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This February we'll be heading down to Brownsville for a few days on business and I am sort of thinking about going across the border to Matamoros. Not too long ago I read an online article about how border towns can be very, very dangerous to visitors.
I am wondering if anyone here is familiar with the area and can tell me if this is a realistic concern or not. Everyone says that if you stick to the "tourists areas" that you should be ok. But, frankly, I am not really too keen on that idea. I'd really rather try to experience the other areas, if that is possible and certainly find an authentic restaurant where they do not serve food that tastes like Taco Bell! LOL I am also interested in finding a pharmacy or doctor who can write me a prescription for a few items that I can legally bring back across the border. I don't know how easy/hard it's going to be to find that, but it may take me away from the tourist area.
One time yrs ago needed a specific RX item that had to have a Dr's prescription in Mexico. "No problem they said"...all I had to do was pay $xx for the Dr and they would phone him for the needed prescription. Amazing modern technology so it can be done.
This February we'll be heading down to Brownsville for a few days on business and I am sort of thinking about going across the border to Matamoros. Not too long ago I read an online article about how border towns can be very, very dangerous to visitors.
I am wondering if anyone here is familiar with the area and can tell me if this is a realistic concern or not. Everyone says that if you stick to the "tourists areas" that you should be ok. But, frankly, I am not really too keen on that idea. I'd really rather try to experience the other areas, if that is possible and certainly find an authentic restaurant where they do not serve food that tastes like Taco Bell! LOL I am also interested in finding a pharmacy or doctor who can write me a prescription for a few items that I can legally bring back across the border. I don't know how easy/hard it's going to be to find that, but it may take me away from the tourist area.
Any advice? recommendations? cautions?
20yrsinBranson
Really I would take the State Department travel advisories seriously -- although tourists aren't usually being targetted, the violence is between criminal gangs and police. They try not to hit tourists but you have to realize that some of the border towns -- most -- are very unstable right now.
It would be better to travel to some city in the interior. Border towns are just border towns, to see the "real" Mexico, it's better to get past the border but still paying attention to the travel advisories.
One reason you don't hear of innocent tourists running into problems is that there aren't many of them going over there to the border towns right now. Myself -- I would not recommend it, especially if you plan to wander about past the tourist zones.
Matamoros is Reynosa's more dangerous counterpart. . . I wouldn't go.
If it's not too far for you, though, Nuevo Progreso (across the border from Progreso, TX) is a quaint town that may be worth visiting.
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