Hmm, I wasn't aware this thread existed and stumbled upon a post I made quoted in it! I have a lot more to add on this subject, and I'm currently writing a book about travel in Haiti to a bunch of fishing islands, but I'll go ahead and respond to this:
Quote:
Originally Posted by Fossilkid93
I was hoping T50 could expand a bit on this post.
I've lived in Mexico City for about 8 months and spent another 2 months traveling in various areas of Mexico (a lot in Michoacán, Querétaro, Puebla, Maya Riviera, Mérida, couple others). I've never once felt it was any more dangerous than comparable places in Europe/USA.
Granted, in Mexico City I live near Reforma and hang out a lot in Condesa/Roma Norte which are areas for foreigners, but I had a Mexican gf for 5 months and she lived in Perisur, so I spent a bit of time in areas that aren't particularly dangerous per se, but don't have many gringos.
Where in México did you feel at risk?
I'm a bit disappointed to hear your take on Central America b/c it's an area I wanted to explore a bit more, but I value your opinion. OTOH, while I was in Lima I talked to an Irish guy who absolutely loves Nicaragua.
Great idea for a thread and maybe it can serve as a place to discuss more off the radar places that noone talks about much or are deemed "too dangerous".
I'm lucky enough never to have been the victim of any violent crime outside of the USA. Therefore, my opinion on the danger of any place is based on second hand accounts or what I've actually seen; second hand accounts generally govern as the better source of info.
I work in Mexico, so I see it from that perspective as well as that of an independent traveler. Evidence of it being a pretty dangerous place:
- Mexico is the only place I've ridden in a bullet proof car and had a security guard. This was not traveling with an American company, but with the owner of a Mexican contracting company in one of its safest cities (Puebla).
- My coworkers in Mexico have been the victims of robbery, carjacking, and pickpocketing, all in the capital.
- Currently have a project in Guanajuato state, and Celaya notably has an informal curfew going on, the university shutting classes down early, and so forth.
- Robbery of trucks and trains is a MAJOR problem in my industry. Like, in the >1% territory.
- I'm regularly in conversations with Mexican businessmen who just talk passively about where and where not to go. For instance, the mountains west of Tampico, which are amazing for travel, are currently quite dangerous from what I've heard.
- The city of Monterrey was notably taken over essentially by cartels between 2011 and 2014, causing many wealthy people to flee. I know a lot of people who went through this. And it happens to cities all the freaking time in Mexico. Most famously Lazaro Cardenas in 2014 and Iguala Guerrero in 2014. The really scary part is you don't know which cities have had this happen to them until AFTER the fact. even local journalists don't tend to survive by reporting on the fact that their city has become a cartel haven; the international press hasn't a clue.
Granted, I've had a LOT of trips in Mexico and never a problem once besides attempted pickpockets in CDMX. I've been to about half the states I think: QRoo, Yucatan, Puebla, Guerrero, Michoacan, Morelos, CDMX, Mex, Hidalgo, Tlaxcala, SLP, Qro, NL, Guanajauto, Coahuila, Chihuahua, Sinaloa, Sonora, BCS. Independently to the more exciting/odd ones, a mix of work and fun to the more industrial/bajio states. I go basically anywhere in the country without hesitation. But I recognize I'm taking a risk in light of all the stuff above.
