so i'm a white american...safe for me to travel to mexico? (live, law)
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please be honest here...am i going to be hastled and stuff beause i'm an american, white, and will stick out? will i be better in a certain city? i want to go from ca to baja..prob a coastal city so i can relax and fish for 4 days or so..thanks!!
Good Grief! Hundreds of thousands of Americans and Canadians vacation in Mexico every year. Many thousands live there permanently. Why would you think you'd be treated badly? If you go anywhere that is attractive to tourists, you'll be just fine. If you go somewhere off the beaten track, your biggest problem will be the language barrier. Go and enjoy yourself.
I'm probably not going to be traveling to Mexico any time soon, unfortunately, but in terms of travel safety, I did have a question about the cartel violence going on.
See I'm white to anyone else, but I'm also half-Cuban, speak Spanish pretty well, and I've been out of the country before, so I know more or less how to handle myself.
However, while I know that many many many people vacation there every year, I have heard that various criminals (mostly from the drug traffickers) chill around the vacation ports where they can rob the supposedly richer Americans.
Please understand that I'm not bad-mouthing Mexico itself or its people, but the low-life types that pose a real threat.
Location: Mokelumne Hill, CA & El Pescadero, BCS MX.
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I just got back from southern BCS and as usual we traveled wherever we wanted, including a visit at night to our friends home in the barrio without a single worry.
I'm probably not going to be traveling to Mexico any time soon, unfortunately, but in terms of travel safety, I did have a question about the cartel violence going on.
See I'm white to anyone else, but I'm also half-Cuban, speak Spanish pretty well, and I've been out of the country before, so I know more or less how to handle myself.
However, while I know that many many many people vacation there every year, I have heard that various criminals (mostly from the drug traffickers) chill around the vacation ports where they can rob the supposedly richer Americans.
Please understand that I'm not bad-mouthing Mexico itself or its people, but the low-life types that pose a real threat.
It's very doubtful drug cartes would be robbing American tourists because the money on a tourist isn't the kind of money they're after. There are street criminals in all cities and countries.
Pickpockets, purse snatchers, scammers are nothing new at all -- they were there when all of Mexico was considered safe and they're still there.
The cartels don't target tourists for anything, not even in the drug war regions -- however the violence level is high enough that you don't have to be targetted but sitting too near others who are. The biggest problem is the break down of law and order in a city like Juarez because now kids are stealing cars, carjacking anyone with a car they want.
Many Americans are given much importance by the mere fact of being white!
Once in Mexico they will be surprised how many white people they found, not just people from Mexico and the U.S. but from many parts of the world.
I believe black American tourists wonder the same thing but in reverse - if they might face any problem for being black. I think that just means people worry what can happen if they stick out -- and it doesn't matter that there are white Mexicans, most Americans stick out independent of skin tone. They stick out because they look like tourists, they look like Americans, they act like Americans. They don't look and act much like Europeans you see in Mexico - even if the skin shade it the same.
That is IF Americans were being targetted, it would be easy enough for someone to target them, but that's not the case other than the typical type who figures tourists might carry around money or leave jewelry in hotel rooms -- that kind of thing.
We are headed to Loreto in 2 weeks, and while we will certainly use the same amount of caution that we use ANYWHERE we travel, I'm not excessively concerned about safety. I find it frustrating that a large number of co-workers are scared of the whole country, based on the media coverage they see. They are worried about me going to Loreto because it is in MEXICO, but not my friend who is visiting family in El Paso, because it is U.S. I can't wait for our Baja trip. Go, and enjoy yourself!
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