JDiver

If the rains are happening as normal, a weekend day after a rainy night might be the ticket. On rare occasions after that, even Popocatépetl and Iztaccihuatl might reveal themselves.

FlyForFun

I crossed the border from Tijuana to the San Diego area last night. We spent a week driving down the peninsula to Laguna San Ignacio for whale watching. The protesters in San Quintin stopped blocking the highway a few days before we left. We spent time in San Ignacio, Guerrero Negro, Catavina, San Quintin, and Ensenada and felt totally safe.

The whale watching in the lagoons where the gray whales mate, birth, and nurse their calves was unbelievable this year.

JDiver

Great trip!

The protestors merely want a raise from the agricultural companies, as they've not had one in years. They don't have a beef with tourists, though I tend to avoid big groupings where police or military might enter into conflict.

burbuja0512

I lived in Guadalajara from 1999-2002 (didn't plan on staying so long, but loved it and couldn't leave) and I regularly talk to quite a few friends down there. Some friends are lower-middle to middle class and others a bit more well-off. None of them feel safe and are looking for places to move.

I don't always give credence to state dept. warnings, but I have to say that with the number of locals that I know that don't think that GDL is safe, even those that live in the 'nicer' areas, it sounds like it's really quite dangerous... hate to say this because I LOVE the city and counting down the days until I can return without worry.

JDiver

Pues, ¡si! And some of the trips to nearby scenic parts of Michoacan, olvídate (forget it). But it's still safer than some, one has to seek local advice for areas to avoid, hours to stay in and acceptable transport, etc.

slickvik

I was there for a few days in February. Felt safer there than any American city I've lived in or visited.

slickvik

Yea it's bad. I recently changed a flight from Tampico to San Luis Potosi instead. That being said, chances of something happening to you in a few days is pretty slim.

JDiver

An episode of violence has broken out in Jalisco that range frim shooting down a government helicipter to settung fire / bombing of several cars and busses in the Guadalajara region. This appears to be a reaction of the attempted crackdown on La Nueva Generación cartel.

Another episode of violence has erupted on the border at Cd. Reynosa.

slickvik

I think that was just a one day episode. Hopefully.

JDiver

In my experience, crackdowns and wars like this can and often do take on extensive lives of their own with tit for tat reprisals, and civilians getting caught in the middle.

In fact, there has been a huge military crackdown in reply to the rocket-propelled downing of a military helicopter (killing six soldiers) and a series of concerted attacks and reprisals carried out by La Nueva Generación drug cartel in Jalisco and three adjacent states. Vehicles and trucks have been used as flaming blockades; vehicles, police stations and banks have been set afire. -Weekly News

I've stayed and transmitted in areas that were contested or experiencing difficulties, from Oaxaca at times of riots to various government difficulties, revolts, revolutions, even wars, in remote rural and urban areas in Guatemala, El Salvadór, Honduras, Nicaragua (Sandinista revolution - somewhat reminiscent of my time in Vietnam down to the smell of wet red laterite earth), Belize, etc. many times over several decades, most of the time solo, usually driving, sometimes using public transport.

It's hard to beat local knowledge, though, so it's important to ask people who are likely to be in the know locally. Today in Mexico, citizens and neighbors (including members of my family and friends) are using social media to keep each other informed about these issues, which can spring up in moments, using Twitter and other platforms on their mobiles. Photos of the helicopter hit with an RPG (from appearances) were taken with mobiles and Instagrammed in real time; in one frame, you can see the helo and the trail of the rocket as it closes in, another the moment of impact as the helo's fuel tank explodes.

IMO there's nothing like asking locals where it's safe, where and what to avoid, to insure one doesn't inadvertently find trouble; it's plain good risk management.

slickvik

Met some people from Guadalajara this week, they said the situation in the city itself is fine other than that one day.

JDiver

I'd visit in the city, and places like Tonalá, Ajijic, Tlaquepaque etc. (The Zaguán Restaurante y Galería, and Restaurante sin Nombre beckon for great food...)

BuildingMyBento

I'm curious about going to Ensenada and Rosarito in late August for food (specifically, fish tacos, but generally, everything). How would you describe Ensenada for a day trip (from Tijuana)?

JDiver

Easy. No problems.

FlyerGoldII

We are going to Puerta Vallarta (actually staying at a resort in N. Vallarta) mid-November. Any updates on safety issues for tourists in those (or nearby areas).

If we have a driver, where can we go in those cities or surrounding regions, and where should we not go (let us say for one day sightseeing car trip)?