US warns against travel to Rocky Point, other parts of Mexico

I am in Rocky Point this weekend. The weather is perfect, the golf is geat, and the beaches were calm enough for me to use my paddle board sea kayak yesterday. You Arizonans are lucky to have such a beautiful, peaceful beach area so close to you and you let the media manipulate you. I was in Rocky Point over Christmas, and six policemen were shot 10 minutes from my home in Utah. All my Rocky Point friends were telling me that I shouldn't go home to Utah because they saw the violence on CNN International.

I have friends that work in the hospital in Rocky Point and I speak Spanish, so I am well aware of any act of violence. The bottom line is that if you are not involved in a cartel, statistically you chances of being hurt are much higher in Arizona than Rocky Point (assuming you stay west of the Sierra Madre Mountains). The state department process for issuing alerts is flawed, as everyone knows. There is nothing for them to gain and everything to lose unless they make the warnings dire. In one case a few years ago, a supposed incident was bogus. Everyone knows the trouble is in the Mountains and east toward Texas.

I've heard that everyone in AZ knows someone that had something bad happen to them in Mexico. Well, I think the stories are recirculated, because if anything were REALLY to happen, the local authorites and hospitals would know.

Why doesn't the State Department warn us about cities in the States, like--Detroit, DC, Toledo,Cleveland; the list could go on forever,since the US is the most criminal nation & crime inundated country among the so-called developed world, which maybe we're not part of that world any longer.

I was in Rocky Point over this last weekend the 2/24-2/26 and there was nothing going on. I fell safe every time i go down there. Like many other people have said, unless you are apart of something bad, the chances of something happening to you are slim to none. Dont be in questionable places at questionable times and you will be fine. I love mexico and will continue to go down as often as i can

The State Department is so full of SHHHiTTT.
There have been 274 Americans gie in all of Mexico in the last 6 years, That number includes car.ATV.Boatind deaths. Compair that to Phoenix Arizona.

Kevin wrote:

The State Department is so full of SHHHiTTT.
There have been 274 Americans gie in all of Mexico in the last 6 years, That number includes car.ATV.Boatind deaths. Compair that to Phoenix Arizona.

Kevin.

This is typical revolutionary Government tactics. The Government's propaganda mill beats the drum to create fear among the public of what might befall them, in order to hide the fact that it already has. Please see Orwell: "1984".

Ronald

As a retired Canadian, I recently rode my motorcycle in Mexico for almost three weeks. Avoiding tourist traps, I used common sense - no drugs or excessive alcohol; I listened to locals had respect for the people I met. I also stayed away from anyone who appeared to be inclined towards criminality and obeyed the law. Just like I do in Canada. My experience was great.

If you read the newspaper reports of the poor people that are being deported, it always states that they are being sent back to Mexico and it is very dangerous. They have been living in the United States and they fear for their lives if forced to live in Mexico. Which one is it? Sounds like the propaganda mill goes as the wind blows and to whoever needs it to give them support.

These people are not drug dealers but rather everyday people that are saying it is too dangerous to go back. Of course maybe the people that live in Mexico or have lived in Mexico know more then the tourists that have not had problems.

Tourists that have had problems usually do not talk about it much. I myself live here and I have seen many tourists that have had problems. One who recently was driving in the Sierras and were stopped at gunpoint and had their truck and everything they owned stolen. Left on the side of the road with only the clothes on their back.

I myself have had many problems even when not looking for them. I guess if you live here and have come to Mexico as Much as I have in my life the odds are you will experience problems that you do not deserve.

Once in the USA I had my car broken into. I know lots of tourists who have had their cars stolen here. My good friend just recently from the Sorianna parking lot.

How about the 5 Americans that dissapeared here in December. You can bet they are not coming home. So when you get home feel fortunate.

There is a report about on Another fotrum here about an American who has lived in Guadalajara for years and now feels it is too dangerous and is ready to move back.

If you do not live here you really do not know what is going on. You can be taken down by the Police, the military or anyone at anytime for absolutely no reason.

A small town near Mazatlan called Cosala had I believe over 20 tourists killed. They did it for their cars and belongings and the Police were found driving their vehicles after the fact. The whole police force in the town was in on it. One was a professor and they found his body amongst the others.

Many of these isolated out of the way pueblos can get you in trouble because they know they can get away with murder.

Do not let people think that it as safe as you have been. You must be alert at all times. Traveling on back highways out of the tourist areas is not a good idea period.

May of you do not know it, but a very high percentage of these small Pueblos are completely controlled by one group of Narcos or the other. They are the law in these areas and many fear nothing from the police, as often the police are involved. The police even if not involved will not interfere at the risk of death to their families.

Not like traveling in the USA. Many waters here in Mexico are infested with sharks. Stick to the tourist areas.

How about the bus loaded with American tourists hijacked and robbed the other day in I believe in Puerto Vallarta or Mazatlan? They lost everything they had on them. They were on a side excursion after coming off a cruise ship.

There should be a website where people can go and detail all the problems they have had in Mexico. After my elderly Uncle and Aunt were drugged in Tijuana on a day excursion.

My brother had his money robbed from the hotel safe by the employees at the front desk at a Mazatlan resort just last year. Kind of ruined his vacation. Like they said at the front desk, to call the police would not help them. The people responsible would not admit to anything. They actually had smirks on their faces according to my Brother and his Wife.

Met two men US citizens from Las Vegas the other day. They said that last year their car broke down between Tecate and Tijuana. They had to walk and hope for a ride. While doing so a man chased after them and fired multiple shots at them. Lucky for them none found their mark. They knew reporting it would not do any good and bringing the police in could make it worse for them. You never read or hear about these things unless you are talking to people constantly about or in Mexico. Which I obviously do. I am not a tourist by I meet them all the time.

Want more stories. Want more I can provide more.

CONCERNED, why do you live in Mexico if it's as dangerous as you and these other folks describe???

OPEN BORDERS wrote:

CONCERNED, why do you live in Mexico if it's as dangerous as you and these other folks describe???

Why do people go to war when there is a chance of being killed? Many do it for money, a job, education and power. Many for their country. Many are just bored at home because they have nothing going on. I have been doing my research and have had my business for years in Mexico. Do I act a coward and flee acroos the border like so many Mexicans are doing now. No.

I love Mexico and many of the people are as good as the best you will find in the USA or anywhere. Do I desert them? I have a beautiful wife with two kids that want to grow up near their family. Her family like so many in Mexico are poor. I like to help when I can.

I have it all. Great climate, Beautiful desert and mountains, wonderful friends, Great relatives on both sides of the border, Mexican and American. A great job where I do well, and I enjoy.

I also know I will not live forever. I have lived a great life. Almost 60 years old. I feel alive and I watch myself at all times. There is a difference from being a tourist or snowbird that lives in Rocky Point. Way out of the danger. Maybe getting their could be dangerous. I have knowledge that no tourist has because of experience. I have lived and been coming to Mexico all my life. Why do people live in the bad and dangerous parts of the USA?

I live in a gated comunity. So I do everything that I can to reduce my chance of being a victim. But it can happen anywhere I guess. I like these government reports as living here I can follow up on them with the people I know in those areas. They are pretty much on the money, most of the time.

Is it dangerous here in Mexico. YOU BETTER BELIEVE IT!!

For the Mexican who says I drive all over and do everything and have never had a problem. Well you can bet he has had freinds and family killed, or had some form of violence touch someone he knows. It has happened to be many times here in Chihuahua in just the last couple of years. I have lost family through marraige here and friends.

I personally know 100's of crimes perpetrated against Americans. Many are my friends that have traveled here.

As my daughter says. Don't take life too seriously, none of us are going to get out alive.

Lee Paxton wrote:

Why doesn't the State Department warn us about cities in the States, like--Detroit, DC, Toledo,Cleveland; the list could go on forever,since the US is the most criminal nation & crime inundated country among the so-called developed world, which maybe we're not part of that world any longer.

We do not know need to be warned about dangerous places in the USA. If you do not read the newspaper or watch television or talk to other people then maybe you do not care much for knowledge. You apparently know that Detroit is bad. Did it take a travel warning to tell you that or did you already know it.

Mexico is an unknown to Many Americans. If you knew half of what I know and have seen down here you would think the travel warnings are just a powder puff. I do not think they go into enough detail.

Just like people know that smoking will kill you and there are warnings on the packages. You do not have to heed them. Now if they get on TV and disect the Brain and Lungs of people that have died because of smoking it might make an impact on someone. Required seminars may help to reduce the smoking showing the same things and even talk to people that are dieing from smoking.

Something like taking the young problemed kids to scared straight in the prisons. It looks like seeing reality works for many people. I hope I am making my point.

I watched the first 48 hours last night and I saw the amount of crimminals in Atlanta. I watched the decoy police car show and I could not believe the amount of people that would steal that car. It would not have happened where I grew up in the USA. But it is getting worse as more crimminals are crossing the borders from all countries.

A warning to me is not enough. A phamplet should be handed out to all people traveling by plane or car to all tourist crossing the border. There a lot of things to watch for that may make your trip alot safer.

Stay safe!!

Well Chihuahua isn't where many tourists would consider as their top destination in Mexico in the first place. My gripe with the sensationalist media, is with them warning tourists to avoid all together places like Cancun, Puerto Vallarta, Cabo San Lucas, Mexico City, and even Guadalajara. I have been traveling to many parts of Mexico for over 22 years, staying from a week to sometimes months, and have never encountered any problems. Likewise, I have many good friends in Mexico as well, and not all of them have been victims of violence and crime, nor do they all know someone who has been. Crime is relative to any populated place here on God's green earth, so why single out Mexico in such an extreme manner - it's ridiculous.

OPEN BORDERS wrote:

Well Chihuahua isn't where many tourists would consider as their top destination in Mexico in the first place. My gripe with the sensationalist media, is with them warning tourists to avoid all together places like Cancun, Puerto Vallarta, Cabo San Lucas, Mexico City, and even Guadalajara. I have been traveling to many parts of Mexico for over 22 years, staying from a week to sometimes months, and have never encountered any problems. Likewise, I have many good friends in Mexico as well, and not all of them have been victims of violence and crime, nor do they all know someone who has been. Crime is relative to any populated place here on God's green earth, so why single out Mexico in such an extreme manner - it's ridiculous.

Then you must really know what you are doing or not being honest. Just look what happened in Jalisco the other day. One American living there even posted on another forum that he is considering leaving after living there for many years because things are getting to dangerous. His post came from Guadalajara.

Look at all the taxi drivers being killed in Puerto Vallarta. I would not want to be a fare when they took them down. Shooting of a hotel employee right on the beach in front of tourists.

If you have been there that long you must not get out much and do much traveling. I was out one night with my friend near Mazatlan in a place called Cosala. We were pulled over buy several trucks. There were 13 people in all. One a teenager. We had caught a large snake and had it in a bag. They were sure we were DEA agents.

They all had guns and the tenager asked in Spanish if he could be the one to shoot us. I did some fast talking and told them we were just looking at and photographing animals. I pulled the snake out of the bag. It was biting me and drawing blood. This was enough to convince them we were not DEA.

I had a friend from California that was traveling in his Toyota truck and was near Acapulco. He came around a bend and found a group of men shooting their guns in the air in celebration. That were dancing around a couple of policemen they had just shot. He hit the breaks, backed up fast, flipped a u-turn as bullets were flying buy. They mounted a chase but he got away.

Had some friends that were traveling outside of Ensenda when they passed under an overpass. Someone under the underpass shot at them and hit the drivers side mirror. They did not stick around to check further.

I can go on for hours if you like!

Why do all the houses in every city have tall metal fences or block walls with glass, spikes and razor wire on top. In all cities. Wrought iron on all the doors and windows. Is it because there is not danger? Where I came from we did not even have fences for protection in the USA. What do the Mexican people know that you don't. I guarantee your friends take extra measures to protect their houses and belongings. Why?

Why do all the people who do not want to come back to the United States say the number one reason is because it is too dangerous in Mexico. Number two is because they cannot make enought money. I told an illegal in El Paso the other day that I live in Mexico. Everyone Mexican I tell this too asks me why? Do you not realize how dangerous it is there?

The army was escorting Mexican Americans traveling South across the border in many areas to visit loved ones for Xmas. They told the people to travel in Packs. This was a warning by the Mexican Government.

Still many people had everything they had taken and many were assaulted. Some killed and others kidnapped. The army cannot be everywhere at all times. Most of these people were Mexican.

In fact they were so afraid to travel South, that many people as stated in the papers here and El Paso were not going to make the trip this last year.

What do these people know that you do not know? You must be a travel agent.

I meant come back to (deported) Mexico in the first paragraph.

My friend who lives in USA but has family in Sonoyta just lost her brother to Cartel violence. Turns out his son owes them money and they couldn't find him so were sending him message. They knocked on the door and then opened fire. Before he died he yelled to his family to hide. They all hid and miraculously survived. They were told by police to leave the home immediately, get out of Mexico if they could and never come back.

Concerned wrote:

<quoted text>
Then you must really know what you are doing or not being honest. Just look what happened in Jalisco the other day. One American living there even posted on another forum that he is considering leaving after living there for many years because things are getting to dangerous. His post came from Guadalajara.
Look at all the taxi drivers being killed in Puerto Vallarta. I would not want to be a fare when they took them down. Shooting of a hotel employee right on the beach in front of tourists.
If you have been there that long you must not get out much and do much traveling. I was out one night with my friend near Mazatlan in a place called Cosala. We were pulled over buy several trucks. There were 13 people in all. One a teenager. We had caught a large snake and had it in a bag. They were sure we were DEA agents.
They all had guns and the tenager asked in Spanish if he could be the one to shoot us. I did some fast talking and told them we were just looking at and photographing animals. I pulled the snake out of the bag. It was biting me and drawing blood. This was enough to convince them we were not DEA.
I had a friend from California that was traveling in his Toyota truck and was near Acapulco. He came around a bend and found a group of men shooting their guns in the air in celebration. That were dancing around a couple of policemen they had just shot. He hit the breaks, backed up fast, flipped a u-turn as bullets were flying buy. They mounted a chase but he got away.
Had some friends that were traveling outside of Ensenda when they passed under an overpass. Someone under the underpass shot at them and hit the drivers side mirror. They did not stick around to check further.
I can go on for hours if you like!
Why do all the houses in every city have tall metal fences or block walls with glass, spikes and razor wire on top. In all cities. Wrought iron on all the doors and windows. Is it because there is not danger? Where I came from we did not even have fences for protection in the USA. What do the Mexican people know that you don't. I guarantee your friends take extra measures to protect their houses and belongings. Why?

I have lived for years in puerto vallarta and much of what you are saying is not true.........

Last year we had two taxi drivers killed and both were hauling drugs for the narcos.

The last Americans or Canadians killed here was three years ago....
Google Canadians killed in Puerto Vallarta and read how they were smuggling drugs.

The tourist that were robed happened not on the bus as the news said but at a zip line resort and they robbed the lockers that there stuff was in......
Yes the news said the bus was robbed but I know the bus driver personally and he said the bus was not robbed...

Yes there is some crime and yes a few narcos get killed but with almost 500k people in the bay we have very few crimes compared to any city in the USA with 500k people....

I like you love the Mexican culture and could not think of a better place to raise my two young American children....
I, my wife and kids have no latino blood in us we just moved here to escape the bad schools in California and to live in our vacation home full time...