# Puerto Escondido



## DebInFL

I'm making a list of cities to check out once I get to Mexico, and have decided that Tepic will now be my starting point, but I doubt I'll stay there long term, since it's a little too big for me.

An online friend suggested I check out Puerto Escondido. She and her husband lived there for 6 months and she says it's not as commercialized as Huatalco, and the expat community is very eclectic, sort of a "hippie surfer" type atmosphere. 

I looked it up on several sites, and it seems like a nice little town, with quite a few nice beaches. I'd love to watch the surfing competitions. I've always admired surfers, but never was brave enough to try it myself, and won't at my age now! Still, it's amazing to watch them.

I'm also fascinated with the turtle protection, because in my home state of SC, the island where my mother was born and raised had a 'turtle watch' every summer that we'd participate in, where we sat on the beach waiting for turtles to hatch, then carried them down to the water. So thrilling watching them swim out to sea!

Anyway, I couldn't find out what part of town was the "local" part of town, where rentals would be cheaper. I looked on AirBNB and a long term rentals site, but they didn't show any long-term rentals, only seasonal. Just trying to get an idea of the cost of living.

Thanks!


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## TundraGreen

DebInFL said:


> I'm making a list of cities to check out once I get to Mexico, and have decided that Tepic will now be my starting point, but I doubt I'll stay there long term, since it's a little too big for me.
> 
> An online friend suggested I check out Puerto Escondido. She and her husband lived there for 6 months and she says it's not as commercialized as Huatalco, and the expat community is very eclectic, sort of a "hippie surfer" type atmosphere.
> 
> I looked it up on several sites, and it seems like a nice little town, with quite a few nice beaches. I'd love to watch the surfing competitions. I've always admired surfers, but never was brave enough to try it myself, and won't at my age now! Still, it's amazing to watch them.
> 
> I'm also fascinated with the turtle protection, because in my home state of SC, the island where my mother was born and raised had a 'turtle watch' every summer that we'd participate in, where we sat on the beach waiting for turtles to hatch, then carried them down to the water. So thrilling watching them swim out to sea!
> 
> Anyway, I couldn't find out what part of town was the "local" part of town, where rentals would be cheaper. I looked on AirBNB and a long term rentals site, but they didn't show any long-term rentals, only seasonal. Just trying to get an idea of the cost of living.
> 
> Thanks!


I don't know anything about Puerto Escondido but you mentioned a turtle watch so I will mention that San Blas, on the coast west of Tepic, also has a turtle watch. Partly to scare off the poachers. I spent one night on turtle watch there and another sleeping on the beach. Both nights the mosquitoes were enough to drive you to distraction.


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## citlali

locals do not advertize of foreign sites for rental, you have to go around the neighborhood and ask about rentals. In larger areas they maybe advertized in vivaanuncios and others but in small town you have to walk the neighborhood you ar interested in and ask. that what a local can pay. 
If you loke the area you can also look in Mazunte, Puerto Angel , San Augustin or even Pochutla but to get good price rental you have to beat the pavement, many of the rentals are for snowbirds and are higher priced.
I have a friend that lived in PE full time in her daughter casita and she went to Acapulco to do her shopping once a month..Eventually they will be a fast road to Oaxaca but if you cannot take the altitude that will not be an option.

By the way if you want to escape tourists , foreigners, snowbirds and high prices go north of Puerto Escondido to the Costa Chica Ometepec and Playa Ventura maybe for you and it is close to Acapulco where you can find decent hospitals and civilization and there are few foreigners. There are some but not many on the coast and I have not seen any in Ometepec.

By the way there are villages around Tepic that you may find more attractive than Tepic. Santa Maria del Oro , Compostela and one other village are part of the magical villages.


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## citlali

locals do not advertize on foreign sites for renta as a rule , unless they want to rent to foreigners l, you have to go around the neighborhoods and ask about rentals.The deal are found by talking to people and walking. In larger areas they maybe advertized in vivaanuncios and others but in small town you have to walk the neighborhood you ar interested in and ask. 
If you like the area you can also look in Mazunte, Puerto Angel , San Augustin or even Pochutla but to get good price rental you have to beat the pavement, many of the rentals are for snowbirds and are higher priced.
I have a friend that lived in PE full time in her daughter´s casita and she went to Acapulco to do her shopping once a month..Eventually they will be a fast road to Oaxaca but if you cannot take the altitude that will not be an option.

By the way if you want to escape tourists , foreigners, snowbirds and high prices go north of Puerto Escondido to the Costa Chica Ometepec and Playa Ventura maybe for you and it is close to Acapulco where you can find decent hospitals and civilization and there are few foreigners. There are some but not many on the coast( the costa Chica between Acapulco and Puerto Escondido), and I have not seen any in Ometepec. The Costa CHica is not touristy and it is pretty funky, I like that area very much but it is away from the beaten path.

By the way there are villages around Tepic that you may find more attractive than Tepic. Santa Maria del Oro , Compostela and one other village are part of the magical villages.


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## DebInFL

Thank you, both. I know about walking around looking for rentals, and I know there will be cheaper rentals than I can find online, I was just trying to get an idea. I did find some 1 BR apts. for about $250/month, but couldn't see if that was with or without utilities. I want to stay around $400 with utilities. 

Citlali, thank for the recommendations. I know I won't know until I get there, but I think with Tepic as home base, I can travel around and down the coast to check a lot of places out. I just like Oaxaca because of the food and the moles. I do love mole, and they have so many different kinds. Huatulco seems to be the home of moles, so I have to check it out.

I can probably take the altitude for short periods, like a few days visiting or shopping, but not long term. I've visited mountains before, but Denver nearly did me in. It might be because the air is polluted there also (they say it isn't, but it is) and also we were just going all the time we were there, so no time to rest. I really do want to see Mexico City and Guadalajara and some of the other central Mexican historic sites, so if I have to carry a small bottle of oxygen to replenish myself at night, I will, but I think I'll be o.k. for short visits of a few days.


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## citlali

I was in San Cristobal which is at 2100 m in the valley and we went higher, with a woman who had copd she had the oxigen on, the whole time She said she did not get affected that much by the altitude but her doctor told her to have the oxigene on the whole time so she carried a small tank with her the whole time she was there... something like 2 weeks. You may want to talk to your doctor about it. Mexco city is at 7000 feet Higher than Guadaljara by 2000 feet and Oaxaca is at 5000 f.. The cities with nice climate are all pretty high keep that in mind . Many of the colonial cities are high, the Spaniards knew what they were doing..

The moles in Puebla and in the Oaxaca valley are great. The Chiapas ones can be pretty good ton the coast I go crazy with the seafood not so much the mole.

A friend of mine just rented a 3 bedroom unfurnished with small yard in Chapala for 400 dollars so it is doable in the Mexican areas.. A friend of mine pays 2500 pesos so less than 125 dollars for a 3 bedroom unfurnished house in San Cristobal de las casas, But those deals do not show up on the internet, you have to look around and ask aaround a lot and be lucky , to find them. Four hundred dollars for rent is a lot of money for many Mexican families ..


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## DebInFL

Citlali, since altitude sickness is mostly caused by going too high, too fast, I think if I just keep going up a little in altitude over time and adjust slowly, I'll be o.k. I have asthma, which doesn't bother me at all here at almost sea level, but the cold does bother me a lot. I feel like I'm breathing icicles when I have to go out into the cold. I've been into the mountains of NC many times with no problem, but where I was was always below 3,000 ft. 

I think looking for a furnished place will be best at first, until I'm sure I want to stay someplace a long time. I know unfurnished places are cheaper, but they go really fast, so it would be a daily search once I find where I really want to stay and have saved enough money to buy furniture.

I haven't figured out yet how to get my own belongings over there. Too much to carry in suitcases, unless I can get my son to come with me and help me drag huge suitcases. But that's another question for another day.


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## citlali

I am not talking about altitude sickness but COPD. Altitude sickness manifest itself by headaches and vomitting because of the lack of oxigen... COPD means you have impaired breathing and with altitude the lack of oxigen affects your heart,

If you have asthma it maybe that the humidity and the cold is what bothers you at higher altitude. A friend of mine who lives in Mexico City and is ok there , has problems when he comes to work in San Cristobal because of the humidity.. the 2 places are at about the same altitude.


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## DebInFL

Heat & humidity doesn't bother me, in fact, dry air bothers me more. Cold, wet air (I'm talking below freezing) is the worst. I left my home state of SC because having to go out in the winter in frigid temps below freezing was actually painful. 

Was never diagnosed with asthma until I got here to FL, and a Dr. asked me why I left SC. I told him because it felt like breathing icicles in the cold, and he said "Oh, you have asthma." Gave me some tests, and diagnosed it, said I had probably had it my whole life. I just took painful breathing of cold air as a given growing up and living in SC. My brother had asthma, but I never really had "attacks," it was just painful for me to breathe cold air. I remember running from the car to a building holding my breath in the winter. I never bothered to tell a doctor about it. I just assumed it was normal.

I was always sick in the winter; colds, flu, pneumonia more times than I can count. I haven't had even one cold since I moved to FL, so maybe I should stay away from the mountains anyway. LOL


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## citlali

cold wet air is what we get in the highlands in Chiapas, Heat and humidity in the lowlands.


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## DebInFL

citlali said:


> cold wet air is what we get in the highlands in Chiapas, Heat and humidity in the lowlands.


Then I should live in the lowlands and visit the highlands during summers when it isn't cold. 

I thought I found a good beach town yesterday, but it's in Guerrero, and I'd rather be safe than sorry, even if the cartels are usually more inland than in beach towns.


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## lagoloo

Here's a beach suggestion: The area around Melaque. There are some small towns in the area and little crime problem. This is about an hour (plus)North of Manzanillo, which is a large city you wouldn't want to live in, but is good to be near if you need a big shop once in a while. It has everything from Costco to Home Depot, and even a fine "dollar" store. Many of the residents of the Lake Chapala area, like me, spend some beach time in Manzanillo and nearby during the winter months.

Melaque itself has lots of rentals and is somewhat "artsy"; much smaller than Puerto Escondido. The latter started out small but has been the victim of over development over the past fifteen years. Not recommended.


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## DebInFL

I can't find much about the cost of living in Melaque, but from pictures, it looks sort of like the kind of place I'm trying to stay away from, that is swarmed with expats during season and the weekends. I don't mind a few expats, because of course, it would be nice to have someone to speak to in English and show me the ropes, but the pictures of everyone with their multi-colored umbrellas sort of turned me off. Then one sight said that there are about 8,000 year-round residents and they add about 4,000 expats during season. That's a little too much for me. 

I got turned off to "snowbirds" when I lived in SW Florida. I know I can't get away from tourists completely in any beach town in Mexico, but I'd like to be in a place where there aren't too many of them, because eventually, those places get taken over by expats and aren't authentic Mexican towns anymore.

I'll check it out once I get there. I did read that it wasn't cold like a lot of the more northern beaches, so worth taking a look at.


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## lagoloo

I believe I suggested "the area around Melaque" rather than Melaque itself. However, the small towns in the area are so lacking in facilities such as banks and medical care that Melaque would be the go-to place if you lived in one of them.
I doubt there's much similarity between the snowbirds in SW Florida and the people who come to Mexico to get away from the Canadian winters. This is something you'll need to see for yourself, though.


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## citlali

Debbie just because a place has a lot of tourists, it does not mean that the place is full of foreigners living there or going there as tourists. THe number one tourist in San Cristobal de las Casas are the Mexican tourists. 

All the towns mentioned including Ajijic are Mexicans, they just all have a different flavor. I learned Spanish is Ajijic and rarely speak English while here.
I know very few foreigners, it is all up to you to mix with the people you want to mix with.

Melaque or Puerto Escondido both have losts of tourists, snowbirds and foreigners and most of them go away when the weather becomes unbearable and then you have the place to yourself ..

Gringal has a good point about wanting to be close to amenities. It is one thing to go some place for a month or 2 and living and settling there .


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## lagoloo

Citlali made a good point. We choose to either try to integrate into the Mexican culture or ghettoize ourselves with our own kind...the expats from the U.S....or a measure of both. An "authentic" Mexican town may treat you in a friendly manner, but you will be considered a foreigner anyway.
Some people refer to the Chapala area as "Gringolandia" and are strangely blind to the fact that if you walk down the main streets of town, it's overwhelmingly Mexican by head count. The weekend "tourists" are mainly Mexicans from Guadalajara. 
As for the Canadian snowbirds, they're very polite people in general. 
Of course, you will also find real asholes in every nationality on planet Earth. Easy to spot.


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## citlali

Some towsn are not so friendly. San Cristobal is famous for its natives not accepting outsiders and I have to say that all my friends after 15 years there are Mexicans form other areas and from other towns.. I am well accepted in the indigenous communities but San Cristobal forget it.. Tuxtla is way more open to strangers so you never know what you will get until you settle somewhere.


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## surabi

citlali said:


> Some towsn are not so friendly. San Cristobal is famous for its natives not accepting outsiders and I have to say that all my friends after 15 years there are Mexicans form other areas and from other towns.. I am well accepted in the indigenous communities but San Cristobal forget it.. Tuxtla is way more open to strangers so you never know what you will get until you settle somewhere.


I live in a really touristy beach town. But I've lived here for 17 years, before it was overrun, and I live on the outskirts, so I avoid a lot of it.
But I had a shop in town for 11 years. At least every other day I walked from my shop to the corner store a block away for smokes or snacks. The woman who ran the store wasn't particularly friendly, but not unfriendly either, she just treated me like yet another gingo tourist she sees on a daily basis.
One day, after years of going in there to buy something, she asked (in Spanish, of course) "Do you live around here?" I told her I had had a shop around the corner for 6 years at that point. She asked me what kind of shop, I told her I was an upholsterer, then we just started talking about everything. I noticed she always had a novel on the counter, so we started talking books- she was an avid reader, says she trades books around with friends, I'd say I'd read that one in English, etc.
So it took her 6 years to realize I wasn't just another ****** who escaped at the first sign of hot weather or rain, and accept me as a local.
It's like that a lot in Mexico. 
Also, when you speak Spanish, you have a whole other dimension to a place and the local Mexicans than "expats" who don't bother to learn much of the language. There's a guy who owns a property behind me- he doesn't live there but has little rental houses there- he comes and goes. I've had my tiffs with him, he's not nice at all. One day the guy I hire once or twice a year to trim trees was here, had his truck parked so it was blocking the neighbor's access, the neighbor started honking- I told my tree guy he'd better move his truck ASAP cause the neighbor wasn't very nice. He said "Oh, him- I've known him since kindergarten- he was an a**hole then and he's an even bigger a**hole now."


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## citlali

Yes speaking Spanish or the language of the people really helps. On the street I live in people are friendly with me and have help me several times but I never get invited in their house unlike some other places. Thee is a woman from Mexico who lives accross the street and people want nothing to do with her and she has been there for about 8 years,,
With the indigenous it takes a long time to be accepted but once you are they are extremely friendly and you become part of the family. 
In a group of artisans Zapatista in Aldama it took 10 years for them to become friendly and now they pop in and out o the house when they are in San Cristobal but they wanted nothing to o with me for 10 years. In another case , I befriended an young women and it took 4 years or her mother to even speak to me.. 
Yes it takes time to get to know people, some times are easier than others.
I am from Paris so when it comes to touristy and not so friendly town , I can beat them all to their own game..
Love your story..


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## Maggi3

*Puerto Escondido Turtles!*



DebInFL said:


> I'm also fascinated with the turtle protection, because in my home state of SC, the island where my mother was born and raised had a 'turtle watch' every summer that we'd participate in, where we sat on the beach waiting for turtles to hatch, then carried them down to the water. So thrilling watching them swim out to sea!


My husband and I visited Puerto Escondido in 2018. I'm a new member here and can't yet post URLs or pics but go to Trip Advisor and look for "Gina in Puerto Escondido." She is a local guide, very friendly, very informative. There is a group out there that saves turtle eggs from recently laid nests on beaches, hatches them, then sells the opportunity to tourists to release them to the sea in order to fund their conservation efforts. Gina told us that turtle eggs are considered a delicacy and people will dig them up and sell them to eat. In my opinion, it was much more fun to handle and release the baby turtles than to eat them in a soup but YMMV. 

We were in P.E. for 2 days and only saw the very touristy side of it. Have started to reconsider there, Huatulco, or Tepic as home bases for our upcoming move to Mexico. We love the ocean and Oaxaca but Tepic seems affordable and close-ish to the ocean (San Blas). What other info have you found on living in these areas?

- Maggie


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## chicois8

There is a new highway from Tepic to San Blas... eliminates the old mountain road...


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## Maggi3

chicois8 said:


> There is a new highway from Tepic to San Blas... eliminates the old mountain road...


Gracias,chicois8! That's good to hear. The less time I spend curving along a road means the more time I get to bob in the waves. Have you been to San Blas? Is it pretty?


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## chicois8

I have been living in the area ( Rincon de Guayaitos ) for the last 12 years & have visited that lovely city since 1962....


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## DebInFL

I may have changed my mind about Tepic. I just read an article about how there is a war going on over gasoline, and Tepic is now the murder capital of Mexico. 

On the upside, my doctor says I can try Guadalajara if I take an inhaler, and if it gets bad, I can always go down in elevation. Since I had my heart sort of set on starting there, I may try it.


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## surabi

Deb- where are you reading these articles? Honestly, most of these articles are sensationalistic and make people think they'll get gunned down on the street when they're just going to the corner store to get some onions. Most of these gangs and cartels and criminals are just killing each other, which is fine with me.
Of course you can be unlucky enough to be in the line of fire, but that's not very likely and could happen just as easily in Florida. Where children get murdered at school.


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## chicois8

State Dept. Today....

Nayarit state – Level 3: Reconsider Travel

Reconsider travel due to crime.

Violent crime and gang activity are common in parts of Nayarit state. U.S. government employees may not travel to:

Tepic
San Blas

There are no restrictions on travel for U.S government employees to: Riviera Nayarit (including Nuevo Vallarta and Bahia de Banderas) and Santa Maria del Oro.


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## citlali

Well if the op is afraid of cartel activity she should read the alerts we are getting on Guadaljara , la Barca other towns..
Guadalajara , Tlaquepaque , Tonala and Zapopan have their share of cartels and gang warning.Also she should really be careful of whch smaller town she settles in around Guadalajara, some are fine and some others not so much.
Not sure what a retiree without money who does not buy or sell drug has to worry so much about cartels anyways..
The warning from the consulates are "cover your butt "warnings and are mostly for people who work for the US Government.. This way if there is a killing of one of them by design or accident,,,they were warned not to go there.. 
I look at them as information as I get them.. it is good to know where problems are or have been but there s no guaranty on anything and if I want to go to La Barca or Ocotlan or anywhere else , I just go. ..

If the OP keeps reading all these stories about Mexico and take them seriously , she will never go anywhere, There is no guaranty in life and f you want to be safe stay home and be careful not to fall .

The road I take to go from Chiapas to Guadalajara has a couple of places where there are lots of assaults so I make sure to go through during the day and follow another car and have a person with me. I hide my valuablesn throughouut the car and go.. I sometimes fly now as t is cheaper than driving or going by bus but in general I do not alter my plans because of what could happen. If you start changing plans out of fear, fear gets the best of you and rules your life.


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## lagoloo

"If you start changing plans out of fear, fear gets the best of you and rules your life. "

I agree, up to a point. There are caravans heading to the U.S. border which include a number of people fleeing their home countries out of justified fear for their lives. Human nature includes fear for a reason and yes, sometimes it's a good idea to change plans because of it.

I also agree with Citlali that if at all possible, it's best to have someone riding with you on that trip.


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## chicois8

Jalisco state – Level 3: Reconsider Travel

Reconsider travel due to crime.

Violent crime and gang activity are common in parts of Jalisco state. In metropolitan Guadalajara, turf battles between criminal groups are taking place in areas frequented by U.S. citizens. Shooting incidents between criminal groups have injured or killed innocent bystanders.

U.S. government employees may not travel to:

Within 20 km (12 miles) of the Jalisco/Michoacán border, south of Route 120
Highway 80 south of Cocula
Highway 544 from Mascota to San Sebastian del Oeste
There are no restrictions on travel for U.S government employees to: Guadalajara Metropolitan Area, Riviera Nayarit (including Puerto Vallarta), Chapala, and Ajijic.


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## citlali

keep posting those Chicois, it will help the trafiic around Guadalajara.. Ha ha .. It is no secret that the cartels are in Guadalajara and a few other places in the country,,,


Gringal the people fleeing Honduras are fleeing because they are threatened directly , or people around them are being killed and a lot of them are fleeing to get better oportunities.. That is a big difference from someone reading about problems far away and not going there because there are problems. How many foreigners not nvolved n frufs are beng killed by the cartels? Not many. If someone is out for your skin with a gun , you are stupid if you are not afraid...

By the way people from Honduras have an interesting way of begging.. They stand on the street and announced very loud that they are immigrants from Honduras and need money to continue their trip north.. San Cristobal has a bunch of them now outside the banks and in the market.. I guess Mexico is trying very hard to stop them but the Immigration people do not walk around town so they cannot find the migrants or they hands are full at the border, I do not know but there is no huge effort to stop anyone.. Many of them are blacks so it is not very difficult to spot. The other day you could not hear the merchant for their declamations in the market.. not too discreet way to ask for money for people who are afraid.


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## TundraGreen

citlali said:


> …
> By the way people from Honduras have an interesting way of begging.. They stand on the street and announced very loud that they are immigrants from Honduras and need money to continue their trip north.. San Cristobal has a bunch of them now outside the banks and in the market.. I guess Mexico is trying very hard to stop them but the Immigration people do not walk around town so they cannot find the migrants or they hands are full at the border, I do not know but there is no huge effort to stop anyone.
> …


There is a group, FM 4, that provides a bed for a few nights and clothing and toiletry supplies to immigrants. They have facilities in Guadalajara and elsewhere.


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## surabi

chicois8 said:


> State Dept. Today....
> 
> Nayarit state – Level 3: Reconsider Travel
> 
> Reconsider travel due to crime.
> 
> Violent crime and gang activity are common in parts of Nayarit state. U.S. government employees may not travel to:
> 
> Tepic
> San Blas
> 
> There are no restrictions on travel for U.S government employees to: Riviera Nayarit (including Nuevo Vallarta and Bahia de Banderas) and Santa Maria del Oro.


If the Mexican Govt. put out warnings about violent crime in the US and where to avoid, no one would ever go to any large US city, or any of the myriad places there where all the mass shootings have taken place.


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## chicois8

surabi said:


> If the Mexican Govt. put out warnings about violent crime in the US and where to avoid, no one would ever go to any large US city, or any of the myriad places there where all the mass shootings have taken place.



Apples to Oranges


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## citlali

Remember the fear in Miami when a German tourist was killed as he rented a car and went to the wrong area.. there was a warning about not renting cars in Miami for a while after that. We rented a convertible and had a ball..
The border is more open than ever, There are no natioal guards there at all.. They supposedly up the check up on the rods and public transportation.. I thnk That Trump threats have zero effect and I wonder what the American troups are doing to stop people in GUatemala and prevent them to cross at Mesilla.. I have not heard nothing on that subject either..


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## chicois8

https://traveltips.usatoday.com/travel-safety-oaxaca-mexico-103844.html

Mar 15, 2018 · The port town of Puerto Escondido has earned a bit of a reputation for crime in recent years. Almost all of the incidents have occurred on the beach after dark.


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## citlali

oh well another town bites the dust..


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