Tiger4x4RV wrote: Even driving in the daytime in Baja can be upsetting. Last year while on a family non-RV trip all the way up and down Baja, we witnessed armed Federales climbing into and on top of RV's at every legal inspection point. Isn't once soon before or after the border enough inspections?
Hi Tiger. Couple of points:
First, those guys aren't Federales - they are soldiers, armed with M-16s, just like our soldiers. Federales are federal police, like the FBI or RCMP.
Second, those inspection stations are there because the US State Dept & DEA insisted they be there to help interdict drugs coming to the USA, and are subsidized by your tax dollars.
All the US border states have Border Patrol inspection stations and roving roadblocks staffed by armed immigration officers. Same, same.
Hope this helps.
Honk at any silver Dodge Ram & Crossterrain toyhauler on Baja. It's gotta be us - 'specially if it says Baja and Back #1.
I would venture a guess that posts like the one by Tiger4X4RV can be, by the time it gets passed around three or four times, the start of some of the rumors of crime as follows; "I read somewhere that there was an RV that was surrounded and held up by a bunch of armed Federales somewhere in Mexico". Every time something gets passed on, it morphs into something else. Remember the old school exercise about gossip where something is passed around by whispering and what came out by the end?
Stan & Linda
Loki & Hobo
06 Dodge 3500 CTD 6 sp Quad Cab Bighorn
04 Laredo 29GS
"The Chief Warrent Officer was unimpressed by everything and seldom spoke except to express irritation."Joseph Heller,Catch 22
[quote=barry&vanda][quote=Tiger4x4RV]Even driving in the daytime in Baja can be upsetting. Last year while on a family non-RV trip all the way up and down Baja, we witnessed armed Federales climbing into and on top of RV's at every legal inspection point. Isn't once soon before or after the border enough inspections?[/quote]
Hi Tiger. Couple of points:[...][/quote]
And, we should add, the longest lines are the at NAFTA checkpoints, with M16s, and all.
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Why do a 'few' readers of this
forum take it personally when
incidents against tourists
are reported? Why do some posters
insist on comparing crime in Mex
to what happens in the US?
This is not a discussion on
topics in the US, but for
tourist travel, driving in Mex,
a few yrs. ago a US citizen was
held by armed guards, in the Hospital
in Ensenada, because his legal
aid on his Mex insurance hadn't
responded quickly enough, he was temp.
transfered to a 'prision', one
regular poster, then claims
the guy must have been on drugs
to come up with such a story,
now the victims of crime
near the toll road from Tijuana/Rosarito
are wild 4 wheelers, living on the edge?
they were simply
on their way south to do some camping,
Don't tell me you 2 guys
work for FONATUR, (for a few
that may not know, fonatur is the branch
of the Mex Govt. that does promotion
and development for the tourist
industry of Mex), Whats wrong with
reporting the negatives, that happen
on an occassional
basis in Mex, I for one,
want to be made aware of these occurances
E K S, You are so right and put it a lot better than I could. I am not a "Mexico Basher" as we love to travel Mexico. It just that a heads up once in a while can be helpful. In addition, when a car jacking incident occurs in Mexico you are at a distinct disadvantage being in a foreign country
I too, want to be made aware of these supposed occurrences, if they are verified, not my friend said type of postings. So far the ones being posted by one group, have never to my knowledge, been verified, just posted as hearsay from their forum. If you have verifiable knowledge of crimes against Americans, then yes post it, but please no hearsay.
Bob & Betsy - USN Ret'd '78 & FL LEO Ret'd '03 FMCA #F203528 '05 HR Endeavor, 40PRQ w/400 Cummins - With -'05 GMC Sierra SLT, CC Z-71, the pusher '07 Arctic Cat 500A & Wilderness Kayak, riding in the pusher - Our Current Location
Anyplace that I see what are basically teenagers, uniforms or not, with weapons, I tend to get rather nervous. Perhaps that is just because I am an old fogey and would like very much to become an even older one.
We live in and drive all over baja all the time and recently have changed our driving habits in response to the increase in crime on baja roads.It IS happening and we DO need to respond accordingly. I suggest having a contact person or contacts you can call for assistance or at least helpful suggestions on what to do when something happens. I have helped lots of travellers get out of trouble..it's helpful to have someone who speaks spanish and knows the ropes. So any of you heading our way can email us for our number. Be safe!
shari & juan in beautiful bahia asuncion
www.bahiaasuncion.com
Tiger4x4RV wrote: Anyplace that I see what are basically teenagers, uniforms or not, with weapons, I tend to get rather nervous. Perhaps that is just because I am an old fogey and would like very much to become an even older one.
Yeah those young kids with guns, ya got 'a be carefull. I think most of us were 19 or 20 when we were in Viet Nam. The check points are military most of the kids are doing thier 2 mandatory years like we use to have to do ... and still should, but that's a different forum.
I don't consider border towns as Mexico or tourist areas. 3:00 AM wonder what THEY were up to at that hour?
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