Traveling in Mexico...Palomas Chihuahua (Albuquerque, Grants: home, to buy, store)
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I was looking around for information on Mexico, for I intend to take a vacation there in the spring... a drive down into Chihuahua, and just go where I end up. Notes on Palomas caught my eye and so I started reading some postings on this forum about Palomas, and I was surprised. I am 66, and in 2005 I bought a piece of land on the edge of Palomas and started a business restoring vintage Chevy and GMC trucks (1949-54). I spent a year and a half commuting from my home in Albuquerque to Palomas and had a wonderful experience. I finally pulled the plug on it all because I wasn't making any money, but I would do it all again, for the adventures that I had were some of the best of my life. What shocked me were the terrible negative comments about Palomas (and Mexico), and how incorrect the perception that Gringos have of the place. Seems that everyone says "I have heard...", yet noone has first hand experience. Well, I do. I speak passable Spanish, but that is not really a necessity. I have spent many days, and many nights in Palomas... gone bar hopping, enjoyed the women, had an accident with my truck (my fault), and have nothing but good things to say about it all, and the people.
Those whose information goes as far as The Pink Store are simply wrong. One day, I stopped at the farmacia to get some ampecillin for a friend in Albuquerque, driving my big Dodge Dually, and when I came out, there were two cops with their van parked right behing my truck. I asked them if anything was wrong, and they assured me that all was fine... they were just watching my truck to make sure that nobody backed into it. That is how it is there, and I suspect all over Mexico. The people are very sensitive to giving a welcomeing impression, and the last think that anyone wants is for a Gringo to get a bad impression. When I was there in 2005-6, Pancho's bar was a hopping place, with perhaps 15 girls to buy a drink for. With the crackdown on the illegals at the border in subsequent years, the tourism industry has suffered enormously. I went down last year, and Lisette was the only person working at the bar. She lamented the tough times enormously. By the way, the bar is owned by Irma, a Gringa from Grants, New Mexico, and a fine old lady.
I was witness to some of the events that happened and was shocked to see how the news was distorted by the time it made the papers or evening news in Albuquerque. Palomas is a great place to have dental work done, I have bought 3 pairs of glasses from an optitian there, and I have NEVER had a negative experience. Eating is fantastic, although Sinolaences Restarrant was closed the last time I was there... sadly. They made the most fantastic Relleno Burritos.
Coming back across the border is never a problem, unless you are carrying on of the huge rolls of balogna (seems like that is the most smuggled item). Gettin into Palomas is tougher if you are carrying TV's or tools, for the Mexican border agents want a cut... but I liberally passed out cigars, and that went a long way with them.
Aldous Huxley ones said "To travel is to learn that nobody knows about other countries"... and that says it all for Mexico. Lee
You were there before the spit hit the fan, and must have had your head in the sand ever since. Nobody said the regular people of Palomas aren't nice people or that the hookers aren't pretty.
But for several years it suffered a lot of violence just like other border towns/cities. The Mayor was murdered. Beheadings occurred. A dentist was abducted and never found (I've met his brother or brother-in-law, can't recall which) Cartels battled for control. There were 40 murders in the first 5 months of 2008. The mayor of Columbus was arrested for selling guns to cartels. The violence wasn't directed at tourists but few people want to be in that kind of environment just for some trinkets or cheap dental work.
It has calmed down considerably in the last few years otherwise I wouldn't go there. But to act like none of this ever happened, well, you must not know it happened.
Quote:
Originally Posted by 48reo
I was looking around for information on Mexico, for I intend to take a vacation there in the spring... a drive down into Chihuahua, and just go where I end up. Notes on Palomas caught my eye and so I started reading some postings on this forum about Palomas, and I was surprised. I am 66, and in 2005 I bought a piece of land on the edge of Palomas and started a business restoring vintage Chevy and GMC trucks (1949-54). I spent a year and a half commuting from my home in Albuquerque to Palomas and had a wonderful experience. I finally pulled the plug on it all because I wasn't making any money, but I would do it all again, for the adventures that I had were some of the best of my life. What shocked me were the terrible negative comments about Palomas (and Mexico), and how incorrect the perception that Gringos have of the place. Seems that everyone says "I have heard...", yet noone has first hand experience. Well, I do. I speak passable Spanish, but that is not really a necessity. I have spent many days, and many nights in Palomas... gone bar hopping, enjoyed the women, had an accident with my truck (my fault), and have nothing but good things to say about it all, and the people.
Those whose information goes as far as The Pink Store are simply wrong. One day, I stopped at the farmacia to get some ampecillin for a friend in Albuquerque, driving my big Dodge Dually, and when I came out, there were two cops with their van parked right behing my truck. I asked them if anything was wrong, and they assured me that all was fine... they were just watching my truck to make sure that nobody backed into it. That is how it is there, and I suspect all over Mexico. The people are very sensitive to giving a welcomeing impression, and the last think that anyone wants is for a Gringo to get a bad impression. When I was there in 2005-6, Pancho's bar was a hopping place, with perhaps 15 girls to buy a drink for. With the crackdown on the illegals at the border in subsequent years, the tourism industry has suffered enormously. I went down last year, and Lisette was the only person working at the bar. She lamented the tough times enormously. By the way, the bar is owned by Irma, a Gringa from Grants, New Mexico, and a fine old lady.
I was witness to some of the events that happened and was shocked to see how the news was distorted by the time it made the papers or evening news in Albuquerque. Palomas is a great place to have dental work done, I have bought 3 pairs of glasses from an optitian there, and I have NEVER had a negative experience. Eating is fantastic, although Sinolaences Restarrant was closed the last time I was there... sadly. They made the most fantastic Relleno Burritos.
Coming back across the border is never a problem, unless you are carrying on of the huge rolls of balogna (seems like that is the most smuggled item). Gettin into Palomas is tougher if you are carrying TV's or tools, for the Mexican border agents want a cut... but I liberally passed out cigars, and that went a long way with them.
Aldous Huxley ones said "To travel is to learn that nobody knows about other countries"... and that says it all for Mexico. Lee
You were there before the spit hit the fan, and must have had your head in the sand ever since. Nobody said the regular people of Palomas aren't nice people or that the hookers aren't pretty.
But for several years it suffered a lot of violence just like other border towns/cities. The Mayor was murdered. Beheadings occurred. A dentist was abducted and never found (I've met his brother or brother-in-law, can't recall which) Cartels battled for control. There were 40 murders in the first 5 months of 2008. The mayor of Columbus was arrested for selling guns to cartels. The violence wasn't directed at tourists but few people want to be in that kind of environment just for some trinkets or cheap dental work.
It has calmed down considerably in the last few years otherwise I wouldn't go there. But to act like none of this ever happened, well, you must not know it happened.
Hear hear. Things have indeed improved considerably over the last few years, but rural Chihuahua got very, very squirrelly for a while there (~2009-2011/2012?). I have lots of gringo friends who worked in Chihuahua or were friends with the Mata Ortiz potters, etc. and almost all of them stopped going down during that stretch.
Hopefully those days won't come again, but yeah: those whose main experience came before the cartel violence really heated up would probably not have recognized things during those years.
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