Now is not a good time to go to Mexico ...
- Thread starter fredaevans
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westcoast
Well-known member
It's sad what is happening there now. Back in 1996 I toured the Pacific Coast Resort towns down to Acapulco by Jeep over a 5 month period and never had any problems.
silver creek
Well-known member
jr spey
Well-known member
There are lots of places in Mexico that haven't been safe for a long time. I just quit going to the country at all about 10 years ago after a really nasty trip to Casa Blanca. That had more to do with government officials, but I just said to myself there are too many other places to fish to mess with this garbage. It's one reason (safety) I won't go to Venezuela either.
karstopo
Well-known member
When I grew up in the 1960s and 1970s it was nothing to go to the border towns below Texas and have a great time eating, drinking, shopping, going to races, hunting or fishing. Dad and a bunch of his fishing buddies would stick me and another kid in the camper and drive down well into Tamaulipas for some camping and beach fishing or dove hunting. There were great famous restaurants on the Mexican side in towns like Reynosa and Nuevo Laredo where the frog legs were top notch along with the onion rings and margaritas. You didn’t need a passport or a bunch of money to have a good time.
It’s too bad the USA has an insatiable need for illegal drugs. I sometimes think make it all legal and then the bulk of the violence would eventually go away. I feel sorry for Mexico and the mostly innocent folks that have to deal with the violence. We knew of a person with family in Tamaulipas whose sister disappeared during a bout of drug gang violence.
It’s too bad the USA has an insatiable need for illegal drugs. I sometimes think make it all legal and then the bulk of the violence would eventually go away. I feel sorry for Mexico and the mostly innocent folks that have to deal with the violence. We knew of a person with family in Tamaulipas whose sister disappeared during a bout of drug gang violence.
littledavid123
Well-known member
My family had travelled to Cancun many times but 12 years ago was our last visit. The thugs cruising the streets were already making it unsafe to be out at night and during the day the vendors were emboldened to rip the tourist off. We travel the US exclusively now.
Dave
Dave
dean_mt
Well-known member
Then don't, Mike. You don't think that there is any coincidence between the US State Dept declaring Mexican border states on par with Syria and the US President's administrations yearning desire to build a wall? Please. Comparing Mexico to Syria and Afghanistan is right on par with the rest of fever pitch hyperbole coming out Washington D.C.
itchmesir
Well-known member
So we can keep our murderers safe? 2016 the United States reported 17250 murders. Lock up those crazy crackers too. Seeing as in 2017 they accounted for 54 mass shootings.
themistocles
Member
Before this thread spins completely out of control let’s take a closer look at the state department issued travel warnings. Yes there are five states and a few cities that are classified Level 4 no-go, but the sportfishing-centric states of Baja, Yucatan and Quintana Roo are rated Level 2: Exercise Increased Caution. This is the same level as the UK and France and a bunch of other countries that don’t have a pronounced drug cartel problem.
Last fall my wife and I traveled to Isla Holbox to chase tarpon and felt safe as kittens. I think there are three policemen on the island who share one pistol. Two years ago we travelled around Tulum in a rental car with no obvious issues. I am sure that bad stuff happens there, but bad stuff happens in parts of Des Moines too. Should we redline travel to Iowa?
I certainly don’t begrudge anyone for not travelling if they don’t feel safe, especially if it is going to interfere with their enjoyment. Undoubtedly, Mexico has gotten tremendously more dangerous in the past twenty years. As a matter of fact, many parts of Mexico have had violence and safety problems for a very long time. I vividly remember driving into and around Acapulco in the early 90’s and having my fight or flight reaction triggered several times. I have not and would not go back there. The unfortunate part off this whole situation is that a lot of innocent, hard working people who don’t live in the shadow of the cartels, and who depend on American tourists for their survival will be hurt – undeservedly. We compound their problems when we paint the whole country with a really broad brush.
I also realize that personal safety is relative and I may be on one end of that spectrum. I live in New York City and travel through Times Square and Ground Zero a dozen times a week. I know a lot of people wouldn’t go near those areas. Thank goodness for the tourists who hear of the crime, safety - and dare we mention terrorism - issues in New York but they still come to my city and spend money and support our economy. I guess I feel an obligation to help people in other places who face the same problems.
Mexico Travel Advisory
Last fall my wife and I traveled to Isla Holbox to chase tarpon and felt safe as kittens. I think there are three policemen on the island who share one pistol. Two years ago we travelled around Tulum in a rental car with no obvious issues. I am sure that bad stuff happens there, but bad stuff happens in parts of Des Moines too. Should we redline travel to Iowa?
I certainly don’t begrudge anyone for not travelling if they don’t feel safe, especially if it is going to interfere with their enjoyment. Undoubtedly, Mexico has gotten tremendously more dangerous in the past twenty years. As a matter of fact, many parts of Mexico have had violence and safety problems for a very long time. I vividly remember driving into and around Acapulco in the early 90’s and having my fight or flight reaction triggered several times. I have not and would not go back there. The unfortunate part off this whole situation is that a lot of innocent, hard working people who don’t live in the shadow of the cartels, and who depend on American tourists for their survival will be hurt – undeservedly. We compound their problems when we paint the whole country with a really broad brush.
I also realize that personal safety is relative and I may be on one end of that spectrum. I live in New York City and travel through Times Square and Ground Zero a dozen times a week. I know a lot of people wouldn’t go near those areas. Thank goodness for the tourists who hear of the crime, safety - and dare we mention terrorism - issues in New York but they still come to my city and spend money and support our economy. I guess I feel an obligation to help people in other places who face the same problems.
Mexico Travel Advisory
silver creek
Well-known member
I have been to Mexico well over 20 times. I've been to the tip of Baja (Cabo San Lucas), to the west coast (Guamas, Los Mochis, Mazatlan, San Blas, Acapulco, Ixtapa, and Puerto Vallarta) and to Cancun. I've even driven through the interior and been to Mexico City.
But that was then and this is now and unfortunately, it is not safe. It is not only violence. It is also spiked drinks and resorts that knowingly use bootlegged liquor made in unregulated stills.
The story was broken by a Wisconsin newspaper that investigated several reports of Wisconsin citizens who were drugged, robbed and died due to spiked drinks in all inclusive resorts. Mexican police refused to investigate and the US consulate was of no help. You are on your own. Finally the publicity was too much and Mexican authorities seized 10,000 gallons of bad booze in just 31 bars and hotels. That is over 320 gallons at each location! How about the hundreds of hotels and bars that were not raided. Finally the USA issued travel warning about tainted booze.
I have literally spent 10s of thousands of $$$ in Mexico but no more until they make it safe for me and my family to visit. If you are not safe drinking in your all inclusive resort, where are you safe. Abbey thought she was safe.
U.S. warns tourists about tainted alcohol in Mexico
https://graphics.jsonline.com/jsi_news/documents/mexico-federal-health-system.pdf
See:
All-inclusive resorts in Mexico suspected of drugging tourists
Mexico raids 31 hot spots, 10,000 gallons of illegal alcohol seized after Wisconsin woman's death at posh resort | Fox News
10,000 gallons of bad booze seized from Mexican resorts | New York Post
https://www.cnn.com/2017/07/27/us/mexico-state-department-alcohol-warning/index.html
https://www.jsonline.com/story/news...ake-action-tainted-alcohol-resorts/519101001/
https://www.jsonline.com/story/news...ughters-mysterious-drowning-mexico/469647001/
But that was then and this is now and unfortunately, it is not safe. It is not only violence. It is also spiked drinks and resorts that knowingly use bootlegged liquor made in unregulated stills.
The story was broken by a Wisconsin newspaper that investigated several reports of Wisconsin citizens who were drugged, robbed and died due to spiked drinks in all inclusive resorts. Mexican police refused to investigate and the US consulate was of no help. You are on your own. Finally the publicity was too much and Mexican authorities seized 10,000 gallons of bad booze in just 31 bars and hotels. That is over 320 gallons at each location! How about the hundreds of hotels and bars that were not raided. Finally the USA issued travel warning about tainted booze.
I have literally spent 10s of thousands of $$$ in Mexico but no more until they make it safe for me and my family to visit. If you are not safe drinking in your all inclusive resort, where are you safe. Abbey thought she was safe.
U.S. warns tourists about tainted alcohol in Mexico
https://graphics.jsonline.com/jsi_news/documents/mexico-federal-health-system.pdf
See:
All-inclusive resorts in Mexico suspected of drugging tourists
Mexico raids 31 hot spots, 10,000 gallons of illegal alcohol seized after Wisconsin woman's death at posh resort | Fox News
10,000 gallons of bad booze seized from Mexican resorts | New York Post
https://www.cnn.com/2017/07/27/us/mexico-state-department-alcohol-warning/index.html
https://www.jsonline.com/story/news...ake-action-tainted-alcohol-resorts/519101001/
https://www.jsonline.com/story/news...ughters-mysterious-drowning-mexico/469647001/
weiliwen
Well-known member
This is more evidence that we need a new president. This announcement is purely political in nature. Trump is trying to pressure Mexico, and trying to convince the under-informed US citizens that we need a wall on the Mexican border, which is not the case. The wall needs to be built around the White House.
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