# Cocaine, Danger and Xcalak



## LoggedIn (Nov 21, 2017)

I watched an entire community fold over the distribution of marijuana. Almost every walking male was arrested and incarcerated. As were many of the women. All children were sent to orphanages.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/1990/12/23/the-little-town-that-turned-to-drugs/7f3f3675-cfee-44cc-bd1e-958e6dbcca16/

_"...their beaches are also the final destination for anything of value that falls into the Atlantic; more often than not in the form of cocaine dropped by the small Colombian planes – an activity known here as “bombing.” The planes send the waiting launches the coordinates of where they are bombing and the speedboats promptly move in and fish the goods out of the water. But there is not always time to get everything. And even when they do, the cocaine bricks can end up thrown overboard if the speedboat has the police in hot pursuit. These packages often turn up days later wrapped in tape, either bobbing aimlessly in the water or snagged in the mangrove swamp."_

_“Cocaine? Crack? Marijuana?” This is the sales pitch from the tattooed man selling me a six-pack of beer in a local store."
_

_"The drugs found in Xcalak are taken to Chetumal and are then sent north or to Cancún, which, according to the National Addiction Survey, has the third-highest consumption of cocaine in the country."_

https://elpais.com/elpais/2019/06/24/inenglish/1561378886_877981.html


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## ojosazules11 (Nov 3, 2013)

For those who may choose not to click on the links (given the nature of most of the OP’s previous postings, I almost didn’t), they are actually quite interesting. The first link is a Washington Post article from 1990 about Everglades City, Florida where a significant percentage of the population got involved in marijuana smuggling and trafficking. It describes how the town was impacted by this, especially when many were arrested and incarcerated. I note Logged In reports being from Everglades City, so I guess that’s the town he saw destroyed by drug trafficking. 

The second is a recent article (in English even though it’s from El País) about the region around the Mexican-Belizean-Guatemalan border and neighbouring villages/towns/cities (including Puerto Barrios, a major Atlantic port of entry to Guatemala). No real surprises about the culture and corruption that comes with drugs, power and the lure of “easy” money (easy until you get killed for it).

I still would really like to know Logged In’s point or purpose for posting all these links, with no real explanation or commentary. Are you traumatized by your experience in Everglades City, and feeling a sense of déjà vu in Quintana Roo? Are you trying to warn people off from this region? Do you just like to post negative information about the seedy underside of this region of Mexico?

I’m well aware of the corruption and criminality that is far too rampant in this country (Mexico) that I love. And I love Guatemala, too, where it is far worse. At the same time, for me that does not negate the wonderful things about both countries, which in addition to amazing and awe-inspiring natural beauty includes hard-working, family-oriented people with hearts as big as the ocean, people who laugh and sing and celebrate what they have, instead of bemoaning what they don’t have. People who know that the material world is transient and not to be relied upon as it can be here today, gone tomorrow, and have an innate belief in something on a more spiritual or intangible plane. (I know there are plenty of Mexicans who are atheists, agnostics or even Marxists who only believe in the “material” world- I know a few myself. I just find that if you scratch the surface a bit, you generally will find some sort of “spirituality” beneath.)

So, Logged In, can you share with us a bit about the “Why?” of your consistently negative postings?


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## citlali (Mar 4, 2013)

My neighbor in San Cristobal bought in Xcalak many years ago. She is an artist so was working there but she told me that alcohol was destruying many lves there as there was nothing to do but fishng , diving and drinking.. so nothing changed if cocaine is now the poson of choice,, 
Yes it is pretty sad to see that a person is postng nothng but negatve postis when there is so much more to the country but that means undertanding the culture and focusing on th epositive prts of things which seems to be way mor difficult for some..Botice the beer salesman is the drug dealer, a natural..do not buy anything from him and get an interest other than beer and drugs, life is too short to waste on drugs.


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## LoggedIn (Nov 21, 2017)

citlali said:


> My neighbor in San Cristobal bought in Xcalak many years ago. She is an artist so was working there but she told me that alcohol was destruying many lves there as there was nothing to do but fishng , diving and drinking.. so nothing changed if cocaine is now the poson of choice,,


Thanks for your input.



> Yes it is pretty sad to see that a person is postng nothng but negatve postis when there is so much more to the country but that means undertanding the culture and focusing on th epositive prts of things which seems to be way mor difficult for some..Botice the beer salesman is the drug dealer, a natural..do not buy anything from him and get an interest other than beer and drugs, life is too short to waste on drugs.


Uh, like, that's just what you did, post what you call a 'negative post'. The only difference I can see is that my spellchecker wasn't drunk.


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## LoggedIn (Nov 21, 2017)

ojosazules11 said:


> For those who may choose not to click on the links (given the nature of most of the OP’s previous postings, I almost didn’t), they are actually quite interesting. The first link is a Washington Post article from 1990 about Everglades City, Florida where a significant percentage of the population got involved in marijuana smuggling and trafficking. It describes how the town was impacted by this, especially when many were arrested and incarcerated. I note Logged In reports being from Everglades City, so I guess that’s the town he saw destroyed by drug trafficking.
> 
> The second is a recent article (in English even though it’s from El País) about the region around the Mexican-Belizean-Guatemalan border and neighbouring villages/towns/cities (including Puerto Barrios, a major Atlantic port of entry to Guatemala). No real surprises about the culture and corruption that comes with drugs, power and the lure of “easy” money (easy until you get killed for it).
> 
> ...


Point and purpose. Truth. Feel free to post as many "positive" articles as you desire.


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## Orfin (Sep 26, 2016)

One of the keys to having a “positive” outcome in Mexico or even here in Colombia where i am at the moment, is knowing where the risks of negative factor are.
There isn’t a single person on the forum that does not walk the streets without looking both ways, hoping to have a “positive” street-crossing experience, but not without looking out for the negative/risk factors of drivers that would mindlessly run you over like a wild rodent in the road. 

Sometimes, i get the sense that people try to have the “positivity” doctrine pushed to such extremes that they would accuse you of negativity just because you look both ways before crossing the street. Like you should never let it cross your mind that there are crazy, distracted or careless drivers out there that would run people down if people did not look out for such drivers. 
Or even drivers too poor to afford new brakes after the old ones wore out in Mexico. 
I admit, i drive in Mexico sometimes with the caution attitude that nobody on the roads there can afford brakes. And it helps me be a cautious driver for safety. 

My route driving back from Mexico every year for 3 years straight has put me in flooded areas around Missouri, Illinois and Indiana every year. One year was Illinois and Indiana, this year was Missouri. 
3 consecutive years, every time i drive back from Mexico in the month of May.

After the first year, i always follow the national weather reports and patterns for the area once spring is sprung there, and look out for the reality of the situation there, such that floods would define the entire experience there for residents and transient traffic like myself. 
So it is no longer about wether i feel positive or negative about it, but simply looking ahead for what makes the difference between a positive outcome versus getting blindly caught up in what i refuse to look at for planning ahead of time. 

And yes i had experience of barely making it out of Thailand 8-9 years ago, when i ended up being there clueless to a mounting flood which covered the major backbone area of the country. 
My narrow escape was a 9 hour bus ride along a road surrounded on both sides by what looked like an inland sea with only tree tops and a few roof tops above water.

Then Bad Weather cancelled my flight last year in Ecuador and cost me an $800 immigration violation when i ended up staying a day longer than my tourist stay allowed.

And when thinking of Mexico and its “top of the class” world reputation for blood storms related to illicit drug trade, why would anyone not think it helpful towards a positive outcome in Mexico, to know where and when occurs the prime factors towards negative outcomes?

For myself, it personally matters towards a positive outcome that i know where the negative factors are so that i don’t wander in blinded by an imagined positivity and end up wondering too late how i ended up facing a negative outcome. 
Too often, positivity and having an actual positive outcome have been vastly separated by the road blocks of real and present negative factors on the ground, leading to negative outcomes when i did not see them or look for them to benefit from the chance to avoid them.

And also in my younger days with my parents, expatriating to a foreign country for the better experience there, until each year afterwards, it deteriorated in multiple ways until i made it out of there with only the outdated second-hand clothes on my back and a few steps short of having gone to the USA embassy to declare destitution and seeking government help getting back to USA.
All before i was 18 and in a place that did not have as bad a violence reputation back then, as Mexico has now. It took me 10 years to get back the nerve to ever leave USA again and when i did, i went to Mexico for the first time, during the time i lived close to the border. 

Keeping an eye out for potential incoming, good, bad and ugly, is the time tested way to guide yourself to the outcome you are looking for. 
In storm zones, people keep their eye on the tornado as it does its thing, or they go down into protective cellars to hide. Rarely do sane people say it is negative to watch the tornado and fret it may come your way, nor negative to turn away from it and seek cover.
If ever there were a country on earth with the reputation of being a $#!% storm of drug and violence, it is Mexico today. Why would anyone want to discourage open considerations of watching for where a damaging tornado may drop or high water may overflow into their lives? Especially when in a place where the weather is more primed for that than anywhere else. ?

Have a positive outcome in Mexico, everybody.... And prepare yourself for it, ahead of time. 
Keep an eye out for what to avoid, if you can. 
It is mere trauma when the risks are all gone but you remain on edge. In Mexico, negative outcomes have steadily gotten worse on a random average. People experience it everyday and if not for yourself, keep a consideration of it for those who do experience the real brunt of it everyday.

I am not sure what has changed since the new president came in but it is too early to gauge what effect his new policies have or will have.
Gotta look out for yourself and know where and when it matters. 

I do the same here in Colombia and even in USA, be it weather, earthquakes or crime. 
One of the things that got me into living outside USA, was volcanic activity at my now abandoned home in Hawaii. I would have still been in Hawaii paradise today if not for that volcanic hell fire underneath, and i left 8 years before the big eruption last year, with many people there telling me i was not being positive, to just wait it out and know the best was coming. Inside it was getting worse for me personally, as i got sick from the toxic volcano smoke. My health has never fully recovered. 
So i left Hawaii back then and started life over again and now have a new home in another part of USA and a world travel routine that has included Mexico in a major way. Doing personally and financially better than i was back in Hawaii years ago. 

I looked back and watched Hawaii get devastated by the volcano last year and many people unprepared, mostly people unwilling to allow the thought of such a thing happening even as they heard news of the ground cracking and steaming in their neighborhoods. Those who never took seriously a back-up or back-out plan. I thought it was bad when i backed out, it only got worse, much worse. 
And not the first or second time i had fled a long time home, state or country to watch from a distance as things got worse. 
It’s the main reason why i do not settle in one place nor permanently settle at home in USA where i have a home and all my home base effects. 
I do 6 month rotations between countries, and home in USA is just a pit stop in-between my rotation between tropical foreign countries, but home is also where i would retreat if i ever needed to go back to work or escape issues in any place i visit on earth. 

I am glad i looked ahead and considered such a negative outcome being part of the reality of living on an active volcano Hawaii. It helped me make the decisions needed towards a better outcome in my life, not making the decision to merely think positive, but to make the decisions that led me to takes steps towards a positive outcome in my life.
Yes Mexico is an active volcano in its own satirical way where the real substance is a human volatility fueled by drugs and desperation for $$$. 
Thinking one way or another about it, does not do as much as preparing with what you can know about its activities and hotspots and then positioning and equipping yourself to avoid the worst it has to offer so you can find a positive outcome. 

Don’t take the day light for granted and don’t take the dark nights for granted. They both make the whole experience of life. 
I once made the mistake of giving my plants 24 hour sunshine because they grew best in more light. And that worked out for a few weeks until they started to wither in a really weird way.
I turned the lights out and left them for dead. The survivor plants sprung back in the dark and i realized they always needed some amount of dark time to regulate their busy daylight metabolism.

Same with people. 24 hours sunshine and no time in the dark, would make an already searing Sonora desert become certain death planet.
Gotta keep influenced by both sides of the reality if you want the full benefits of a good living experience that brings the best chances for a positive outcome.

I won’t fool myself again with the kind of positivity that makes me walk around with my eyes shut and barefooted in the scrapyard that everybody knows is full of rusty nails sticking up in the wood scraps scattered all about the scrapyard. 
I was made with eyes for a reason, just like shoes were made for a reason.


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## lagoloo (Apr 12, 2011)

Good grief: that's a long treatise on being sensibly aware of your environment and how to look out for the topes in the road, figuratively. However, looks like the poster is enjoying life, and that's what counts.(grin)


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