Obviously, it was my favorite part about working at the station as this kind of 'work' was extremely easy!
Twice, we went to Mexico and the more I think about it, the more foolish I was. There were a couple of nights I wandered throughout Puerto Vallarta on my own in the wee hours of the morning just making my way back to the resort and there were other times I was in a very small group doing much the same thing.
The reality is that I could have been a victim of a very serious crime or been accused of a very serious crime and there wouldn't be anything anybody would be able to do about it.
More and more, we are hearing of violence against tourists in Mexico and I am perplexed as to why we, as Canadians seeking a holiday, continue to go there when there are plenty of other options that appear to be much safer (Dominican Republic, Bermuda, Aruba, Hawaii, Honduras). Sure, all these places have their pitfalls, but Mexico seems to be the place where trouble finds you a lot sooner than you find it.
Just yesterday, it was reported eight people died in Cancun when a bomb was hurled inside. Tourism officials in Mexico will spin this and say the hotel is nowhere near the hotel zone in that city. But, do you want to take the chance? In Monterrey, there have been widespread kidnappings and some have been told to take their kids home.
This has nothing to do with crime, but in Puerto Vallarta there is a bridge that connects the city to Riviera Nayarit. Well, that collapsed yesterday and travellers found themselves stranded.
The reality is that I could have been a victim of a very serious crime or been accused of a very serious crime and there wouldn't be anything anybody would be able to do about it.
More and more, we are hearing of violence against tourists in Mexico and I am perplexed as to why we, as Canadians seeking a holiday, continue to go there when there are plenty of other options that appear to be much safer (Dominican Republic, Bermuda, Aruba, Hawaii, Honduras). Sure, all these places have their pitfalls, but Mexico seems to be the place where trouble finds you a lot sooner than you find it.
Just yesterday, it was reported eight people died in Cancun when a bomb was hurled inside. Tourism officials in Mexico will spin this and say the hotel is nowhere near the hotel zone in that city. But, do you want to take the chance? In Monterrey, there have been widespread kidnappings and some have been told to take their kids home.
This has nothing to do with crime, but in Puerto Vallarta there is a bridge that connects the city to Riviera Nayarit. Well, that collapsed yesterday and travellers found themselves stranded.
Here are some incidents that occurred against Canadians and before you say 'well, look at the crime in Winnipeg or Regina and it's no worse' consider how many times you have read a newstory about a murder at Regina's or Winnipeg's hotels.......ummm, never????
February 2007: Two Ontario residents killed when a mystery man walked into a hotel lobby in Acapulco and fired shots.
January 2007: A Canadian tourist killed in a hit and run in Guadalajara.
January 2007: A Canadian tourist killed in a hit and run in Guadalajara.
September 2009: Two men from Kamloops found shot to death in Puerto Vallarta.
May 2008: Canadian tourist found shot to death in Cabo San Lucas.
February 2006: Well publicized double killing of the Ianieros in Playa Del Carmen.
I'm sure there are more, but I found these four incidents on a quick Google Search.
The whole reason for me writing this is a story that came out this morning about a woman heading home after a holiday on the beach when her vehicle was stopped by carjackers. Luckily she got away, but not before her SUV was filled full of bullet holes.
For me, next hot holiday I take will probably be back to the Dominican. We've been there twice and had a great time in each case. It's a third world country, so the people really seem to appreciate the tourism industry and the impact it makes on their economy.
May 2008: Canadian tourist found shot to death in Cabo San Lucas.
February 2006: Well publicized double killing of the Ianieros in Playa Del Carmen.
I'm sure there are more, but I found these four incidents on a quick Google Search.
The whole reason for me writing this is a story that came out this morning about a woman heading home after a holiday on the beach when her vehicle was stopped by carjackers. Luckily she got away, but not before her SUV was filled full of bullet holes.
For me, next hot holiday I take will probably be back to the Dominican. We've been there twice and had a great time in each case. It's a third world country, so the people really seem to appreciate the tourism industry and the impact it makes on their economy.
You've got a really nice adventure. I'm taking luxury Mexico holidays and I hope to have a great time in there like you.
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