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Do We or Don't We? Mexico? Too Dangerous???

#121
This entire thread has been comparing apples to oranges. 46,000 PEOPLE have been killed there by cartel violence in the last year. 46,000. Mexican Nationals, German Nationals, American Nationals. Cartel Members. Non Cartel members.

You are fighting the law of averages if you travel there. The State Department advises AGAINST travel in Mexico. Mexico is a dangerous place to be right now and only looks to get worse.

Hopefully, you guys go and gig without incident. At least that is MY hope for you guys. ;)

I live a mere few miles from the border in San Diego and you couldn't pay me enough to head into TJ.....ain't gonna happen, Bro!

Good luck to you guys! Remember to keep your head down....
 
#126
sorry bro, this is how it is. we´re a third world country, there´s a lot of corruption, killing, etc etc, but that dosent mean that all our population are criminals, and that dosent mean that if you come you have 99.9% chances to get killed, beated, raped or anything like that. soemtimes you have to take your chances, if you do, welcome to mexico!!
 
#127
I've been to Monterrey several times on business in past years and there were a lot of precautions that had to be taken. The violence in Monterrey is so bad now, however, that my company has blocked everyone from traveling to Monterrey despite the fact that we have customers there. We now request that the customers from Monterrey travel to us because of the risk of danger.
 
#128
Seriously...? Look, you're most likely gonna get killed if you have any relations with any cartels or the mafia, but if you're a simple tourist, then you are okay. Mainstream media doesn't really seem like a reliable source of information, because it just focuses on the worst that's happening in this country, and it's not telling you how it actually is to live here, same with believing what the TV says about it. You should see what the news here in Mexico say about the USA, it makes it look pretty bad, too, you know. I've lived in both countries. But like someone else said, don't go to the wrong parts of town.
 
#129
I don't know if my post is a bit late, but here's my two cents.

I had a girl friend who is a mexican citizen. (good lord she was caliente!) She's here legally if that matters to anyone.
She told me about returning to visit her family in Mexico.

Her family would pick her up from the airport, and her uncle would drive the minivan at FULL SPEED NO SLOWING DOWN OR STOPPING for Sheet! The problem isn't just with cartels, there are bandits that control entire regions. Bandidos de Camino (Road Bandits). It's common place to pay for safe passage through certain areas. That works for mexicano, not gringos.If the natives tell me I'm muy loco for being in a certain region, that's good enough for me.

Last but not least, you could be on the road when they're transporting goods, THEY WILL KILL YOU, JUST BECAUSE YOUR CAR LOOKS LIKE IT'S LAW ENFORCEMENT!

You Loco Gringo!
 
#132
Outdated thread, yes I know... :hmm:

But speaking of Monterrey, this latest news report came in just today, about a brutal, combined mass murder & prison escape in ...Monterrey, Mexico:

MONTERREY, Mexico, Feb 20 (Reuters) - Members of the Zetas drug cartel plotted with prison guards to orchestrate an elaborate escape and kill 44 of their rivals in one of the worst episodes of prison violence in Mexico, the local state governor said on Monday.

In what first appeared to be a prison brawl between criminal gangs, the Zetas stabbed, cut the throats and bludgeoned to death at least 44 inmates affiliated with the rival Gulf Cartel on Sunday, said Governor Rodrigo Medina of Nuevo Leon state. During the violence, 30 Zetas members escaped the prison on the outskirts of the industrial hub of Monterrey with the help of corrupt prison guards, he said.
Click to expand...

Mexico Prison Guards, Zetas Drug Cartel Allegedly Conspired in Brutal Prison Escape

Scary... :eek:

MM
 
#133
Buster Brown said:
This entire thread has been comparing apples to oranges. 46,000 PEOPLE have been killed there by cartel violence in the last year. 46,000. Mexican Nationals, German Nationals, American Nationals. Cartel Members. Non Cartel members.

You are fighting the law of averages if you travel there. The State Department advises AGAINST travel in Mexico. Mexico is a dangerous place to be right now and only looks to get worse.

Hopefully, you guys go and gig without incident. At least that is MY hope for you guys. ;)

I live a mere few miles from the border in San Diego and you couldn't pay me enough to head into TJ.....ain't gonna happen, Bro!

Good luck to you guys! Remember to keep your head down....
Click to expand...

I was travelling a couple of years ago and spent about a week in San Diego (fantastic city btw). Me and a few friends crossed the border into TJ for a night out despite the crys of pretty much every single american we spoke to of 'Don't go to TJ man, that place is crazy, your gonna get killed'.

It was one of the best nights of my life, incredible party atmosphere and very friendly people.

Same thing happened in Columbia, originally we were set against going until every person we met who had been there before recommended it. Our travel company refused to insure us and our travel agency done everything they could to not book flights for us. But we went, and I can honestly say its probably my favourite country in the world. Cartagena is absolutely stunning.

Go, just don't be idiots and get drunk and wander aimlessly around. Find our where you hotel is upfront, make sure its ok and in a decent area, fly in the morning of the gig and fly out on the next flight if you have to.
 
#134
Yet another instance of senseless drug violence in northern Mexico. In the area of Monterrey:

MONTERREY, Mexico — Forty-nine bodies, at least some of them mutilated, were found Sunday dumped on a highway connecting the northern Mexican metropolis of Monterrey to the U.S. border, officials said.

A law enforcement official said the bodies of 43 men and six women were found in the town of San Juan on the non-toll highway to the border city of Reynosa at about 4 a.m. (5 a.m. EDT; 0900 GMT), but officials were still investigating.

Authorities closed off the highway, blocking the way for hundreds of motorists, as federal and state police, joined by Mexican troops, sealed off the scene.

The law enforcement official asked that his name not be used because he was not authorized to release the information. The details, however, match reports in Mexican news media.

The discovery echoes several other recent cases in which drug gangs have left bodies scattered in public places as warnings to rivals. Thirty-five bodies were left at a freeway overpass in the city of Veracruz in September. Twenty-six were found in November in Guadalajara. So far this month, 23 bodies were found dumped or hanging in the city of Nuevo Laredo and 18 were found along a highway south of Guadalajara.
Click to expand...

[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]

:eek:

I wonder if the OP ever made it to his gig in Monterrey. I'm guessing he did not. I wonder if he ever thinks about it much. Or if, just possibly, he might owe his life to the fact that he stayed away... :hmm:

MM
 
#136
Monterrey has become quite dangerous in recent years - at least as dangerous as the border cities. My company does business in that area, and I'm no longer allowed to go there for work as a result of the safety concerns and I was always accompanied by a local Spanish speaking guide and security. Instead, we bring our Mexico counterparts to the US to conduct business.

$1,000 per person isn't worth risking your life, IMHO.
 
#137
Tat2dHeart said:
Monterrey has become quite dangerous in recent years - at least as dangerous as the border cities. My company does business in that area, and I'm no longer allowed to go there for work as a result of the safety concerns and I was always accompanied by a local Spanish speaking guide and security. Instead, we bring our Mexico counterparts to the US to conduct business.

$1,000 per person isn't worth risking your life, IMHO.
Click to expand...

Have you ever experienced/ seen any violence there? Just curious, not doubting you.
We take all the necessary precautions, of course, but I felt quite safe there compared to Israel...
 
#139
D.A.R.K. said:
Have you ever experienced/ seen any violence there? Just curious, not doubting you.
We take all the necessary precautions, of course, but I felt quite safe there compared to Israel...
Click to expand...

I've likewise never felt in any imminent danger, though I've mostly only traveled in the Tijuana/Baja area, so I can't speak to the rest of the country. Cambodia and the Middle East were far less welcoming, in my experiences. I've always felt that if you never take any risks, you're missing half the point of being alive.
 

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