Is Mexico Safe?

[PirateJohn]

Originally Posted by StmbtDave

I just came back from my first bike trip into Mex - Puerto Panasco. I understand very little spanish so it was a real interesting. As far as learning from the road signs, I think ALTO must mean MAYBE or KEEP GOING. Riding in Mex is real adventure riding.

Dave

It means Stop but that's mostly a suggestion. However, if you don't stop and you cause an accident, then you are at fault.

That, and if the friendly local Transito sees you run a stop sign and realizes that you have US plates there is a fair chance that they will question you to see if you understand the subtleties of Napoleonic Law.

[ben2go]

Originally Posted by Craneguy

There's been a big explosion at a Pemex gas plant in Reynosa. Maybe 50 dead or injured.

The explosion is 1:10 in...

http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=361_1355207965&p=1

Ghad damn!That was fast and violent.Never seen an explosion like that.The one worker at the end was on the ground crawling for his life.That's some scary ass shit.

[deepcdiver]

I think he was past crawling for his life, I think he was dying of his burns. That fire totally engulfed him, and he breathed super heated gases as well as receiving burns. I believe that is why the video stopped at that point, I think got more gruesome not that he would have died quickly, but I doubt he survived. Play it back and you will understand I think. My 2 cents as an FF, I'm just sayin...one moment hum-dee-dum life at it's most mundane, next a horrible painful tragedy. Shitty way to go.

[Süsser Tod]

Another video of the explosion

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zOW6ntyccaQ

[MikeMike]

Originally Posted by CptImagine

...Mexico on a 93 GS/PD .

If you want to store it here in Mexico and make sure it is ridden regularly and well maintained, I would be more than happy to help you out.

[Craneguy]

Originally Posted by MikeMike

If you want to store it here in Mexico and make sure it is ridden regularly and well maintained, I would be more than happy to help you out.

Get in there my son! Who knows, maybe he'll leave waterproofs in the luggage too!

[CptImagine]

My favorite Mexican road sign . En inglese "Winding Road" . Down there, It means it .

[MikeMike]

Originally Posted by Craneguy

Get in there my son! Who knows, maybe he'll leave waterproofs in the luggage too!

Comedian, eh?
Talked to the Mystery Rider yesterday, Saturday early AM romp to Puente Calavera via Teziutlan. You in or are you modeling the ADV winter line at Palacio de Hierro Santa Fe?
Breakfast of cecina, jalapenos, onions, purple tortillas, and salsa que pica pica.
And you think I want to be trapped in a waterproof rubber suit with the aftermath of that????
I think he might be on the SS Wyoming Express this time, though the engine room is due for an upgrade of hardware to version 120 or something. If he shows up in leather, I' ll lead and you two can trade fashion tips via the intercoms.

[Craneguy]

Originally Posted by MikeMike

Comedian, eh?
Talked to the Mystery Rider yesterday, Saturday early AM romp to Puente Calavera via Teziutlan. You in or are you modeling the ADV winter line at Palacio de Hierro Santa Fe?
Breakfast of cecina, jalapenos, onions, purple tortillas, and salsa que pica pica.
And you think I want to be trapped in a waterproof rubber suit with the aftermath of that????
I think he might be on the SS Wyoming Express this time, though the engine room is due for an upgrade of hardware to version 120 or something. If he shows up in leather, I' ll lead and you two can trade fashion tips via the intercoms.

What, no Starbucks?

[PirateJohn]

Originally Posted by dcstrom

Don't know what they were, they were in camo gear so I assumed military... what would a narco wear?

Depends. You have undercover officers and legitimate private security wearing bluejeans. And you have cartels wearing the very same uniforms that the military wears with the exception that they have their own unit badges, so unless you are intimately familiar with Mexican insignia you are not going to know if they are real or not.

[PirateJohn]

Originally Posted by SR

They were almost certainly military. It would be extremely brazen for a group of criminals dressed in military outfits in military vehicles to be out in broad daylight, that should give it away right there. I haven't heard of narcos dressed like military in a couple of years.

Narcos are really toning down their look lately, but generally country narcos dress like country boys but more flashy, with silk shirts and gold jewelry. Identification mostly has to do with age. It is one thing to see 60 year old Don Ranch Owner come to town in an Escalade wearing a 18K gold watch. It is something else to see four 20 year olds doing it. City narcos are harder to classify, the just look like common dirt-bags to me.

Private security guards usually have a clean cut look and dress like Johnny Cash. They almost always drive late model white vehicles, Tahoes or Dodge trucks. These vehicles are commonly made bullet proof. You likely wont see a convoy of these vehicles out in the country, just in the city. These are things you will pick up on with some time in Mexico.


!

Like SR said.

If they have white vehicles, even 1 or 2 in a convoy, they are probably NOT official military or police unless (drum roll here) they are undercover.

There are plenty of subtleties with "real" military vehicles and weapons too. I doubt if you will ever see an AK in the hands of the military although certain police might carry them. Mexico uses a variety of rifles but they usually keep the guys with H&K G3's together and the guys with other rifles together so they can share ammo (the G3's fire .30 and just about everything else that they carry fires .223).

But bottom line is like SR said - the cartels using fake uniforms en masse and holding towns and roads hasn't happened for a year or two. They were doing that along Rt. 2 between Reynosa and Nuevo Laredo when I left McAllen but that was over a year ago.

Right now, unless you are in a really rural and contested area, you'd have to be pretty unlucky to encounter a cartel road block. And even if you do you can be pretty sure they aren't looking for you, so just be respectful and the overwhelming odds are they will let you through.

Do the regulars agree or disagree?

[Craneguy]

You need to be more concerned with the white Tsuru saloons. They cruise the streets checking out innocent civilians at the side of the roads, often slowing right down to get a good look at their potential victim.

They pick up seemingly random people from the side of the road, then disappear with them into the traffic at high speed.

No one knows how long the people are held, but it's a common sight to see pale and shaken men, women and children getting dropped at the side of the road. They can even be seen paying for their freedom directly to the driver. These criminals have no shame!

It's a huge business in Mexico. Clearly the government is doing nothing about it, in fact, some of the more enterprising criminals actually use white mini-buses so they can pack more people in. They often leave the windows open a little and the look of misery on the captive's faces would break your heart.

[MikeMike]

Agree.
And again, I think the guy who is posting about this is reporting what is new to him, but pretty much common place for anyone here.
People here have gotten so used to the military doing the policing, it is odd to see a regular cop.
For example, I had a toe to toe with a Transito here the other day for the first time in awhile. Hadn't seen one for some time since they were all pretty much fired and sent packing when the military took over policing. He was the same breed of corrupt a-hole they had before so they still haven't worked the bugs out of that part of the system. Normal cops here are hard to find, the military are what you usually see.
If I don't see the military I get the Spider Sense tingles.
Some locales still have state police but these guys have been supposedly vetted and freshly trained, but like everyone knows it is BS.
You won't solve the policing problem until you get rid of corrupt state governments.

As for little Sr. Pena Miento, he's made his deal with the cartels, so they'll stop the extortion and kidnapping and kick back mucho to the chosen ones. And that is that. Back to business as usual to the epoc before the PAN finally won the presidency.

[MikeMike]

Originally Posted by Craneguy

You need to be more concerned with the white Tsuru saloons. They cruise the streets checking out innocent civilians at the side of the roads, often slowing right down to get a good look at their potential victim.

They pick up seemingly random people from the side of the road, then disappear with them into the traffic at high speed.

No one knows how long the people are held, but it's a common sight to see pale and shaken men, women and children getting dropped at the side of the road. They can even be seen paying for their freedom directly to the driver. These criminals have no shame!

It's a huge business in Mexico. Clearly the government is doing nothing about it, in fact, some of the more enterprising criminals actually use white mini-buses so they can pack more people in. They often leave the windows open a little and the look of misery on the captive's faces would break your heart.

Excellent. They often also have a high tech Chinese made little B and W TV on the dash whereby they can monitor the government controlled telecommunications system called Televisa.

Steve, Rafa has your llanta, see you Friday.

[Craneguy]

Originally Posted by MikeMike

Excellent. They often also have a high tech Chinese made little B and W TV on the dash whereby they can monitor the government controlled telecommunications system called Televisa.

Steve, Rafa has your llanta, see you Friday.

Cool! I've heard about this concept called "traction" it'll be good to experience it first hand!