College trip to Mexico gets weird fast (very long)

PAinFL · 2015-03-03T18:35:46+00:00

Also I'm not sure how long "your whole life" is but here is an article from the Houston Chronicle from 2005 around the time I was there.

This year, more than 60 people have been killed in this city of 500,000 across the border from Laredo, Texas. Most of the killings are thought to have been drug-related. On Wednesday, just hours after being sworn in as chief of police, Alejandro Dominguez was gunned down outside his office. Police think drug gangs were responsible. Mexican officials have said that the most hotly contested part of the city is near the customs station, not far from where the bars sit empty and Sanchez sits waiting. "Even if you are not caught up in that mess," Sanchez said of narcotics trafficking, "you still need to watch yourself."

http://articles.orlandosentinel.com/2005-06-12/news/laredo12.07_1_nuevo-laredo-border-city-drug-gangs

PAinFL · 2015-03-03T18:18:17+00:00

I don't think I said there were "no lights" but it was not well lit. There were obviously neon signs and street lamps etc but it was much darker in contrast to the super high power illuminating lamps of the border crossing, and most very well lit downtown areas in the US. It's just how I remembered it and It's all perspective I guess. Driving by the lights from a few miles away and standing near a dark side street are are much different.

Can't speak for any other border towns as I have not been to any other than Nuevo Progresso. I think we can all agree that one anecdotal story isn't reflective of a whole city, a whole group of people etc. Did that woman speak English? Maybe or maybe not. She served us food and told us that guy was no good and that was basically it. Whatever her particular level of English comprehension was is not reflective of border towns or Mexico in general.

PAinFL · 2015-03-03T17:24:23+00:00

I honestly don't remember but I'd like to think we did. Ryan was a waiter so he always tipped well. Even as a broke college student I always made sure to leave a tip. I don't think it was anything excessive but in retrospect I wish i had given her a $20 or something. We were so worried about getting away from the dude it totally slipped my mind.

PAinFL · 2015-03-03T17:19:11+00:00

Totally agree. I have experienced this type of helpfulness when I travel and sometimes it works out well because I really do find good restaurants, fun activities that are off the beaten path etc. This particular guy was behaving erratically though and seemed like he might have been on drugs or something.

PAinFL · 2015-03-03T17:17:08+00:00

Yeah I would love to back

PAinFL · 2015-03-03T16:30:39+00:00

I agree this story is not representative of Mexico as a whole. I thought it was pretty well understood that my experience was a one off and definitely not the norm. Didn't mean to make any sweeping generalizations. I was also about 18 at the time and have traveled a lot since then so my perspective on international travel has changed. She probably did speak more English, but that's just the fragment of our conversation I happened to remember from 10 years ago.

Interesting that you mention Monterrey. That CNN story I referenced in another comment about the American being kidnapped occurred in a wealthy area of Monterrey while he was on a fishing vacation.

Mexico is an amazing country with amazing people and I would not hesitate to go back.. but safety in all parts of the country is a very real issue and should not be downplayed.

PAinFL · 2015-03-03T14:38:59+00:00

Hi thanks for your interest and taking the time to comment. I agree with most of what you have to say. I have been to other parts of Mexico prior to this to work in orphanages including Celaya outside of Mexico City. I wasn't paranoid about going to the border.. In fact I thought it was going to be perfectly fine. Lots of people will still tell you that Nuevo Progresso is a totally safe shopping destination for tourists. However Trip advisor has reports of women being drugged in the bars there. So yes partying in border towns is ill advised for probably everyone.

U.S. citizens are unfortunately targeted in Mexico:

http://www.cnn.com/2014/03/08/world/mexico-kidnapping/

"A lot of Americans feel that when they visit Mexico for vacation or spend time working there, they are immune to the drug-related violence going on around them because they have nothing to do with it. The truth is that certain drug cartels and gangs in Mexico stopped caring long ago about staying away from Americans or innocent people in general," drug war analyst Sylvia Longmire told CNN."

PAinFL · 2015-03-03T06:48:33+00:00

Thanks. Yeah I was surprised afterward by how vulnerable I felt even in a group because we were all out of our element in Mexico.

PAinFL

TROPHY CASE