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Date:         Sun, 13 Jan 2008 12:03:22 -0800
Reply-To:     Robert Keezer <warmerwagen@YAHOO.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Robert Keezer <warmerwagen@YAHOO.COM>
Subject:      Re: Fw: MSNBC.com Article: Tourists shun crime-hit Mexico beaches
In-Reply-To:  <e30c845b0801131104w516d9e23o84d9cbfb4c09de02@mail.gmail.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1

This is the article I read:

http://rense.com/general79/mxc.htm

A few years ago I was driving my Westfalia in eastern Washington on I-82.

I moved to the right lane to let pass what looked like a police car because it had alternating flashing headlights.

As it went past I could clearly see it was not a police and the driver was Hispanic. He even grinned at me.

Of course I got the plate number and reported it.

According to the article above, impersonating law enforcement is a robbery tactic.

Good thing I did'nt pull over to the side of the road! Only in America?

Robert

1982 Westfalia

>Maybe the media is pumping this story up a > little?

I have been reading a lot about this and no, it's not being pumped up. The Mexican authorities are concerned, for the safety of visitors and the impact on tourism.

This is a specific localized problem . Especially dangerous areas are the Sierra Madres, where drug cartel gangs are holed up and having sporadic shootouts.

Since the new Mexican president was sworn it, he has used the military and police to agressively combat the drug cartels.

I haven't read of any RV tourists being caught in the crossfire yet, but the drug gangs have invaded Sinaloa , Chihauha, Durango and forcing the indians to grow marijuana and opium. Now the Mexican government has been aggressivley combating these gangs , many are grwing marijuana on the western slopes of the Seirra Madres.

Traveling in numbers such as a Vanagon caravan during the day will be relatively safe. You don't want to be driving alone or at night in these troubled areas.

Bad characters are resorting to robbing tourists as their cartel activity and smuggling operations are hindered by tighter border security.

They used to fly drugs into the US. Now they have to bring it over the border, and rival cartels are fighting each other for the best smuggling territory. In one town of Cananea the gangs killed 5 police and left their bodies in the streets. The the Mexican army engaged them and they fled up into the Sierra Madres.

It sure convinced me not to go exploring there. I already had my share of bad luck on my last trip with car trouble. Since I have never driven around in Mexico, this latest news (also from the State Department) , has changed my mind about going alone.

I think anyone desiring to go to Baja or these other ares should go in caravans for safety unitl the Mexican authorities

--- "Peter T. Owsianowski" <pnoceanwesty@GMAIL.COM> wrote:

> At our Buses by the Beach gatherings, we ply > Charlie Laitch with homebrew > and whiskey aournd the fire and make him tell > us the tale of how he ended up > buying a Westy and heading to Mexico with > Cathy. They were there 3 months, > I think. We love the part where he says: > "Everybody said we were crazy and > we would be robbed and killed on the road - we > never had one problem - the > only problem was having to replace a power > steering hose." > > Maybe the media is pumping this story up a > little? > > -- > Pete > '79 Westy "Aardvark" > '87 Westy "Joe's Van" > WWW. Busesbythebeach.com > > On 1/13/08, Sharon Mendonca > <bobonsharo@sbcglobal.net> wrote: > > > > I agree, too, that this subject is relevant. > There are a lot of people > > who drive down into Mexico and need to read > this. > > > > Sharon Mendonca > > 88 Westy > > >

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