Travel into Mexico?

[Panama Red]

Never said I'd never go... Just wondering about towing my Airstream through there. I'd love to see Mexico, but would want to talk to people that had traveled in the same manner that I was going to travel, to get solid advice. My brother in laws trip was a fly in, got to a nice place on the beach, and stay two weeks kind of thing. Lots different than pulling a camper. Just like someone coming to this country needs to know where the tourist area of Washington DC is, and where it ends, and to not cross that line. Lived there a few years, can tell you all about it...

Has anyone in this thread towed their Airstream through Mexico in the past year or two? That's the people I'd like to hear from... Now I have to go read the whole thing and see.

-Red, reading whole thread...


Sent from my iPhone using Airstream Forums

[ROBERTSUNRUS]

Originally Posted by mojo

All I have gathered from this thread is that those who have ventured into Mexico had a good time and returned safely.

Those who have never been, would never go and based upon their own assumptions, feel knowledgable enough to tell why you shouldn't go.

Kind of how some will tell you whats wrong with YOUR hitch, YOUR tow vehicle, and YOUR choice of tires.

Hi, speaking for myself only; I have been to Mexico a few times and I have no desire to return, EVER.

[J. Morgan]

Originally Posted by mojo

All I have gathered from this thread is that those who have ventured into Mexico had a good time and returned safely.

Those who have never been, would never go and based upon their own assumptions, feel knowledgable enough to tell why you shouldn't go.

Kind of how some will tell you whats wrong with YOUR hitch, YOUR tow vehicle, and YOUR choice of tires.

I have been, but not in a while.

Several years ago (against my advise) my wife decided to take her mother down to Juarez for a day of tourist shopping. She says she will never go back. The cops on bikes wearing ski masks were a little too much for her to bear.

Much the same, I offer my opinion and advise, and like my wife, folks can weigh it or not....

I didn't even mention the full strip and cavity search of a good friend of mines elderly parents by US Customs upon return to the US... (No, they were not the troublemaking kind)

They made a formal complaint to our government, you know what though? No one cared.


1/2 Ton 4WD Truck, 72 Sovereign Hensley Arrow

[J. Morgan]

Take a look at the article I posted...

Juarez is considered much safer than it was, as there were ONLY about 400 murders in 2014,,, by contrast, Little Rock, a city I am familiar with, is considered the most dangerous smallish city in America with forty murders in the same period.

Lol, sorry, the statistics say that Mexico is relatively dangerous...


1/2 Ton 4WD Truck, 72 Sovereign Hensley Arrow

[Gearheart]

I also do not fit Mojo's mold. I have been to Mexico, without incident beyond being shaken down for a bribe by the border guards at Reynosa. I speak the language. I met an Arstream caravan there. They were travelling with a police/military escort. That gave me something to think about. I have no desire to return.

[J. Morgan]

I am not saying that people should not go to Mexico, I am saying that propagating the notion that it is about as safe as traveling in the US is balderdash. It isn't.


http://www.breitbart.com/texas/2014/...bodies-burned/

^^^By Police^^^

This was not "a long time ago",,, #JustSayin..

1/2 Ton 4WD Truck, 72 Sovereign Hensley Arrow

[shilgemann]

Originally Posted by J. Morgan

Take a look at the article I posted...

Juarez is considered much safer than it was, as there were ONLY about 400 murders in 2014,,, by contrast, Little Rock, a city I am familiar with, is considered the most dangerous smallish city in America with forty murders in the same period.

Lol, sorry, the statistics say that Mexico is relatively dangerous...


1/2 Ton 4WD Truck, 72 Sovereign Hensley Arrow

Juarez has a population of over 1.5 million, Little Rock has 193k. Statistically speaking they are the same on a pe-capita basis. Detroit on the other hand has 700k population and 316 murders, much safer in Juarez than Detroit by those numbers.

I was in Cancun last month, had zero issues. Granted I flew down and wouldn't think of driving.

[ALUMINUMINUM]

I've survived Mexico a few times. I would not travel into Mexico with anything that I wanted to leave with.


First attempt, through San Diego in a '67 VW, I was turned away for having long hair. I went into a gift shop, bought a big souvenir sombrero, tied my hair up into it and got in through another gate. Toured the fascinating auto-body and upholstery shops in Tijuana, rode horses on the Ensenada beaches and tried “them fried twice beans”. A great trip.


Many years later, flew in to Merida. Had all my luggage stolen from my hotel room the first night. Wished that I had brought toilet paper. Rode third class buses with leashed pigs and caged chickens to Chitzen itza, Traded my Levi jacket for a few pesos and a purported Mayan artifact. Hitch-hiked to Cancun, ate street food, never drank the water. Floated over to Cozumel during high seas in a dangerously overcrowded, increasingly submerging, 30' ferry. Contracted the “Fire Hose” version of Montezuma's revenge. Waddled around, dehydrated, with my butt cheeks duct taped together for a few agonizing days. Slept in the Hamacas en Isla Mujeres. Rash healed, dove from cliffs, sport fished, scuba dived, bought pocketfuls of Rorer 714s from la farmacia without prescription. Sleeping on the beaches of Tulum, I was robbed of everything in my wallet but my driver's license by an AK-47 brandishing Federale on the beach one night. Smart to wear a money-belt. Bought cases of embezzled XX beer from the back door of the distributor warehouse for a nickel a bottle. Climbed the fence, predawn, into the national park in Palenque, where I watched, alone in the ruins, the sun rising over an awakening misty jungle from atop a Mayan Pyramid. Swam down kilometers of cascades, floating along Spanish moss draped trees filled with orchids, bromeliads, and snakes at Aqua Azul, after picking and eating fresh psilocybin mushrooms from cow pies along the trail to the headwaters... Still have my Oaxacan hammock.


Aside from a bloody brawl in a cruise ship port discotheque, I survived Mexico unharmed, filled with experience, and a tad more worldly...


Mexico can be a magical and wonder filled adventure, if you dare...

[polarlyse]

This past February we camped a few days in Midway CG in Florida everglades. Next to us was a couple with a small motor home from Belgium. Yes they brought the MH from Belgium. I asked how long they had been on the road and the answer was 8 yrs. Long story short, they had spent 2 yrs. traveling in Mexico and 1 yr in Central America. They survived with all their fingers and toes. SO, it can be done.

[Lily&Me]

Originally Posted by ALUMINUMINUM

I've survived Mexico a few times. I would not travel into Mexico with anything that I wanted to leave with.


First attempt, through San Diego in a '67 VW, I was turned away for having long hair. I went into a gift shop, bought a big souvenir sombrero, tied my hair up into it and got in through another gate. Toured the fascinating auto-body and upholstery shops in Tijuana, rode horses on the Ensenada beaches and tried “them fried twice beans”. A great trip.


Many years later, flew in to Merida. Had all my luggage stolen from my hotel room the first night. Wished that I had brought toilet paper. Rode third class buses with leashed pigs and caged chickens to Chitzen itza, Traded my Levi jacket for a few pesos and a purported Mayan artifact. Hitch-hiked to Cancun, ate street food, never drank the water. Floated over to Cozumel during high seas in a dangerously overcrowded, increasingly submerging, 30' ferry. Contracted the “Fire Hose” version of Montezuma's revenge. Waddled around, dehydrated, with my butt cheeks duct taped together for a few agonizing days. Slept in the Hamacas en Isla Mujeres. Rash healed, dove from cliffs, sport fished, scuba dived, bought pocketfuls of Rorer 714s from la farmacia without prescription. Sleeping on the beaches of Tulum, I was robbed of everything in my wallet but my driver's license by an AK-47 brandishing Federale on the beach one night. Smart to wear a money-belt. Bought cases of embezzled XX beer from the back door of the distributor warehouse for a nickel a bottle. Climbed the fence, predawn, into the national park in Palenque, where I watched, alone in the ruins, the sun rising over an awakening misty jungle from atop a Mayan Pyramid. Swam down kilometers of cascades, floating along Spanish moss draped trees filled with orchids, bromeliads, and snakes at Aqua Azul, after picking and eating fresh psilocybin mushrooms from cow pies along the trail to the headwaters... Still have my Oaxacan hammock.


Aside from a bloody brawl in a cruise ship port discotheque, I survived Mexico unharmed, filled with experience, and a tad more worldly...


Mexico can be a magical and wonder filled adventure, if you dare...

Maggie

[andreasduess]

Originally Posted by shilgemann

Juarez has a population of over 1.5 million, Little Rock has 193k. Statistically speaking they are the same on a pe-capita basis. Detroit on the other hand has 700k population and 316 murders, much safer in Juarez than Detroit by those numbers.

About 10 years ago, I was working on the preproduction for a movie. Part of the movie was to be shot in Detroit and I was with our location team checking out a couple of possibilities.

One of the first things movie crews always do is say hi to the cops and introduce the production they are working on, establish credentials. Many of the location people are on the burly side, often tattooed and drive big trucks or SUVs - it's basically where they live throughout the production, their office, often their bed.

It's a good idea that the cops know who you are if and when the concerned citizenry calls in reporting that a bunch of strange men are hanging around street corners measuring things, taking pictures and generally acting suspiciously.

The cop at the station asked us if any of the crew had ever been to Detroit before. "No", was the answer, it was the first time for all of us.

He looked at us and pulled out a large map of the city and a bunch of coloured markers, shading the map in different colours.

"Here", he said "in the red zone, we cannot guarantee your safety. Please do not leave your vehicles, please do not show cameras. If you are approached by anybody, drive on. If you happen to come to a red traffic light, drive through it - if you get stopped, refer the officer back to me. Keep your windows closed at all times."

"Isn't that a bit of an overreaction", we asked.

"You're a bunch of tattooed, long haired guys in leather jackets. You drive expensive cars. It only takes one street dealer to think you've been sent to muscle in on his territory to start a shooting. Not something we'd like to see.

Now, here in the yellow area, please respect the rules of the road. Be discrete. You would not be able to work there anyway, because the cost of security would be prohibitive - anything not nailed down would disappear overnight.

Here, in the green zone, you should be ok. Still, keep your stuff locked. Got me?"

The green zone was basically Greektown, not a place we would find what we were looking for.

In the end, we moved the production to Buffalo. We cost for security was spiralling, as the cop predicted, and the annoyance just wasn't worth it anymore.

[Overlander & Sea]

Originally Posted by jornvango

Thanks Overlander & Sea.

Now that we returned from our trip, we moved from Texas and are now living in Arizona. Can't wait to go down into Mexico on weekend trips.

You're welcome. I thought I'd post the link to your blog about your trip through Mexico & Central America. It's a good read with many wonderful photos!

Roadtrippin' The Americas

Originally Posted by drboyd

I guess I'd suggest that this thread be closed. It's treading on thin ice over the frigid lake of politics, and I think I hear some ominous cracking sounds.

I hope this thread is not closed. Too many good stories about Mexico.

Originally Posted by ALUMINUMINUM

I've survived Mexico a few times. I would not travel into Mexico with anything that I wanted to leave with.


First attempt, through San Diego in a '67 VW, I was turned away for having long hair. I went into a gift shop, bought a big souvenir sombrero, tied my hair up into it and got in through another gate. Toured the fascinating auto-body and upholstery shops in Tijuana, rode horses on the Ensenada beaches and tried “them fried twice beans”. A great trip.


Many years later, flew in to Merida. Had all my luggage stolen from my hotel room the first night. Wished that I had brought toilet paper. Rode third class buses with leashed pigs and caged chickens to Chitzen itza, Traded my Levi jacket for a few pesos and a purported Mayan artifact. Hitch-hiked to Cancun, ate street food, never drank the water. Floated over to Cozumel during high seas in a dangerously overcrowded, increasingly submerging, 30' ferry. Contracted the “Fire Hose” version of Montezuma's revenge. Waddled around, dehydrated, with my butt cheeks duct taped together for a few agonizing days. Slept in the Hamacas en Isla Mujeres. Rash healed, dove from cliffs, sport fished, scuba dived, bought pocketfuls of Rorer 714s from la farmacia without prescription. Sleeping on the beaches of Tulum, I was robbed of everything in my wallet but my driver's license by an AK-47 brandishing Federale on the beach one night. Smart to wear a money-belt. Bought cases of embezzled XX beer from the back door of the distributor warehouse for a nickel a bottle. Climbed the fence, predawn, into the national park in Palenque, where I watched, alone in the ruins, the sun rising over an awakening misty jungle from atop a Mayan Pyramid. Swam down kilometers of cascades, floating along Spanish moss draped trees filled with orchids, bromeliads, and snakes at Aqua Azul, after picking and eating fresh psilocybin mushrooms from cow pies along the trail to the headwaters... Still have my Oaxacan hammock.


Aside from a bloody brawl in a cruise ship port discotheque, I survived Mexico unharmed, filled with experience, and a tad more worldly...


Mexico can be a magical and wonder filled adventure, if you dare...

That is really, really funny!!

It makes me want to go back, again. Except for the sport fishing, I missed that part of the Yucatan!

[shilgemann]

An interesting site for those that are interested in stats and facts.

Mexico vs US Cities - How Safe Is Mexico

Anyone up for a trip to Baltimore?

[IanPoulin]

Originally Posted by shilgemann

An interesting site for those that are interested in stats and facts.

Mexico vs US Cities - How Safe Is Mexico

Anyone up for a trip to Baltimore?

Up for cosplay of GTA V?

[Photobum]

I spent three months this winter in Aticama, Nayarit, camped thirty feet from the water. I am now in Todos Santos, Baja California Sur, a sleepy dusty little town a thousand miles south of San Diego and forty five minutes from Cabo San Lucas on the Pacific side.

Wonderful weather, people, and food, and inexpensive camping....no issues. And there is a '74 Airstream across from me in the campground.

Crime is everywhere, but so is the beauty...