How Safe is Mexico in Comparison to the U.S.?

This article was written by Tim Leffel and has been re-posted from his blog Tim Leffel’s Cheapest Destinations via www.journeymexico.com

There’s been a lot of news coverage about violence in Mexico, very little of it bothering to note that Mexico is a huge country with thirty-some states and that a) almost all of that violence is narco-related and b) you can count the number of tourists affected on one hand.

Meanwhile, according to the FBI, “An estimated 15,241 persons were murdered nationwide in 2009″ in the United States of America.

Officially, 111 U.S. citizens were killed in Mexico last year, a third in just two cities. Almost all of them were involved in illicit vocations, usually the trafficking of guns, drugs, or people across the border. This is 111 out of close to 8 million visitors, with nearly 1 million of those being part- or full-time residents choosing Mexico over the U.S. or Canada.
You know who else had 111 murders in one year recently? Boston. And Las Vegas. And Orlando. Are any tourists scared of going to those places?

Meanwhile, almost 1,000 U.S. citizens died in Puerto Rico. Nobody running the news desks cares about Puerto Rico or has an incentive to make people scared of Puerto Ricans (by nature, they can’t be “illegal immigrants”), so this isn’t widely reported.

Then there’s the U.S. proper, which can’t get a State Department travel alert because it’s, well, not a foreign country. How’s your city doing in comparison to Mexico when it comes to the annual numbers?

Atlanta  - city, 80 murders. Atlanta MSA (metropolitan statistical area), 325 murders
Baltimore – 238 city, 298 MSA
Boston – 50 city, 111 MSA
Dallas/Ft. Worth – 210 city, 310 MSA
Detroit – 365 city, 447 MSA
Houston – 287 city, 462 MSA
Indianapolis – 100 city, 111 MSA
Jacksonville, FL – 99 city, 120 MSA
Kansas City – 100 city, 163 MSA
Las Vegas – 111 city, 133 MSA
Los Angeles – 312 city, 768 MSA
Miami  - 59 city, 377 Miami to Boca Raton corridor
New Orleans – 174 city, 252 MSA
New York City – 471 city, 778 MSA
Orlando – 28 city, 111 MSA
Philadelphia – 302 city, 436 MSA
Phoenix – 122 city, 302 MSA
San Francisco – 45 city, 292 MSA
St. Louis – 143 city, 210 MSA
Washington, DC – 143 city, 325 MSA

To put things in perspective, the murder rate in the Yucatan state of Mexico is 2 per 100,000. That’s about the same as Fond du Lac, Wisconsin or Evansville, Indiana. Mexico City’s is 8 per 100,000. Despite being one of the most populated cities on the planet, that’s on par with Albuquerque, NM. I don’t know about you, but I’ve never felt scared in Albuquerque…

Tuto and the Buddha

Today's post is from Renée Netzel

I would like to introduce you to Tuto. Our new friend is Chilean by nationality but he now lives in Mexico...and when I asked him where he lives, specifically in Mexico, he promptly replied “in my car”.  You see, Tuto lives “la vida libre”...passing from town to town, city to city, and beach to beach...going wherever he pleases, whenever he pleases. And you can’t help but smile when you first meet Tuto. He is a robust man, presumably in his mid-40‘s, with dirty blonde dreadlocks, a scruffy beard and metal caps on his teeth. He wears floral print shirts and he sleeps under the stars. 

I Should Have Stayed in Bed!

So the plan was set.  I was to wake up early, at 5am and go shoot a little photography for a project down here.

The alarm went off just as planned, and while I'd like to say I sprang out of bed, it was more of an oozing down the side of the sheets.  Having finally labored into the shower and turning the tap to cold, my goal was to shock my body into waking up.  I was looking a little scruffy so I decided I would QUICKLY shave as I was running a little late already.  I foamed up and sped through my daily ritual haphazardly, then for some reason my razor decided to grow and extra set of teeth.  I damn near cut right through my jugular!  Well, maybe there was only a drop or two of blood but at 5 am everything is amplified.  Having secured the tourniquet, the bleeding was stopped and I was off to make the daily pot of coffee.

Sustainable Tourism In Huatulco, Mexico

It's official, click the link below to read the story.

http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/mexico-a-bastion-of-sustainable-tourism-123117538.html

Earthcheck Conference in Huatulco

The 2nd forum on sustainable tourism is being held right now at the Barceló Hotel in conjunction with Earthcheck...please click the link below to read the article.

http://www.earthcheck.org/news/Default.aspx?NewsID=163

Hagia Sofia

This past weekend we were fortunate enough to visit Hagia Sofia, a place that has been on our list for the last year.  What an amazing spot!  

This guest post is from Beatriz Flores of Hagia Sofia.

An agro-ecological development on more than 130 hectares, Hagia Sofia is located at an altitude between 260 and 390 meters above sea level in the community of Apanquito, municipality of Santa María Huatulco, Oaxaca, only 45 minutes from the tourist destination of Bahías de Huatulco.

Summer in Huatulco - Part 2

While it may be true that there are only two seasons in Huatulco...hot and hotter, there are many other changes that signal that summer is here.

As the clouds roll off the Sierra Madre del Sur and slowly creep towards the Oaxacan coastline, they bring with them, abundant amounts of moisture.  And it is this rain that completely transforms the coastal regions of the state.   The vegetation goes from sticks and twigs to a complete jungle.

As we roll into the month of May, the humidity slowly begins to rise and the once barren landscape begins to transform into a sea of colors.  Take the Flamboyan tree pictured at left.  For most of the year, it looks like any other tree, until it springs to life with its bright orange flowers.  Once you see these orange flowers appear you know that it's not long until the first of the summer rains fall.