kellio33

Now cruise lines are pulling out

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/41068768/ns/travel/

Speedbird84

News from Canada:

A Canadian man was shot by an AK-47 in Mazatlan: Link

Officials in Mazatlan saying the city is still safe: Link

And a balanced Q&A on the whole topic: Link

gomexico

More Canadians have come forward, reporting being attacked by terrorists in Mazatlan while on an ATV guided tour, at the Christmas holiday. None of the 4 were physically harmed.

Disney cruises has announced it's removing Mazatlan from it's ship itineraries, immediately.

The "balanced" Q&A linked above is simply an opinion piece, and, IMHO, not very "balanced."

There haven't been many reports about violence and terrorist attacks in Mazatlan previously. Much of the news never sees the light of day, though. Not enough for we foreigners to read about it. It's local news, mostly. The city is in he heart of the most important drug cartel territory though. But the city is controlled by the mafia and terrorist organizations so it's been uncommon to see armed struggles in the streets.

Mr. Vker

12 taxis attacked Friday and Saturday in Acapulco.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110220/...RheGlkcml2ZXI-

itsme110

http://pvnn.com/ed-op/05mar2011/mexi...rug-policy.htm

Open Jaw

Many guns in Mexico do come from the US illegally, but not all. Every year the US sends the Mexican Federal police firearms as part of an agreement between the two nations. Calderon and others fail to realize that many of these legal guns are stolen by the cartels after murdering Mexican officers.

itsme110

Mexico has confiscated 110,000 guns in 4 years. Would you care to guess how many made it without being confiscated? Common sense would say it had to be more than 1,000,000, but I would say that that number is conservative.
That means that a similarily valued amount of drugs went the other way. It would seem that protecting this border may require some military assistance, since current attempts to curb the smuggling don´t seem to be working. The next question would be, ¨of the two countries, whose military might be better better equiped to protect the border¨
IMHO, if the U.S. is going to have a war on drugs, then they are going to have to have a war on drugs.

Bob'sYourUncle

Calderon should stop wasting the billions of taxpayer $$ on a war that the government can't win as long as all the Charlie Sheen types live their lives as they do.

Open Jaw

If I were in charge, the US border would be sealed with US military personnel and all American laws would be strictly enforced. No exceptions! I would never, however, try to limit an American's right to bear arms and protect their land and families. If other nations do not like American laws and rights, that's too bad.

itsme110

you won´t need to worry about Americans owning guns. If the drugs can´t flow into the U.S. the flow of guns southward will stop because there will be nothing to pay for them with. I totally agree with the American government actually having a war on drugs, and stopping the drug flow into the U.S.

gomexico

The war and levels of terrorism in Mexico have really skyrocketed. The firearms, grenades, etc., are entering Mexico from various sources, not just the USA - but I think it's pretty easy to assume that a large percentage come from the USA - often with the assistance of corrupt Mexicans. Some of the weapons come from the Mexican military stockpies, others through Central America. If it were actually feasible to accomplish, I think sealing the border completely between the USA and Mexico with only several entry points would be a good thing to do. But it's not a reaistic proposal. President Calderon has done a very good job, with the cards dealt him. The PRI will win the next Presidency and we'll see if the corruption and accommodation it fostered during its 70-years of dictatorships returns and the cartels change behavior. Crime is so rampant, and the impact of the terrorists so deep in society, I can't imagine much positive change coming before it gets worse. Tourism and the daily lives of so many millions of people have been negatively impacted.

arthursiew

Do you think Cabo is safe? I just exchanged my timeshare for the Welk Cabo for a week and I have 24 hours to cancel if it's too dangerous. Thanks!

Open Jaw

You'll be fine in Cabo. I was talking to a Mexican friend last night about this very question, and she states that Cabo and Cancun are fine. The only tourist area that is dangerous right now is Acapulco.

gomexico

Well, your time-limit has expired and you've probably made your decision already.

Baja California Sur, the state in which the los Cabos communities are located, has been considered relatively safe to visit. It's escaped the terrorist acts and warfare one finds in many other parts of Mexico. Some of the Cabo San Lucas area resorts avoid working with the local police and instead hire private foreign-trained security forces ... and that's one of the principal reasons the 'rich and famous' from Hollywood still vacation there. Personally, I wouldn't be hesitant to vacation there.

Many other tourist destinations in Mexico, though, are seeing higher risks to tourists - not just Acapulco as mentioned by someone else. Away from the northern border zone warfare and high level of terrorism, the terrorist acts occurring elsewhere are sporatic and happen without warning and it's not easy to predict where and when they will happen. Mazatlan's a good case in point. It's now considered one of the more dangerous tourist destinations and all cruise lines have decided to bypass the port out of concern for cruise line passengers. Some ships, though, still call on Acapulco.

It's a big country, though, and away from the tourist zones where there is an elevated risk of danger there are many more destinations where risks are very low. The challenger is to find the current information, accurate information, sufficient to complete pre-trip planning.

Enjoy the trip!

itsme110

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/htm...rbriefs13.html

Here´s last Saturday´s newspaper report. The cruise lines have stopped going into Mazatlan, not for any reason, but strictly as a precaution. The cruise terminal is located in a fairly seedy part of town, and when we go there, we are careful......much the same as when we go to many areas of Chicago, or to a five star hotel on East Hastings St. in Vancouver.
As others have pointed out, try to keep things in balance, and listen to people who have visited the area recently rather than those who just talk about it from afar. I, for example, would not go to Juarez for any reason. We are however going to Mazatlan this Thursday for 5 days, and I know that we will have a wonderful time. We stay at the Royal Villas Resort, and it is just a super place. It is a comfortable 6 hour drive from Puerto Vallarta, where we live. We´re going to grab some sun, and if we have a chance take in some deep sea fishing..........and eat lots of local prawns.