March 18, 2010. Mexico. Safety.

Ken and I were in Nicaragua, staying at an all-inclusive resort right on the shore. It had been our habit to walk the whole beach every evening, stopping at each bar until we arrived at the former house of the Dictator, now converted into a bar and restaurant. The home high over the water was beautiful, and with one mile of beach, securely fenced and gated, it was a wonderful place to walk. The bars were spaced about a quarter mile apart, so the house on the hill was number three on our hike. Not many people were at the resort, perhaps one hundred in all and the place was big, so it was never crowded. Certainly we felt secure and safe. When planning the trip, many friends and relatives suggested that the trip was dangerous. Certainly they would not take the trip with us.

One evening, when having a drink at the beautiful house on the hill, we met and chatted to a couple from Quebec City. Many guests were from Germany, also from Quebec, in Canada. When they found that we lived just outside Washington D.C. they commented that they really wanted to visit Washington, but they had heard it was much too dangerous to visit. Ken and I laughed and told them that our friends and relatives said the same about Nicaragua. This was their third trip to that country and were totally comfortable being a tourist there.

Mexico is the same. The State Department issues a statement telling Americans not to travel to three states in Mexico. Instead, the statement is heard "Do not travel to Mexico." I am more secure here at our resort in Mexico than anywhere else I live. Security is high. No one comes into the resort without permission. Yet I am told regularly that Mexico is dangerous. D.C was dangerous if you went into certain neighborhoods at two o'clock in the morning, as is Mexico now. Perceptions of security are always interesting. Folks won't fly because they feel more secure when driving. Now we go to Jackson,Miss. where the crime rate is high. But most people would feel more secure for us in Jackson than in Mexico, Nuevo Vallarta. Interesting, but not true.