Is Mexico Safe?

[MikeMike]

Originally Posted by Kiko

and 60 Canadians murdered in Mexico in 2011,

Really?
First I've heard of that. Maybe it should be 6 and not 60?
That is 5 a month average. I know the Canuck embassy in DF would have issued one of their "day late and loonie short"
and "roll up the rim to win" travel advisories by email if that had happened.

[Kiko]

Here's where I dug up the stats,

http://www.mexicomike.com/safety/saf...epartment.html

I read the article again, and the number of 60 murdered Canadians was in 2010 not 2011.

The article also mentions that 2 Canadians are murdered daily in Canada where 45 Americans are murdered daily in the US. How's that compare to the 130 Americans murdered in Mexico in all of 2011? Only takes three days in the US to roll over 45 murders as compared to the 130 murders in Mexico.

[mark883]

Look at the stats for Chicago over Memorial Day.

I think it was 10 dead, 40 shot.

They were shootin' folks at family BBQs.

[tricepilot]

I present.......

JackL and his visit to Casa Tricepilot this afternoon for some tire swapping and cervazas.......



Our man Jack:

Mexico and Central America for the Winter

Jack L's Thailand Cambodia Adventure

La Grande Toure (The Big Trip) Year 2 & 3

Pulling out a few tricks at the Tire Academy:





Tricepilot's Mad Scientist Tire Academy

Tricepilot's KLR Doohickey Laboratory

Tricepilot's Annual Texas Big Pit BBQ

[PVMotos]

Originally Posted by Kiko

slipknot> "In between postings of beer, food, etc., there is still some relevant discussion here of whether or not travel in Mexico is safe. At what point do the advocates of it being safe, decide it is not safe?

Please, some serious answers."

When the day comes that Americans are targeted by cartels, then I may rethink my position as to my safety in Mexico. Until that time, I feel safe in Mexico taking the usual precautions.

For example, A month ago an American on a hike behind my house stumbled upon a narco group who were holding captive some Mexicans. The narcos shot the American's dog and then tied him up with the others. The next morning he was released and the narcos said "We don't want problems with foreigners." The kidnapped Mexicans were not so lucky, 18 decapitations the following week, another 18 missing, and another 5 murdered.

The disconnect here is that when Americans who have limited travel experience in Mexico read "50,000 murders", they lump themselves into that "50,000" statistic. Truth is that there were only 130 Americans and 60 Canadians murdered in Mexico in 2011, some of whom were involved in the drug trade. To put into perspective, there are about 1,000,000 Americans who reside in Mexico. so the stat of 130 murders does not seem to live up to the media hysteria NOB.

I've seen more than my share of violence in Mexico, but to date neither I nor my fellow expats have been targeted. Usually the Americans who are murdered in Mexico were the ones who resisted a robbery or had a criminal history.

We live in mexico as well, Puerto Vallarta, killings here are dumb canadians and americans who get involved with dealing drugs women etc.. Another segment are criminals like the last canadian killed from what we know had a rap sheet including some seriously bad chit....
We ride dirtbikes in the mountains on weekends raise our children and work here. Common sense goes a long way like it does in the states or anywhere.


KIKO where in Jalisco are you??

[Kiko]

I live in Ajijic most of the year, however, I am in Texas this month,
Anxious to return to ride my XR to Mascota.next month.

[Craneguy]

This is an interesting site:

ismexicosafe.com LINK

Quote:

Lonely Planet’s New York-based U.S. Travel Editor Robert Reid, who has been traveling to Mexico since he was a child, adds to the chorus of travel writers and reporters who consider the warnings against travel to Mexico to be out of context. While citing that the drug violence in Mexico should be taken seriously, he also asks travelers to be sensible and consider the facts.

He writes:

“What you don’t get from most reports in the US is statistical evidence that Americans are less likely to face violence on average in Mexico than at home, particularly when you zero in on Mexico’s most popular travel destinations. For example, the gateway to Disney World, Orlando, saw 7.5 murders per 100,000 residents in 2010 per the FBI; this is higher than Cancun or Puerto Vallarta, with rates of 1.83 and 5.9 respectively…Yet in March, the Texas Department of Public Safety advised against ‘spring break’ travel anywhere in Mexico, a country the size of the UK, France, Germany, Spain and Italy combined. Never mind that popular destinations like the Bahamas, Belize and Jamaica have far higher homicide rates …why the singular focus?”

and

Mexican governor Roberto Borge of Quintana Roo – one of Mexico’s most popular tourist destinations – visited Austin, Texas recently to encourage Texans to head south of the border. Borge confronted media headlines of drug cartel violence head on, stating that while cartel violence is indeed a problem, it is concentrated in very small areas of Mexico and that this violence does not affect tourists. Borge said:

“Mexico has 112 million citizens,” he said. “Are there more good Mexicans than bad? Yes. There are more than 2,500 municipalities in Mexico, and the majority of violence is in 12 of them. Has one tourist been involved in that violence? Not one.”

Borge also pointed out that while the U.S. Travel Advisory should not stop issuing warnings, they are too general – and that this hurts both the Mexican and Texas tourist economies. Author of the article, Melissa Gaskill reiterates the safety of Mexico’s tourist destinations. After returning from a family trip in early May on the East Cap of Baja California, she says she felt just as safe as she would in her central Austin neighborhood. Quote Gaskill:

“The food is great, the culture rich, the landscape absolutely beautiful. Simply crossing it off our travel list is a loss for everyone.”

[tricepilot]

Originally Posted by Kiko

Anxious to return to ride my XR to Mascota.next month.

Mascota.

The one and only place I (stupidly) crashed the GSA in Mexico. I was chasing vaqueros on the twisties and tried to keep up with actually talented riders.

A group I do not belong to. I am not a talented rider.

AND, the one and only time I didn't elect any type of moto insurance. STUPID of me. I did NOT ride my own ride, I outran my skill level in Mexico. And I paid for it.

$3,000 out of my own pocket.

Here is my bike in Puerto Vallarta just before being wrenched on by MotoHank. I completed the Mexico trip with a broken ankle as well.



I was a dumbass.

In most ways I still am a dumbass. So nothing has changed!

[tricepilot]

Originally Posted by Craneguy

This is an interesting site:

LINK

That link has a high chance of being overlooked. So I'm stamping it here.

VERY interesting find.

Good job Mr. Lifting Heavy Stuff Guy

[Flagixxer]

Hope to leave in a couple weeks for Mexico. At this time plan to enter Brownsville/ McAllen area. Ride to Victoria, then Veracruz, back to Tampico, to the border. Route suggestions. Bike is not a dual purpose. Love curves!!! Thanks

[tricepilot]

Originally Posted by Flagixxer

Love curves!!!

Then visit Salma

[Kiko]

Suerte

[mark883]

Originally Posted by Flagixxer

Hope to leave in a couple weeks for Mexico. At this time plan to enter Brownsville/ McAllen area. Ride to Victoria, then Veracruz, back to Tampico, to the border. Route suggestions. Bike is not a dual purpose. Love curves!!! Thanks

Rta 85 south from CV is fairly interesting. Hot & Humid too. I took that road during my 2010 solo loco viaje- its toward the end of my ride report Where the Better Part of Discression is Valor http://advrider.com/forums/showthrea...hlight=mark883

Can't say it will give you any great hints or advice, but you can always look at the pictures. I was heading north, so you can read the report backward if you want.

Arte has done several reports in that region.

In the interests of full disclosure, I believe San Fernando / Rta 101 has had some 'issues'

Oh, and don't forget to look up MikeMike.

[MikeMike]

Kiko, I thought that number was way too high and it is. Here is the real deal with numbers verified from the Department of Foreign Affairs in Canada.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/world/story/2...ter-mckay.html

The graph at the bottom has the real stats, that discussion on the MexicoMike website has some bogus numbers, not your fault at all, it's their fault for not checking.

The real number is 6 for 2011.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/britis...hs-travel.html

You'll notice the alarmist media attitude is not limited just to the US media, the Canadian media hypes things from time to time, as well.

[Animo]

Maybe this is why we have many differences in opinions over the "safety factor".

The U.S. State Department issued its most recent Travel Advisory for Mexico in February 2012, highlighting the areas of Mexico that are safe for travel. Those areas include:

(Where I ride)

Baja California South, including Cabo San Lucas
Parts of Southern Mexico including Campeche, Chiapas
Central Mexico including Estado de Mexico, Guanajuato, San Miguel de Allende, Leon and Hidalgo, Puebla, Queretaro
Mexico City
Oaxaca including Huatulco and Puerto Escondido
Quintana Roo including Playa del Carmen, Cancun, Riviera Maya, Cozumel and Tulum
Tabasco including Villahermosa
Tlaxcala
Yucatan including Merida and Chichen Itza


States to avoid or to exercise caution in include:

(Where I do not ride)

Chihuahua
Tijuana
Coahuila
Durango
Nuevo Leon
Sinaloa"

Ride safe!