day 1: arrived in Playas de Tijuana with Jenny Marketou (artist of
"Translocal: Camp in My Tent" project), we got lost at the border, so we
emailed Fran Ilich (director of Borderhack) from my cellphone which has
a webconnection (for some reason i think they scramble the mobile
network once you cross the border, so you cannot communicate, send or
receive phone calls on your mobile)–luckily the web saved us, i told
fran to call Jenny's number, and finally we found our way.

met w/ fran ilich (conceptualiser of borderhack), luis humberto rosales
(organiser of borderhack), cindy flores (organiser of cyberfeministas
panel) as soon as we got to playas de tijuana, there was only a fax
machine, cables everywhere, phone/data lines strewn on the floor next to
the lighthouse–but we could call anywhere in the world…it was like
the communications headquarters, like setting up a military camp, with
means of transmitting information, data out of the camp, and receiving
from the rest of the world…

there were some workshops going on in lean-to's; but day 1 was mostly
setting up the infrastructure, as most of the participants arrived the
next day…

we went down on the beach where the tents were being set up, next to the
10' high metal wall dividing the first and third world…

on the other side, the american side, were 2 border patrol cars, waiting
and ready for action…it seemed a fairly benign situation, seagulls
flying freely between the two geopolitical territories, unaware of the
presence of this defining line…couples were strolling hand in hand
along the beach, and vendors were selling their brightly colored wares;
but in the midst of all this, i spotted someone squeezed through between
the gap in the wall, and i said to myself–it can't be—this person
can't be attempting to cross the border in broad daylight! and with the
2 border patrols waiting, crouching to pounce–but in a blink of an
instant, i saw 2 men running across the sand dunes up the beach, only to
be caught by the u.s. border patrol; and handcuffed–then put into the
patrol cars…!

since indymedia crew was filming this, i thought to myself, maybe this
was all staged? but then it can't be, so i asked 2 locals why did they
do it? and their response was: "…even for one instant, their wish was
simply to touch freedom and 'the american dream' on the other side…"

the day ended with electronic music crossing both borders, as sound was
easier to pass the border patrol, it was hosted by gabriel of club
orbit.

relevant links: