Help needed with possible travel to Mexico (rental, hair, crime)
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I have the chance of a home exchange to Mexico next year ( we stay in thier house , they stay in ours and we exchange cars too) in Ajijic and we are still deciding whether to accept or not.
I know Mexico quite well ( Lake Chapala is actually one area I do not know at all really) , especially around Mexico city and Yucatan as I did some Archaeological excavations there but that was 2 decades ago.
My Spanish is now fairly rusty ( thinking of going back to re-learn ) and I am now disabled ( not in a wheelchair but I have walking difficulties) so it is to me a completely new proposition.
Hubby and I are slightly wary about the Drug situation in Mexico and of course the Police corruption ( our potential exchange hosts admit they give in and pay them bribes on a regular basis) . Lake Chapala sounds like a very sedate area , full of American and Canadian retired ex-pats so that does not worry me but we tend to tour a lot on our vacation and I definitely want to re-visit Mexico city ,and show hubby some of the Archaeological sites like Teotihuacan etc..
Because of my mobilty problem I do feel more vulnerable and also public transport is not really that easy for me. Of course driving around Mexico city is insane especially for foreigners so I feel doing Mexico city and surrounding area could prove very difficult. What is the crime situation like nowadays in the Capital , and what do you think my best options would be for getting around as easily as possible.
I know some companies do accompanied tours to Teotihuacan and city tours , but I must admit organised tours and coach trips are not really my cup of tea unless really necessary ....
How likely are we to encounter police corruption ? Our exchange hosts have told us NOT to drive into Guadalajara because they have been stopped and "fined" many times by the local police even as residents so as you can imagine it does not really appeal much .
20 years + ago I felt utterly safe in Mexico and never had any problems whatsoever . Everyone was helpful and friendly , and crime was limited to very small areas ( large cities) and was of a fairly "normal" bent.
Tourist resorts are really not our thing but I would like to re-visit some of the best Archaeological sites in the world without feeling I have to look over my shoulder all the time...
I was just trying to get a realistic view of what my visit would entail before making a final decision. Anyone living in Mexico city with tips etc.. would be incredibly welcome to comment.
I only see Lake Chapala as a base and really want to tour around a bit, we drive a lot on our vacation and enjoy the freedom of the road.
I have the chance of a home exchange to Mexico next year ( we stay in thier house , they stay in ours and we exchange cars too) in Ajijic and we are still deciding whether to accept or not.
I know Mexico quite well ( Lake Chapala is actually one area I do not know at all really) , especially around Mexico city and Yucatan as I did some Archaeological excavations there but that was 2 decades ago.
My Spanish is now fairly rusty ( thinking of going back to re-learn ) and I am now disabled ( not in a wheelchair but I have walking difficulties) so it is to me a completely new proposition.
Hubby and I are slightly wary about the Drug situation in Mexico and of course the Police corruption ( our potential exchange hosts admit they give in and pay them bribes on a regular basis) . Lake Chapala sounds like a very sedate area , full of American and Canadian retired ex-pats so that does not worry me but we tend to tour a lot on our vacation and I definitely want to re-visit Mexico city ,and show hubby some of the Archaeological sites like Teotihuacan etc..
Because of my mobilty problem I do feel more vulnerable and also public transport is not really that easy for me. Of course driving around Mexico city is insane especially for foreigners so I feel doing Mexico city and surrounding area could prove very difficult. What is the crime situation like nowadays in the Capital , and what do you think my best options would be for getting around as easily as possible.
I know some companies do accompanied tours to Teotihuacan and city tours , but I must admit organised tours and coach trips are not really my cup of tea unless really necessary ....
How likely are we to encounter police corruption ? Our exchange hosts have told us NOT to drive into Guadalajara because they have been stopped and "fined" many times by the local police even as residents so as you can imagine it does not really appeal much .
20 years + ago I felt utterly safe in Mexico and never had any problems whatsoever . Everyone was helpful and friendly , and crime was limited to very small areas ( large cities) and was of a fairly "normal" bent.
Tourist resorts are really not our thing but I would like to re-visit some of the best Archaeological sites in the world without feeling I have to look over my shoulder all the time...
I was just trying to get a realistic view of what my visit would entail before making a final decision. Anyone living in Mexico city with tips etc.. would be incredibly welcome to comment.
I only see Lake Chapala as a base and really want to tour around a bit, we drive a lot on our vacation and enjoy the freedom of the road.
I'll trust info about travel in Mexico City to some of the more knowlegeable people on this board - but will say this may not be the time to travel around Mexico unless you are with a tour company. I just read a posting on the Chapala forum (via the Manzanilla forum) about some folks who were highjacked on the cuota road by armed men and lost everything including 3 rescue dogs. And this is not the first story about travelers being hijacked recently. chapala.com Web Board
But I also know of a Canadian couple who traveled for three months throughout Mexico in a rental car and experienced NO problems. And several other folks we know traveled back to the border from the Vallarta area without incident. But from all the recent reports (and warnings) it does seem as though it is not the best of times to plan a major trip throughout the countryside on your own. Certainly the Chapala area is a wonderful and thus far safe destination - but, if it is to be your base - and to act on the side of caution - I would think planning your other trips by plane or bus would be wisest!
It's very sad to consider how Mexico's own citizens (the criminal elements) are actually highjacking their country's economy.
BTW - The Chapala forum is a rich source of info about that area.)
Per the above post and link; if the link doesn't directly connect you to the subject, the title of the post is "A Post from the La Manzanilla Message Board/Caution when Traveling".
I don't live in Mexico but I wouldn't hesitate flying into Mexico City and taking buses and trains or taxis from the official sitios to other parts but I myself would not drive.
I've been through some of the military checkpoints and it doesn't bother much but unless you know the area quite well, it's not worth taking chances. If you do drive, make sure you ask people living in the area where it's safe to go and where to stay out of. That's not so different than in the USA where you'd hate to see a foreign tourist naively stroll into the wrong part of town.
Most of the crime is targetted and the drug cartels don't waste their bullets on innocent American tourists. It's just the street crime that exists everywhere that you have to be careful of -- but that's nothing new.
Mexico city is a long way from Ajijic and if you don't want to drive in Guadalajara ... you sure don't want to drive in Mexico City. You also didn't say how long is your house exchange. Unless you are going to be there a couple of months there is plenty to see in the Guadalajara and Lakeside areas
Driving in the somewhat rural Lake Chapala area is pretty easy but I would either bus or taxi in any of the larger cities.
Mexico city is a long way from Ajijic and if you don't want to drive in Guadalajara ... you sure don't want to drive in Mexico City. You also didn't say how long is your house exchange. Unless you are going to be there a couple of months there is plenty to see in the Guadalajara and Lakeside areas
Driving in the somewhat rural Lake Chapala area is pretty easy but I would either bus or taxi in any of the larger cities.
My house exchange is only going to be for a month but I actually WANT to tour around as this will be our one chance for a few years to visit Mexico and I do not want to miss out Mexico city which is such a wonderful and beautiful city ( the old part anyway) or Tehotihuacan and maybe Tula which I really want to show to my husband ( I am an Archaeologist so I would never forgive myself if we missed out those sights). I realise driving in Mexico is insane but as mentioned in my post being disabled makes public transport a little bit difficult for me. We are thinking of using taxis whilst in the city .
I think we might have to use some of the organised tours to Tehotihuacan from Mexico City which I must admit is not really my cup of tea, way too regimented for me but it might be our only option if we do decide to visit Mexico after all.
Lake Chapala sounds very pretty but a litte sedate perhaps, we are what the Brits call "Culture Vultures" and love Historical sights, Archaeological sights, Architecture, Museums, Art Galleries etc... I would have prefered Yucatan as a destination but the opportunity of an exchange did not arise there....
How bad is the police corruption ? As I said our exchange guests mentioned quite happily paying the police "fines" for doing absolutely nothing wrong as if it was more normal and quite frankly I don't want to be harassed by the police every time we take our car for a drive. The car we would have is also a convertible so not exactly something inconspicuous...
We'll be visiting a lot of the Colonial Towns too hopefully like San Miguel de Allende, Lagos de Moreno, Aguascalientes, Zacatecas etc..
I was living down in San Miguel de Allende for the winter and felt very safe. The police want to keep the city safe for foreigners. Most everyone has an number for a safe and reliable driver that can get you around anywhere outside the city and the same goes for Lake Chapala. I would not miss SMA and Guanajuato if you can get there.
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