Baja California

This Is Pangea, Tijuana's Only Hostel

We paid a visit and were surprised by what we found

The first thing a traveler looks for when deciding for his or her new adventure are hostels and affordable sites to spend the night and enjoy the city without paying an arm and a leg for it. Until recently, Tijuana lacked a place where young people from all over the world could stay without burning a hole in their lil' pockets. Which is why Pangea caught our attention here at SanDiegoRed.com, which promoted itself as TJ's only hostel, or at least the first one in a long time. So we went there, and it's a place that works in a pretty odd way.

Pangea is located on Calle Primera in Downtown Tijuana, between Avenida Revolución and Madero, on the city's first walkway, right in front of the old Wax Museum. We first took notice of the place after receiving multiple Facebook event invites from there, for punk gigs and even a cinema club. Having never heard of it, we decided to schedule a visit with the people in charge of the place and learn what it's all about.

Photo: Daniel Esparza

We were welcomed by Rodrigo Yagües and Alan Lezama, both with close ties to the local art scene. They gave us a tour around the place, which has three floors and a basement, each used for a different thing, and together give the hostel life and complement the ambitious project that officially kicked-off on Halloween of last year.

According to them, Pangea emerged as an extension to their organic farm, which they work alongside the hostel. The farm started close to 6 years ago as a small vegetable garden, growing little by little, working from the perspective of a sustainable community. They registered on WWOOF Mexico and Hope Exchange, which are volunteer programs where people from all around the world look for organic food programs to collaborate on.

This is how their small vegetable garden grew to having more than 650 trees, where they cultivate all types of organic produce. In light of having all types of collaborators, the need to find a larger building for their cooperative began to grow. That's when Rodrigo and his team started to look for a building located in Downtown Tijuana and transform it into a cultural space also. Fatefully, the place was previously owned by Max Mejía (R.I.P.), who was also a cultural and an LGBT rights movement supporter in the region.

Photo: Javier Zamora

The hostel has completely changed the look of the walking section in the area. Being so close to the city's Red Light District, public safety is a concern in the nearby areas. However, since Pangea opened, local police have been patrolling the streets and new streetlights have been installed thanks to efforts made by local groups like Tijuana Te Quiero, resulting in nearby stores closing later than usual, more people walking around and even having more curious eyes checking out the area without the fear of being mugged, or worse.

It's exactly that work effort and changes that inspired the name of the place. Pangea was a supercontinent that existed 300 million years ago, assembled from earlier continental units all amassed together in one piece. In Rodrigo's words, Pangea is the "desire to join all efforts, for everyone to have the same perspective."

Once inside the building, you'll see Verónica Morales on your left, and she's in charge of the kitchen, where she laid out her Oaxacan cuisine project for us. After a few days hanging around with them, she was part of the Pangea team, bringing along a pretty diverse menu, which we were able to try and highly recommend. Most of the ingredients are brought directly from Oaxaca and a lot of the vegetables come from their organic farm. They also have flavored pulque and beer.

Photo: Daniel Esparza

The rest of the first floor consists of a stage already set up with everything a performer needs. An projector and sound system for movies or any event. There's even a book area and multiple murals created by local artists.

Meanwhile, the second floor is completely empty and set up to work as an art gallery. We were also told that this area could be adapted in order for local artists to provide workshops, with the site offering everything that's necessary so kick-start their projects.

Photo: Javier Zamora

The third and last floor is where the guests stay. There is currently space for 8 to 12 people and the rooms have a terrace from where you can see all of Downtown Tijuana. They've had guests from Spain, the U.S. and from others parts of Mexico, all of the having been fascinated by the place and have even gotten involved in the diverse activities that it offers.

"You get that cozy vibe from it, it isn't as formal as a business. We don't have breakfast-lunch packages because we like to keep it pretty down to earth and with a free spirit. A guest that stays here is sure to find some type of event, ranging from different genres. We've really had lots of different types of music, friendly people and even locals, so whoever comes here can spend some time with others, talk, chat, enjoy the music, appreciate art expos, paintings, get to know artists and local musicians. It's really a great place, a great place to do a mix", said Rodrigo.

Photo: Javier Zamora

Among Pangea's short-term plans is expanding their kitchen menu, which will be vegan and it's expect to have only produce straight from their organic farm. They're also thinking on cultivating hop and making their own beer.

The cinema club is every Wednesday at 8:00 p.m. We recommend you go and check out the place for yourself and get to know their concept. Their official Facebook page is Hostal Pangea Tijuana, where you can keep track of their upcoming events.

Follow me on Twitter: @oscarmontt

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oscar.montoya@sandiegored.com

Translated by: edgar.martinez@sandiegored.com

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