[Aztlan] Mexico's message

Mon Jun 22 14:41:53 CDT 2009

Hmmm...

Reading all your horror stories (all of them squarely believable), I  
smell a business opportunity in giving courses to gringos on how to  
deal with our "officers of the law" down here in the Far West... er,  
South.

Jorge

On Jun 22, 2009, at 1:31 PM, Hubert Smith wrote:

> This has worked once or twice.
>
> "Que me lleva al comandante ahora mismo, por favor." "Take me to your
> commander right away, please."
>
> But I've also paid my share.
>
> Oh yeah, once in Mexico we did, "Please don't hold us up, we're  
> supposed to
> be filming at the American Embassy."
>
>
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Michael J. Fitzpatrick" <fitzesq at earthlink.net>
> To: <aztlan at lists.famsi.org>
> Sent: Monday, June 22, 2009 11:05 AM
> Subject: [Aztlan] Mexico's message
>
>
>> Matt, flying in won't necessarily help you.  On a trip to Puebla a  
>> couple
>> of
>> years ago, I flew into Mexico City and rented a car.  The crooked  
>> police
>> were waiting like sharks at the traffic circle where the airport  
>> traffic
>> exits onto the main highway, and pulled me over there for a bit of  
>> the old
>> "mordita" on an imaginary traffic violation.  I hadn't driven a  
>> quarter
>> mile
>> yet!  I think they look for the rental car stickers.  They wanted  
>> $100,
>> but
>> after lying to them about not having any more cash (and offering a
>> traveler's check that they won't take because it is traceable if you
>> report
>> them and cancellable if you don't), they let me go after 20 minutes  
>> for
>> $40.
>>
>> That said, I have happily and safely driven thousands of miles in  
>> Mexico,
>> Belize, Honduras and Costa Rica, through dozens if not hundreds of  
>> police
>> and army checkpoints, in big cities and the middle of the boonies,  
>> and
>> I've
>> never had any problem even though my Spanish is primitively basic  
>> and I'm
>> a
>> white guy in my late 50's.  When friends and relatives ask me if I'm
>> afraid
>> while driving down there, I just tell them "Hell, no.  I've driven  
>> through
>> Oakland (CA)!".
>>
>>
>> Michael J. Fitzpatrick
>> 152 North Third St., #800
>> San Jose, CA 95112
>> (408) 288-8013
>> Fax (408) 995-0531
>> Fitzesq at earthlink.net
>>
>> "The trouble with most folks isn't so much their ignorance, as  
>> knowing so
>> many things that ain't so." : Josh Billings - [Henry Wheeler Shaw]
>> (1818-1885) American humorist and lecturer
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> Message: 7
>> Date: Sun, 21 Jun 2009 20:21:36 -0400
>> From: "Matt O'Mansky" <omansky at gmail.com>
>> Subject: [Aztlan] Mexico's Message
>> To: Aztlan at lists.famsi.org
>> Message-ID:
>> <939dd5270906211721g1ed1d3d5r3141eeefc271dc03 at mail.gmail.com>
>> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1
>>
>> While it may be inexpensive to travel to Mexico now, there may be
>> other complicating factors.  I just returned from 3 months of
>> fieldwork and a faculty-led study abroad trip in Guatemala and El
>> Salvador.  Driving my pickup through Mexico, I had several problems
>> with corrupt local police, particularly in Poza Rica and Reynosa.  I
>> was pulled over for various made up reasons.  In reality, my only
>> violation was being obviously white with US tags on my vehicle.  It
>> cost me hundreds of dollars in blackmail (the various police wanted
>> well over $1000 in total).  The problem seems to be specific to local
>> police -- I had no problems with the federal police or the military,
>> who were all very professional.
>>
>> In addition to this problem, the trip with the students was  
>> originally
>> planned to go to Guatemala and Mexico but my university forbade us
>> from entering Mexico due to the flu.  Before that, I talked to the
>> travel company with which I was working in Guatemala regarding costs
>> for various things.  When I asked about border fees with Mexico, the
>> reply was, "It depends on who is working that day."  I have had no
>> such problems with Guatemalan borders and the Salvador border was
>> refreshingly fast and easy.  When I discussed these various problems
>> with friends and acquaintances, it became apparent that the problems
>> with Mexican police and border officials is fairly endemic -- many
>> people shared their own horror stories.  I realize that Mexico is
>> dealing with some serious problems right now, but if Mexican  
>> officials
>> want to increase tourism then they really need to crack down on
>> corruption.  I am going to fly to Guatemala in the future and I don't
>> know that I would take students to Mexico unless we fly into Mexico
>> and do not cross any borders.  It's too difficult and frustrating,
>> particularly when neighboring and nearby countries seem to be free  
>> (or
>> largely free) of such problems.  Perhaps I'm just bitter right now,
>> having just returned a few days ago, but these are real problems --
>> beyond the flu.
>> Matt
>>
>>
>> --**--**--**--**--**--**--**--**--**--**--**--**--**--**--**--**-- 
>> **--**--**
>> --**--**--**--**--**--**--**--**--**--**--**
>>
>>
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