Post #636245 by bigbrotiki on Sat, May 12, 2012 10:19 PM

While I am working on a promising lead regarding Frank Bowers research, in the meantime, if any Tiki agents are going to Ensenada, South of Tijuana, please look up this lead:

"HI MR. MY NAME IS ALFREDO DEREK IM WORK IN CONVENTIÓN CENTER RIVIERA IN ENSENADA MEXICO , IN THIS PLACE WE HAVE A PAINT OF FRANK BOWERS
HERE IN MY TOWN IN MY WORK EX-HOTEL PLAYA IS A MURAL PAINT PLIS CAN YOU
MORE INFORMATIÓN OF THE PAINT OF THE MASTER BOWERS PLIS.

ALFREDO DEREK
CENTRO SOCIAL CIVICO Y CULTURAL RIVIERA DE ENSENADA"

(Disclaimer: This is not some Engrish parody, but a genuine request by a Mexican native of Ensenada)

As far as I can gather, what was the Hotel Playa is now the Cultural Center in town. This place had a "Beachcomber Bar", about which Ron posted here 8 years ago:

On 2004-11-16 18:38, bongofury wrote:
Looks like a young Elvis......checkin his fly? This place was a Hotel/Casino opened in 1929 by boxer Jack Dempsey (with alleged backing from Capone). Fell into decline in 1933 and eventually closed. Restored and re-opened in 1977 as the Civic & Cultural center of Ensenada.

Of course, all the pictures are gone on TC! I dimly remember some paper ephemera, but please folks, re-post anything from there here. Adding it all up, it now seems that Bowers painted a mural for it, and it is still there! If I wouldn't be in Munich right now, I would drive down there right now!

Here's further incentive for an expedition to Ensenada:

http://www.tikicentral.com/viewtopic.php?topic=40057&forum=1