by: David Eidell
Newspaper reports have been reporting robberies and sometimes even murders of American and Canadian tourists in Mexico. Most of the reports are true and accurate. Crime is on the increase in Mexico, as it is elsewhere in the world. Mexican citizens are outraged at the idea of having crime infect their peaceful country and much pressure is being put on state and federal law enforecent agencies to curb crime and the criminals that cause crime.
Is Mexico safe for tourists? You bet it is! The most effective way to deal with crime is to avoid the situations that encourage it. Most R.V. visitors to Mexico tend to live and travel quite conservatively. Around eight thousand RV's made the winter trek to Baja and to Mexico's west coast in 1998, and almost without exception all returned to the U.S. and Canada, without experiencing any problems at all. Another thousand or two ventured into Mexico's heartland through Texas, and travelled throughout Central and Southern Mexico, including Yucatan and Chiapas. A few travellers reported that they were robbed "at gunpoint" while visiting Mexico City (on foot). Two Nevada men were murdered in their sleep while camped out on a beach in Baja California, about two hundred miles south of San Diego. A handful of RV visitors complained of having their rigs broken into and applicances stolen while they were away visiting or out fishing. In another case three RV's were robbed at gunpoint while camped alongside a major highway.
Visitors can avoid just about all of the situations that encourage criminals to make them a target. Most crimes occur because visitors don't understand Mexico nor Mexican social customs. Mexican citizens are very aware of crime tharwting techniques, but most visitors never give themselves an opportunity to learn from their neighbors. Here are some techniques and wisdom that I've acquired over the years:
1. Organized RV parks are almost immune to serious crime. Petty theft is not uncommon however, especially if careless campers leave expensive fishing reels and cameras laying around outside. RV parks are extrmemly common on the Baja peninsula and on Mexico's west coast as far down as Manzanillo (200 miles past Puerto Vallarta).
2. So called "highway robberies" occur at night. We've romanticized the thought of "Robin Hood" stepping out of the forest and waylaying an ornate coach. The wealthy passengers are forced to hand over their purses and pocketbooks, and with a mighty laugh Robin and his bunch of merry men haul their booty away into the forest gloom. Now if Mr. and Mrs. Smith were waylaid in their Winnebago, by Robin Garcia and Little Juan, you can bet that they would be all over The Sheriff of Nottingham, and the Queen herself, to track down the assailants (using nerve gas if necessary). Don't drive at night, and you won't be asked to pay an "unauthorized toll" on some lonely two lane strech of highway. Mex 1, the Baja transpeninsular highway is safe to travel, as are highways 15 and 200 on Mexico's west coast.
3. Keep the drapes pulled if you're going to exit your vehicle for any length of time. This keeps prying eyes from doing an inventory of your belongings. Motor homes are seldom stolen (hard to hide and dispose of), but money, jewelery, cameras, VCR and television items are prime rip-off items. Installing a an additional deadbolt that is keyed from both outside and inside will prevent potential burglars from opening your door from the inside by moving the latch to the unlocked position.
4. Make your own "safety storage box", by installing a dummy electrical connector box and cover in one of your cabinets or cupboards. Purchase a "deep Quad" receptacle box, and stainless steel "blank" cover at your local hardware store. Almost anyone can do this job themselves or hire a handy man to install the box. While on the road, store your wad of traveller's cheques, or hundred dollar bills in the handy box, and extract bills as you need them. This is a cheap and effective way to thwart thieves. I'd carry some spare cover screws on a long trip to replace screws that get chewed up from frequent use. Try to be clever about the placement of your hidden box, so that the inside box can't be readily examined if a nearby drawer is removed nor cupboard door is opened during a routine (usually a very brief) roadside army check of the contents of your vehicle. In any case ALWAYS declare the existance of your box to U.S. Customs officers, right away, if for some reason you find yourself in custom's secondary inspection.
5. Never park alongside a busy highway, even if it's to just eat lunch, unless there is a toll booth, store, house or business nearby. Mexico is blessed with having just about every turnout occupied by a house (even if it's a shack) or maybe a tire repair shop located where it can take advantage of the pullout. Mexican citizens are not passive when it comes to crime. If a nearby businessman observes an American tourist being hassled by rowdies, he'll round up his employees or buddies and will be to your rescue in a flash. Mexicans are extremely aware of their surroundings and customs. I'll never forget the response given to a shrill scream from a woman who opened her cupboard and came face-to-face with a mouse. The shriek aroused ten (or so) nearby knights-in-shining-armor, including myself. We had her mini-motorhome surrounded in ten seconds flat. When I tried to keep a straight face (impossible), and interpet to the thoroughly pumped-up rescuers that the lady was frightened by a pack rat, they exhaled audibly. The woman was so touched that she went to a nearby tienda and purchased some sodas as a thank you. Such a response to tourists in need is typical in Mexico and the norm.
6. Wear a hidden pouch (available at any American Tourister Luggage Kiosk at Wal Mart), with your credit cards, pin money, and tourist card tucked safely inside. These things are extremely comfortable and easy to use. I couldn't believe the peace-of-mind that I experienced after I first started wearing a hidden money pouch. I wear mine while travelling to town, and while out-on-the-town, and while driving especially in remote areas. My regular wallet (a cheap velcro/nylon vacation wallet), is stuffed with a couple hundred pesos, and an assortment of plastic cards (Price Club, Library Card, and an EXPIRED bank credit card). I carry my real driver license in my hidden pouch, and a xerox copy of my driver license in my cheap wallet.
7. Do not camp solo on a deserted beach, no matter how peaceful and serene that it may appear. The beach may be perfectly O.K. during the daylight hours, but become a haven for opportunistic robbers under the protective cloak of darkness. Try rounding up a couple of campers from around the area to increase safety in numbers. A populated Mexican fish camp makes for good security and neighbors (but you'll have to go upwind from the smell and noise). This would be an excellent time (for folks new to Mexico) to firm your quivering lip, walk over to the camp, and smile and wave. You may not know a single word of Spanish, and they may have to scurry around looking for someone who speaks a little english, but before you know it, you'll make new friends, and fishermen usually have a shotgun or two along with some (illegal) handguns hidden away from the eyes of the law. You couldn't hire better "bodyguards" than fishermen in a nearby camp. Fish camps tend to be very rustic in appearance (tin, cardboard, plastic tarps, and sometimes a spluttering generator), but the people (especially if there are women and children living there) are gracious hosts that really want to meet you, and to host you as neighbors (however brief the time may be).
8. The infamous murder of two Nevada men on a remote beach south of San Quintin, caused a sensation in Baja California, and the ramifications are not diminishing after all of these months. The two friends violated some cardinal rules: They camped solo on a deserted beach. They were sleeping out in the open, without even a tent. They told no one where they were camped. They did not meet nor talk to any of the local Mexicans. And they persisted in camping day-after-day-after day in the same spot. No Mexican camper would ever think of doing what those two unfortunate fishermen did, and they paid a horrific price. Mexico is a country with a population of a hundred million people. There is an extreme minority that will prey on anyone Mexican or American, that sets themselves up to be robbed or worse.
9. If you ever find yourself in a position where nightfall is fast approaching and you cannot make it to a "safe" haven, then pull off the highway where there is a house, or a cafe, or tire/mechanic's shop. Someone will come out to see why you've pulled off the road. Intoduce yourself, and your wife and family, again with a big friendly smile. If you clasp your hands together and place them against your cheek and tiltyour head, this is a universally understood sign that you're sleepy. A yawn is effective too. If the locals believe that they know of a better place to move to, then go with the flow. You'll soon be ensconced in a comfortable overnight parking area. Don't be surprised if later, someone knocks softly on your door and offers a plate of tacos or tamales to enjoy (Mexicans just love to do this!). Don't just bolt in the morning either; they probably will firmly refuse an offer of payment. Instead gather up a small packet of a battered but serviceable flashlight, maybe some fruit or candy, and an un-needed extra screwdriver or crescent wrench. Cheap transistor radios work well as gifts. So do batteries. Your new friends may be so enjoyable that you may decide to not continue on with your journey for another day or so (something like this personifies Mexico).
10. If by some bizarre million-to-one chance, you do indeed find yourself staring into a barrel of a "pistola", hand over your twenty dollar wallet, and watch the criminal flee (violent crime is extremely rare). For a little over twenty bucks you've purchased a story that will give you a thousand dollars worth of mileage in any cantina or bar in Mexico, or around the office water cooler when you get home.
11. Fear in Mexico? I do fear some things in Mexico. Bad sunburns are my forte, and they are agoninizingly painful. I fear being careless and breaking an arm or leg in a bad spill because I was watching something other than where I am walking. I fear becoming nonchalant in my driving habits and ripping the side out of my trailer on a tree limb. I fear some new hotel now occupies a favorite beach parking spot. But my biggest fear, one that causes me to break out into a cold sweat, is the fear that I won't be able to return to Mexico, for some reason (such as health).
Oh yeah, I forgot about the icemaker and blender....