Smart travelers can still play it safe in Mexico

Shortly before Arnoldo Pedroza was scheduled to lead a tour south of Mexico City, the local guide started to worry that recent disturbances would sabotage his trip. He followed news updates anxiously, hoping that the area would cool off and officials wouldn?t ban visitors.

You?re thinking drug cartels, vendettas and gunfire? Wrong. Pedroza was worried about spraying lava, not flying bullets.

?It is an active volcano,? said Pedroza of Popocatepetl, the volatile volcano up which he led a group of American mountaineers a few weeks ago. ?I was afraid that it was going to pour lava, but it stayed quiet.?

Mexico?s second-highest mountain is an apt metaphor for the country itself: Despite threatening rumblings, danger doesn?t always materialize. Sometimes it?s even all in our heads. Yet misperceptions dog Mexico, which has been seriously shaken by the ongoing turf battles between drug cartels and the frontal-assault strategy employed by President Felipe Calderon?s government.

?There?s a big gap between perception and reality,? says Margot Lee Shetterly, a Hampton, Va., native who relocated to Mexico with her husband six years ago. ?It?s a real shame for people to write off a whole country without looking at the map and at the statistics.?

Without a solid understanding of the geography (761,606 square miles) and the nature of the drug wars (internecine fighting), many foreigners assume that all of Mexico is a war zone. But it isn?t.

?The episodes of violence are in very specific pockets,? says Rodolfo Lopez-Negrete, chief operating officer of the Mexico Tourism Board, ?and are unrelated to tourism.?

Even so, some places in Mexico are extraordinarily dangerous ? so dangerous that they should be mummified in crime tape.

The U.S. State Department?s travel warning on Mexico, last updated in April, specifies the dangers by state, delineating the possible threats to Americans, 4.7 million of whom visited from January through October.

Yet countless tourists balk at the border, unsure of where ? or whether ? to go.

Well, we?ll tell you. We spoke to security experts, tour operators, government officials and expats for advice on where you can comfortably kick off your sandals and places you should avoid or explore with caution.

One quick PSA: No matter the destination, always be aware of your surroundings and follow the commandments of common sense: Register with the U.S embassy, don?t walk in the dark alone, keep the bling at home, etc. Street crime, like multiple days of rain or a vengeful plate of beans, can really ruin a good vacation.

VISIT WITH ABANDON

We know what you want: to plop down on the beach, sip a margarita and feel your stresses turn to goo beneath the hot Mexican sun.

You?re not alone. About 90 percent of tourists flock to the beach resorts on both coasts, says Lopez-Negrete. Nor will you be disappointed. The majority of beach resorts, especially along the Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico, are sheltered oases.

Mark these in your vacation planners as safe: Cancun, Cozumel and Playa del Carmen on the Yucatan Peninsula, and on the Pacific side, Puerto Vallarta and Cabo San Lucas. Some spots left out of the glossy brochures also make the list, such as the colonial city of Campeche, a World Heritage Site on the gulf, and Merida, a city west of Cancun on the Yucatan. In addition, most day trips from the strands, including outings to the Mayan ruins, also occupy the lowest rung on the risk ladder. These excursions include Tulum, Uxmal and Chichen Itza.

Source: http://www.miamiherald.com/2012/01/01/2563339/smart-travelers-can-still-play.html

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