# Mexico is not Disneyland South



## sparks (Jun 17, 2007)

I'm so sad to hear people think it is. Lots of young people want to "backpack" around Mexico but that should not include hitchhicking and camping ..... IMO.

What is the matter with public transportation and inexpensive housing.
Very sad to hear storied like this

Seattle woman reported missing during solo Mexico backpack trip - The Seattle Globalist


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## perropedorro (Mar 19, 2016)

Very practical advice. I love "backpacking", that is travelling light with no firm schedule, taking pollero buses in random directions and getting off in towns that look interesting. Then it's time to find some sort of shelter. You like the place, stay a while. If it's not in a big city or a tourist destination you can find a safe room where a week costs less than a night at the Tucson Motel 6. Hitch-hiking and roadside camping just aren't worth the extreme risk.


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## Meritorious-MasoMenos (Apr 17, 2014)

Article in link says she carried a Chinese passport, though married to an American. Who knows how long she lived in the U.S. and absorbed on Mexico. Did her husband and American friends warn her about the, uh, possible, dangers of hitchhiking alone in the mountains of Mexico? If they informed her fully, well, I hope she ran into some people and they all set off to a hot spring somewhere to commune with nature, though that's not usually the way missing tourist stories end in Mexico.


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## GARYJ65 (Feb 9, 2013)

Bacacking and hitchhiking is not very safe anywhere, including Mexico


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## TundraGreen (Jul 15, 2010)

sparks said:


> I'm so sad to hear people think it is. Lots of young people want to "backpack" around Mexico but that should not include hitchhicking and camping ..... IMO.
> 
> What is the matter with public transportation and inexpensive housing.
> Very sad to hear storied like this
> ...


I am not young but I have hitchhiked a lot in Mexico. In rural areas, it is a common way to get around. I have never had a problem. I'm not female, it might be different if I were, but I have no trepidation about bumming rides in places where there is no convenient public transit.

I wouldn't try it in the US, mainly because no one stops for hitchhikers any more.


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## chuck846 (Jan 15, 2016)

TundraGreen said:


> I am not young but I have hitchhiked a lot in Mexico. In rural areas, it is a common way to get around. I have never had a problem. I'm not female, it might be different if I were, but I have no trepidation about bumming rides in places where there is no convenient public transit.


In my early 20's I traveled Guatemala (by myself) in my lime green chevy LUV pickup. Our 'business' was to buy up izote (yucca cane) from the farms in the country - where it was used as fences to mark property lines. There was competition and I had to travel to the remotest areas and be the first person there. I had a map of the country on the wall and would highlight the roads I traveled. I pretty much covered every part of the country - never had an incident - but as you say I was a big guy, in very good shape. Often times I would pick up people who were hitch-hiking and let them ride in the back. I came across some really unusual things on my trips - like one isolated area where most everyone was blonde, white-skinned, and blue eyed - hundreds of people.


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## lagoloo (Apr 12, 2011)

If you are female and want to live long enough to grow old, you need to use some common sense. 

There are things that a six foot+male human can do that a five foot plus female human can't. Period. One of them would be backpacking and hitchhiking through Mexico (or probably anywhere in these times). I wouldn't advise it for the males, either. Consider the cautionary tale of the motorcyclist who was headed for Brazil.

Very sorry to hear about this woman and doubt that she will be reunited with her husband. Sad.


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## ojosazules11 (Nov 3, 2013)

lagoloo said:


> If you are female and want to live long enough to grow old, you need to use some common sense.
> 
> There are things that a six foot+male human can do that a five foot plus female human can't. Period. One of them would be backpacking and hitchhiking through Mexico (or probably anywhere in these times). I wouldn't advise it for the males, either. Consider the cautionary tale of the motorcyclist who was headed for Brazil.
> 
> Very sorry to hear about this woman and doubt that she will be reunited with her husband. Sad.


My 5 ft 2 in 100 lb daughter hitchhiked in both Mexico and Guatemala in her early 20's, with a female friend. I fortunately did not know about this until after the fact, when she was safely home. I was pretty upset, because it's simply an unnecessary risk. She also used to hitchhike in the Kootenay mountains in the interior of British Columbia, areas where many women have gone missing. She stopped when she got pregnant with her son, because suddenly she had another life to think about. I reminded her that her poor mother's life would be pretty awful, too, if she just disappeared without a trace while hitchhiking.


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## joaquinx (Jul 3, 2010)

lagoloo said:


> If you are female and want to live long enough to grow old, you need to use some common sense.
> 
> There are things that a six foot+male human can do that a five foot plus female human can't. Period. One of them would be backpacking and hitchhiking through Mexico (or probably anywhere in these times). .


I ran into an American who, although had Mexican ancestry and spoke perfect Spanish, accepted a ride from Cordoba to Xalapa. Before the ride (?) was over, he had lost his wallet, his luggage, and all his ID. Leaving him with a pair of shorts, sandals, and a t-shirt. All this from accepting a ride with a few strangers. I guess that life is like a box of chocolates: you never know who is the thief and who is the Samaritan.


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## Isla Verde (Oct 19, 2011)

TundraGreen said:


> I am not young but I have hitchhiked a lot in Mexico. In rural areas, it is a common way to get around. I have never had a problem. I'm not female, it might be different if I were, but I have no trepidation about bumming rides in places where there is no convenient public transit.


Well, Will, I'm glad that you have hitchhiked around Mexico and have lived to tell the tale. If you were a woman of any age, it would be a foolhardy thing to do!


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## lagoloo (Apr 12, 2011)

Isla Verde said:


> Well, Will, I'm glad that you have hitchhiked around Mexico and have lived to tell the tale. If you were a woman of any age, it would be a foolhardy thing to do!


Heard an interesting quote, to wit: "Why do men fear women? Because they are afraid of getting laughed at. Why do women fear men? Because they are afraid they (the men) will kill them."
On the surface, that sounds rather silly. However, a 5 ft.+ woman knows instinctively that a man of the same height, let alone anyone larger, is physically stronger than she is. (Nevermind the exceptions who are martial arts masters; we're talking ordinary women).
The ones that don't have that intuition often end up dying young or at the least, having some scary experiences. But, some people are just born lucky. 

Nature gave us brains and intuition to make our lives work better.


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## ojosazules11 (Nov 3, 2013)

I once had an "interesting" experience in Harlingen, TX when I was an innocent young thing of 21. I had to catch a plane to Dallas on a Saturday afternoon, but took a quick trip across the border to Matamoros in the morning with friends. Their car broke down on the way back, and I had that plane to catch. At the rest area there was a family that said they could take me back to Harlingen. I did not expect they were just going to drop me off at the exit ramp on the edge of town in a deserted industrial area! This was long before cell phones and Google maps, and I wasn't even sure how to get into the town proper. A car pulled up with a middle aged Mexican American man who asked if I needed help. I explained the situation and he said he'd drive me into town, so I accepted. Well, instead of driving into town he started driving further out of town. He was asking questions about me, and I explained that I was doing volunteer work with Central American refugees, I talked a bit about my Mennonite/Christian faith, wanting to help others, stuff like that. About 10 - 15 minutes out of town we arrived at a junkyard. No one was there. He drove in, turned around and drove me back to town. He didn't say anything like, "Oh, I guess they're closed today" or "No one is here". In fact the gate was open and he drove right in, so I wondered if it was his junkyard. 

The weird thing is at the time I felt perfectly calm. It wasn't until a long time after that I was thinking back and suspected his original plans were different, but all my "God and faith talk" made him change his mind.... I think I was very lucky.


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## TundraGreen (Jul 15, 2010)

lagoloo said:


> Heard an interesting quote, to wit: "Why do men fear women? Because they are afraid of getting laughed at. Why do women fear men? Because they are afraid they (the men) will kill them."
> On the surface, that sounds rather silly. However, a 5 ft.+ woman knows instinctively that a man of the same height, let alone anyone larger, is physically stronger than she is. (Nevermind the exceptions who are martial arts masters; we're talking ordinary women).
> The ones that don't have that intuition often end up dying young or at the least, having some scary experiences. But, some people are just born lucky.
> 
> Nature gave us brains and intuition to make our lives work better.


I fully understand that situations are different for women, hence the qualification. Regarding the risk to me, I understand it. I am single. My kids are grown. I am willing to take risks to do things I enjoy.


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## Hound Dog (Jan 18, 2009)

joaquinx said:


> I ran into an American who, although had Mexican ancestry and spoke perfect Spanish, accepted a ride from Cordoba to Xalapa. Before the ride (?) was over, he had lost his wallet, his luggage, and all his ID. Leaving him with a pair of shorts, sandals, and a t-shirt. All this from accepting a ride with a few strangers. I guess that life is like a box of chocolates: you never know who is the thief and who is the Samaritan.


Assaults of public transportation are fairly commonplace in Chiapas,Oaxaca, Tabasco and other southern states. Not too long ago, a group of French tourists on a tourist bus going from San Cristobal de Las Casas to Palenque was stopped and robbed of everthing including their clothes. They were left naked on the highway. Do not presume you are safe down there because you are on public transportation unless it's an airplane. After a decade of driving the 1500 kilometers between Lake Chapala and Chiapas, we have decided that,with the nonstop flights between Guadalajara and Tuxtla Gutierrez, that is the way to go.


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## sparks (Jun 17, 2007)

Being left on the side of the road with all the other passengers is a whole lot better than what probably happened to this way too naive woman


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## Chelloveck (Sep 21, 2013)

People who hitchhike have to realize that they will not usually be given a ride by so-called "average" people. 

People who pick up hitchhikers usually fall to the extreme of either:

1. Extraordinarily kind, trusting, and helpful.
2. Predatory.

Even though most hitchhikers will only encounter the first group in their hitchhiking adventures, the risk of exposure to the predatory group is very high.

I'm not victim-blaming or anything, but a diminutive female hitchhiking alone is putting herself at great risk of attracting predators.


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## Isla Verde (Oct 19, 2011)

Chelloveck said:


> People who hitchhike have to realize that they will not usually be given a ride by so-called "average" people.
> 
> People who pick up hitchhikers usually fall to the extreme of either:
> 
> ...


Completely agree with this post, especially the last sentence!


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## citlali (Mar 4, 2013)

I have gotten rides several times in Chiapas out of areas with poor public transportation but I have never done it alone, always with at least one man.
The other night we went to a river to look for amber, I was with 4 other people in a pick up and on the way back we stopped to give a ride to a couple that was asking for a ride, in the dark... I guess the area was remote enough that only locals were around..but I sure would not have done it..The couple turned out to be the children of a minor my friends knew so they got a ride to their house. I sure woud not have been standing by the side of a road in the pitch dark even with a man..especially in that area which is known for its violence...


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## TundraGreen (Jul 15, 2010)

Chelloveck said:


> People who hitchhike have to realize that they will not usually be given a ride by so-called "average" people.
> 
> People who pick up hitchhikers usually fall to the extreme of either:
> 
> ...


Has anyone else here spent anytime without a vehicle in rural areas. Getting rides in the back of a pickup is a very common mode of transport around small towns. If you are standing beside the road, someone will stop and ask you if you want a ride.


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## perropedorro (Mar 19, 2016)

TundraGreen said:


> Has anyone else here spent anytime without a vehicle in rural areas. Getting rides in the back of a pickup is a very common mode of transport around small towns. If you are standing beside the road, someone will stop and ask you if you want a ride.


Yes, but I live in a town small enough where everyone knows everyone, or at least has a common acquaintance. Pretty normal to offer a ride to the larger city down the road. Not quite the same as being picked up on the side of the highway by the next random vehicle.


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## TundraGreen (Jul 15, 2010)

perropedorro said:


> Yes, but I live in a town small enough where everyone knows everyone, or at least has a common acquaintance. Pretty normal to offer a ride to the larger city down the road. Not quite the same as being picked up on the side of the highway by the next random vehicle.


They don't know me. I don't know them. They are taking risk. I am taking a risk. But they are picking up an old man, with gray hair and a backpack, clearly a foreigner. So, their risk probably looks pretty low. I get rides in beat up old pickups with a couple or family in the front. My risk also looks pretty low.

Last year a friend and I were doing some work on trails in the Barranca del Cobre. We would park a truck along the side of the road, work along a trail for a few kilometers then hitch a ride back to the truck. Generally the first or second truck to come along would give us two old geezers a ride. We only had a problem once. Some people broke into the truck while we were gone.

Once, a group of us were at the Peña de Bernal. When we tried to return to Querétaro, it turned out the the PanAmerican road race was passing through and all the buses were essentially non-existent. A family with a mini-van stopped and gave me and my two friends, a woman my age and another woman about 10 years younger, a ride back to Qro.

Another time a friend and I were hiking in the Barranca de Huentitán. He got very tired. I flagged down an SUV. It turned out to be a group called the Guardianes de la Barranca. They had been doing some work in the canyon. It was the leader of the group and four or five young men and women working with him. We crammed into the SUV and he gave us a ride to a subway station.

Going from the La Paz airport into town once, I refused to pay the outrageous taxi fee. It was only a few kilometers and I had time so I decided to walk into town. After a few minutes a young couple in a pickup stopped. I got in the back. When we got to town, I knocked on the cab, they stopped, and I got out.

I got a ride near the Volcan de Paricutin in Michoacan once. Three of us got a ride in Chiapas south of Palenque near the Parque Natural Montes Azules once. I got a ride recently between Las Varas and Chacala, another near Cocula. Two years ago during the pilgrimage to Talpa de Allende, a young Mexican kid of 17 walking with us ran out of energy. We stopped a car and they gave him a ride to Las Cocinas where we were spending the night. There have probably been other cases that I can't remember at the moment.

Maybe I am taking a risk. But I it has brought interesting people and places into my life. I am willing to take the risk. I am not recommending anything about how others live their lives.


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## RPBHaas (Dec 21, 2011)

TundraGreen said:


> Has anyone else here spent anytime without a vehicle in rural areas. Getting rides in the back of a pickup is a very common mode of transport around small towns. If you are standing beside the road, someone will stop and ask you if you want a ride.


Yes. Virtually all of the mining ventures I have been involved with over the past 8 years have been in remote areas away from even small towns. Many mornings I encountered people from the remote villages and have given them rides from the towns to their villages or vice versa. 
In the early days of being here in Mexico, only once did I stop on the highway from GDL to my hometown and picked up someone stranded on the side of the rode with a broke axel on their truck. It turns out they were from my hometown and we had common friends. After telling my righthand man Manuel what I did, he very sternly instructed me to never do that again, "damasiado peligroso".


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## citlali (Mar 4, 2013)

TundraGreen so you live and ar able to tell us about it , the young woman from the US/CHina was not so lucky. I will continue not hitchhiking and only getting rides when I am not alone..better safe than sorry I say.


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## TundraGreen (Jul 15, 2010)

citlali said:


> TundraGreen so you live and ar able to tell us about it , the young woman from the US/CHina was not so lucky. I will continue not hitchhiking and only getting rides when I am not alone..better safe than sorry I say.


I don't think I ever recommended that women or anyone else try it.


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## AlanMexicali (Jun 1, 2011)

Missing Seattle womanâ€™s Mexico adventure turns into nightmare for family | The Seattle Times

"Reinhard recently spent five days in Mexico trying to help the investigation and says he’s similarly frustrated with responses, or the lack thereof, from the Chinese Embassy in Mexico City and police in Oaxaca. 

He says the most promising leads have resulted from hiring a private investigator, who this week, according to Reinhard, uncovered information about a truck that picked Chen up in Oaxaca. 

Reinhard says witnesses reported a Corona beer truck stopping for Chen and then taking her in “the opposite direction of Cancún.” "


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