Mexico - safe for tourists?

I hear a lot about drug gangs, serious social unrest in one well known
tourist town etc.

well go on hearing then,

"stonej" a écrit dans le message de news:
...
I hear a lot about drug gangs, serious social unrest in one well known
tourist town etc.

Runge wrote:
well go on hearing then,

"stonej" a écrit dans le message de news:
...
I hear a lot about drug gangs, serious social unrest in one well known
tourist town etc.




but should I?

"stonej" wrote in message
oups.com...

Runge wrote:
well go on hearing then,

"stonej" a écrit dans le message de news:
...
I hear a lot about drug gangs, serious social unrest in one well known
tourist town etc.




but should I?

Do the stories you hear about drug gangs and social unrest stop you from
visiting American cities?

This question always reminds me of the first time I visited Chiapas a
couple of years after the Zapatista uprising. The first person I met in San
Cristobal de las Casas was a musician who said that even at the height of
the unrest he was working 6 nights a week in the local night clubs, just as
he had for many years and that there were 16 night clubs there that kept
operating just as they always had.

If you're looking for reasons not to travel it's easy to find all sorts
of stories. If you keep your wits about you and avoid risky behavior Mexico
is reasonably safe.

TB

"stonej" wrote in message
oups.com...
I hear a lot about drug gangs, serious social unrest in one well known
tourist town etc.

Don't wear a Rolex, don't show off your wealth, keep most of your day money
in your left pocket and rip-off money/wallet in right pocket. If and when
accosted, give them your right hand pocket stuff by dropping it and running
like hell. Tell your bank not to allow more than $200 a day in ATM
withdrawals and not disclose available balance. Keep a low profile. Dicker
instead of paying full price. Be curious and be willing to listen, even to
the street beggar but don't ask about drugs!

Nope
You should forget american securitarian blabla's

"stonej" a écrit dans le message de news:
...

Runge wrote:
well go on hearing then,

"stonej" a écrit dans le message de news:
...
I hear a lot about drug gangs, serious social unrest in one well known
tourist town etc.




but should I?

that is good advice in LA !!

"Wayne Lundberg" a écrit dans le message de
news: ...

"stonej" wrote in message
oups.com...
I hear a lot about drug gangs, serious social unrest in one well known
tourist town etc.

Don't wear a Rolex, don't show off your wealth, keep most of your day
money
in your left pocket and rip-off money/wallet in right pocket. If and when
accosted, give them your right hand pocket stuff by dropping it and
running
like hell. Tell your bank not to allow more than $200 a day in ATM
withdrawals and not disclose available balance. Keep a low profile. Dicker
instead of paying full price. Be curious and be willing to listen, even to
the street beggar but don't ask about drugs!

stonej schrieb:
I hear a lot about drug gangs, serious social unrest in one well known
tourist town etc.


Can you be more explicit. Mexico is an extremely large country.

T.

Mexico is a very large country. Certainly there are places, including
Mexico City and Laredo, that have very serious crime problems. I would
give Oaxaca a couple of months to see how things go after the government
crackdown. In some of the recent troubles in Oaxaca, residents were
very concerned and avoided certain areas, or stayed inside during the
worst of it. But that is not a reason to avoid the entire country; I
just got back from a trouble-free trip to the Yucatan.

Lots of people will tell you to completely ignore the various government
security warnings. I would instead urge you to read them and look for
specific recommendations and comments about specific areas. For
example, if they tell you to put your credit cards in the hotel safe, do it.

Common sense is good, but Mexico has some special hazards that you would
not know about unless you do some research. For example, Mexico City
has a problem with taxi robberies; it is unwise to blindly get into
random passing taxis. This is not a problem in any other country that I
have visited. In Mexico City, I recommend using radio taxis or
official taxi stands where someone with a clipboard is logging
departures. (What looks like a taxi stand in front of Bellas Artes has
an especially bad reputation).

I would suggest that you visit Mexico, but do your homework, consider
avoiding troubled areas, and practice security while you are there.

Richard


stonej wrote:
I hear a lot about drug gangs, serious social unrest in one well known
tourist town etc.



--
http://www.fergusonsculpture.com
Sculptures in copper and other metals

In Buenos aires it is advisable to call a taxi from a restaurant and not
hail one in the streets
Just in case...

"Richard Ferguson" a écrit dans le
message de news:
...
Mexico is a very large country. Certainly there are places, including
Mexico City and Laredo, that have very serious crime problems. I would
give Oaxaca a couple of months to see how things go after the government
crackdown. In some of the recent troubles in Oaxaca, residents were very
concerned and avoided certain areas, or stayed inside during the worst of
it. But that is not a reason to avoid the entire country; I just got back
from a trouble-free trip to the Yucatan.

Lots of people will tell you to completely ignore the various government
security warnings. I would instead urge you to read them and look for
specific recommendations and comments about specific areas. For example,
if they tell you to put your credit cards in the hotel safe, do it.

Common sense is good, but Mexico has some special hazards that you would
not know about unless you do some research. For example, Mexico City has
a problem with taxi robberies; it is unwise to blindly get into random
passing taxis. This is not a problem in any other country that I have
visited. In Mexico City, I recommend using radio taxis or official taxi
stands where someone with a clipboard is logging departures. (What looks
like a taxi stand in front of Bellas Artes has an especially bad
reputation).

I would suggest that you visit Mexico, but do your homework, consider
avoiding troubled areas, and practice security while you are there.

Richard


stonej wrote:
I hear a lot about drug gangs, serious social unrest in one well known
tourist town etc.



--
http://www.fergusonsculpture.com
Sculptures in copper and other metals