http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/road-trip-through-hell/Content?oid=13912683 Comments On: Road Trip Through Hell by Grant Cogswell en-us Copyright 2013 The Stranger. All rights reserved. This RSS file is offered to individuals, The Stranger readers, and non-commercial organizations only. Any commercial websites wishing to use this RSS file, please contact The Stranger. webmaster@thestranger.com (The Stranger Webmaster) Wed, 22 May 2013 00:00:01 -0700 Wed, 22 May 2013 05:45:00 -0700 Foundation http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss BorderlandBeat.com

See it, and be afraid.
Posted by MrMyke]]> Tue, 19 Jun 2012 23:48:30 -0700 The Stranger
Mexicans on both sides of the border often look at me like I am crazy for walking around Tijuana, though I have had not problems except for a few sketchy looks and comments from miscreants.

It's similar to the U.S., there the bulk of the middle class sticks to their cars and homes and rarely takes the bus or walks. People who keep sheltered tend to have a skewed perception of how dangerous the world outside of their bubbles actually is.
Posted by slyke]]> Tue, 19 Jun 2012 12:31:09 -0700 The Stranger Posted by haroldlamont]]> Mon, 18 Jun 2012 15:19:30 -0700 The Stranger Posted by kimpunkrock]]> Mon, 18 Jun 2012 00:14:28 -0700 The Stranger
The only place I've felt really unsafe in, in Latin America, was Guatemala City. I wouldn't recommend anyone go there, I'm afraid (although Guatemala outside the capital is wonderful).
Posted by Jude Fawley]]> Sat, 16 Jun 2012 16:16:09 -0700 The Stranger
The trip, overall, doesn't sound that bad. Kind of underwhelming. Which is fine, I guess, except it was sold as "look how crazy sick it is down there right now".
Posted by Jude Fawley]]> Sat, 16 Jun 2012 16:10:14 -0700 The Stranger
- Touristed/cosmopolitan areas (pretty much everywhere in the guidebooks): Treated like anyone else or touted for money, very safe.

- Untouristed but safe areas (mostly rural and small towns): You get stares, especially from children, out of interest and curiosity. Feels uncomfortable for me but safe. I got this same vibe from small towns in the midwest and US South.

- BAD areas (I only experienced this in urban areas): You get stares, but they're not out of curiosity. They're either full of anxiety as if something bad's about to happen, like Grant described, or locals walking away from you as fast as they can, or full on intimidating glares like you've got a target on your back. Children on the street aren't curious and don't ask for money, they demand money ("or else" what?). Oh, and guns are everywhere...

I haven't been through the bad parts of Mexico (the north only), but the murder rates in some of Central America (like Guatemala City and San Pedro Sula) are similar to the areas Grant went through (that is, the highest murder rates in the world). Meanwhile, Mexico City literally feels safer than Seattle and looks like it actually has a lower murder rate than Seattle so far this year.


Posted by raku]]> Sat, 16 Jun 2012 07:28:49 -0700 The Stranger Posted by LaPuerta]]> Fri, 15 Jun 2012 20:59:58 -0700 The Stranger Posted by Fnarf]]> Fri, 15 Jun 2012 16:58:56 -0700 The Stranger Posted by Fnarf]]> Fri, 15 Jun 2012 16:54:43 -0700 The Stranger
Mr. Frizzelle is lying. The real subject of the article is the fear inside Grant's head, even though Tepic and Tamaulipais are safer than plenty of places in the US, even though the drug violence is down, not up, in most places, even though the whole tenor of The Stranger's coverage is complete and utter bullshit.

What's especially egregious about The Stranger's blinkered reporting is that, in addition to a rich culture that in many ways vastly outshines Seattle's -- certainly anything that appears in The Stranger's pages -- there really ARE big issues in Mexico these days -- but you'll never hear about them here. The big protests in Mexico City the other day against the PRI? Nothing. The banning of the "Presuntos Culpables" movie about the Mexican justice system, a subject that directly affects far more Mexicans than drug violence? Nothing.

I'm sorry Grant decided to be a part of it by publishing his story here, and letting them promote it the way they have. The Stranger has an agenda on Mexico, and neither the real Mexico nor real Mexicans are a part of that agenda.
Posted by Fnarf]]> Fri, 15 Jun 2012 16:43:35 -0700 The Stranger 2. who said costa rica was violent?
3. "Mexico is safer than parts of the USA" -- um, sure, there are parts of the usa that are deathly violent and you shouldn't go, but it's like 90% of Mexico is too violent and you shouldn't go. Becausse what's the point of going to acapulco if you can only stay right at the pool in the sheraton?


Posted by someone -- call MN CPS!]]> Fri, 15 Jun 2012 14:26:56 -0700 The Stranger Posted by chuchoroto]]> Thu, 14 Jun 2012 22:24:25 -0700 The Stranger Posted by MNmom]]> Thu, 14 Jun 2012 10:57:52 -0700 The Stranger Posted by MNmom]]> Thu, 14 Jun 2012 10:54:21 -0700 The Stranger
Few people will believe me when I tell them I have had more problems with police in the US than Mexico. It really is all about avoiding certain parts of the country, definitely NOT driving at night, and taking advice from people who know... Yes, apparently there are roads where roadblocks are sometimes set up for shakedowns (or much worse), and yes, generally the idea is to absolutely keep on the road and keep going through any questionable areas.

It is definitely the third world, obviously - but then there are things like the amazing and surprisingly expensive toll roads that run up through the middle of the country and which connect most major cities. You can drive hundreds of miles on these and would swear you were somewhere in the US; in many ways they are better than the average highway in say, Michigan.

Mexico is so diverse - you can find places that are absolutely European or like the best parts of southern California... it really is an adventure.

I would say that if you want trouble, drive a new expensive SUV (just to show how scarred and incapable of mature decisions you are), ignore words of advice regarding routes, and disregard traffic laws. You will definitely find some kind of trouble.
Posted by dude-man]]> Thu, 14 Jun 2012 07:36:45 -0700 The Stranger
The writer tacitly acknowledged his foolishness in the final paragraph, and apparently learned his lesson, so those comments criticizing the writer's decision-making aren't being very generous or kind. Let he who is without sin (or a dumbshit decision, in this case) be the first to cast a stone.
Posted by Functional Atheist]]> Thu, 14 Jun 2012 00:25:19 -0700 The Stranger
Which also bears on @9 redemma's comment. Yeah, I agree--Tepito can be OK, if you're lucky (and it helps to go with a local). Same with Tijuana. Apparently, Tamaulipas can be "safe" too--again, if you're lucky, as Grant was. There are dangerous places that "turn out to be fine," but like @7flaneur said, God looks after fools and drunks.
Posted by Snarky]]> Wed, 13 Jun 2012 15:03:46 -0700 The Stranger
I find that many Mexicans (especially middle-class Mexicans) will refuse to go to certain places in their own country, entirely off of hearsay. If I didn't go anywhere that people told me not to go to, I wouldn't have gone anywhere here besides the super-fresa neighborhoods of Mexico City. I think 90% of the time, it's perfectly alright to overlook what the Romans have to say about something (for example, I always hear "Don't go to Tepito!" from people who don't even know where Tepito is in the city). The other 10% of the time, this happens. Like he said, if you constantly hear that Michoacan and Tijuana are dangerous and they turn out to be fine, what will make you think Tamaulipas will be any different?
Posted by redemma]]> Wed, 13 Jun 2012 12:46:45 -0700 The Stranger Rick Klu
Posted by rickklu]]> Wed, 13 Jun 2012 12:40:15 -0700 The Stranger Posted by flaneur]]> Wed, 13 Jun 2012 12:31:55 -0700 The Stranger Posted by celoso mucho?]]> Wed, 13 Jun 2012 11:32:15 -0700 The Stranger Posted by puto]]> Wed, 13 Jun 2012 10:40:52 -0700 The Stranger That was the trusted At the Spine tour van that Grant bought off me a few years ago. Econoline E 150 with custom built loft. Amazing that thing is still going and glad it got them through that madness.
Posted by AtTheSpine]]> Wed, 13 Jun 2012 10:33:32 -0700 The Stranger That was the trusted At the Spine tour van that Grant bought off me a few years ago. Econoline E 150 with custom built loft. Amazing that thing is still going and glad it got them through that madness.
Posted by AtTheSpine]]> Wed, 13 Jun 2012 10:27:22 -0700 The Stranger