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LI Pets · 03-11-2007, 11:20 AM

I found a real complete digest of RV'ing in Mexico here

There are hundreds doing it, how bad can it be-NOT!

dscluchfc · 03-11-2007, 02:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by LI Pets

I found a real complete digest of RV'ing in Mexico here

There are hundreds doing it, how bad can it be-NOT!

Link does not work.

LI Pets · 03-11-2007, 03:30 PM

It's working now, too many people going to Mexico

Waynon · 03-24-2007, 12:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by LI Pets

...too many people going to Mexico

And we're building a NINE BILLION DOLLAR wall because we thought too many people were coming FROM Mexico.

Waynon

hilabq · 05-14-2007, 10:42 PM

Mexico is woderful.
The people are fabulous. friendly, helpful, generous.
Yes im sure some have prob

lems but arent there the same problems travelling through the USA also?
Fear of the unknown is rather unbhealthy for a traveller.

aztlanco · 05-15-2007, 06:31 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hilabq

Mexico is woderful.
The people are fabulous. friendly, helpful, generous.
Yes im sure some have prob

lems but arent there the same problems travelling through the USA also?
Fear of the unknown is rather unbhealthy for a traveller.

Reminds me of the famous quote " We have nothing to fear, but fear itself"

Ernie
'58 Traveler, 18ft.

ZoominC6 · 05-15-2007, 08:03 AM

You may wish to Google the US Department of State website for travel advisories, always a good idea when traveling abroad.
HAPPY TRAILS

hilabq · 05-15-2007, 11:27 PM

This thread has REALLY worried me. Why are you so AFRAID of travelling SOUTH??
We are hopefully healthy happy people??!!! we are guests in mexico. a fabulous country full of amazing people. i guess i thought Airstream people were intelligent travellers WRONG!!!!??>??.

Cracker · 05-16-2007, 06:41 AM

Well educated and "intelligent travellers" do the research, get the facts, and then make their decisions based on whatever level of risk they're personally willing to assume in exchange for the rewards thereof. Some view travel in Mexico to be low risk while others see it as high. Their risk tolerance is not a measure of their intelligence level!

ZoominC6 · 05-16-2007, 07:34 AM

Well said Cracker, well said!
Happy Trails!

Mikeinmiami · 08-11-2007, 03:43 PM

Guadalajara Mexico has the largest EX-Pat American Community in the Americas, close to 70,000. I never had a problem in several trips to Guadalajara though I didn't place myself in harm's way like bad neighborhoods at night, excess jewelry, watches, cameras ect. I speak Spanish and that helps-actually in 1989 I went there to study spanish intensively. I remember people telling me in 1995 of the Dangers of traveling to Colombia. My response to the Naysayers--off I went and I had a great time. On that trip, I bought a Bus ticket and traveled from Bogota(capital) over the Andes Mountains to the north coast city of cartegena--other then altitude sickness, no security problems whatsoever. I respect the culture and remember I am a guest in their country. In fact, on my last trip, I had extensive Dental Work performed at great prices. Again, no problems security wise. I would take some of those State Dept warnings with a grain of salt as they simply are not accurate in my experience,,,You want to talk about a Dangerous city to visit-the State Dept ought to place my City, Miami, on the Watch List as many tourists suffer a far worse fate then if they were to visit Mexico,,LOL

njoysrvin · 08-13-2007, 09:40 AM

We went to Kino Bay and had a great time...spent 6 weeks there . We did find some Canadians going to Mexico and we road together part of the way. We were never stopped , though we did see armed police . We had both an uneventful entry and exit. Will we go back , yes in a yr. or so ..a lot to see here still.

whitelight · 08-13-2007, 07:30 PM

Njoysrvin -
Where did you camp in Kino Bay?

We're planning a trip to Mexico in early '08 & have been looking at the Church's Mexican camping guide.

Did you have any problems with parking your rig? We have the 34' but are thinking about using the 22' on the trip to Mexico as, sizewise, it may be better for beach driving & getting in & out of the Mexican rv parks.

Thanks

njoysrvin · 08-17-2007, 11:08 PM

We stayed at a Western Horizon Park there. It had plenty of space for big rigs. There are several public parks there for reasonable prices that can any big rig can get into.So either rig will do ...have a great time

dmreilly10000 · 09-07-2007, 08:04 AM

Here is a disturbing article I just read:

SURFERS ATTACKED IN TIJUANA I'll Never Go to Baja Again

I always thought that Baja was pretty safe.

clancy_boy · 09-07-2007, 08:30 AM

No, Mexico is not a bad place - people go there all the time. But, when things go bad for you, there is no place like home.....

From The article:

"Mexico has always been a scary place. According to one report, more journalists have died in Mexico than in Iraq. It's the Wild West. It is not safe. "I'll never drive into Mexico again. I've been surfing in northern Baja for over 20 years and I'll never go back," explained Roger. "There is nobody that cares about you. Nobody. You are all alone and the bad guys are the good guys and the good guys...well there aren't any."

"In hindsight Duke, Walt and Roger believe the masked carjacker was a police officer."

The article shows there are good people in Mexico, the female police officer who got them the cab, the cabbie, the old man who gave them the ride..... ALL seemed to care for their fellow man, but none could really help in the lawlessness of Mexico. Sure, say what you want about areas in the US, but atleast here there would be legal recourse, and they could identify your body for the next of kin to have closure.

I attribute most of this criminal activity to the border region - drugs, car theft, poor law enforcement along the border and corruption add up to a bad situation. I have been inland and I will agree - the people are friendly and I feel safer there.

dmreilly10000 · 09-07-2007, 09:35 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dmreilly10000

Here is a disturbing article I just read:

SURFERS ATTACKED IN TIJUANA I'll Never Go to Baja Again

I always thought that Baja was pretty safe.

Here is a surfer forum on the incident above. Interesting reading.

SurferMag Message Boards: I'll Never Go to Baja Again

losvagos · 09-12-2007, 07:15 PM

You know, people are robbed, raped, hurt and killed here in the US every day. I lived in Mexico for several years and felt I was safer down there than many parts of the US.

Terry B
La Vaga

pmclemore · 09-12-2007, 07:18 PM

But not, generally, by cops with cars, blue lights and badges.

losvagos · 09-13-2007, 02:06 AM

This is long, but it's a subject I actually know something about . I lived in Mexico for the better part of four years. I put in over 50,000 miles on my vehicle, lived in two different towns and worked 'on the economy' (not for dollars!) to support my stay there.

>>But not, generally, by cops with cars, blue lights and badges.<<

We'd like to think not, but on tonight's news was some shocking footage of Portland, OR cops engaging in unprovoked beatings in the booking room - recorded on their own cameras! Oops!

I had occasion once to call the Mexican police for help when I lived down there and found them to be skilled, efficient and honest - and really motivated to help me out with. I called them for help removing a besotted and drunken intruder. They were honestly mortified that one of their countrymen was causing me such trouble. No one asked for anything; but I gave my Mag lite to the guy who admired it.

And, yes, I did buy my way out of two traffic infractions over time. ...If you're going to be successful in another culture you have to understand their ways and function within them.

I drove, (female, alone) to and from the central-west coastal region ten round trips from MN and OR - and never had a problem worse than the classic gas rip off described on the first page of the thread. Of course, I wasn't about to put with that! I pulled out the owner's manual to my truck, showed the kid that it didn't HOLD that much gas, and told the him to go to hell. I refused to pay for any of it, and told him if he didn't like it he should call his boss...

Here're my thoughts about much of the bad stuff one hears about Mexico:

1) I think many reports of problems in Mexico are sensationalized and reported throughout the US and Canada in a fashion they don't deserve - and certainly a fashion that home-grown horrors don't get. It seems as the when one bandito holds up one North American on a highway somewhere it ends up in newspapers throughout the US and Canada, and spreads through the internet like wildfire.

Meanwhile, meth is rampant where I live, and the crime is going through the ceiling. I doubt it makes the news in the Midwest or Atlantic states.

When I looked at the actual crime rates in comparably-sized cities (to placate my Mom, LOL) I found that the per-capita crime rate in the US was much higher. * (see * below)

In my own living experience, I had a period of adjustment each time I crossed the border -> Going south I had to relax and get my shoulders down off my ears! Going North again, I always felt a bit afraid of crime and locked my doors and windows until I got back in 'North American' mode.

2) If you go to another country, full of intensely proud people, and walk around looking suspicious and afraid, clutching your belongings and refusing to eat anything - you just MIGHT give a bad impression, and possibly even bring negative things on your self.

I love Mexico. Theirs is a gentle, joyful culture - if one can open one's mind to it. I walked around with a huge smile on my face, tickled children, ate food and beverages - within the bounds of common sense - struggled with Spanish until I could honor them by speaking to them in their own language, learned about them, their lives, history and culture, thanked them for having me, and made true friends. And I found a true home of my heart.

RE: food, I had an intestinal adjustment period in each direction. For the most part, it's not that the bacteria are worse, it's that they're *different*. Mexicans often get sick when the first arrive here. My doc said just eat the food, get sick, get used to it. She was right. Just watch out for the Mennonite's delicious cheese, often sold on street corners by German looking guys in white shirts, overalls and straw hats. It's the best cheese for quesadillas, but only use it for melting. The only time I got sick was from unpasturized Mennonite cheese!!

I would urge anyone to consider a trip to Mexico. Check out http://www.rvinginmexico.com/ for a pair of DVDs that this couple made of their Mexico journeys in a motor home.

Terry B/Salem

*I also found that their public schools are 1 to 2 years ahead of ours in math and sciences. Americans that I knew with children in Mexican schools had to hold their kids back a year and/or get math and science tutoring to catch up.

Wanna know something else? At the time I was there, their child mortality rate was LOWER than the US. That's a truly embarrassing statistic!

They have free Social Security Medical clinics in nearly every little village - and your travel visa allows you to use them too. They may not be pretty, but the quality of care is good. Heck, I know several excellent American doctors that went to med. school in MX!