by David Eidell (07/2008)
Anyone who reads a newspaper can see that drug gangs have reacted
violently against the Mexican president's vigorous pursuit of
narcotics trafficking. Federal police commanders have been
assassinated in broad daylight in Mexico City, the ongoing war between
gangs has escalated to decapitations and other gruesome "theater".
Mexico has always been tinted with a brush of uncertainty as far as
American tourists are concerned. Back in the 1940's and 1950's the
border town of Tijuana lowered itself down to base consumerism seeking
tawdry morals and an overall sleazy climate. A third world culture
refused to pay adequate salaries to law enforcement leading to cops
that had to survive on bribes.
Overall we Americans did not suffer the consequences of those
actions---it was the Mexicans who had to live day in and day out with
a justice system that was administered to solely by cash. A general
reversal of these trends began in the nineties under presidente Carlos
Salinas de Gotari (at the time I joked that he had to clamp down
because the crooks were stealing all the money before the government
had a chance to steal it). Then came Ernesto Zedillo, who gave
Mexicans a huge gift when he eliminated the crooked process of the
president hand picking his successor. Vicente Fox continued the reform
by firing the entire federal police force and hiring replacements that
had college degrees. Crooked military commanders were arrested,
crooked state governors were ousted and this set the stage where the
current president, Calderon, could put a lot of pressure on national
drug syndicates. If the pressure was not effective then the gangs
certainly would not have backlashed so strongly.
But American tourists can easily get the impression that crossing the
border would be fraught with personal danger. Drug gangs have zero
interest in tourists and professional kidnappers aren't going to play
pin the tail on the donkey and try and guess which RVers have the
necessary millions of dollars necessary for a proper ransom.
Kidnappers spend months casing their victim and working out all of the
details---RVers move around and because "We All Look Alike" who's to
say if so-and-so is worth a million smackers or is up to his keester
in mortgages. Finally there have been a few overly publicized
highway-robberies on the Baja peninsula----very close to the US
border. The victims decided that the "No Driving At Night" rule did
not apply to them so they were trapped in the middle of the night when
all of the cops are home in bed.
RVers don't drive through the middle of the so-called problem border
cities. Cities like Nogales, and El Paso have bypass routes connecting
to superhighways, and the routes are heavily patrolled. This isn't
Baghdad or Beruit. You aren't going to see rising columns of rocket
barrage smoke or hear the whine of bullets past your window. The
border area has never been photogenic and most people are in somewhat
of a hurry to get to their evening destination. Traffic is usually
moderate and it would be prudent to mind your driving instead of
sneaking furtive glances at possible sniper nests. These days I will
be thinking about that first tank of HALF-PRICE Mexican fuel.
Highways in Mexico are heavily patrolled by the Mexican Army while
coastal routes have the army and the marines augmenting the federal
highway patrol and the AFI, Mexico's "Black Berets". These patrols are
there because the Mexican population have demanded and have received a
proper degree of security. This doesn't mean that the country is a war
zone (except for the struggle against narcotics), it means that you
have learned the first and perhaps the most important thing about
Mexican society: The thought of anarchy or lawlessness will fire up a
Mexican much faster than it would an American.
Every guide book to Mexico has a list of "Do's" and "Don'ts"
(including the Mini-Series on RV'ing In Mexico). An effort is being
made to keep tourists safe, by having them tread in the footsteps of
pioneer adventurers who actually had to learn all that stuff "The Hard
Way". I see Internet Posts that pshaw and ridicule the "Don't Drive At
Night" rule. Those folks are setting themselves up to have everything
they own removed from their possession some pitch-black night.
Violating the common-sense rules is like drinking and driving or
running red lights; you may get away with it for awhile but the
consequences are harsh. I also find it distressing that some of these
folks who do get nailed scream to the US press upon their return "I
have been driving in Mexico for XX years without a problem, but no
more. I am never going back". The shame is that gullible tender ears
of prospective visitors to Mexico tend to give such announcememts
great weight in tipping the scales of whether to go or not. Warnings
about driving at night in Mexico have been around for maybe the last
six decades and the warnings are universal.
I cannot think of a single thing that I am going to have to do this
year when I head south that would augment my safety or security. My
route and itinerary aren't going to change, I don't fantasize about
smuggling in a Dirty-Harry hand cannon, or small brick of C-4
plastique. But I am planning on carrying a new collapsible gold sluice
box, and an entirely new winter wardrobe, plus an XM radio so I can
listen to Mariachi music rather than squeaking and twanging Corrido
music. I also am going to bring quite a quantity of the ingredients
that I will use to make up a unique blend of combination mosquito and
no-see-um repellent.
My friend Jesus telephoned me yesterday. The sea turtles have arrived
on Playa Dorada by the hundreds to lay their eggs which he will gather
and transport to the guarded hatchery shed. His wife Brenda, asked me
for clothes for the two little girls and Pilar and Dalia both asked me
tearfully "When are you coming home?" So all in all I have a lot
bigger fish to fry than worry about newspaper headlines. I need to go
shopping tomorrow! Now what size did Brenda say for the girls?
Saludos!
David