Travel To Mexico...safe Or Deadly

[Guest Sundancefisher]

I have not been to Mexico and was always considering it but with more and more reports of suspicious deaths, robberies, rapes etc., this third world nation with absolutely zero real policing seems a bit of a game of russian roulette with ones life.

 

Who has had experience with problems in Mexico? I sense some problems come from Canadians going to Mexican bars and hitting on Mexican girls. Murder seems to have no consequence and is a major coverup system in Mexico including blaming none Mexicans or claiming suicide.

 

I have heard that in the tourist areas it is strongly recommended to not leave the tourist compound, stay off the beach and streets after dark and travel in groups.

 

Not so rosy a place to visit this Mexico seems.

 

Any thoughts?

[bigalcal]

It's probably safer than Calgary. (My neighbourhood anyway). Just use your head.

[Maximum]

If you're not a drunken a-hole I wouldn't be worried. What worries me about Mexico is that 3/4 people I know who have been in the past several years all had bouts of amoebic dysentary (da shites!).

[Weedy1]

I sense some problems come from Canadians going to Mexican bars and hitting on Mexican girls.

 

I'd kick your ass too if you were hitting on my girl.

 

I have heard that in the tourist areas it is strongly recommended to not leave the tourist compound, stay off the beach and streets after dark and travel in groups.

 

Is this recommendation any different than anywhere else in the world?

 

Not so rosy a place to visit this Mexico seems.

 

My in laws spend 5-6 months/yr in Mexico.(Thank God) They have had no problems in the last 6 years. Mind you they aren't out getting all pissed up in the local pubs and hitting on Mexican woman.

[esleech]

Having traveled to several third world countries, I'd say go. Just be safe. Carry small amounts of cash, photocopies of identification, don't wear ANYTHING flashy, and don't be stupid... Other then that, make the attempt to speak the language, always smile, and don't embarrass yourself by whining or stickin up your nose. Have fun in Mexico!

[bigalcal]

Are you "travelling" or "vacationing"?

Are you travelling around the country or staying at an all inclusive in a resort town?

[Guest Sundancefisher]

Are you "travelling" or "vacationing"?

Are you travelling around the country or staying at an all inclusive in a resort town?

 

If referring to me I was thinking of going to a resort and seeing natural areas, historical ruins and beaches at some point in the next few years.

 

My gut tells me that if you go to a bar you run the risk of attracting a criminal element that will endeavor to roll you for cash and since the police suck there they can save the problem of being recognized just by killing you. I suspect there are gangs used to spotting guys getting hammered or vulnerable to attack, either attack directly or use a woman to lure you. Sometimes you die and sometimes you just get badly hurt...

 

Either way if you isolate yourself at a lodge you are probably better off. I suspect if you get away from the tourist areas, and speak the language...the cultural experience would be very enjoyable. Most of us can not do that unfortunately. A buddy of mine rents a house on the West side cheap and shops at the local grocery but the community is still gated to protect the owners (wealthy Americans and Mexicans).

 

Anyone every have a run in with criminals in Mexico?

[LynnF]

We have 2 "rules" for vacationing in Mexico:

 

1) We don't go anywhere without the 3 of us together - except to the bar within eyeshot

2) We are always polite and courteous tourists, even when avoiding timeshare salesmen

We stay in the "resort areas" which are inherently safer than, say, staying downtown PDC in a condo (I believe, anyways). We will also not go back to Cancun. Primarily because it's too busy and touristy now. And with that comes the risk of what is going on now.

 

But put it in perspective - I still consider Mexico to be a safe destination. The recent incidents are unfortunate, but statistically speaking, there's nothing that won't stop me from going again in a couple of months.

[lonefisher]

Love Mexico...... I started wandering Puerto Vallarta by myself when I was 12 all around mainly outside of the areas one would consider really touristy.... I would feel as safe there (in PV) as I would here...... Once when I was 17 found myself alone on a dark deserted beach in the middle of the night with about a dozen of the sketchiest looking mexican guys I've seen about a km from the nearest sign of life....... one of those long stories...... I was kinda worried at first and was kickin myself for getting into the situation as I was carrying a pretty good number of pesos at the time. But we ended up BSing most of the night around a small fire drinkin corona, tequila, and mescal. Occaisionally people would come and go...... It was really fun. I think its relatively safe but I mean anything can happen anywhere........

[JMasson]

Having lived in a third world country and being that the vast majority of my family is from the third world I would have to say that if you have not been, then you have no idea what it is like. The Mexico you're thinking of is border town Mexico...most people don't vacation there. You can get into just as much trouble in the wrong areas of Edmonton as you can in any city in the world...not just the "third world". You shouldn't be worried...they're making money off of you and they will take care of you as a tourist.

[Conor]

Unless you plan on traveling to Mexico City or "boarder towns" you will not have to worry about crime any more than you do here. How many murders have you heard about in "toursit" Mexico this year? How many in Calgary? Many more in Calgary, and Calgary is a very safe city by north American standards.

 

Personally, I would be more worried walking around the beltline area at night than I would walking around Cancun at night. The tourist industry in Mexico is big business, and I am sure the policing reflects that. Mexico is likely one of the safest "budget" holidays.

 

That said, I would still recommend to save some extra cash and travel to a tropical destination that has a thriving economy, not an impoverished one. The third world tropical vacation destinations tend to be riddled with corruption and the money spent there never trickles down to the people of the country.

[bigalcal]

I was more concerned "travelling" in Costa Rica than "vacationing" in PV, Cabo etc. I live in the Beltline and I am more concerned here!

[yodatrout]

I went to Mexico. Got stupid drunk the whole time, pretty much every where we went and never had an issue. I'm not recommending that approach but nothing happened to me. I minded my own business and used the same judgment that I use here in Calgary. I wouldn't put myself in the easy target category.

 

I found Mexican people in general to be very out going, nice and helpful. Most of these people depend on the tourism in their area (in the resort areas) for their livelihood either directly or indirectly, it's like O&G in Calgary.

 

Although I'm sure it exists I had little to no sense of a "shady" element any where I went. I used the same street smarts I use to get by in everyday life. Be it at the market or beach in the day, off-resort restaurants for dinner or a strip club at some ungodly hour (bachelor party). In fact the "shadiest" thing I encountered was returning to a bar we had visited on a pub crawl to find that they now had metal detector you had to pass through to get in. I don't get out like that much in Calgary anymore but I know I've seen the same thing here.

 

I think some of the concerns you raise (women luring, police killing people) are extremely rare and if they're going to happen, there ain't that much you can do about. Regardless of what country of the world you're in.

 

Just my two cents.

[Guest Sundancefisher]

Unless you plan on traveling to Mexico City or "boarder towns" you will not have to worry about crime any more than you do here. How many murders have you heard about in "tourist" Mexico this year? How many in Calgary? Many more in Calgary, and Calgary is a very safe city by north American standards.

 

I was thinking about your comment but I suspect that there are more tourist murders in Mexico than in Calgary or Canada combined. I would be interested in researching the stats and this is what I found.

 

This website pegs the murder rate in Mexico per 100,000 people at "Mexico's murder rate is an eye-popping 17.5 ("http://www.gunsandammomag.com/second_amendment/rk0405/), Cuba 7.8, Brazil 19, Switzerland 2.7, Russia 30.6, US 5.678 (2006) (http://www.disastercenter.com/crime/uscrime.htm) whereas Canada in 2004 was 1.9 (http://www.statcan.ca/Daily/English/050721/d050721a.htm).

 

I would absolutely not feel safer in Mexico than any part of Calgary period. One huge reason for that is the corrupt and useless police in Mexico. They are there to protect the "name" of Mexico as a tourist destination and blame other tourists for the murders...or unexpected and out of the blue suicides... Gezzz. Does the bad policing not scare anyone? There is absolutely no protection as a Canadian in Mexico.

 

Not only are tourists at greater risk but so are the average Mexicans. It is a third world but they are now so closely aligned with Canada and the US you would think they would become safer over time.

 

Sun

[JMasson]

Don't feed the troll.....

[yak]

went to cozumel in late november. diving was fantastic. the poeple were extremely friendly and there was never any fear of walking around San miguel at night. The resort was at the north end of the island so we were away from the crowds during the day and only 10 minutes away from San Miguel when we wanted to go out. I was with my wife so i kept the drunken brawling and womanizing to a minimum but we were always treated well by the locals.I will be returning next year with my 5 and 7 year old daughters as the resort and the entire island was very family friendly ( most of the toursits we saw at the resort were young families).I would feel a lot more relaxed about my wife and kids wandering around San Miguel than downtown calgary ( didnt see any crack heads or drunks on the streets in Mexico).Be smart,be polite and courteous, and you will have no problems

[Guest Sundancefisher]

Don't feed the troll.....

 

If you are insinuating I am trolling for something you have lost me. I am seeking comment on the whole travel to Mexico thing given the incidents of violence against Canadians. Someone stated it was more dangerous in Calgary but clearly based upon murder rate that is not true. Perception is often based upon a range of ones own experiences. I already stated that I have not been to Mexico (actually went to Tijuana but clearly I know that is not really Mexico). If someone makes a statement I need to flesh it out from fact or fiction as I like facts.

 

Not all of us can for instance speak the language of the country we visit and as such are more suseptible to problem situations. I would love to travel to countries and stay in non tourist areas.

 

My gut says if one stays street smart like mentioned in an earlier post that would help. Staying in a crowd or group and always being polite makes common sense. Sounds like some people are feeling less safe in the higher tourist areas which makes me think with the crowds come the crime. When there is no one to protect you from the crime then I get really concerned. JMasson...in your own opinion would you say the police in Mexico are just as good as Calgary or Edmonton's police? If you say yes then you would most likely be the minority based upon news reports etc. which is your perogative.

 

As for trolling...this thread was on a board that is set up for discussing anything. I started the discussion and if you do not like the topic...please feel free to refrain from reading.

 

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

 

Thanks.

 

Sun

[Guest Sundancefisher]

went to cozumel in late november. diving was fantastic. the poeple were extremely friendly and there was never any fear of walking around San miguel at night. The resort was at the north end of the island so we were away from the crowds during the day and only 10 minutes away from San Miguel when we wanted to go out. I was with my wife so i kept the drunken brawling and womanizing to a minimum but we were always treated well by the locals.I will be returning next year with my 5 and 7 year old daughters as the resort and the entire island was very family friendly ( most of the toursits we saw at the resort were young families).I would feel a lot more relaxed about my wife and kids wandering around San Miguel than downtown calgary ( didnt see any crack heads or drunks on the streets in Mexico).Be smart,be polite and courteous, and you will have no problems

 

I have heard that Cozumel is nice and is more isolated being on an island. This is one of the top choices I research a few years ago. I also heard there were some potential fishing there also which was a bonus.

 

Thanks for the insight.

 

Cheers.

 

Sun

[yak]

SDF,doesnt seem like a fact finding post to me.seems like you have made up your mind without ever entering the country. I would stay in calgary for my vacation if I was you. we have gang shootings, drunken hit an runs and the diving in lake sundance this time of year is amazing. on top of all that you could wander around Vic park at midnight and take in the xmas lights. with all the cops in calgary I am sure you will be okay

feliz navidad

[Guest Sundancefisher]

SDF,doesnt seem like a fact finding post to me.seems like you have made up your mind without ever entering the country. I would stay in calgary for my vacation if I was you. we have gang shootings, drunken hit an runs and the diving in lake sundance this time of year is amazing. on top of all that you could wander around Vic park at midnight and take in the xmas lights. with all the cops in calgary I am sure you will be okay

feliz navidad

 

Thanks for the personal attach yak. I also appreciated the Christmas wishes. We can discuss whether you feel safer in Calgary or Mexico but you apparently are not interested in comparing apples to apples but rather apples to sour grapes.

 

I take decisions very seriously and like to be critical of the main points to ensure they stand up. There are some good comments from people that confirmed that if you follow the common ground, stay polite, travel in groups, stay within the safe areas outlined by the hotels...that you should be fine.

 

When you compare Calgary's worst area to Mexico's worst area I strongly suspect that YOU would not go to either and definitely not Mexico's if given the option. Since I do not belong to a gang I should not have any concerns there. Most murders in Calgary are not random chance murders like you get more of in Mexico. Also our murder rate overall is way lower. As for winter diving...may people love it...Sundance does not allow it. I had a freaky scare up at a pothole lake by Pigeon about 20 years ago. I arrived at the lake to see a bunch of guys setting up tents etc. I started fishing in my tent and my concentration had me drifting away such that I was unsure what they were up to. About an hour later a bunch of bubbles starting popping up my fishing hole and then I saw a mask peak up at me! Scared the hell out of me... Funny now that I think about it though. Still...water is too cold for me.

 

So...what value does this post have? I would say that the big, big tourist areas should be fine...smaller areas probably safer and with some common sense one can stay safe most places.

 

That being said you have to go to Mexico with your eyes open insofar as you do not have the same rights and a life does not mean as much there as it does here. The recent suspicious deaths of Canadians proves how little your personal life would be to them. Therefore you must conduct yourself accordingly and not be rude and offensive to others at any time...

 

Anyway...not sure why you are cranky but if I offended you with the topic I apologize.

 

Cheers.

 

Sun

[JMasson]

"JMasson...in your own opinion would you say the police in Mexico are just as good as Calgary or Edmonton's police? If you say yes then you would most likely be the minority based upon news reports etc. which is your perogative."

 

The media exaggerates global warming but they don't exaggerate how corrupt Mexican police are? Must be true!

 

It sounds to me that you think every cop in Mexico is corrupt. There are good cops and bad cops everywhere. I have run into corrupt cops before and cops that abuse their power...they were not in Mexico. Have I been there....yes, a few times. The people are friendly, they're not out to hurt or steal from you. The vast majority of them are very poor and the vast majority of them are also some of the kindest people I have ever met. I speak enough spanish to survive in a spanish country, so that may have helped. You'll have no problem getting by only speaking english if you go to a resort, trust me.

 

I have felt safer walking down the streets in Belize City at night than I have walking around in downtown Edmonton at night. I realize we're not talking about Belize here but since that is where my family is from, I figured I'd throw it in.

 

Also, you're not getting facts here, you'e getting opinions....BIIIG difference.

[Guest Sundancefisher]

The media exaggerates global warming but they don't exaggerate how corrupt Mexican police are? Must be true!

 

It sounds to me that you think every cop in Mexico is corrupt. There are good cops and bad cops everywhere. I have run into corrupt cops before and cops that abuse their power...they were not in Mexico. Have I been there....yes, a few times. The people are friendly, they're not out to hurt or steal from you. The vast majority of them are very poor and the vast majority of them are also some of the kindest people I have ever met. I speak enough spanish to survive in a spanish country, so that may have helped. You'll have no problem getting by only speaking english if you go to a resort, trust me.

 

I have felt safer walking down the streets in Belize City at night than I have walking around in downtown Edmonton at night. I realize we're not talking about Belize here but since that is where my family is from, I figured I'd throw it in.

 

Also, you're not getting facts here, you'e getting opinions....BIIIG difference.

 

I have no doubt that being from the country and/or spending lots of time with the locals will surely give you a whole different insight to the country and the people. I have never said Mexican people in general are bad or evil or not friendly. I have no opinion about Belize other that everyone I have talked to said it is beautiful, friendly and down right happy place to be (except for Belize City).

 

If you read my comments I have taken everyone's opinion with interest. I was happy to not hear stories about actual robberies, assault, and other type problems. I do not think I would say no to going to Mexico but I would also go knowing that "certain" policing policies are somewhat lacking in professionalism and honesty and integrity. There are 3 assaults for every 100,000 Canadian's visiting. That may not seem high (second highest next to China) but you can see the troubling statements from the Mexican authorities that apparently happy Canadians are randomly committing suicide by jumping from balconies. That is bogus and I feel for those families. The cover up does nothing to make me feel like they either care or are trying to prevent it from happening again and wish people to visit. Again I am not saying all, most or even a significant minority is but when the top cop is saying no one was murdered when the evidence says otherwise has got to be troubling.

 

Now the question becomes what went wrong and how so as to prevent it in the future. The mexican authorities seem to think cover up is better than the truth. We have to face the fact that Mexico is a third world county. At the same time as a strong promoter of tourism...do you not think that they need to improve some things?

[PlayDoh]

I think if your that worried about it, then I wouldn't recommend it for you. Vacations are time for relaxation, not worry.

 

However I bet if you went there, your opinion would change. Mexicans are not any different then we are, and although their community resources can be ridiculed (poor water, Police, Drugs Rx & otherwise, general infrastructure, the country is not home to numerous random murders. Without question there are parts of Mexico or Latin America for that matter that you do not want to go. There are streets in States that are no different.

 

There are 2 kinds of Mexico I've been told. Resort Mexico is crawling with cops who may take a bribe to allow you to avoid your legal hassles (keep bribe pesos in rear pocket), but otherwise are all business.

 

The real Mexico is like North America in the past to varying degree. Some places are a 50 years behind, others are nearly modern. The resources vs population is why the country is so poor, and if you like to feel completely secure whilst vacationing then stay in the resorts.

 

Tourism is vital to Mexico, and the resorts are the oasis of tourism. Its in every Mexicans best interest to keep tourists safe, and I know they do so with integrity.

[Guest Sundancefisher]

I think if your that worried about it, then I wouldn't recommend it for you. Vacations are time for relaxation, not worry.

 

However I bet if you went there, your opinion would change. Mexicans are not any different then we are, and although their community resources can be ridiculed (poor water, Police, Drugs Rx & otherwise, general infrastructure, the country is not home to numerous random murders. Without question there are parts of Mexico or Latin America for that matter that you do not want to go. There are streets in States that are no different.

 

There are 2 kinds of Mexico I've been told. Resort Mexico is crawling with cops who may take a bribe to allow you to avoid your legal hassles (keep bribe pesos in rear pocket), but otherwise are all business.

 

The real Mexico is like North America in the past to varying degree. Some places are a 50 years behind, others are nearly modern. The resources vs population is why the country is so poor, and if you like to feel completely secure whilst vacationing then stay in the resorts.

 

Tourism is vital to Mexico, and the resorts are the oasis of tourism. Its in every Mexicans best interest to keep tourists safe, and I know they do so with integrity.

 

I would not say I am totally freaked out. But...it is still worth exploring everyones experiences on this board. Lots of happy experiences and no horrible ones really. That is good.

[JMasson]

I think if your that worried about it, then I wouldn't recommend it for you. Vacations are time for relaxation, not worry.

 

However I bet if you went there, your opinion would change. Mexicans are not any different then we are, and although their community resources can be ridiculed (poor water, Police, Drugs Rx & otherwise, general infrastructure, the country is not home to numerous random murders. Without question there are parts of Mexico or Latin America for that matter that you do not want to go. There are streets in States that are no different.

 

There are 2 kinds of Mexico I've been told. Resort Mexico is crawling with cops who may take a bribe to allow you to avoid your legal hassles (keep bribe pesos in rear pocket), but otherwise are all business.

 

The real Mexico is like North America in the past to varying degree. Some places are a 50 years behind, others are nearly modern. The resources vs population is why the country is so poor, and if you like to feel completely secure whilst vacationing then stay in the resorts.

 

Tourism is vital to Mexico, and the resorts are the oasis of tourism. Its in every Mexicans best interest to keep tourists safe, and I know they do so with integrity.

 

 

Very well said, PlayDoh. I couldn't have said it better. He'll probably never go and that is a shame because Mexico really is a nice country to visit. There were 3 out of 100,000 Canadians killed in Mexico this year....there were 27 (please, correct me if I'm wrong) out of approximately 1 million Canadians murdered in the greater Edmonton area this year. You could be killed as you walk out your door tomorrow morning but the odds are slim-to-none and you'll probably have a great day (hopefully you will anyways). I wouldn't let the slight chance of being killed in Mexico keep me from going.