# Travel in Mexico, drug wars, motels, etc.



## canadian redwing

Have been hearing a lot about the drug wars, expecially around Ciudad de Juarez, how many other areas are having problems, we are thinking of crossing in Nogales, and driving down to Barra de Navidad on the main highway.


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## RVGRINGO

People cross every day by the thousands. Just travel in the daytime, mind your own business and don't even think about guns or drugs and you should be just fine. If there should be trouble in some specific area, you will learn about it or only be delayed briefly. The stories you hear are about the cartels fighting each other, occasional police or politicians and hardly ever innocent civilians. Tourists are not involved if they keep their noses clean and their eyes open.


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## mexliving

*crossing nogales*

nogales is great for crossing into mexico... you can enter through the truck entrance and avoid going through the city.... you enter and your on the highway..... 30 kilometers later you arrive at the visa/car permit area.

i always enter at 6 to 7 am....... and as i drive down i like to stay at those drive in motels.... you have a garage and you dont have to unload all your belongings....

as i drive down, if i see a tow truck.. i take down the number just in case i break down ....
i do recomend you purchase a mex cell phone such as a tel cell ... you can find them at the OXXO (24 hour market)


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## HolyMole

mexliving said:


> nogales is great for crossing into mexico... you can enter through the truck entrance and avoid going through the city.... you enter and your on the highway..... 30 kilometers later you arrive at the visa/car permit area.
> 
> i always enter at 6 to 7 am....... and as i drive down i like to stay at those drive in motels.... you have a garage and you dont have to unload all your belongings....
> 
> as i drive down, if i see a tow truck.. i take down the number just in case i break down ....
> i do recomend you purchase a mex cell phone such as a tel cell ... you can find them at the OXXO (24 hour market)


The truck crossing at Nogales is called the Mariposa crossing....the best one to avoid downtown Nogales traffic.

Most "motels" in Mexico advertise their rates either by the hour....or 3 hours, for the very active.....and are designed in such a way that customer's vehicles cannot be seen from the street. For that reason....and their reputation..... we've always avoided them. But I've heard from other travellers that they can be a good deal.

Do they normally offer those low 1 hour "quickie" rates if you actually intend to stay all night? is it necessary to make it clear to the front desk that you do intend to spend the night? We've also heard that, once you check in, you can't leave to go to a restaurant, for example. True? False? 

(Is that where the Eagles lyric...."You can check in but you can never leave" came from?)


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## RVGRINGO

Many frequent travelers in Mexico swear by the 'no tell motels' for security and economy. They also swear that they never turn on the TV. There are no keys because you aren't expected to leave and need to re-enter. Yes, your car will be out of sight in your very own closed garage, from which you discreetly enter your room. Those who travel with pets (not popular among Mexicans) say that if they walk their pet and have dinner before checking in, all is well; except that 12 hours seems to be the maximum stay. All of this is, of course, rumor. I swear that I've never stayed in one. Oh yes; some of them have a lazy susan in the wall and you can order a meal or snacks that way.


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## mexliving

*mexico rest stop*

i have to tell my story of how i came to know about those motels....
having traveled around mexico for 5+ years, i was down in cancun and driving back to the states..... i left at 9 am and did not want to stop in mexico city since on the way down 7 transit cops lined up in front of my truck and stopped me and got 3,000 pesos out of me....................
so i just continued and though i would stop in guadalajara at the meson ejecutivo where i always end up.... i arrived around 1 or 2 am and found out no rooms..... transportation association in town at the convention.... went next door to quinta real..... special prices.. 350.00 dollars to 750 per night.........no rooms....... i was glad since i was not going to pay those fees to sleep..

valet told me that on my way out of zapopan to look on the right hand side and i would find the _______..... i thought "oh ..great... i have stayed at that one in mexico city...." he said "no senor no es un hotel" es auto motel"

i drove up to this palm tree lined building with lots of nice lights.... pulled in the driveway and there was a mechanical gate with a big electronic sign........ it said 242........ so i drove in .........looked like townhomes with garages..... pulled into 242 and door begin to shut half way...

i got out and i could see some feet on the other side of the door..... lady said 240 or 340 pesos for 8 hours ......... i said "what???????? 8 hours?" si senor.... aqui se renta por 8 horas"
then i asked what if i stay longer then 8 hours.. i am very tired and i think i will sleep for 15 hours.... she said " you have to pay for 16 hours.. i said "ok and payed"

then she said, "will you need a senorita?"  i said " WHAT???????????" "what do you mean a senorita????"
she said if i needed company they could have some ladies come to my room and i can choose........

i cant tell you how shocked i was........ since i was super tired, i was half thinking and laughing at the same time..

i told the lady i would be the first person in the history of this place to come in and sleep alone..

she also asked if i needed some liquor...?????????

anyhow.. 
went in and found myself in a marble kind a luxury place.... very shocked... a/c music/ cable

i felt a little stupid having been in mexico so many times and not knowing about these places.... 

and your time is up when you leave the place...

i have stayed at these places a couple of times and some have jacuzzi/tubs wich i always have my bathtub cleaner just in case... and some have lap top computers bolted to the desks.. with free internet access..


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## mexliving

2 types of auto motels...... nice ones/ regular.... you can tell from the way they look outside.
because of the current economic problems in mexico, i would not sleep overnight at a pemex....... you might become a victim...............


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## RVGRINGO

For a more enjoyable place to stay, we prefer to head for 'Centro' in whatever city we choose to stop. There will always be hotels on, or near the main plaza and there will usually be a choice. Most have secure parking lots, restaurants and easy access to shopping and entertainment. After a day of driving, it is nice to get out and exercise our legs, explore a new town and to take the time to survey the choices of restaurants for the evening meal and to inquire about opening times for breakfast, if we are to have an early start the next morning. Except at Easter or Christmas, we never travel with reservations and have always found economical and comfortable accommodations.


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## bigmutt

*these motels are one of mexico's best inventions!*

The "no-tell motel" is definitely my preferred overnight stay when traveling in Mexico. 
I've stayed at many, and I DO turn on the TV !! Also I often check in, go out to dinner, and return with no problem. 
I have found that approx. half of them have 8-hour rates (or even shorter times) and half have just a plain overnight rate. Oh, and some have 8-hour rates only on Fri & Sat nights and normal overnight stays the rest of the week.
Usually they are on the outskirts of town and that makes it harder to walk to a place for dinner, but it also makes them quiet and I think more safe than in the Centro. 
There's a very nice one in Guadalajara, though, that's very central. 
I've also stayed in many, many hotels in the Centros, but few of them have the kind of security (private locked attached garage) that these motels offer.
One thing I can say for sure: they are normally the CLEANEST suites you'll ever find, including comparing to U.S., Canada and Europe. Every inch scrubbed down daily with lye or bleach or something .....

So the downside? It's a little tougher if you're staying for a few days: like, no closets or dressers of course, and like I said, they're often on the outskirts. 
But for example when I go to Puebla, there's a great one that's pretty convenient because it's right between Cholula and Puebla, the best of both worlds. Even has easy bus service into either town, and some nice restaurants very close walking distance. 

I've tossed around the idea of doing a guide book for these motels: I don't think anyone's done one before. It'd be a great research project, traveling through Mexico for a year or so and trying out as many of these unique motels as one could find. By the way, the correct name for them is Hotel de Paso.


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## HolyMole

*Mexican No-Tell Motels*



bigmutt said:


> The "no-tell motel" is definitely my preferred overnight stay when traveling in Mexico.
> I've stayed at many, and I DO turn on the TV !! Also I often check in, go out to dinner, and return with no problem.
> I have found that approx. half of them have 8-hour rates (or even shorter times) and half have just a plain overnight rate. Oh, and some have 8-hour rates only on Fri & Sat nights and normal overnight stays the rest of the week.
> Usually they are on the outskirts of town and that makes it harder to walk to a place for dinner, but it also makes them quiet and I think more safe than in the Centro.
> There's a very nice one in Guadalajara, though, that's very central.
> I've also stayed in many, many hotels in the Centros, but few of them have the kind of security (private locked attached garage) that these motels offer.
> One thing I can say for sure: they are normally the CLEANEST suites you'll ever find, including comparing to U.S., Canada and Europe. Every inch scrubbed down daily with lye or bleach or something .....
> 
> So the downside? It's a little tougher if you're staying for a few days: like, no closets or dressers of course, and like I said, they're often on the outskirts.
> But for example when I go to Puebla, there's a great one that's pretty convenient because it's right between Cholula and Puebla, the best of both worlds. Even has easy bus service into either town, and some nice restaurants very close walking distance.
> 
> I've tossed around the idea of doing a guide book for these motels: I don't think anyone's done one before. It'd be a great research project, traveling through Mexico for a year or so and trying out as many of these unique motels as one could find. By the way, the correct name for them is Hotel de Paso.


Besides our curiousity, I've always wanted to know more about "the system" for using these "hoteles de paso" ....many of which, especially up around Culiacan, LOOK very upscale. As noted, some apparently have enclosed garages for your car, while at others they quickly pull a cloth curtain around your car, (like in a hospital ward), which doesn't provide any security, except from prying eyes.
I love saving money and have always wondered about the motel on Highway 200 just outside Ixtapa that advertises rooms for 180 pesos.....for 3 hours. Some time I'll park out front, (which will immediately make me stick out like a sore thumb), and check their all-night rates.
I've heard of a few Canadians who travelled all over Mexico and used these places wherever and whenever they could. 
I certainly agree with RVGRINGO's comments about the desireability of staying in or close to El Centro. But I'll file this No-Tell Motel info away just in case we find ourselves in a position where we would be happy to find any place to stay.

I love bigmutt's comment about these places being "scrubbed down daily with lye or bleach or something...." and the suggestion to put out a "Hotel de Paso" guidebook. 

Using a ballpark 400 - 500 peso rate for many smaller places in or near El Centro, how do the rates at Hoteles de Paso compare?.....for a full night's sleep, that is.


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## bigmutt

Frankly, most of the hotel de pasos that we've stayed in were of the "check-in in the evening, check-out the next morning at your conveniece" type. I hate paying double just to get a normal night's sleep so I usually just pass on those and try another.
The rates I've paid have usually been in the 200 to 250 pesos range.
And let me be clear about ALL the ones I personally have stayed at: they are newer, cleaner, fancier and more comfortable than almost anything you'll find in the centro. All have king beds, good airconditioning and large-screen TVs, many have seperate sitting area from the bedroom, and if you pay an extra ten bucks you get one with a jaccuzi in it. Otherwise some of the standard ones have marvelous showers: large, with numerous shower jets at different levels.

Yes, if you pay a lot more at a hotel in the centro you can get nice rooms and convenient walking-distance to some of the city or town's attractions; but I guess for my budget and preferences I like the private garage idea better. and yes, some have a big tarp/curtain that they use to hide your car from prying eyes. I guess I like the feeling of privacy. 
As for hotels in the centro, in most latin american cities (unlike Europe, for example) the centro is often the seediest and collects the homeless and the ne'er-do-wells at a much higher rate than the suburbs where hotels de paso are usually found. Not that this is always more dangerous, but most of the travelers that I know who've had problems have had them in or around the centro. Where there's a collection of budget hotels, there's a congregation of thieves, I've always found.


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## digame

Probably most of us have a 'motel' story to tell - and I am no exception. My first trip down to Mexico my 4 yr old daughter and I went to Ajijic. At a certain stage, a couple of Canadian friends and I decided we would hit the Pacific Coast ( we were all in the 55 - 60 yr old range) along with my daughter. I had the car and we would share expenses. Well, we were pretty green, to say the least. One night as evening drew near we espied a "motel" which looked pretty nice, on the outskirts of Zacatecas. My Spanish is passable, though certainly not fluent, and we pulled in and looked for the office - duh - there is none with a door for visitors. Only this railed area to talk with the staff member and to pay. First clue. Then we got into the number of hours thing. Finally, we managed to talk them into letting us stay overnight till 9 am versus the 7 am they wanted. Clue 2. Then, as my daughter and I were going to our room, the maid warned me not to put on a specific channel. Clue 3. By then it was pretty clear what we were in. Undeterred we stayed and it was ok - elevated bed and mirrors and all. I must say I was a bit uneasy about just how clean it might be, under the superficiality. Anyway, other than a lot of in and out traffic that night, there were no problems. A few laughs with the boys the next morning and away we went. Since then my daughter and I find actual hotels to stay at but it was an interesting experience.
By the way, pretty much any hotel in el centro has gated parking, in our experience.


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## RVGRINGO

Welcome, and thanks for your motel story. Most folks, coming to Mexico for the first time, may have similar experiences with these unique accommodations.


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## jeanneb2000

*Motels*



RVGRINGO said:


> Welcome, and thanks for your motel story. Most folks, coming to Mexico for the first time, may have similar experiences with these unique accommodations.


Are these motels safe for a single woman with a dog from Nogales to Ajijic? Also are they located off of HWY 15 and where would a good place be to stop for the night? I plan on stopping for 2 nights. Thanks.


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## RVGRINGO

I suppose a single person with a dog might raise some eyebrows but these motels are very discreet and you will find them on the highway (not the toll roads) on the outskirts of any city. They can be recognized by walls and an entry portal that 'jogs' to obscure a direct view of the motel inside.


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## El Toro Furioso

HolyMole;123005
Using a ballpark 400 - 500 peso rate for many smaller places in or near El Centro said:


> We paid $225 just outside of Mazatlan, no limit to the stay mentioned nor enforced. Drive into the garage and close it. No lock on the interior door needed. Paid for the room through the lazy Susan to the outside. Ordered a Club Sandwich to share, cheap. Could have (should have) paid $50 pesos more for a room with jacuzzi. The place was very clean and the lighting was the best I've seen in a hotel/motel/no-tell in Mexico or almost anywhere else. There was hard-core porn on the TV, of which my wife did not approve. No TV allowed for me. We both look forward to our next stay en un hotel de paso (thanks for the term in Spanish). If you arrive somewhat late and leave somewhat early, nothing could be more safe, convenient nor cheap.
> 
> BTW, a Mexican friend told me that the TV fare is to attract single male customers who stay, presumably, for 7 minutes or so alone then leave.


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## clarence456

This is one of the very nice experience ha ha ha..................Thankssssssssss


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## MangoMike

*Specific locations of hoteles de paso?*

Hey, I like a lot of the info I'm reading here, (e.g., Safety, Clean, Garage, Low Cost). We have a large dog and haven't found too many places that accept Pets. I'm specifically looking (for now) for names and places where I can find these "Hoteles de Paso" along the way from Nogales to Mazatlan. Looking for a couple possibilities. Anybody have any?


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## RVGRINGO

You have descriptions in previous posts and you'll find such places on the highway (not the cuota) entering or leaving towns of any size. You should recognize them easily and the quality of the walls, signs, etc. will hint at the quality of the insides. Some may not have names and others have very 'interesting' names.


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## ekraemer

*Mexico crossing*



mexliving said:


> nogales is great for crossing into mexico... you can enter through the truck entrance and avoid going through the city.... you enter and your on the highway..... 30 kilometers later you arrive at the visa/car permit area.
> 
> i always enter at 6 to 7 am....... and as i drive down i like to stay at those drive in motels.... you have a garage and you dont have to unload all your belongings....
> 
> as i drive down, if i see a tow truck.. i take down the number just in case i break down ....
> i do recomend you purchase a mex cell phone such as a tel cell ... you can find them at the OXXO (24 hour market)


The Columbia crossing near Laredo is really the best one. Every time we've
crossed there we went right through and we were usually the only ones
there. Talk about hassle free!


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## telcoman

I drive from Nogales to Barra each year. no hassles, just stick to the the Cuota as much as possible. Some RV parks also have rooms. There is one in Huabampito not too far off the cuota. Hotel Mirador. I am sure they are Ok with dogs.


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## Mr.Chips

We stay at "no tells" and have found them to be exceptionally clean and comfortable. Furthermore,I think the walls are about 3 feet thick so there is never any noise from the room next door nor is there any traffic/rooster/dog noise. This is a pleasant change from our regular haunts in Mexico. The fun part about these places is the hotel staff trying to supress their giggles regarding the geezer gringos checking in.If we wish to go out to eat,we lock our door and find a staff member to open it on our return.This is necessary since they dont give you a key. We have also found the hotel staff to be very cooperative in calling a cab if we didnt want to drive (never a good idea at night). The food at the notells is sometimes surprisingly good if you dont feel like going out.We have also ordered pizza delivery with the help of the notell staff.If you leave a tip in the room, who knows..it might encourage the no tells to solicit more ****** geezer business.


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## moisheh

Although the OP has been given great advice about motels it seems the part about security was either ignored or brushed over with a "close your eyes and everything will be fine". For most travellers your destination may be a safe place but the journey is questionable. There is a war going on in Mexico and part of it takes place in daylight on the highways in places that until recently were safe places. And yes travellers have been harrased. The cartels set up road blocks. They are stealing vehicles and valuables at these stops . Some travellers, including a Canadaian last week, try to drive around the road blocks. Bad idea as they are always executed!! You will not find a lot of the violence reported in mainstream media. Some of the reporting is a little extreme but the news is very accurate.

Moisheh


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## RVGRINGO

There is truth in those comments. But, on the other hand, we spent last week prowling the back roads and some of the secondary roads of western Jalisco, visiting towns and villages along the way and some off the beaten path. There was no sign of any armed presence, military, police or 'other'. We also spent several days in Puerto Vallarta and noticed that it was quieter than usual, even in this 'off season' time. Businesses and street vendors are desperate for business. 'Civilians' are more likely to be involved in a traffic accident than they are to encounter problems with the 'war' between the cartels, authorities and military. We, and everyone we know, travel and live our normal lives. That said, there is increased awareness of the troubles, especially along the border, and the high level of hysteria that has been caused by the media and the US Consular travel warnings, which are always extreme in any country. So, if you wish to visit and travel in Mexico, please do so. You are probably still safer than in much of the USA, where violence is often random. Here, the violence is very precisely targeted to specific individuals. The odds of 'being in the wrong place at the wrong time' are very rare. Yes, drive only in the daytime, for many other reasons, and avoid large crowds and political gatherings, bars & other 'questionable' places.


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## telcoman

I must admit i get more nervous now about traveling there in an RV, but i will still do it. Possibly try to find 2 or 3 others to travel with which should lower risk somewhat. I am aware that incidents in Mexico happening to Canadians or Americans get far more publicity than similar incidents in the US & Canada so you have to keep things in perspective. There was a guy knifed to death in a campsite here 2 years ago. I did not see it plastered over all the papers as it would have been had it happened in Mexico. Canada has a homicide rate of about 2 per 100,000. There are over 1.5 Canadians who visit Mexico each year. Do the math you would expect 22 murders. Pro-rate that by an average of 2 weeks spent in Mexico for each one (most stay 1 week but there are tons of long termers to raise the average) and you would expect 1.5 Canadians per year to be murdered in Mexico. I think that is probably close to the average. Work it out for Americans who have a higher murder rate and I bet the figure would be even closer.


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## RVGRINGO

Correct: The murder rate in Mexico is lower than in the USA.
However, the current situation in Mexico is more one of targeted executions, rather than murders. Yes, there is a difference.


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## telcoman

I think most do not realize that. I think fear of having to deal with another language & fear that you won't be able to deal with the police if you do find yourself in an incident is what drives most peoples reluctance. I started an RV'ing in Mexico forum this year involving RV Park owners as well. I am hoping to use it to allay some fears, but looking at one other forum it looks like the fearmongers are taking over. especially ones who have never stepped foot in Mexico. Many RV park owners I have spoken to are very fearful of a drop in business next season.


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## RVGRINGO

You are absolutely correct about the level of fear being generated by those who are not in Mexico and may never have been here. Of course, the US media likes to feed that hysteria. Today, for example, a CNN 'crawler' announced that several died in a plane crash in Mexico. That's it! No other details! So far, I haven't seen any news of it on TV or elsewhere. We don't know if it was a private or commercial flight; or maybe, a drug lord's plane. However, the media loves to merge the words 'death' and 'Mexico' with no further information. That qualifies as propaganda. It is like putting up a headline, "Dozens die in USA". It would be true, of course, as many have fatal auto accidents every day; maybe hundreds or thousands would also be true if all deaths were counted.
Oh well! If the US appetite for drugs could be ended, Mexico's problems would also end.


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## telcoman

Therein lies the crux. I don't want to get going on political arguments over this, but it is a US & Canadian problem as much as a Mexican one. My attitude on drugs and the people who use them has changed considerably since I saw my step son get hooked on crack & what it did to him. I am now of the opinion that drugs should be legalized, addicts given them as long as it is conjunction with a program to get them off them and the government be the money maker not the drug dealers, with the profits poured into stopping kids from getting hooked to start with.


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## moisheh

I still think that telcoman and RV ****** are living in the past. RVGringo's advice was sage at one time. Things have changed in the last 12 months. We live in Mexico for 6 months a year and have done so for more than 20 years. We have travelled all the way to the Guatemala border. In all of your travels the only time we had a "bad " feeling was in Tapachula. That is almost on the border in Chaipis. It is a horrible place and our gut feeling was probably correct. This past season we did not venture out of Bhai de Kino. Too many incidents. Here is an example of the things that are happening. Highway 15 has always been a very safe way to travel. One of our favorite spots is Celestino. About 75 km North of Maz. 2 yars ago we again visited that area as I neede a place to relax. It was awesome. Life does not get more relaxed than at the CG's in that area. This past spring one of our acquaintances was leaving the town and about to eneter the highway to go North. The sicarios had set up a road block. Lots of trucks and all were carrying automatic weapons. They were allowed to pass ut with an hour other vehicles were stpped and vehicles stolen. Some locals were killed. Not drug related. Earlier on highway 15 in Sonora 2 people were killed in a pu truck and a bus driver shot in the throat. Touritst from San Carlos were on the bus. Not drug related. Then there was the killing of a fellow from AZ . He ran a hunting camp in Sonora and as famous in Santa Ana for the good deeds he di for the kids. He had a brand new fancy PU. They stopped him and killed him for the truck. Not drug related. I could go on but my point is that these are places where nothing ever happens. Normally a traffic accident would be the worst you could encounter. Not now. There are RV travellers who grew up in Mexico that will not return at this time. How would your wife feel if some yahoo shoved a gun in her face? One of the RV'rs who lost his rig to the cartels on the East Coast has a wife who is still terrified. Pls. do not post statistics about crime in some other area. They are meaningless. We are speaking of Mexico. I don think that criminals in Canada behead people and leave notes with an ice pick in the body. They do not skin bodies or mame them. These guys are terrorists and it is impossible to predict their next moves. Calderon is losing this battle and it could get worse. Yes the state dept. warnings are over the top. But some are correct. N.L. is horible right now. Sinaloa is just as bad. Last week in Tepic (Nayarit) there was shoot out in the Soriana at 2 in the afternoon. We have shopped in that store!! Scary. Although I empathise with the CG owners I think that the safety of travellers is more imortant than the livelyhood of the business people. RV Tourism is down and will only get worse unless things change. I dont read the hype about gang v gang . I am concerned about the common man being attacked. This is happening and is on the increase . If the escalation in violence follows this trend then by fall safe travel will be rare. One cannot rely on the media for information on the violence. It is either outdated or non existant. The Mexican medai is scared to post many stories as the writers are either threatened or killed. I dont do Twitter but am told this so where the truth is told!


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## telcoman

To be quite honest I feel much safer driving in Mexico than in many American cities. Phoenix has an average of 1 kidnapping per day. I see no one warning people to stay away form there. IMO people who live in a state of constant paranoia are not living.


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