I read this today in the Western Onion and thought it worth sharing:
Is Mexico Safe ... Really? (edited for length - Editor) - For the past 12 years I have been sailing in Mexican waters, from Tijuana to Cabo San Lucas
throughout the Sea of Cortes, and down to Zihuatenejo. As a female captain, I was especially concerned about safety when I left the US. I skipper my
36’ sloop short-handed, often only with students or children. I have also driven the entire Baja highway to Cabo 76 times, and have crossed thousands
of miles of mainland Mexico by myself. Not once did I fear for my safety. Mexico’s problem are the internal rivalries between drug cartels, and do not
involve the foreigners. In all of my years in Mexico, neither I, nor anyone I know, was involved in any dangerous situation involving the cartels or
others.
Whenever I had a problem, either with boat or car, Mexicans would show their incredible ingenuity and kindness, and the problem was quickly fixed,
either for a "tip" (propina), or unbelievably inexpensively.... I have traveled around the world, but have never met a people so willing to give
anything and everything they have to show their hospitality. When I needed a safe place to leave my boat for the summer, I found Marina Isla Navidad,
a "hurricane hole" about 134 miles south of Puerto Vallarta, in Barra Navidad. It turned out to be the best marina in Mexico, and better than most in
the world! My boat is safe; guarded 24/7 and maintained by a conscientious staff.Lee - 10-10-2012 at 09:23 AM
This Skipper is fearless.
No question how she would act if pulled over by a cop.Mula - 10-10-2012 at 10:13 AM
I have driven up and down and across Mexico - mainland and Baja since the early 1970's - mostly by myself - and never had a problem (knock on wood).
First trip to Mexico being in 1956.
I feel much safer here than in the USA!shari - 10-10-2012 at 04:00 PM
thanks for posting this Blanca....I have had pretty much the same experience as a single traveler over the last 24 years too...rare are the problems
and endless are the solutions and helpfulness of the mexicanos.mulegemichael - 10-10-2012 at 04:26 PM
been driving and scratching my way up and down the peninsula since early 70s with nary a problem...none..nada..that's why we're here half of our life.BajaGringo - 10-10-2012 at 04:46 PM
Don't wish to be the party pooper here but I really think this thread is heading down a slippery slope. I think the fact that so many of you have
never had anything happen over so many years is something to be thankful for - not gloat about or tout as the defining evidence that it is "safe".
Personally, after what happened to us last year I have come to reassess our personal safety EVERYWHERE we go - north and south of the border.
I do agree with those who posted here on the general warmth and hospitality of the locals down here and the fact that Cristina and I survived our
ordeal we owe 100% to our local community around us. They literally saved our lives and helped the police to catch the perps.
Even discounting the percentage of violence that is cop vs. bad guy and bad guy vs. bad guy, the reality is that there still remain vast, open areas
here on the peninsula where many of us travel and/or live. Never doubt for a moment that there are also bad guys just waiting for their opportunity to
take advantage of that geographical anomaly. That is the reality of crime everywhere and here down in Baja it does at times, resemble the old, wild
west. If you choose to ignore that fact you risk falling prey to types like the three thugs that got ahold of us.
It is just the plain, simple truth. And yet having said that I still couldn't imagine living anywhere else...
[Edited on 10-11-2012 by BajaGringo]Lee - 10-10-2012 at 05:42 PM
Quote:
Originally posted by BajaGringo
Don't wish to be the party pooper here but I really think this thread is heading down a slippery slope.
Here here! Well put. I think the wisdom you write, from personal experience, is shared with those who travel the peninsula.
It helps to pay attention.bajafam - 10-10-2012 at 06:06 PM
Safety is subjective. What does "safe" mean to you? Does it mean there is no chance whatsoever of harm coming to you in any way ( and in that vein,
what does "harm" mean?), that you are able to do whatever you what without thinking that something "may" happen? Does "safe" mean that you can leave
your doors unlocked, your keys in your car, your children outside to play unsupervised? Or does it simply mean that you don't have to worry about
anything? I'm not naive. I know that "bad things" happen everywhere. I know that not everyone lives in a community that looks out for their well being
or the well being of their children. There are few places like that that still exist in our everchanging world. But I also know that I have been
blessed to be accepted into one such community...in Baja. In the states, I feel a bit of that same "safety", although there, it is only given by
isolation. That certainly doesn't mean that whenever and wherever me and my family travel we aren't prepared "just in case". Not to say that if
something terrible was to happen we would 100% overcome it, just that we are prepared and know that things can go awry in any location. Fear is a
terrible thing. It can make you crazy. Even when bad things happen, it's important to overcome them. I have been told by many of my friends in the
states that I am crazy for continuing to bring my family to Mexico, but I pay them no nevermind. In my small city in the states, drugs run rampant,
people are shot in the Wal-Mart parking lot, so it IS a bit of a relief when we escape here. One should never let fear drive or blind reality. That
ain't livin'.
