Is Mexico Safe?

[MikeMike]

GREAT!
Once you ride here you will understand that for guys who rack up big miles over the years in Mexico and those of us that live here and ride here everyday, we are more worried about other dangers than punks with guns.
We are worried about:
sand in a corner from mountain rains and run off
barbed wire
water and dirt in fuel
heat
humidity
premium gas or not at the Pemex
flat tires at speed
topes that are unmarked especially in the wet
really stoned or wired double trailer truckers
torrential rains
hurricanes
losing a piece of luggage
hangovers
weight gain from good fresh food and breakfast steaks with chiles and onions
camera batteries
landslides
rock falls
washouts
protests that close highways
political rallies that close town squares
etc...

[airdale7]

The water was ankle deep on a KLR.

Find out where at www.twowheelsthreeamericas.com

[MikeMike]

Craneguy and I rode through that in Xalapa. LOL!

[mark883]

Originally Posted by MikeMike

GREAT!
Once you ride here you will understand that for guys who rack up big miles over the years in Mexico and those of us that live here and ride here everyday, we are more worried about other dangers than punks with guns.
We are worried about:
sand in a corner from mountain rains and run off
barbed wire
water and dirt in fuel
heat
humidity
premium gas or not at the Pemex
flat tires at speed
topes that are unmarked especially in the wet
really stoned or wired double trailer truckers
torrential rains
hurricanes
losing a piece of luggage
hangovers
weight gain from good fresh food and breakfast steaks with chiles and onions
camera batteries
landslides
rock falls
washouts
protests that close highways
political rallies that close town squares
etc...

You forgot:

Even though you've traveled Mexico with no intestinal distress so far, you know that somewhere out there, there is a piece of lettuce with your name on it. (but the food is worth the risk)

and, a somewhat related theme:

lack of toilet seat in places

[MikeMike]

Originally Posted by mark883

You forgot:

Even though you've traveled Mexico with no intestinal distress so far, you know that somewhere out there, there is a piece of lettuce with your name on it. (but the food is worth the risk)

and, a somewhat related theme:

lack of toilet seat in places

Isn't there a "Are Toilet Seats Safe" thread somewhere?

Travler's intestinal upset is no longer the threat it once was. I can remember when the only bottled water for sale in convenience stores was either a half a liter of Evian (naive spelled backwards by the way) or a 4 liter jug of Bonafont.
And they were priced about the same!

[mark883]

Originally Posted by MikeMike

Isn't there a "Are Toilet Seats Safe" thread somewhere?

Travler's intestinal upset is no longer the threat it once was. I can remember when the only bottled water for sale in convenience stores was either a half a liter of Evian (naive spelled backwards by the way) or a 4 liter jug of Bonafont.
And they were priced about the same!

More than once, I've brushed my teeth in the sink down there and thought, "gee maybe I shouldn't have..."

I've even trusted the water carafe in a few hotel rooms. Maybe I shouldn't have... no ill effects.

Bottled water is definitely a boon for gringo travelers down there. No excuse not to stay well hydrated. The greenies may not be impressed, but if my gut is happy, I'm happy.

Every time I use the bathrooms on the Indiana Turnpike, I think: "Gee I've been to nicer places in Mexico." There are spotless places in Mexico- even on their toll roads.

[mark883]

Originally Posted by kobukan

I give up. My point has been missed completely and the conversation has gone off in a completely different direction. I appreciate all the info. I'll still be riding in Mexico.

Don't take it personal. You're sure welcome around here.

You've got your solo to Mexico ticket punched, that's more than probably a lot of people on adv can say. You've been to CC and Baja, which I haven't visited, but would love to see.

Ride on, and enjoy the trip- that's what's important.

[rockymountainoyster]

The brits "invented" IPA because the hops acted as a preservative for the long trip to India round the Cape of Good Hope. It would not surprise me if the extra dose of hops, besides being excellent on the taste buds, didn't ward off some of the evil thingies in the water. The reason that Corona is such shit and tastes skunky is no hops and clear glass bottles. The beer is spoiled by the time it reaches your lips... hence the "limon" enough limon will cover any rotten taste, though when you put it on it makes them squirm a bit at first.

[MikeMike]

Bingo!
The Oyster speaks words of wisdom.
Corona proves that marketing can accomplish what a product cannot.
It reminds me of the old saying that a squirrel is nothing more than a rat with a good publicist!
Just like a certain French kidnapper...

[rockymountainoyster]

I have not seen any of you mention carrying a GS 911 to figure out and even reset certain GS fault codes. I considered bringing one on this trip but could not find a small PC in a timely fashion, they don't work with Apple. I am a mechanical ignoramus when it comes to my 1150 GS and just hope that I don't have any trip stopping problems. What many of you say about mechanical issues is certainly worth hearing. Mike Mike's words about having to stash the bike somewhere and ride a chicken bus are not taken lightly. That said I would rather have a breakdown in Mexico where there are chicken buses, there are places to stash your bike, and some kind of help can be found. In the Four Corners of the SW there are no chicken buses, there is no water, there is no place to stash your bike, people do not stop to see if you need help, there is no water, if you do stash your bike some moron with a pistol of rifle might put a few holes in it just because its there, there is no water, and... did I mention it? There is no water, just you, your feet and a long, hot dusty road.

[PirateJohn]

Originally Posted by kobukan

I give up. My point has been missed completely and the conversation has gone off in a completely different direction. I appreciate all the info. I'll still be riding in Mexico.

I saw your first comment and held my tongue (keyboard) and I have to be honest - I don't see the point that you are making and I don't understand why you prickle when we (or I) compare Mexican episodes to US episodes.

Because they are genuinely comparable.

The shots fired at the rider and a hijacking of an RVer's pickup that I posted here recently all occurred near Alamos. That used to be an enclave of wealthy gringos (I walked over to Carroll O'Conner's house back in the day and Paul Newman, among others, used to have houses there as well).

I have spoken to the lady that was in the group that got shot at. She said it was just one of those things.

Hell, I was warned about bandits on the very roads they were on over a decade ago.

Now, moving to the USA. Urban setting, because that's just the way that things work. Do you know why rental cars in Florida no longer have special license plates? That's because too many bandits and car jackers were targeting the tourists.

There are more tourist car jackings in Jacksonville and Greater Miami than there is in all of Mexico.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

[rockymountainoyster]

I learned awhile back that one has to develop a thick skin and take nothing personally when posting on this site. We, me included, can be a pretty merciless lot about some things and also be quite generous about other things, witness the contributions to Doña Sara, a completely selfless act of spontaneous generosity. People step up here with all kinds of information. kobukan... I hope you keep posting, I have found your posts interesting and informative, and often based in a life lived, very valuable. Let's face it, the world at large is a more dangerous place than it was in the post WW 2 years. My children growing up in the early 21st Century did not know the idyll of my life in the mid-fifties in suburbia. They also did not know of "duck and cover" drills because the big bad Russian Bear was going to fly over the DEW line and drop a nuke on our little asses. The bottom line is that the "powers that be" love to keep us in line through fear of all kinds. Most of us just shuffle along with the flock, never put our heads up to see the lies, never set our gaze on a distant shore, de-cerebrate ourselves with shitty beer, crappy weed, bad television and worse sporting events. IMO, of course IMO, I just wrote it.

[rockymountainoyster]

While you guys are watching a "sports" event on Sunday I will be trying to figure out how to post a video from SmugMug to this site because I have been warned about asking stupid questions that can be easily answered after a few hours of wading through the SmugMug site, trying things that don't work, and a few more hours of wading through the "How to Post an Image" thread.

[Craneguy]

Hey Rocky, how did you collect in the end? I hope she was made whole...

[MikeMike]

GS-911 is an expensive piece that might interface with your phone and might not.
Some independent shops have them. I ve never needed one, I think it is more of a shoptool than a road tool.
By the time you wire up the laptop, hopefully charged, read the code, and hopefully get the diagnosis, you will still be waiting for a tow, or pushing it somewhere.
It can tell you the problem but you might need a shop manual, too. Not to mention some parts you could be waiting days or weeks for.

Backordered to Germany happens.

I carry my shop manual on my phone in PDF along with some sound advice service notes. Beyond that, it is up to the Virgin of Guadalupe to decide who rides and who walks, afterall, it' s Mexico, and Darwin, like chrome, won' t get you home!