People ask me, regularly, how they can travel safely to Mexico. Here I have impeccable advice: follow this, and you're pretty much guaranteed to keep your head. Taking notes? Good.
Do not, under any circumstances, take a job with a major drug cartel. Just say no. You do not want to be a hit man, or a mule, or even middle management -- that's how people get killed.
I mean it: that is how people get killed. Sunbathing, on the other hand, is oddly uneventful. Yes, there are a few places in Mexico that I would avoid, unless I were applying for that gig (which I urge you to reconsider). Most border towns are not the destination of choice, except I suppose when brothel-hopping, in which case I'm told a soupçon of danger is bracing (and well-deserved). Acapulco too has declined. It was once a town in which you had a good chance of having a bad time. It is now a town in which you have no chance of having a good time.
Mexico's homicide rate as a nation isn't even world-class. The country is in fact something of a sissy relative to the thugs in the neighborhood. Before avoiding Mexico, cross the following nations off your list: Honduras, El Salvador, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Venezuela, Jamaica, Belize, Guatemala, Bahamas, Columbia, South Africa, Trinidad and Tobago, Brazil... ah, but I'm boring you. I shouldn't be: All of these countries -- and this is only half the list -- are murderfests relative to Mexico. Some of these places are worse than Miami.
I was meaning more allied casualties. Plus the fact they are spending/have been spending far more on that war than trying to sort out the cartels.
It's weird, I was in Mexico for a month in 2000 (the majority in non tourist places) going from DF - Guadalajara - Tequila - Tepic - Vallarta and didn't see any trouble. Granted this is before Calderon but it was obviously still happening. We were even advised not to say too much to taxi beetle drivers in D.F. On one of our last nights there we dragged the driver out sat on his bonnet and got out photo taken.
What I meant by posting that article was that not all Mexico is violence ridden, and that you have to take the same safety measurements as anywhere else. Period. I think the writer hit the nail on that.
EL PASO, Texas -- For the first time, El Paso has been named the city with the lowest crime rate in the United States with a population of over 500,000 residents.
Officials said El Paso Police Chief Greg Allen was proud to announce the ranking, which has just been released by CQ Press in its latest city crime rankings.
Honolulu, HI was the second safest city and New York, NY was the third.
Since 1997, El Paso has been ranked in the second or third spot of safest cities by this independent study. Other Texas cities in the top 10 are Austin at No. 6 and Fort Worth at No. 10.
EL PASO, Texas -- For the first time, El Paso has been named the city with the lowest crime rate in the United States with a population of over 500,000 residents.
Officials said El Paso Police Chief Greg Allen was proud to announce the ranking, which has just been released by CQ Press in its latest city crime rankings.
Honolulu, HI was the second safest city and New York, NY was the third.
Since 1997, El Paso has been ranked in the second or third spot of safest cities by this independent study. Other Texas cities in the top 10 are Austin at No. 6 and Fort Worth at No. 10.
I guess because it's FULL of law enforcement.
I find that very surprising considering the slums of Mexico are right across the border. Interesting.
perkana wrote:
Do not, under any circumstances, take a job with a major drug cartel. Just say no. You do not want to be a hit man, or a mule, or even middle management -- that's how people get killed.
This video has gone viral since yesterday, it's done by a movement who support the victims' families...everybody in the video are artists, in the end they show the real people. It's in Spanish but it's pretty neat
Don't know if you've heard about the "Fast and Furious" program run by the DEA?
The House committee has been investigating the actions by ATF and Justice Department officials involving the gun trafficking case that resulted in about 2,000 guns being allowed to go to drug cartels and criminal groups in Mexico. The ATF operation took a tragic toll when two guns linked to the operation were found near slain U.S. Border Patrol agent Brian Terry on Dec. 14, 2010.
Matz wrote:I wonder how many major drug lords there are in South America these days? Like Escobar type people
I imagine quite a few. The money that is involved is HUGE. Money buys them politicians, police, the army you name it. And if you can't be bought, you can be killed.
perkana wrote:Don't know if you've heard about the "Fast and Furious" program run by the DEA?
The House committee has been investigating the actions by ATF and Justice Department officials involving the gun trafficking case that resulted in about 2,000 guns being allowed to go to drug cartels and criminal groups in Mexico. The ATF operation took a tragic toll when two guns linked to the operation were found near slain U.S. Border Patrol agent Brian Terry on Dec. 14, 2010.
The Canadian Government suggests people exercise a "high degree of caution" when travelling to Mexico and basically says stay the fuck away from the Mexico-U.S. border:
Although 1.5 million Canadians travel to Mexico each year, dozens have been killed there in the last few years, which is a much higher rate than other countries. Many of them were killed at tourist resorts:
Although I'm not really into beach vacations, I would love to visit Mexico. I think it's culture is beautiful and I am a fanatic for Mexican food. However, I have to admit, this shit scares me.