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A post by "Heather " | http://www.heatherinparadise.com Heather lives in a tourist beach town in Mexico, and wishes she could break herself of her 200 grams of gummy bears per day habit. To see more posts by this author, click here. |
Ok, people, enough’s enough. Too many people are finding Heather in Paradise by researching “crime in Playa del Carmen,” and the US media has been going on a frenzy trying to sensationalize crime in Mexico in an effort to deter Americans from traveling here.
Here is the most recent travel advisory from the US State department. Read it for yourself and then come back.
Ok, they’re warning you that there has been drug cartel violence as well as some robberies, etc. in some of the border cities like Tijuana and Ciudad Juarez. They recommend restricting travel to Durango.
Have any of you seen a map of Mexico? Here you go:
Quintana Roo, which is Playa del Carmen’s state, is the grey/purplish state that is on the far right, curled up little Yucatan peninsula. In other words, it’s really, really far away from the border.
April 1st, 2009 at 12:42 pm
Hi. Once again we must to say that the violence in Mexico is far away from the tourist destinations. Cancun, Playa del Carmen, Cozumel, Puerto Vallarta etc are very far from the US-Mexico border.
April 8th, 2009 at 7:45 pm
I also live in Playa del Carmen, and while you hear all the horror stories about narco killings, I can tell you that it is very safe in the area I live in. I have lived in many other places in the USA, in Europe and now here, and I don´t feel less safe here than I would in NYC, where I lived for many years. Yes, you must use common sense when out at night or in areas that are not “for tourists” but it is the same as anywhere else. I remember one time I took a wrong turn in Spain in an ok looking neighborhood and some young fellow stopped my car and told me to turn around right away if I wanted to get out of there alive. He didn´t mean it as a threat, he meant it as a warning, as I was getting into a “bad” side of town. In NYC I was robbed in broad daylight with many people walking around us, and no one saw anything… So yes, it could happen anywhere. Just use common sense and don´t bring attention to yourself.
April 21st, 2009 at 9:34 am
I myself have been traveling the Yucatan for years. I feel just as safe now as I did years ago. Again, use common sense. This should be applied everywhere. Not just in Mexico. Playa Del Carmen is my kinda town!