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 Travel & Outdoors | February 2007 
Mexican Mayhem?
 Sheila Copps - Edmonton Sun
| | No Reason to Avoid Travelling Down South |
Ok, I have to admit I am biased. My nickname is Tequila Sheila and I started visiting Mexico more than 20 years ago.
Aside from its marvellous people (a United Nations survey found them to be the happiest on Earth), the country is replete with fascinating history, beautiful geography and incomparable beaches.
So what gives with the Canadian media? In the past year there have been four unsolved crimes that have warranted public attention. The first, a dramatic throat slitting at a five-star hotel before family wedding, gripped the attention of the public. A year later the crime is unsolved.
Two hit-and-run car accidents and a random shooting complete the picture that has resulted in a widespread call for Canadians to stay away from Mexico.
Members of Parliament are speaking out. Our foreign affairs department is urged to post potential traveller warnings. Radio shows are calling for a Mexican standoff. And we all fall in line, tsk-tsking about how dangerous it is to travel south of the American border.
No one can argue that when it comes to murder rates, Mexico is more deadly than Canada. But the same can be said of many foreign destinations. You are more than three times as likely to be murdered in the United States - yet no one in his or her right mind would call for an American travel boycott.
For some people, any risk does not justify the trip. But Canadians are, by nature, curious travellers, and we relish the opportunity to visit exotic places outside our borders.
Any time we leave home, our risk of injury by accident or crime rises, particularly in developing countries. The murder rate in Mexico is 17.6 per 100,000 people. In South Africa, that number is in the range of 49 per 100,000. In the U.S., the number sits between 5.5 and 6.0 per 100,000 people, almost three times the level of Canada's 2.0 per 100,000.
According to Statistics Canada, 20,000 Canadians visited Mexico in January 2006 alone. Easy to reach by air and accessible by car, our North American amigo provides a low-cost, high heat alternative for increasing numbers of Canadian seniors who want to escape our winter deep-freeze.
There are even a couple of Mexican towns where the Canadian population actually outstrips that of the locals.
The Canadian Club of Lake Chapala, about an hour's drive from Guadalajara, has a membership of more than 600, making it one of the largest local chapters in the world.
Canadians understand the need to exercise caution and respect when we travel abroad. And many backpacking Americans actually exhibit Canadian flags to avoid local hassles.
But the notion that we should somehow stop travelling to Mexico because of four incidents in the past year needs a reality check. Even at home, crime can be a challenge. According to the Toronto Police Services website, that city has already witnessed 17 shootings this year involving 20 victims and three deaths.
If you have never visited Mexico, take it from me. The people are fantastic, the weather is great and even the much-maligned medical system is worry-free. I suffered a complicated ankle fracture last year and, thanks to a Mexican orthopedic trauma surgeon, I was playing tennis in three months.
Ignore the media pileup and you will enjoy a great trip.
And if John Crosbie is reading this, don't forget to pass me the tequila, Sheila. |
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