at one of the new favorites, Morris Wine Bar.
And with that… I say bye, and we start August!
Next month, New York City… then low season, and then the year is over.
Holy fuck.
You can buy all my merch, books, prints, and more. You can hire me to be your tour guide in Tijuana or Ensenada. Or you can hire me to be your photographer. Or a guitarist. Or a writer. I can do it all. Well… not really. Just a lot.
Buy my books on Amazon. I’m sure you’ll enjoy them if you enjoyed this. If you didn’t enjoy this… then… what are you doing still here?!
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Matingas 
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