“Kathleen! ‘Amen!’ is all I like to say as response to your article ‘Is It Really Safe?’
“It makes me so mad that people are judging a whole country on what happens in certain areas.
“Being from Holland, I didn’t dare to go to certain neighborhoods in Amsterdam or Rotterdam after dark and some areas not even during the day when I still lived there! Now living close to Calgary in Canada for the last 12-and-a-half years, there are certain areas in the city we don’t visit either after dark.
“We own a rental condo in Mexico, and I feel more safe in the evening walking around there than anywhere else. Of course I wouldn’t cross the border right now by car! Don’t go looking for trouble! But it doesn’t mean to say that it’s unsafe throughout the whole country. There are more safe places than unsafe places, trust me.
“We bought two lots in Los Islotes and when telling people about it they already have their opinions ready about Panama without ever having set a foot in the country.
“Please, don’t judge a country by what you hear but take the time to get informed properly and then experience it yourself.”
–Astrid L., Canada
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“Kathleen, I just read the note to you from the reader about how dangerous Mexico is due to the drug wars. You are absolutely right to tell her (or him) that you can get killed or mugged in any medium or larger size city in the United States or anywhere. By the way, we in the United States lead the world in gun-related murders!
“I have spent extensive time in Puerto Vallarta, and it is romantic, interesting, and delightful. I love the place, but there are places on the outskirts where I would not go at night.
“It’s called common sense, and if you have none then don’t travel anywhere, including the store down the street.
“I have many wonderful Mexican friends who were born and live in Mexico. I once asked one from Guadalajara during the height of the drug wars a couple of years ago about it, and he said, ‘Hey, as long as they’re shooting each other, it doesn’t bother us.’
“The American press loves to drive other countries into the ground. It keeps us natives at home where we and our finances can be controlled. Buy a clue. Then go check the place out for yourself. Please take some common sense along with you, and you should have a great time.”
–Michael S., United States
