Is Mexico Safe? - Page 467

SchizzMan · 02-23-2012, 09:49 AM

Y'all be careful riding around Taxco if it starts to rain. Gets pretty slick. Kinda like Cuetzalan when it rains. DAMHIK.

tricepilot · 02-23-2012, 09:53 AM

Interesting bit about the alleged gunfights around Tepic. First I've heard of anything involving Tepic. Not saying it isn't happening. Just the first I've heard of it.

We met an American and his wife while in Puerto Escondido, they live in Acapulco full time, they've been there for a number of years. Acapulco is just down the road from Tepic.

This Acapulco American dude is a cyclist, and rides his bicycle in and around Acapulco al the time, most every day. In fact, he's such a cycling nut, he brought his bike to Puerto Escondido. I asked him about the heat in Acapulco. News reports of beheadings and such. He didn't say it didn't happen, but he did say he's never seen so much as a street argument in Acapulco. True, this probably has nothing to do with any actual news reports on Acapulco or Tepic. But it is a first person account of someone not just passing through the area, but living there full time, for several years, and getting outside and out and about. And it's also true that hot spots can boil up, literally overnight. I get it. If nothing else, all of this is interesting, at least to me.

Kevin is Schizzman's friend, who Schizzman helped get across the border a few weeks ago, then Kevin went off on his own in Mexico. Not sure if he is a member here. With this story, I'm now scratching my head trying to think of any actual ADV member first person reports of being on some scene somewhere in Mexico when bullets were flying overhead or nearby. I think there is one report from Batopilas where bullets flew at night and I think hit the member's vehicle. I'll set to finding that. And I think one other ADV member here saw someone chasing another guy with a gun recently in some town. I may have read others but can't remember anything really dramatic as this alleged Tepic incident. If this story is true (and I'm not implying it's not), then for me, this will be the most dramatic first-person account I can remember. Given the state of my memory, perhaps that's not saying much.

But being out on the road (as an ADV motorclist) and just happening to be somewhere when the Mexican army and the cartels get into it, is a stastical rarity. I'm not stating that as a fact, I'm stating that as my opinion. Sure, I get it....my version of "statstical rarity" doesn't count one frijole if it's your ass that's getting shot. But as far as Tepic goes (Tepic is between Mazatlán and Acapulco), I would have to read more up on the alleged corroboration before I felt the need to re-route around it. But that's me.

kennyanc · 02-23-2012, 10:02 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SchizzMan

Y'all be careful riding around Taxco if it starts to rain. Gets pretty slick. Kinda like Cuetzalan when it rains. DAMHIK.

Yeah, I was out walking around this morning and said to myself, "Self, I bet this stuff get slicker than snot when it rains."

It would be hard to walk on much less ride. There are some steep hills here......and all the cobblestones are worn very smooth.

SchizzMan · 02-23-2012, 10:02 AM

^^ And therein lies the difference between being a motorcycle tourist and a resident. I, too, would still ride through
the Tepic area if it were along my route. Even after reading the various news accounts on the link in my previous post.

However, I expect that I would consider the risk factors differently if I lived there full time. But maybe not.

There are many more accounts of such incidents in Mexico than we are offered here, BTW. You must simply ask the right people
to get the stories.

EDIT: should add that I DID ride through Tepic last spring after being warned it was a troubled area. Rode through there solo and
very much on alert. Had/saw no troubles. My friend Kevin was just unlucky. Or lucky, depending on your POV. Literally thousands
of people traveled that road before three riders got caught up in a shooting. I'll take those odds.

tricepilot · 02-23-2012, 10:11 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kennyanc

Yeah, I was out walking around this morning and said to myself, "Self, I bet this stuff get slicker than snot when it rains."

It would be hard to walk on much less ride. There are some steep hills here......and all the cobblestones are worn very smooth.

Pics, Kenny?

tricepilot · 02-23-2012, 10:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BMW Kurt

Well, alrighty then!!!!!!

tricepilot · 02-23-2012, 11:16 AM

Every time I ride Mexico I usually take soccer balls. Well, this time I took kickballs. Easier to pack and as fun to give away.

This little guy got one, along with a tootsie pop, and a lot of love and smiles from our gringo posse.

He lives along Mx 175, somewhere between Oaxaca and Puerto Escondido, out in the middle of "nowhere".

As always, we got more from him than he from us.

BMW Kurt · 02-23-2012, 11:32 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tricepilot

Every time I ride Mexico I usually take soccer balls. Well, this time I took kickballs. Easier to pack and as fun to give away.

This little guy got one, along with a tootsie pop, and a lot of love and smiles from our gringo posse.

He lives along Mx 175, somewhere between Oaxaca and Puerto Escondido, out in the middle of "nowhere".

As always, we got more from him than he from us.

I'm leaving next month and I had planned on taking candy for the kids I met and cigarettes (I don't smoke) for adults.

SchizzMan · 02-23-2012, 11:34 AM

Funny thing is the adult men seemed as appreciative of the lollipops as the kids were.

tricepilot · 02-23-2012, 11:43 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BMW Kurt

I'm leaving next month and I had planned on taking candy for the kids I met and cigarettes (I don't smoke) for adults.

Nice of you to consider the idea.

Be aware that to refuse a gift in Mexico is bad form, so some adults who don't actually smoke will still take those cigs.

tricepilot · 02-23-2012, 11:43 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by schizzman

funny thing is the adult men seemed as appreciative of the lollipops as the kids were.

+1

Both the adult men and women

tricepilot · 02-23-2012, 11:50 AM

Anyone who likes the idea of carrying balls for the kids, something I haven't done but will do next time is also give an adult a tiny pump and needle to keep the thing inflated. I had a nightmare the other night that all those kickballs I gave away are by now deflated.

Taking deflated sports balls (and some small pumps) doesn't take much room, and after they're given away, you have more room to take home artesanias.

Win.

SchizzMan · 02-23-2012, 11:57 AM

Some folks might want to pump theirs up before riding south.

tricepilot · 02-23-2012, 12:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SchizzMan

Some folks might want to pump theirs up before riding south.

I would love to see you pack six inflated kick balls to Mexico

tricepilot · 02-23-2012, 12:10 PM

Not kidding, Salma Hayek is the latest celebrity to do one of the "Got Milk?" ads:

Please hold the standard jokes one would expect with her tied to this particular campaign

02-23-2012, 09:49 AM	#6991
SchizzMan del siglo XX Joined: Dec 2009 Location: Austin, Tx. Oddometer: 5,849	Taxco Y'all be careful riding around Taxco if it starts to rain. Gets pretty slick. Kinda like Cuetzalan when it rains. DAMHIK. __________________ '09 WR250R, '12 R1200GSA "As long as there's a horizon and I can see it, then I want to know what's there, mentally, physically and visually" - rtwpaul

02-23-2012, 09:53 AM	#6992
tricepilot El Gran Payaso Joined: Apr 2006 Location: San Antonio Oddometer: 5,932	Interesting bit about the alleged gunfights around Tepic. First I've heard of anything involving Tepic. Not saying it isn't happening. Just the first I've heard of it. We met an American and his wife while in Puerto Escondido, they live in Acapulco full time, they've been there for a number of years. Acapulco is just down the road from Tepic. This Acapulco American dude is a cyclist, and rides his bicycle in and around Acapulco al the time, most every day. In fact, he's such a cycling nut, he brought his bike to Puerto Escondido. I asked him about the heat in Acapulco. News reports of beheadings and such. He didn't say it didn't happen, but he did say he's never seen so much as a street argument in Acapulco. True, this probably has nothing to do with any actual news reports on Acapulco or Tepic. But it is a first person account of someone not just passing through the area, but living there full time, for several years, and getting outside and out and about. And it's also true that hot spots can boil up, literally overnight. I get it. If nothing else, all of this is interesting, at least to me. Kevin is Schizzman's friend, who Schizzman helped get across the border a few weeks ago, then Kevin went off on his own in Mexico. Not sure if he is a member here. With this story, I'm now scratching my head trying to think of any actual ADV member first person reports of being on some scene somewhere in Mexico when bullets were flying overhead or nearby. I think there is one report from Batopilas where bullets flew at night and I think hit the member's vehicle. I'll set to finding that. And I think one other ADV member here saw someone chasing another guy with a gun recently in some town. I may have read others but can't remember anything really dramatic as this alleged Tepic incident. If this story is true (and I'm not implying it's not), then for me, this will be the most dramatic first-person account I can remember. Given the state of my memory, perhaps that's not saying much. But being out on the road (as an ADV motorclist) and just happening to be somewhere when the Mexican army and the cartels get into it, is a stastical rarity. I'm not stating that as a fact, I'm stating that as my opinion. Sure, I get it....my version of "statstical rarity" doesn't count one frijole if it's your ass that's getting shot. But as far as Tepic goes (Tepic is between Mazatlán and Acapulco), I would have to read more up on the alleged corroboration before I felt the need to re-route around it. But that's me. __________________ Oaxaca The Treasure of the Sierra Madre Into the Blue at Quintana Roo Vaquero On Mexican Time Copper Canyon and Batopilas tricepilot screwed with this post 02-23-2012 at 10:38 AM

02-23-2012, 10:02 AM	#6994
SchizzMan del siglo XX Joined: Dec 2009 Location: Austin, Tx. Oddometer: 5,849	^^ And therein lies the difference between being a motorcycle tourist and a resident. I, too, would still ride through the Tepic area if it were along my route. Even after reading the various news accounts on the link in my previous post. However, I expect that I would consider the risk factors differently if I lived there full time. But maybe not. There are many more accounts of such incidents in Mexico than we are offered here, BTW. You must simply ask the right people to get the stories. EDIT: should add that I DID ride through Tepic last spring after being warned it was a troubled area. Rode through there solo and very much on alert. Had/saw no troubles. My friend Kevin was just unlucky. Or lucky, depending on your POV. Literally thousands of people traveled that road before three riders got caught up in a shooting. I'll take those odds. __________________ '09 WR250R, '12 R1200GSA "As long as there's a horizon and I can see it, then I want to know what's there, mentally, physically and visually" - rtwpaul SchizzMan screwed with this post 02-23-2012 at 10:47 AM

02-23-2012, 11:16 AM	#6997
tricepilot El Gran Payaso Joined: Apr 2006 Location: San Antonio Oddometer: 5,932	The Soccer Ball Tradition Every time I ride Mexico I usually take soccer balls. Well, this time I took kickballs. Easier to pack and as fun to give away. This little guy got one, along with a tootsie pop, and a lot of love and smiles from our gringo posse. He lives along Mx 175, somewhere between Oaxaca and Puerto Escondido, out in the middle of "nowhere". As always, we got more from him than he from us. __________________ Oaxaca The Treasure of the Sierra Madre Into the Blue at Quintana Roo Vaquero On Mexican Time Copper Canyon and Batopilas

02-23-2012, 11:34 AM	#6999
SchizzMan del siglo XX Joined: Dec 2009 Location: Austin, Tx. Oddometer: 5,849	Funny thing is the adult men seemed as appreciative of the lollipops as the kids were. __________________ '09 WR250R, '12 R1200GSA "As long as there's a horizon and I can see it, then I want to know what's there, mentally, physically and visually" - rtwpaul

02-23-2012, 11:50 AM	#7002
tricepilot El Gran Payaso Joined: Apr 2006 Location: San Antonio Oddometer: 5,932	Anyone who likes the idea of carrying balls for the kids, something I haven't done but will do next time is also give an adult a tiny pump and needle to keep the thing inflated. I had a nightmare the other night that all those kickballs I gave away are by now deflated. Taking deflated sports balls (and some small pumps) doesn't take much room, and after they're given away, you have more room to take home artesanias. Win. __________________ Oaxaca The Treasure of the Sierra Madre Into the Blue at Quintana Roo Vaquero On Mexican Time Copper Canyon and Batopilas

02-23-2012, 11:57 AM	#7003
SchizzMan del siglo XX Joined: Dec 2009 Location: Austin, Tx. Oddometer: 5,849	Some folks might want to pump theirs up before riding south. __________________ '09 WR250R, '12 R1200GSA "As long as there's a horizon and I can see it, then I want to know what's there, mentally, physically and visually" - rtwpaul

02-23-2012, 12:10 PM	#7005
tricepilot El Gran Payaso Joined: Apr 2006 Location: San Antonio Oddometer: 5,932	Please Hold Your Jokes Not kidding, Salma Hayek is the latest celebrity to do one of the "Got Milk?" ads: Please hold the standard jokes one would expect with her tied to this particular campaign __________________ Oaxaca The Treasure of the Sierra Madre Into the Blue at Quintana Roo Vaquero On Mexican Time Copper Canyon and Batopilas

Thread Tools	Search this Thread
Show Printable Version Email this Page	Search this Thread: .
Display Modes
Linear Mode Switch to Hybrid Mode Switch to Threaded Mode