Читать книгу Bargains Beyond the Border - Get Past the Blood and Drugs: Mexico's Lower Cost of Living Can Avert a Tearful Retirement - Tom MD Kelly - Страница 6

“You think Americans really are not visiting Mexico because of crimes in the papers?” asked Jerry Kerr, a native of San Francisco who spends his winters windsurfing in the warm waters of the Sea of Cortes. “Don’t they realize it’s basically a border deal among drug gangs?”

Kerr’s little casa across the street from the water near the tiny village of La Ventana, 40 miles south of La Paz, has nearly doubled in value in the past five years. He can walk to get basic groceries and wax for his windsurfer while the capital of Baja California del Sur and home to 200,000 residents, supermarkets, hospitals, banks, cultural events and an international airport is less than an hour by car

The La Ventana area is gated and fenced on all sides – not for protection of vandalism but to prevent the neighboring cattle from invading the property and munching on the vegetation.

“Vandalism and theft have never been a concern,’’ Kerr said. “In fact, our home and well being are much safer in Mexico than in California.’’

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North Americans living in Mexico have retained the manana attitude even when it comes to crime. They realize it’s basically a border war among drug gangs.

News reports – including a segment on 60 Minutes – have depicted the entire country of Mexico as being an absolute mess, awash in blood and guns on every street corner. Ironically, people living there have a dramatically different perspective, especially in the “fly-in” destinations that continue to hold their value.

Despite what you may have heard, read and seen, the country is not under siege. The laid-back lure of Mexico’s beaches, forests, deserts, people, and culture has been capturing visitors and second-home buyers for decades and has become an international draw no longer driven solely by Americans and Canadians. Not only is land plentiful, exotic, captivating, and beautiful but also it is typically more affordable than most of the property found in America’s getaway areas.

Much has been written about the kidnappings, roadside hijackings, crooked cops and ever the infamous bandidos in some of the regions of Mexico. Most of the violence south of the border, however, is directly related to the drug cartels and the authorities who are trying to eradicate them. There is absolutely no pattern of any innocent U.S. citizens being randomly murdered in drug violence.

Though much of the violence occurs in border towns, Mexico City has had major problems as has the community of Culiacan, two hours north of Mazatlan. In reality, Mexico needs and wants tourism, and the country is doing a much better job protecting foreigners.

Let’s remember that the United States is plagued with inner-city crime. Guns are commonly used in the U.S. and convenience store clerks should receive combat pay. Tourists in the States also are attacked, often with more violent consequences than are found in many "uncivilized" countries. While kidnapping has been a problem faced by some wealthy Mexicans, it rarely is a problem for tourists. There have been a few cases of tourists being forced to withdraw money from an ATM in the evening and then held until after midnight when a second withdrawal could be made. And, this situation can happen in the evening in any country.

Mexico is still a relatively safe place to live and visit. However, some gringos continue to leave their brains at the border and behave as if all of Mexico is a safety zone – acting totally differently than they would back home. Public drinking may be tolerated, and even encouraged in many Mexican tourist destinations, but public intoxication can easily lead to a spectacle and arrest. As with anywhere on Earth, think twice before walking home alone at 3 a.m. Play it safe and smart, no matter where you are.

“There have been no incidences of drug violence in our little beach community of 15,000,” said Glen Triplett of his 5,000-square foot villa at Rincon de Guayabitos, 45 miles north of Puerto Vallarta. “The local people are very friendly and it is a great place to live. We have spent the summer in Oregon and Washington and have frequently been asked about the ‘drug violence’ much more so than in the past.”

Hill has been going to Puerto Vallarta for more than 30 years and has owned property there for more than 11. He estimates 10 percent of his rental clients ask about the drug violence.

“So what do I tell them? If you are a major drug dealer transporting drugs and money back and forth between the U.S. border states and the Mexico border states, then you should be very concerned about your safely in Mexico, or in the U.S. If you are a tourist coming to Puerto Vallarta to soak up the sun and put your feet in the sand, then it’s a waste of your time to even think about the drug wars impacting you in any way. There is absolutely no connection between drug issues and tourism in resort locations like Puerto Vallarta.”