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Old 13-10-2010, 22:25   #31
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Geez, willing to accept the risks of sea travel in a little boat, but not on land although most everyone wants to "get-a-long" and exchange dollars/pesos/goods/services/experiences/friendship/whatever?
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Old 13-10-2010, 22:50   #32
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My 7 year old son and I were in Mexico this June for 2 weeks. We were down on the Baja at a town called Vicente Guerrero. My son loves it there. We never felt even concerned about our safety. The only guns I saw were being carried by police or military.

I think it was Heraldo that once said "A house that isn't burning is not news." So all the media jumps on these Violent acts and blows them out of proportion until you think that the whole country is a war zone. It's not. The people love to see us "rich" Americans because they know that were are going to give a boost to their economy.

So don't listen to the news, listen to the people that have been to Mexico recently or are still their. Here is a link to the Third Day blog where they address the issue.
Frank Talk Time | SV THIRD DAY

Go to Mexico and have fun

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Old 13-10-2010, 23:23   #33
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the media hype is all negative and sensational. is ridiculous to believe all of what is read in news papers --even brit ones.,
if everyone believed all the drivel printed, then no one would go anywhere.
so far,most of the violence has been drug and cartel and mexican mafia related. folks i know, myself included, have had no problem in mexico.
just dont read news media--they sensationalize everything.

i wouldnt drive alone at night , however.
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Old 14-10-2010, 00:49   #34
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Mexico is quite dangerous in some spots; it has something like half the violent death rate of the USA, and some parts of Mexico are as dangerous as some bad parts of the USA. Certainly I'd not want to spend my evenings in Cuidad Juarez, Tiajuana, or some of the lonelier stretches along the Texas border. Compared to someplace like Switzerland, Mexico is acutely hazardous. Mexico only looks safe in comparison to violence-plagued countries such as the United States of America.

Latest Lat 38 on-line: "For Mexico as a whole, the death-by-firearms rate for the first half of ‘10 was 5.36 per 100,000. For the United States as a whole, it was 10.2 per 100,000 — or nearly twice as high! "
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Old 14-10-2010, 01:37   #35
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Latest Lat 38 on-line: "For Mexico as a whole, the death-by-firearms rate for the first half of ‘10 was 5.36 per 100,000. For the United States as a whole, it was 10.2 per 100,000 — or nearly twice as high! "
Yeah, but how many deaths by rusty machete are there in the USA? Or death by conversion to pig food? The firearms snippet is a cute one, and it certainly represents something significant, but it doesn't tell the whole story.

Here in the Philippines, it's all done up close with a rusty machete or an ice pick. Hardly anybody can afford guns and ammo here, but everyone's got a blade for splitting the buko (coconuts), and most young guys know how to grind an old screwdriver into a makeshift ice pick. The firearms deaths here would probably be quite low, but the edged weapons would go way up.

Oh yeah, and death by bus. That one happens quite a bit. It's funny how the heads are always flattened somehow...nobody ever dies from crushing trauma to the torso, it's always a broken leg that seconds later becomes a crushed melon (the bus driver, seeing he ran over someone's leg, quickly backs the rear tire over their stationary head). It's how the bus drivers avoid actions against their licenses, I guess. No complaints equals no problems.

It doesn't happen that much, but it does happen. As macabre as it is, it's still funny from a sociological point of view.
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Old 14-10-2010, 08:28   #36
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Mexico, Violence and Safety

If you are interested in a cruisers If you are interested in a cruisers perspective on safety issues while cruising in Mexico, you may want to read the Oct. 10, 2010 electronic version of Latitude 38, a sailing rag published out of San Francisco. The publisher has been organizing a cruising rally for the past 17 years that has been the kick off for hundreds of cruising boats taking off for Mexico and beyond. Reading the last article in this edition may help balance your view of the risks of cruising in Mexico. Good luck and good cruising to you.
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Old 14-10-2010, 12:15   #37
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there have been reports in sensationalistic media about the violence in mexico-- there have been reports of folks pirated and beaten and robbed, for the most part in mexico, anyone who interferes with the tourists is punished. visibly and humiliatingly so. tourism brings in a lot of money for mexico. i watched as thieves were paraded in front of all they knew in town in a policia truck, standing in the crew cab portion that has an open top just for this purpose. this was in san felipe.
i have heard no problems from any one i KNOW who has cruised mexico-- many i know have done this. i plan on doing htis. i have no qualms about travel in mexico. i have my fishing license already and i know how to behave in other nations.
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Old 14-10-2010, 15:14   #38
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there have been reports in sensationalistic media about the violence in mexico-- there have been reports of folks pirated and beaten and robbed, for the most part in mexico, anyone who interferes with the tourists is punished. visibly and humiliatingly so. tourism brings in a lot of money for mexico. i watched as thieves were paraded in front of all they knew in town in a policia truck, standing in the crew cab portion that has an open top just for this purpose. this was in san felipe.
i have heard no problems from any one i KNOW who has cruised mexico-- many i know have done this. i plan on doing htis. i have no qualms about travel in mexico. i have my fishing license already and i know how to behave in other nations.
It's an important point you make, about the media sensationalizing overseas violence. If they truly were objective, they'd also list Detroit, Baltimore and New Orleans as absolute no-no's for travel right alongside the worst areas of Mexico.

It has nothing to do with objectivity, though. It has to do with a weak national economy, and everyone wants to keep the dollars states-side rather than shipping them out to Mexico, or Asia or wherever. It's a concentrated effort, and what's amazing is that people don't call the bluff very often.

As cruisers we have perspectives which are closer to accurate than the talking heads on TV. But we also don't have $50billion bullhorns that we can use to influence people. The internet will eventually change all of this, if it's allowed to remain essentially an open environment, but for the time being we will have to continue to accept that the media will essentially do the state's bidding on certain issues. This is one of them, I'm afraid

Mexico's great. Just don't go to their version of Baltimore, or Detroit, or whatever. Stay in the historically 'tourist' type areas and you're safe, for sure. Can you imagine the negative impact on the Mexican tourism industry if there were a rash of disappearances/kidnappings on spring break in Cancun? They're too vested in us to just let the monkey gangs walk in and start raising hell.
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Old 14-10-2010, 15:36   #39
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Mexico??

Mexico is a great place, I have spent a great deal of time there over the years. But right now the inmates are running the institution The question for me would be with 195 countries in the world why would I want to go to a country where the violence is out of control, with no reasonable expectation of my safety. Even if the odds of getting killed by accident have only risen to 1 in 500,000 I still wouldn't want to take that bet. I like adverture as much as the next guy but going unarmed into a wild west shootout is not my idea of fun. I have 194 other choices.
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Old 14-10-2010, 15:47   #40
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Am I over reacting???
You are with the font size you're using.
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Old 14-10-2010, 15:53   #41
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I've had zero problems in Mexico, either as delivery skipper or cruiser. There are places in each port that one has to avoid and most of those can be gleaned from talking to other cruisers, marina staff, or simply not venturing into back streets after dark.

The vast majority of Mexicans I've met and spent time with are generous, fun loving, and respectful. They also understand the situation, possibly better than you do. They live there 24/7 and you're just passing through. If you decide to write off Mexico, or any country, because of random acts of violence, IMO, you will miss out on some fantastic cruising grounds, incredible cultural diversity, and a wealth of understanding.
I don't consider over 5,000 people killed in a year through drug violence random acts. Heck, that's as many American troops that have been killed in the whole time the US has be overseas in the Arab states, and no one is calling those deaths random acts.
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Old 14-10-2010, 16:03   #42
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This should be kept in context. The US had over 1,000 murders per month in 2009 too.
Since we're talking about the southern border, it should be noted that many were caused by people from south of the border. It's not an unknown feeling in many of the small villages and towns in Mexico of this violence, and they are just as concerned about what's going on their country as we are.
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Old 14-10-2010, 16:19   #43
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A good reason TO travel to Mexico or any other friendly third world country is because they need the money,more than we do at home.Maybe we can help to reduce crime and the apalling conditions these people endure,by helping these countries prosper, as we have.
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Old 14-10-2010, 16:39   #44
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We have been living in Mexico continuously for the past year and although I am not walking around with rose colored glasses I feel that for the most part Mexico is much safer than the US news media and many of the US citizens would have us believe. It really is a shame that the U.S. media has most of its people convinced that Mexico is war zone because it simply is not true. I guess some people are meant to think for themselves and others prefer to have others think for them.
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Old 14-10-2010, 17:01   #45
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I can't speak to visitng on a boat, but have driven the length and breath of Mexico on three seperate occasions. I loved it and hated it at the same time. It's a gorgious country and most folks are very friendly. Even the scores of corrupt cops, which one encounters daily along the roads, are pleasant and not overly greedy.

You are obviously conversent with Mexico's firearm's regulations. Only criminals have guns in Mexico and many of those criminals wear government uniforms. Do not be caught in Mexico with a gun!

Violence aside, I will give Mexico a miss for the forseeable future. The pervasive culture of corruption is enough reason to bypass Mexico for more friendly and accomodating climes.

Shame, for despite the negatives I really did enjoy the place.
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