Category Archives: Violence

Road Notes: Puerto Angel to Melaque

Posted on April 12, 2013 by churpa

If you happen to stop in at Playa Banco de Oro, stop in at Restaurante Hermanos Galinda. The proprieter, Carmen, is super nice and makes a mean fried huachinango. Plus you can camp at her restaurant. Miss Lousiane hangs out at Restaurante Hermanos Galinda

Fish for breakfast!                                                     photo by Gina Dilello

Restaurante Hermanos Galinda                                               photo by Gina Dilello

A massive renovation of Highway 200 seems to be underway. Entire sections are being created, and some are already drivable.

We were pleased to note that free camping beaches can still be found on this route.

We got pulled over by crooked cops in Acapulco for a (supposed) seatbelt violation and they ran the usual number on us: threatened to keep Rich’s license, told us we’d have to go to the cop station to pay our fine, told us the fine would be 1200 pesos because (supposedly) neither Rich nor Gina were wearing their seat belts and had (supposedly) only put them on when we got pulled over.Ã���Ã�¯Ã�¿Ã�½Ã��Ã�¯Ã��Ã�¿Ã��Ã�½Ã���Ã�¯Ã�¿Ã�½Ã���Ã��Ã�¢Ã���Ã�¯Ã�¿Ã�½Ã���Ã��Ã�¯Ã���Ã�¯Ã�¿Ã�½Ã���Ã��Ã�¿Ã���Ã�¯Ã�¿Ã�½Ã���Ã��Ã�½Ã���Ã�¯Ã�¿Ã�½Ã��Ã�¯Ã��Ã�¿Ã��Ã�½Ã���Ã�¯Ã�¿Ã�½Ã���Ã��Ã�¦ Read the rest

Posted in Adventures, Best Of Mexico, Camping, Cost of Traveling, Favorites, Itineraries, Michoacan, Oaxaca & Chiapas, Pacific Coast, Restaurants, Road Food, Safety, Violence | 5 Comments

The Atlantic Claims Mexico is Rooting for U.S. Pot Legalization

Posted on November 6, 2012 by churpa

An article in The Atlantic reports that “a respected Mexican think tank” (IMCO) has determined that if Oregon, Washington and Colorado vote to legalize marijuana, it could significantly damage cartel revenue. The author writes:

“The updated research suggests that cartels earn $6 billion each year from marijuana sales in the United States. If Washington, the state most likely to pass its ballot measure, does so, IMCO reports it will cut the cartels’ income by $1.37 billion, or about 23% of their revenue (though some cartels will be hit harder than others). Legalization in Oregon and Colorado would result in similar declines.”

An interesting thought, though the title of The Atlantic article is a bit misleading: “Why Mexico is Rooting for U.S.Ã���Ã�¯Ã�¿Ã�½Ã��Ã�¯Ã��Ã�¿Ã��Ã�½Ã���Ã�¯Ã�¿Ã�½Ã���Ã��Ã�¢Ã���Ã�¯Ã�¿Ã�½Ã���Ã��Ã�¯Ã���Ã�¯Ã�¿Ã�½Ã���Ã��Ã�¿Ã���Ã�¯Ã�¿Ã�½Ã���Ã��Ã�½Ã���Ã�¯Ã�¿Ã�½Ã��Ã�¯Ã��Ã�¿Ã��Ã�½Ã���Ã�¯Ã�¿Ã�½Ã���Ã��Ã�¦ Read the rest

Posted in Narcos, Violence | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Trans-Americas Journey Sets the Record Straight

Posted on September 9, 2012 by churpa

Jeff alerted me to this excellent post: Top 10 Reasons to Go to Mexico (a retrospective), which was originally posted at Trans-Americas Journey. We can’t help but like a blog that makes the following point:

“For the record: after 18 months of independent overland travel driving nearly 25,000 miles through 29 of the country’s 31 states we can report, first hand, that we have never seen or sensed any threat or danger of any kind at any point anywhere in Mexico. Period.”

But it’s well worth checking out for detailed and amusing breakdowns of some of Mexico’s most fantastic and lesser known gems. Andale!

 

Read more: http://www.lonelyplanet.com/travelblogs/1005/122689/Top+10+Reasons+to+Go+to+Mexico+(a+retrospective)?destId=361490#ixzz25u928h00����¯�¿�½���¯���¿���½����¯�¿�½������¢����¯�¿�½������¯����¯�¿�½������¿����¯�¿�½������½����¯�¿�½���¯���¿���½����¯�¿�½������¦ Read the rest
Posted in Adventures, Best Of Mexico, Blogs, Safety, Travel Writing, Violence | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Joe Queenan is a Smug Bastard

Posted on August 17, 2012 by churpa

I’m assuming this guy doesn’t travel to major U.S. cities either?

thanks to Jeff O'Brien for the link����¯�¿�½���¯���¿���½����¯�¿�½������¢����¯�¿�½������¯����¯�¿�½������¿����¯�¿�½������½����¯�¿�½���¯���¿���½����¯�¿�½������¦ Read the rest
Posted in Violence | 5 Comments

Dissecting the Media Hysteria

Posted on July 30, 2012 by churpa

Jeff O’Brien directed my attention to the excellent article, Mexico Maligned. The author, Terry Denton, launches a convincing and comprehensive response to the U.S. media’s hysterical coverage of the the cartel violence. I particularly like this paragraph:

“Just to be clear, I am not suggesting that the media “has it in for Mexico”.  Not at all.  This is not another rant against media bias.  What I do maintain, however, is that in their insatiable thirst for the salacious, Mexico and its 112 million proud people are in the minds of the media – assuming they bother to think about such things at all – unfortunate collateral damage.  Just like the definition above, the media’s image of Mexico is blurred precisely because their focus is on one relatively small, admittedly ugly reality and thus falls woefully short of the retina of responsible reportage.”Ã���Ã�¯Ã�¿Ã�½Ã��Ã�¯Ã��Ã�¿Ã��Ã�½Ã���Ã�¯Ã�¿Ã�½Ã���Ã��Ã�¢Ã���Ã�¯Ã�¿Ã�½Ã���Ã��Ã�¯Ã���Ã�¯Ã�¿Ã�½Ã���Ã��Ã�¿Ã���Ã�¯Ã�¿Ã�½Ã���Ã��Ã�½Ã���Ã�¯Ã�¿Ã�½Ã��Ã�¯Ã��Ã�¿Ã��Ã�½Ã���Ã�¯Ã�¿Ã�½Ã���Ã��Ã�¦ Read the rest

Posted in Blogs, Narcos, Safety, Violence | 6 Comments

Letter from a Reader: Safe Living in Michoacan

Posted on July 23, 2012 by churpa

editor’s note: Julissa Gonzalez sent us the following letter about life in one of our favorite states. We love to hear from those of you who are still living the Mexican Dream. If you have any questions about living or traveling in Michoacán, please post them in the comments section.

Dear Carl and Lorena,
I was just browsing your site when I noticed that there is a lot of concern on living in Mexico.  Well, I do live in Mexico in the state of Michoacan and really am very happy living there.  The safety issue is an issue when you are out and about at late in the night, as in any place in the world, or consorting with people that might not be doing things that are within the limits of the law.Ã���Ã�¯Ã�¿Ã�½Ã��Ã�¯Ã��Ã�¿Ã��Ã�½Ã���Ã�¯Ã�¿Ã�½Ã���Ã��Ã�¢Ã���Ã�¯Ã�¿Ã�½Ã���Ã��Ã�¯Ã���Ã�¯Ã�¿Ã�½Ã���Ã��Ã�¿Ã���Ã�¯Ã�¿Ã�½Ã���Ã��Ã�½Ã���Ã�¯Ã�¿Ã�½Ã��Ã�¯Ã��Ã�¿Ã��Ã�½Ã���Ã�¯Ã�¿Ã�½Ã���Ã��Ã�¦ Read the rest

Posted in Home, Introduce Yourself, Letters and Stories, Live & Retire, Living in Mexico, Michoacan, Safety, Violence, Women | Tagged , | 3 Comments

New Film on Colosio Conspiracy

Posted on June 24, 2012 by churpa

As the LA Times reports, a new film on the 1994 murder of Luis Donaldo Colosio explores multiple conspiracy theories, all of which cast the PRI in a bad light. The article’s author, Ken Ellingwod, notes:

“...the case has spawned a dizzying array of conspiracy theories and speculation over possible plotters, from cutthroat drug traffickers to members of Colosio’s Institutional Revolutionary Party, which ruled Mexico at the time. Some historians view the Colosio slaying as the blow that would propel the party, known as the PRI, to defeat in 2000 after seven decades of virtually unchallenged rule.”

He adds:

“Though fictional, “Colosio” is unlikely to boost support for the party. It depicts the PRI-led government of the time as a snake pit of shadowy, Machiavellian figures, the kind of people who seem comfortable around suitcases full of money and just nasty enough to crush anyone in their way.Ã���Ã�¯Ã�¿Ã�½Ã��Ã�¯Ã��Ã�¿Ã��Ã�½Ã���Ã�¯Ã�¿Ã�½Ã���Ã��Ã�¢Ã���Ã�¯Ã�¿Ã�½Ã���Ã��Ã�¯Ã���Ã�¯Ã�¿Ã�½Ã���Ã��Ã�¿Ã���Ã�¯Ã�¿Ã�½Ã���Ã��Ã�½Ã���Ã�¯Ã�¿Ã�½Ã��Ã�¯Ã��Ã�¿Ã��Ã�½Ã���Ã�¯Ã�¿Ã�½Ã���Ã��Ã�¦ Read the rest

Posted in Historical, Movies, Politics, Violence | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Mexico City Safer than Minneapolis?

Posted on June 22, 2012 by churpa

Jeff O’Brien called my attention to this SF Gate article, Five Safest Places in Mexico for Travelers, which is pleasantly free of hysteria. I agree that the states of Tlaxcala, Yucatan, Queretaro, and Baja California Sur are good bets for travelers. That said, I feel the need to point out that this list could easily be a top ten list or even top thirty. The data on death rates can sound more alarming than need be. As the author  acknowledges,

“In 2010, Mexico City’s drug-related homicide rate was 2.2 per 100,000. While it is not an exact comparison, since the Mexico database tracks specifically drug-related deaths, Washington, D.C.’s homicide rate for 2009, the latest year for which the FBI’s Uniform Crime Reportis available, of 24 per 100,000 adds some perspective.Ã���Ã�¯Ã�¿Ã�½Ã��Ã�¯Ã��Ã�¿Ã��Ã�½Ã���Ã�¯Ã�¿Ã�½Ã���Ã��Ã�¢Ã���Ã�¯Ã�¿Ã�½Ã���Ã��Ã�¯Ã���Ã�¯Ã�¿Ã�½Ã���Ã��Ã�¿Ã���Ã�¯Ã�¿Ã�½Ã���Ã��Ã�½Ã���Ã�¯Ã�¿Ã�½Ã��Ã�¯Ã��Ã�¿Ã��Ã�½Ã���Ã�¯Ã�¿Ã�½Ã���Ã��Ã�¦ Read the rest

Posted in Home, Mexico City, Narcos, Safety, Violence | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

Reflections of This American Life

Posted on June 8, 2012 by churpa

After a spectral 40 hours in Primera Pluslandia, we blink like naked mole rats as we step into the southern sun.

There’s something to be said for traveling on a Mexican luxury bus, but after two days of American romcoms dubbed into Spanish and complimentary meals of pan bimbo and coca cola, my brain feels  on the fritz. “I’ll die happy if I never have to eat another baloney sandwich,” I remark, breathing deeply.  I get the idea I can smell Guatemala on the other side of the chain link fence: that ancient aroma of wood smoke and wool and homemade tortillas and huipiles. I feel a strange pang in my chest.

After navigating the florescent maze of customs agents we make it to the Guatemalan side.����¯�¿�½���¯���¿���½����¯�¿�½������¢����¯�¿�½������¯����¯�¿�½������¿����¯�¿�½������½����¯�¿�½���¯���¿���½����¯�¿�½������¦ Read the rest

Posted in Children, Favorites, Guatemala, Historical, Violence | Tagged | 1 Comment

CEPAD Lambasts the State for Ignoring Human Rights Violations

Posted on June 1, 2012 by churpa

 

The Justice Center for Peace and Development (CEPAD) met in Guadalajara to submit its annual report on human rights in the state of Jalisco. The general consensus: 2011 was not a good year for human rights.

“2011 can be defined by a series of breaches of human rights by the authorities of the state and the municipalities…We have shown an escalation of unprecedented violence in the state, and at the same time we see the inability and the inaction by the authorities in law enforcement and public security,” said César Octavio Perez Veronica,the organization’s director of legal strategy.

This comment certainly applies to the situation at Tenacatita, which was one of the cases reviewed during the conference.

As Maricarmen Rello reports for Milenio, “In the presence of activists and academics, Perez Veronica exposed some of the paradigmatic cases of 2011: serious violations of human rights such as the ongoing harassment of the inhabitants of Temacapulín, who are opposed to the construction of the El Zapotillo dam that will flood its people; harassment and persecution of the community of Mezcala and its defenders; the same situation toward the defenders who have denounced environmental damage to the Santiago River ; and finally the closure, for one year and ten months, of the road to the playa Tenacatita, where neighbors with 30 years of settlement were evicted and  have lost their source of work.”

Dolores Morfín Moreno (known to some of us as Lola, restauranteur and volleyball player extraordinaire) traveled from El Rebalsito to speak at the conference about the continued illegal occupation of Tenacatita.Ã���Ã�¯Ã�¿Ã�½Ã��Ã�¯Ã��Ã�¿Ã��Ã�½Ã���Ã�¯Ã�¿Ã�½Ã���Ã��Ã�¢Ã���Ã�¯Ã�¿Ã�½Ã���Ã��Ã�¯Ã���Ã�¯Ã�¿Ã�½Ã���Ã��Ã�¿Ã���Ã�¯Ã�¿Ã�½Ã���Ã��Ã�½Ã���Ã�¯Ã�¿Ã�½Ã��Ã�¯Ã��Ã�¿Ã��Ã�½Ã���Ã�¯Ã�¿Ã�½Ã���Ã��Ã�¦ Read the rest

Posted in Guadalajara, Home, Politics, Violence, Viva Mexico! | Tagged , , , | 5 Comments