We received many cautions about traveling here, and I thought it worth a moment to address the anxieties people feel about all that. The tales we here in the U.S. are horrific, but I think they are a little Donald Trumpish–expanding specific incidents to slander entire populations.

To be sure, I’m going nowhere near Juarez or a couple of other places. However, we have covered a fair amount of territory by this point. Rural and urban.We’ve never felt as if roving gangs were after us or that the cartels were on our tails. The police–local and federal– are out in force nearly everywhere. Most of our driving has been done on good highways–two lane, four lane–many of them mountainous, but we haven’t been on anything you’d describe as a back roads, so maybe our perspective is skewed. But we are out of the American Tourist Bubble and mixing with the natives, so to speak. Every toll booth or other check point is armed in some way or another. We sometimes have felt uncomfortable about the level of militarization, and we certainly wouldn’t want it in the USA. However, main point is we’re having a good time. People are nice. Dollar is powerful. Shopping is superb both in terms of prices and merchandise. Such artistry! My asthma is fine even in Mexico City, and there is no more reason to be afraid of Mexico than any place else outside the U.S./Canada. Including some places in the U.S. In fact there are plenty of reason to prefer it–cost and location to name two.
End of promo.