The Baja Blondes – A Lifestyle Reality Show

The Baja Blondes - A Lifestyle Reality Show

Written By Melinda Bates

To the eternal questions, “Why are we here? What is the meaning of life?” and, “Do these pants make my butt look fat?” we can add the perennial, “Do blondes really have more fun?”

The answer is clear to all those privileged to be invited to last week’s screening of the pilot of The Baja Blondes, a Lifestyle Reality Show, and it is an unqualified “YES!”

Blondes was created by Susanne Stehr and Debbie Shine, permanent residents of Baja, Mexico, and directed and produced by Robin Mackenzie, a part time resident of Baja, through her company, Tatblue Productions, LLC . These are women of a certain age who have designed a life here they could never have back in the USA. Lives of freedom, beauty, creativity and friendship. Lives open to the positive and unexpected adventures of Mexico, a country they adopted and deeply love. Their goal is to promote Baja to an American audience in a positive light, by showing American women living and working in their communities up and down the gorgeous coast.

The pilot introduces our three protagonists in their lives and careers in the Rosarito to Ensenada area, while making clear that in Mexico, life is NEVER all about work. In fact, they show us the Mexican dream: affordable luxury, easy living, accessible health care, an ancient culture, fabulous food, award-winning wine and the excitement of living in a foreign country.

The screening took place at Northern Baja’s premier community, Palacio del Mar. Guests marveled at the elegant reception areas, lounges and gorgeous landscaping that draws the eye straight to the only indoor pool on the coast, with the infinity pool and ocean beyond. All the outdoor surfaces are clad in simple and dramatic gray granite. The look is both Mexican and modern. Indoors, ceilings disappear in the distance above and the sense of space conveys the height of luxury. The private theater with its comfortable seating and huge screen was the perfect venue for this beautiful event. Surely residents will equally enjoy hosting their own Super Bowl party there!

Many prominent members of Tijuana and Rosarito’s business and social communities attended, including Raul Aragon, Director of Tourism for Playas de Rosarito, Laura Wong, editor of the Baja Times, Dr. Alejandro Quiroz, one of the area’s top plastic surgeons, Melinda Bates, speaker and author of White House Story, a Democratic Memoir, and Michael and Nancy Rosenberg, who together owned and operated “MARCO Entertainment” for 25 Years, managing the careers of over 100 Olympic and world champion athletes and international stars including Dorothy Hamill, Peggy Lee, Stevie Wonder, Aretha Franklin, Tai & Randy, David Brenner, Quincy Jones, and Oksana Baiul.

Sponsors for the evening’s cocktail party and screening included one of the area’s largest real estate brokerages:The Baja Real Estate Group, Click-On, an internet café and mail service for American residents of Baja, The William Hitt Center of Tijuana, offering specialized diagnosis and treatment medical services, Serena Senior Care, providing a wide variety of services, from nursing care to plumbing, for the American community along the coast, and the Rosarito Inn, generous hosts of the production crew for the Baja Blondes. Their amazing hospitality convinced everyone to return to Baja every chance they get!

The Baja Blondes reality show will travel to Cabo San Lucas, Tijuana, the Valle de Guadalupe Wine Country, Loreto, San Felipe, and all over the Baja peninsula, all the while highlighting American women who live and work in this part of heaven, where their creativity can flourish in a safe and welcoming place.

In addition to producing further episodes, The Baja Blondes plan to establish a retail store and advisory travel arm to assist women traveling in Baja.

*The Baja Blondes is a non-profit Mexican corporation solely owned by Susanne Stehr, Debbie Shine and Robin Mackenzie.

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Mexico Real Estate Investment for Canadian retirees

By: Tom Budniak

10 Canadian Dollars

For many years, Mexico Real Estate has been the #1 destination for Canadian retirees looking for retirement homes. Sunny climate, fabulous beaches and good lifestyle are some of the reasons why Canadians come to Mexico. But now, because of one additional factor, Mexico retirement homes are becoming even more attractive. The factor is a strong Canadian dollar.

A strong Canadian dollar means increased buying power while buying real estate in Mexico because, in international real estate market the currency used is US dollars. The continued strengthening of Canadian dollars means that Canadian citizens can buy more luxurious and spacious retirement homes with even more lifestyle amenities and conveniences. Alternatively, a Canadian retiree can buy a Mexican retirement condo a lot cheaper then it was a year back. With Mexico Real Estate prices offered at reduced prices due to worldwide recession, it means at least thousands of dollars of savings.

Retiring in Mexico has always held lure for North Americans. Day to day living costs in Mexico is way lower than in Canada or US. The lifestyle quality is also improving every day with development of new world class amenities and infrastructure. Mexico offers everything to everybody. If your idea of life is relaxing then Mexico provides plenty of opportunities to do that. At the same time for people looking for more action Mexico has a bustling lifestyle with many social and cultural events, travel destinations, adventure sports, historical monuments, restaurants, pubs and discs. For shopaholics, Mexico has well stocked and hi-end shopping malls. For golf fans, Mexico has some of world’s most beautiful and best gold courses. Same goes for tennis aficionados also.

For people with refined tastes in art and cultural, Mexico is a treasure trove. Mexico has a very vibrant and thriving local culture which is many hundred years old. World famous Ancient Mayan and Aztec ruins dot Mexico. If you like art galleries and museums then the city favored by expats is Puerto Vallarta which hosts many artists and intellectuals.

Puerto Vallarta is known as Art Mecca of Mexico with over 30 art galleries, open-air amphitheatre, library and many festivals.

Due to a large expat population consisting of Americans and Canadian, there are some very active local expat groups and clubs. These clubs provide a great opportunity for expats and retirees to bond, network and share their problems. These clubs regularly organize cultural events.

Since, Mexico is close to USA and Canada and very well connected through road and air, getting back to home is never a problem. International airports in Mexico offer flights to all major destinations and cities in USA and Canada. This means that expats and retirees as well as their relatives can travel to and fro for festivals & holidays cheaply and quickly.

So a retiring in Mexico is not only within budget but also a very affordable option, considering luxurious lifestyle offered by it.

Author: Tom Budniak

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Now is the time to invest in Mexico Real Estate

Las Gaviotas Beachfront Community in Rosarito Beach

Now is the time to buy! Prices are down 30% from previous years.  We have more investment opportunities now then Rosarito has seen in the last 5 years. Some developers have had to take their brand new luxury condos back and are basically liquidating them, also offering financing on these new purchases.

The second home market is also another great area that offers real estate opportunities in Rosarito Beach. You now the old saying “The second home is always the first to go”? These homeowners are not only selling, many are willing to hold the note.

If you already have your financing in place, here in Baja just as in the US real estate market, Cash is always King. Please visit our web site, it is full of great information on Rosarito Real Estate, living in Baja and buying Mexican Property. We will provide you with a Real Estate Professional to help you locate your Rosarito Investment as well as your retirement dream.

Not only matching people with properties we match people with communities and lifestyle.
Kathy Katz
Baja Real Estate Group
Broker / Owner
http://www.bajarealestategroup.net/

En route to security summit, Rosarito mayor is crime victim

Rosarito Beach Mayor Hugo Torres, 73, says he became a crime victim for the first time last Thursday.

En route to security summit, Rosarito mayor is crime victim

And the crime wasn’t in Mexico. Torres parked his 2008 GMC sport utility vehicle at San Diego’s Fashion Valley mall to do some shopping. He was on his way to the second Binational Mayors of the Californias Summit in Santa Ana.

His SUV, parked in a covered lot near Macy’s, was locked and the alarm was activated, but a thief still was able to get in and steal the mayor’s traveling bag, briefcase and two cell phones. Also missing was Torres’ portfolio and papers for the meeting he was about to attend.

One of the topics on the summit agenda was binational security — though security at U.S. shopping malls during the holiday season was not among the items scheduled for discussion.

Torres, who owns the Rosarito Beach Hotel, said he mentioned the theft to a mall security guard but, because of his tight schedule, didn’t have time to file a formal police report or view parking lot videotapes.

“I have insurance, so my items were covered,” he said yesterday. “But I just wanted them to know. Maybe they could prevent it from happening to someone else.”

He said his SUV, which is equipped with bulletproof glass, was undamaged, and he thinks the thief may have used an electronic entry device.

“I have never before been burglarized or robbed, or had anything stolen from me,” said Torres, Rosarito’s first mayor when the city incorporated in 1995. He served one three-year term then and was re-elected in December 2007.

Fashion Valley spokeswoman Francine Miley, while not commenting on the Torres break-in, said auto-related incidents have decreased significantly since the mall installed security cameras in all parking areas in 2008. Guards patrol by vehicle, by Segway and on foot.

Ron Raposa
Cell: (619)948-3740
ronraposa@hotmail.com

U.S. Mailing Address:
2751 Lincoln Court
National City, CA 91950

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Mexican, U.S. Officials Meet In Santa Ana For 2nd Mayors of the Californias Summit

Mexican, U.S. Officials Meet In Santa Ana For 2nd Mayors of the Californias Summit

SANTA ANA, CA. Government and law enforcement officials from both sides of the border met at the Santa Ana Police headquarters December 4 for the 2nd Binational Mayors of the Californias Summit.

The goal of the meetings is to increase cooperation between officials from Southern California and Baja, a region that combined represents one of the world’s larger economies as well having many other shared interests.

Among cities represented were Tijuana, Rosarito, Ensenada, Tecate, Santa Ana, Brea, South El Monte, West Covina, La Habra, Redondo Beach and Fullerton at the event co-hosted by Santa Ana groups and Rosarito.

Workshops at the daylong summit included ones on security, infrastructure and the economy. The importance of sharing information and efforts in the closely linked region was stressed.

“The border does not exist when we talk about air quality, when we talk about water quality,” said Santa Ana Mayor Miguel Pulito in explaining the need for increased cooperation.

Law enforcement agencies from both sides of the border talked of ways to share information and training resources. Officials from several U.S. cities said they would share information with their Mexico counterparts, including ways to develop more fuel efficient vehicle fleets.

A recently formed group from Rancho Santiago Community College talked of a new and ongoing effort to present a fuller and more balanced picture in the U.S. of activities in Mexico.

The summits are inspired in part by a memorandum of understanding between California Gov. Schwarzenegger and Baja California Gov. Osuna Millan to promote more cooperation on regional issues.

Rosarito Beach Mayor Hugo Torres talked of the importance of both areas working together to improved the border crossings and also establishing a follow-up committee to share information between the summits.

The next summit was scheduled for April in Rosarito and Mayor Torres said efforts would be made to involve more mayors.

MEDIA CONTACT:
Ron Raposa
Cell: (619)948-3740
ronraposa@hotmail.com

U.S. Mailing Address:
2751 Lincoln Court
National City, CA 91950

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McMillins Baja Comeback – Results in Overall 4-wheel win at 42nd Tecate Baja 1000

McMillins Baja Comeback – Results in Overall 4-wheel win at 42nd Tecate Baja 1000

ENSENADA, Mexico—Etching their names on the granite history of the world’s most legendary desert race, Kendall Norman/Tim Weigand/Quinn Cody along with the team of Andy McMillin and his father Scott became part of motorsports history by capturing the overall 2-wheel and 4-wheel victories late Friday and early Saturday in the 42nd Annual Tecate SCORE Baja 1000, the granddaddy of all desert races.

Defeating a deep and talented field of 328 sturdy starters that came from 39 U.S. States and 14 countries, the Norman/Weigan/Cody trio won Class 22 on the Johnny Campbell Racing Honda CRF450X motorcycle while the McMillins powered their way to the top of the marquee SCORE Trophy-Truck division in the No. 31 McMillin Racing Chevy Silverado.

After complete review of the data tracking devices used by each vehicle in the race and with time penalties assessed accordingly for course deviations and/or speeding on the brief pavement sections used as part of the race course, the results were declared official by SCORE International officials at 6 a.m. on Sunday morning.

Baja Real Estate Group Welcomes Back The McMillin Racing Team to the Baja 1000

Baja Real Estate Group Welcomes Back the McMillin Racing Team to the Baja 1000

326 Racers entered to date, including 35 SCORE Trophy-Trucks, from 39 States And 14 countries in internationally-televised Granddaddy of all desert races

LOS ANGELES—From Ampudia to Wilson, desert racing is all about family ties and among the nearly 350 entries for next week’s 42nd Annual Tecate SCORE Baja 1000 are over 30 entries with multiple-family members competing in the granddaddy of all desert races.

With racers competing in 29 Pro and 6 Sportsman classes for cars, trucks, motorcycles and ATVs, the legendary race will be held Nov. 19-22 in Ensenada, Mexico. Completing its 36th year as the World’s foremost desert racing sanctioning body, the event is the finale of the five-race 2009 SCORE Desert Series. To date, adventurers and the world’s best desert racers have come from 39 U.S. States and 14 countries to gather on the majestic Baja California peninsula.

While many entries have family members on support crews that can swell to as high as 50 people and some entries now have third-generation desert racers, the Ampudia, Bio, Baldwin, Hall, Herbst, McMillin, Vildosola and Wilson families are among the prominent SCORE Baja racers that have multiple family members competing either in the same vehicle or in separate vehicles this year in the world’s most challenging desert race.

“There is no sport in the world that attracts more family participants than desert racing,” said Sal Fish, SCORE CEO/President since soon after SCORE International started in 1973. “SCORE is both humbled and honored to have so many of the greatest racing families in the world competing with us in the most incredible desert race in the world. To think with everything going on in the world today that we have nearly 350 entries heading to Ensenada is a true testament to the preeminent position this race holds in the motorsports world.”

It’s the oldest and most well known of all desert races, and it remains as the single most appealing accomplishment to a driver. Since 1967, the Granddaddy of all desert races has been run over the mysterious Baja California peninsula.

This year’s 672.85-mile race will start for the 35th time and finish for the 20th time in Ensenada. The motorcycle and ATV classes will start their journey at 6:30 a.m. (PST, Friday, Nov. 20) with the car and truck classes starting at approximately 10:30 a.m., or three hours after the last ATV leaves the line. Vehicles will leave in 30-second intervals in the elapsed-time race and while the fastest finishers are expected to complete the course in approximately 14 hours. All vehicles will have a 31-hour time limit to become official finishers in the legendary adventure.

Rodrigo Ampudia Jr., of Ensenada, splits driving in Class 8 with his father Rodrigo Sr. while Cisco Bio and his father Pancho Bio, of El Cajon, Calif., will share the driving in two classes—Cisco as driver of record in SCORE Lite and Pancho as DOR in Class 9.

B.J. Baldwin and his father Bobby Baldwin, of Las Vegas, drive separate Chevy Silverado trucks in the featured SCORE Trophy-Truck division while Rod Hall will drive in two classes, one with each of his sons.

The venerable Hall, Reno, Nev., is only individual who has raced in all 41 previous Tecate SCORE Baja 1000 races.
The legendary Hall has a race-record 19 career class wins in this event and is the only driver to have competed every year (all in a car or truck class). Hall, who will turn 72 on Nov. 22, will be looking for two class wins this year as he is entered as the second driver for his sons Josh and Chad Hall in Hummer H3 vehicles in both the Stock Mini and Stock Full classes.

The three-generation McMillin Racing family, who all live in the San Diego area, continue to follow in the racetracks of family patriarch Corky McMillin, who raced until shortly before he passed away at 76 in 2006.

Corky’s sons Mark and Scott will both drive in the marquee SCORE Trophy-Truck division. Mark will share driving with longtime team member Brian Ewalt while Scott will be the second driver for his son Andy, who won the 2006 Tecate SCORE Baja 1000 driving with Robby Gordon.

Mark’s sons Daniel and Luke McMillin will share the driving in a Class 1-2/1600 entry.

McMillin Racing has 12 class wins in the Tecate SCORE Baja 1000, led by Mark McMillin’s eight class wins which includes five overall titles.

Another prominent Mexican race team, Gus Vildosola Jr. and Gus Vildosola Sr., share the driving in a Ford F-150 in the SCORE Trophy-Truck division.

Wilson Motorsports of Long Beach, Calif., is another of the prominent multi-generational SCORE Baja race teams. In this year’s race, Randy Wilson and his brother Ronny will team up in Class 1 where Randy is the current class point leader heading into the season finale. In Class 1-2/1600, cousins Brian Wilson and Brad Wilson will share driving with Las Vegas’ Sammy Ehrenberg. Brian Wilson enters the race currently tied for the Class 1-2/1600 point lead.

The only husband/wife combination entered as drivers of record this year are Cameron Steele and Heidi Steele of San Clemente, Calif. Cameron Steele races in SCORE Trophy-Truck while Heidi Steele is the Class 6 point leader in her Ford Ranger.

Both racing in motorcycle classes, leading the brother and sister racers entered this year are Quinn Cody and Anna Cody. Quinn Cody, Los Olivos, Calif., is a team rider for Johnny Campbell Racing in the open Class 22 while Anna Cody, Simi Valley, Calif., is the rider of record for a strong team in Class 20.

The race will start and finish on Boulevard Costero adjacent to the picturesque Bahia de Todos Santos in front of the historical Riviera del Pacifico Cultural Center in the heart of Ensenada.

Pre-running on the 672.85-mile loop course officially began this past Saturday. Pre-running is allowed from Ojos Negros and back, starting at race mile 43.3. One way pre-running from the start to Ojos Negros will be allowed only on Wednesday and Thursday of race week (Nov. 18 and 19). During the race, the first section of the course, approximately 40 miles, will be used both leaving the city and returning to Ensenada.

While late entries are accepted up to race day, a total of 326 entries have officially been accepted for the race as of today which will put the starting field in the top 10 in the 42-year history of the storied event.

The car and truck classes with the most entries to date are SCORE Trophy-Truck (35), Class 1 (24), Class 1-2/1600 (15) and SCORE Lite (14) and Class 10 (10).

Among the motorcycle and ATV classes, the open motorcycle Class 22 has the most entries to date with 18 followed by Class 30, riders 30 years old and over, which has 13.

Leading the six Sportsman classes in the race is Sportsman Motorcycle over 250cc which has 37 entries and Sportsman Motorcycle under 250cc which has 15 entries to date.

With massive crowds reaching nearly 250,000 anticipated to again be spread out along the rugged course that travels from Ensenada to Ojos Negros, east down Laguna Salada to San Felipe, down through the legendary Matomi Wash, around Mike’s Sky Ranch, through both Rancho Las Truchas and Rancho El Coyote, down the infamous Simpson’s Hill and back to the Pacific Coast below San Vicente and up through Santo Tomas, Uruapan and back to Ojos Negros, covering much of the northern half of the majestic Baja California peninsula to and from Ensenada.

Pre-race festivities on Thursday, Nov. 19, for the Tecate SCORE Baja 1000, including the vastly popular tech and contingency of all vehicles and the SCORE Manufacturer’s Midway will be held from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Boulevard Costero in front of the Riviera del Pacifico Cultural Center. The pre-race mandatory driver/rider briefing will be held Thursday, Nov. 19 at 7 p.m. in the Cathedral Room at the Riviera del Pacifico Cultural Center. Racer and media registration will be held at the San Nicolas Resort Hotel from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 18 and from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 19.

The post-race Tecate SCORE Baja 1000 Survivor’s Celebration will be held poolside at the San Nicolas Resort Hotel at 10 a.m. on Sunday, Nov. 22.

This year’s Tecate SCORE Baja 1000 desert race will be televised on a delayed basis as a one-hour NBC Sports special, in association with SCORE and Aura360, for the sixth consecutive year. It is scheduled to air on NBC at 2 p.m. (EST) on Sunday, Dec. 19 on the NBC Television Network. It will also air on a delayed basis outside of the U.S. on ESPN International.

In addition to season point class point championships, drivers in the Pro car and truck classes are also racing to earn prestigious SCORE Toyota Milestone Awards given to all drivers who complete every required mile of the five-race season. Being presented by Toyota Motorsports for the 24th consecutive year, a total of 16 drivers remain eligible after Round 4 of the 2009 SCORE Desert Series.

This race also features the prestigious Sal Fish SCORE IronRider awards presented to each motorcycle or ATV rider who completes the course within the time limit while riding solo. To date, 28 individuals have officially declared that they will be attempting to complete the course riding solo.

For more information regarding the series, contact SCORE at its Los Angeles headquarters 818.225.8402 or visit the official website of the 2009 SCORE Desert Series at www.score-international.com.

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Rosarito Event This Saturday Has 2 Purposes: Maintain The Beach & Support The Region

Rosarito Beach - Photo by Javier Carrillo

ROSARITO BEACH, BAJA CALIFORNIA, MEXICO—The Rotary Club of Cambria, California is co-sponsoring with its Rosarito counterpart this Saturday a beach maintenance day — but its main purpose is to show this area is safe for U.S. visitors.

“Any beach can benefit from a clean-up day, but the ones here are maintained very nicely,” said Bruce Howard, past president of the Cambria club. “Our main goal in bringing Rotary members down is to help correct misperceptions in the U.S.”

Participants in the beach maintenance day will meet at 10 a.m. on Saturday on the beach in front of the Rosarito Beach Hotel. Local residents can join the effort just by showing up.

One group will head south, towards Rene’s Campo, while the other group will head north to clean up as much of the beach as possible during the two-hour event, according to Edson Ruiz, the President of the Rotary Club of Rosarito.

Ruiz is asking all youth and service groups, clubs and organizations in the area, including members of Rosarito’s large expatriate community, to participate.

Further information on the event, including lodging discounts, is available by contacting Jack George at; jeg925@yahoo.com or, in the U.S., Bruce Howard at; bruce@brucehowardrealtor.com.

Howard, who has a vacation home in Rosarito, said media coverage of the Mexican government’s aggressive crackdown on drug cartels has created the impression among many in the U.S. that the area is unsafe for visitors.

“Those of us who love this area and visit it often know that is not true,” Howard said. “But unfortunately the perception is seen as reality by many and it has badly hurt the economy and many people here.”

“We’re hoping events like this and others we are planning involving club members and their families will help spread a more accurate perception in the U.S.,” Howard said.

“It’s also a great way to strengthen our relationship with clubs in Mexico,” he added. “Many members of California Rotary clubs and their families love this area and have enjoyed visiting here for decades.”

Rosarito Beach Mayor Hugo Torres praised the Cambria club’s effort and expressed his gratitude.

“This is a bad time to be involved with organized crime in Mexico,” said Torres. “But for our millions of visitors the area is as safe or safer than ever. Still, it is difficult to overcome negative perceptions.”

“We are extremely grateful to the Cambria Rotary Club and other U.S. groups who love Rosarito and have stepped forward to help us convey an accurate picture,” Torres added. “We know they are among our best ambassadors in the U.S.”

MEDIA CONTACT:
Ron Raposa
(619)948-3740
ronraposa@hotmail.com

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Groundbreaking Ceremony Held For Rosarito Beach Boys & Girls Club

Rosy Torres, left, with children at Nov. 5 ceremony.

ROSARITO BEACH, BAJA CALIFORNIA, MEXICO—The first phase of a $1 million Boys & Girls Club designed to eventually serve 1,000 children a day in this city is scheduled for completion in late summer of next year.

The goal of the Boys & Girls Club of Rosarito is to provide positive activities and experiences for children, including ones from needy families, said club president Rosy Torres.

The groundbreaking ceremony for the club on a hillside east of the Sharp Electronics facility was held last Thursday. State and local officials and about 200 people attended the ceremony, which included a gymnastics demonstration by school children.

About $100,000 of the $1 million has been raised, Ms. Torres said.

That includes about $80,000 from the office of Baja California Gov. Jose Guadalupe Osuna Millan;  $10,000 from the Boys & Girls Clubs of Mexico, which was represented by Enrique Gamboa; and a $10,000 personal donation from Rosarito Mayor Hugo Torres.

At the ceremony Mayor Torres spoke of how the club will provide positive experiences for children, while keeping them from bad influences that could lead to delinquency and experimentation with drugs.

The first phase of the club will include reception and administrative offices, library, computer room, dance/music/ martial arts studio, arts and crafts room, multi-purpose classroom and restrooms.

Also part of the initial phased will be a basketball/volleyball court, skateboarding area, and swings.

The second phases will include large multi-purpose room for events, garden with Baja California flora and a small football field. The third phase will include two racquetball courts and an open-air theater.

”Since there are two different school hours, we plan to host up to 500 kids in the morning and 500 kids in the afternoon,” Ms. Torres said. “We will probably start with 250 in each time frame.”

The Secretary of Education for Baja will pay for at least three full-time teachers; the governor’s office will pay up to half of operating costs. The club will serve children between the ages of 6 and 16.

MEDIA CONTACT:
Ron Raposa
619-948-3740
ronraposa@hotmail.com

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Finally Some Good News on Travel in Mexico

Drug cartels. Murders. The news is often bad out of Mexico. Peter Ferry journeys beyond the headlines.

Finally Some Good News on Travel in Mexico

Poor old Mexico. Talk about kicking a guy when he’s down! Just when the price of oil plummets, American jobs dry up, and the fear of drug violence cuts tourism in half, along comes swine flu to cut it in half again.

OK, it’s time for a little good news. In May, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control lifted its recommendation against travel to Mexico; the swine flu isn’t so bad after all, and it probably didn’t come here from Mexico in the first place.

And now a little more good news. Drug violence is not a threat to ordinary tourists like you and me. This is according to the Mexican government, the U.S. State Department and me. Let me give you a little background.

I had driven to, in and around Mexico with impunity and pleasure, but that was years ago. Now I was planning two road trips, one from the border to central Mexico, another from Mexico City to Cuernavaca to Oaxaca and back, and my friends were alarmed.

“What about the drug war?”

“Aren’t you afraid of being kidnapped?”

No. At least I didn’t think so. The dangers of Mexico have always been exaggerated, and I have always taken them with a grain of salt. The drug trade is nothing new, and poor people have been kidnapping rich ones for money in the Third World and even in the First World (Italy) for a long time. Besides, I’m not rich.

Still, news reports in the weeks before I left caused my grain of salt to grow smaller. One said that President Felipe Calderon’s assault on the drug cartels had started a “civil war.” Another called the kidnappings an epidemic. A third compared Mexico to Pakistan and described it as a “failed state.” And an official at an Air Force base in New Mexico advised those in his command who planned to drive into Mexico to do so in broad daylight in caravans with cell phones at the ready.

Hmmm.

I called Sanborn’s, the American insurance people who have been providing auto insurance for American motorists in Mexico for 60 years, and asked if they advised any special precautions.

“Only to stick to main routes and not to drive at night, but that’s mainly because of animals that wander onto roads.”

“Have you had problems with tourists being held up or hijacked?”

“No. We wouldn’t be insuring them if we did.” (A review of Sanborn’s rates indicates no dramatic increases in recent months or years which would likely have occurred if theft or damage claims had gone up.)

OK. I’d go, but I’d avoid Ciudad Juarez where the violence is the worst. I’d cross the border on a Sunday morning, the quietest time in any week, and I’d do it at Laredo, where the cartels recently seemed to have called a truce.

What follows are facts, anecdotes and opinions.

Here are the facts:

Mexican highways are excellent and well-marked. Most major cities are now connected by well-engineered toll roads that have limited access and are patrolled by federal police and Green Angels, motorist-assistant trucks manned by mechanics.

Customs offices are clean and customs officials are professional and efficient. Neither used to be the case.

Gas stations are also vastly improved. Almost all now include a convenience store and some even have food courts.

And the vehicle stock is better than years ago; gone are most of the lopsided buses and one-eyed trucks of the past.

Here are the anecdotes:

David Tramp is an American who has lived in Ensenada, Mexico, for three years and sells real estate. He drives his Hummer into California through Tijuana, one of the hotbeds of drug violence, about four times a month. Has he ever had or seen any trouble? “Never.” Does he have any advice for tourists? “Stay out of high-crime areas where there are drugs and prostitutes. Common sense.”

Fiona McNeill is a school teacher in her 60s with very little Spanish who is working in a Waldorf School near San Miguel de Allende in central Mexico. She drove there alone in nine days from her home in Bend, Oregon, without incident except being short-changed in a gas station.

Ramon Morales is a Harley Davidson motorcycle mechanic who came to Mexico with his pregnant wife and three-year-old daughter when he was laid off from his job in San Antonio. Despite his Hispanic name, he has red hair and a Texas twang. His wife was reluctant to come. “Now I can’t get her to go home. Hell, I gotta get back and find some work.”

Then are the drug wars a figment of someone’s imagination?

Not at all, but they are not a problem for tourists. One traveler I talked to compares them to the turf wars of inner city gangs or the internecine cocaine wars of the 1970s and ’80s in South Florida made famous in the television show “Miami Vice” and the movie “Scarface.” “People were dying all over the place, and no one stopped going to Florida.” Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton drew the same analogy on March 26 while speaking in Monterrey, Mexico.

Then is the press in the United States overreacting?

One observer I spoke with thought it is—at least in part in response to political pressure. Fanning the flames of the issue are the anti-immigration forces in whose interest it is to stir up fear of Mexico and Mexicans. “I think this is about ‘the fence’ that anti-immigration groups want to build from the Gulf to the Pacific. Almost no one who lives down on the border wants this wall,” he said. Indeed, Texas’s conservative Republican governor, Rick Perry, has opposed the wall, and Homeland Security Chief Janet Napolitano once famously said when she was governor of Arizona, “If you build a 50-foot high wall, somebody will find a 51-foot ladder.”

But alarmist news accounts continue. A headline on an article in the San Antonio Express News in February announced, “Mexican Murders, American Victims,” and led with the statement that “230 U.S. citizens have been slain in Mexico’s escalating wave of violence since 2003.” After some alarming claims, the article implicitly admits that two-thirds of those killed were involved in the drug trade or gang activity. Many of the others were in high-crime areas. In fact, only three of the 230 deaths have resulted in protests by the U.S. State Department, seeming to support the Mexican government’s contention that “Tourists wishing to visit cathedrals, museums and other cultural centers are not at risk.” Despite the Express News’ claim that its investigation “examined hundreds of records,” it failed to report a single instance of an ordinary tourist on vacation being murdered.

A CNN report on “Anderson Cooper 360” that aired on March 5 from Rosarito Beach in Baja California, warned American students of the dangers of traveling to Mexico for spring break, reporting that 20 murders, including some beheadings, had taken place in the community in the previous year. Only late in the report and then parenthetically was it noted that none of the 20 murder victims was either American or a tourist.

I entered Mexico with considerable trepidation, sticking to toll roads and watching both my clock and rearview mirror. When I departed a month later, I did so at my leisure using secondary roads and leaving even these to explore the villages and countryside. As a motor tourist I did not feel threatened by the drug violence or kidnappings I had read and heard about. And I was able to take advantage of the very favorable exchange rate that has made Mexico once again the best travel bargain available while rediscovering that country’s charm, beauty and friendliness.

Should you go? You’ll have to decide that for yourself. As for me, I’ve already rented an apartment in San Miguel de Allende for a month early next year. I’m going back, and I’m driving.

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