Some of you began reading my blog a couple of years ago when
I started writing about our experiences on a 47-day, 18-RV Caravan my wife and
I took to Mexico. We went down Mexico’s Gulf coast to the Yucatan Peninsula and
back to the US through central Mexico. It was the trip from Hell but it
produced some great blog material. We experienced armed bandits with AK-47s, customs
agents searching our RVs for weapons at a border crossing, waiting for hours to
cross the border, then being turned away from a border crossing because we
were not cars or trucks and they didn’t know what to do with RVs. We had Federal
Police attempting to extort us on false traffic violations, men masquerading as
road workers flagging us down and asking for money, RV wrecks, car wrecks (and
a $4000 charge to have the car towed 1200 miles back to US border from a Merida
body shop), downed utility lines, an air conditioning unit knocked from the top
of an RV by a low entrance to a Walmart, a broken wrist, several broken shocks
and springs, cracked batteries, substandard electrical hookups (low voltage,
high voltage, or no voltage), a snake in a swimming pool, a drive along
Mexico’s “murder highway” and through the “murder capital” of Mexico, an untold
number of dings, dents, and scratches on the RV’s, flat tires, narrow gates,
narrow roads with no shoulders, potholes the size of automobiles, narrow
bridges, temporary bridges, speed bump after speed bump, wrong turns and
getting lost, bad water, and numerous other problems that tormented us on the
trip. We all swore we would never, ever,
return to Mexico again!
All of the aforementioned bad experiences aside, it was a
great trip because we made some good friends. It was on that Yucatan trip that
we met Richard and Helen. The next year we joined them on another RV caravan, but
in the opposite direction of Mexico. It was a 47-day trip through the Canadian
Maritime provinces, which produced very little exciting blog-worthy material,
except for the $10,000 it cost me to have the fuel injection system replaced on
my rear-end diesel.
It was on the Canadian trip that I began to doubt Rich and
Helen’s sanity. Apparently they learned very little from the Yucatan trip, as
they informed us of their decision to go on another RV caravan to Mexico. But
some people tend to forget their unpleasant experiences faster than others. This
time it would be a 37-day excursion to the Baja peninsula, which Rich and Helen
said was the “safest” area in Mexico (once you manage to make it through
Tijuana). You could also say of the lakes in Louisiana, the lake with the
fewest alligators is the “safest” lake in Louisiana. I’m still not going
swimming in it.
The Baja is a peninsula with only one “real”
highway that stretches the length of the peninsula, from Tijuana to Cabo San
Lucas, a distance of approximately 1045 miles. Most of the highway is
narrow two-lane blacktop with little or no shoulder. If a wheel slips off the edge
of the pavement there is an excellent chance of ending up in the ditch.
Over the past few days I have received emails from Richard
and Helen reporting on the progress of their trip. They related to me a horrible
account of a fellow traveler named Hugo and some exceptionally rotten luck he
was experiencing. Richard asked if I would retell the story in my blog just in
case any of you are considering a trip to the Baja. The events are true as told
to me, however I have taken some literary liberties in the retelling.
Hugo was driving his motorhome with his car towed behind it
when one or more of the motorhome’s passenger-side wheels dropped off the edge
of the pavement where there was no shoulder. Hugo managed to wrestle the
motorhome back onto the pavement but he was not quite as lucky with the car he
was towing. Still attached to the motorhome by its tow bar, the car rolled over
three times, causing Hugo to lose control of the motorhome, which skidded
across the highway and took out a utility pole and a power line. When the dust
cleared, live, sparking wires were laying across the roof of the motorhome. Amazingly,
no one was injured in the accident.
In Mexico, one cannot move a vehicle from an accident scene
until the police have given permission, which usually will not happen until after
the insurance adjusters have arrived and documented the damages to the involved
vehicle(s)/property. In this case there was more than the motorhome and tow car
for the adjuster to evaluate. The amount of damage to the utility pole and
power line would also be included. Once the adjuster had arrived and inspected
the scene he agreed with the police that Hugo was liable for the damages, not
only to his own motorhome and car, but also to the federal government’s utility
pole and power line. Until payment was made for the damage to federal property it
would be necessary for Hugo to be incarcerated.
Hugo was taken to the police station in Guerro Negro and
placed in a small, dirty cell. The lighting was bad and the plumbing worse. The
bed was bad and the food intolerable. In other words, a typical Mexican jail
cell. Visiting hours, or perhaps I should say “visiting minutes,” were five
minutes twice a day. The jailer was afraid of his superiors so no favors could
be expected from him. Any attempt to complain was countered by threats of false
accusations that could only make matters worse. No cameras were allowed in the
jail so no photos are available, but the description of the jail sounds like
something out of the movie “Midnight Express.”
Hugo decided not to eat or drink anything while in jail so he would, hopefully,
not need to use the broken plumbing. I have no information on how that worked
out.
Hugo’s driver’s license, passport, and visa were confiscated
and his motorhome and car were impounded. He was asked to sign papers written
in Spanish even though no interpreter was available to translate the documents
for him, nor was there a copy machine on which to make copies of the documents.
It seems that one of the documents was in effect a promissory note to the local
Magistrate for $4,000 in damages. Hugo would remain in jail until payment was
made. Payment was required in cash or by wire transfer. No credit cards and
checks would be accepted. Calls were placed to the US Consulate in Cabo San
Lucas in hopes that they might be able to keep Hugo from being kept locked up
in the “slammer.” There was no response from the consulate so the group was on
their own.
Two days later an attorney, sent by Hugo’s travel insurance company,
rode into town on a bus from La Paz, a distance of about 500 miles. The damages
were paid and Hugo was released from jail after spending two days and nights in
the filthy hole.
Hugo’s car and motorhome were released from the police
impound but neither one is drivable. The car was a total loss, for which Hugo
will receive an insurance settlement. The motorhome will be placed on a flatbed
truck and transported about 500 miles to San Diego for repairs. Hugo and his
wife will continue the trip by riding along with other members of the caravan
and staying in hotels at night.
The members of the caravan were very upset with the way in
which the Mexican police treated Hugo. One of the group members is reported to
have given the local RV park owner an earful until he was finally convinced to
offer what little help he could. The caravan members were quite vocal in
accusing the police and Mexican government doing everything they could to drive
tourists away rather than assisting in solving their problem. Several members
of the caravan are planning on filing complaints the Mexican Ministry of
Tourism, writing their US congressmen, and contacting other influential persons.
They have all agreed that they would never, ever, return to Mexico (I’ve heard
that before).
The group realized a degree of immediate success a day or so
later while the caravan was in the small east coast tourist town of Bahia de
Los Angeles. The wagon master (caravan leader and tour guide) received a visit
from the Governor of Baja California Norte who was accompanied by his director
of tourism in an effort to salvage as any remaining, if any, good will.
Everyone seems to agree that Baja is the safest part of
Mexico in which to travel. According to Mexico’s crime statistics this is true.
However, that does not mean there are no alligators in Baja. The peninsula is
composed of two Mexican states. These are Baja California Norte, the northern
half, and Baja California Sur, the southern half of the peninsula. Tijuana is
on the Mexico–US border, in Baja California Norte, and accounts for the
majority of crimes committed in that state. If you can safely run the gauntlet
through Tijuana the remainder of the drive down to Cabo is relatively safe
(except for the occasional alligator). But you should also know that the US
Consulate in Tijuana does warn travelers to exercise caution throughout all of Baja
California.
The Consulate receives numerous reports of extortion by
supposed police officers, and sometimes criminals using fake police uniforms
and credentials. The latest crime craze is “virtual kidnappings.” The extortionist
calls the prospective victim on the telephone, often posing as law enforcement
officials, and demands payment in return for the release of an arrested family
member, or to supposedly forestall a kidnapping. Prison inmates using smuggled
cell phones often make these calls. These criminals have extorted thousands of
dollars from their victims, all done by wire transfer.
It is interesting to take a look at the 2013 crime rates per
100,000 population (provided by RRS y Asociados S.C. at www.prominix.com) for
all 31 of the Mexican states (plus one federal district).
Combining the two Baja states as one, they would rank:
House burglary............... #1
Business burglary............#1
Car theft...........................#1
Assault.............................#1
Rape................................#1
Extortion..........................#2
Robbery...........................#3
Homicide.........................#12
So why does everyone seem to have the perception that it is
perfectly safe to travel about the Baja peninsula? It’s because of a very good Public
Relations (PR) campaign. The state of Baja California spent $500,000 on public
relations in 2009 and then hired Allison + Partners, a public relations firm, in
2010 to “reactivate” American tourism in the region. The state of Baja
California will not disclose the price tag for their new image.
The program has been so successful that in 2012 it won a Bernays
Bronze Award for “outstanding public relations tactics.” In February of last
year, at a pay-per-plate event – formally titled “How PR Shaped Baja
California’s Resurgence” – the Public Relations Society of America paid tribute
to the ongoing PR campaign. The campaign has been enormously successful,
increasing tourism by 75% in Baja California. Before the PR campaign began,
Baja California was on the US State Department’s “defer non-essential travel”
list. As a result of the ongoing PR campaign, it is no longer on that list. The
campaign has succeeded in combating the negative image of being best known for
dismembered bodies to generating positive stories and hailing Baja California as
a culinary epicenter with a vibrant art and music scene.
How has Allison + Partners managed to turn Baja’s image
around? With what the PR industry calls “fam trips” (familiarity trips). These
are paid junkets to Baja, normally reserved for people in the travel industry,
for journalists and celebrities. They are wined and dined and listen to
targeted pitches on Baja’s cuisine and travel attractions. There seems to be an
implicit understanding that the journalists will write positive reviews of Baja
and the celebrities will publicize what a great time they had in Baja and how
safe it is. Journalists from the New York
Times and the New Yorker have
been on these “fam trips,” after which they wrote positive stories about the
art and food scene.
Movie celebrities who have been on the “fam trips” include Sylvester
Stallone, Emily Watson, and Robert Redford. Celebrity chefs, such as Anthony
Bourdain of the Travel Chanel’s No
Reservations, and noted food writers, such as Erin Jackson of San Diego’s DiningOut Magazine and www.ejeats.com, have also been on these Baja “fam
trips.” Bourdain included the Baja in one of his show’s 2012 season. Bourdain said
that he knew very little about Baja, but that he “helped shift the focus
tremendously from murder to food and wine.”
While searching the Internet I discovered a two-page Allison
+ Partners’ document titled “Bi-weekly Campaign Update,” dated August 10 –
August 24 (year not given), which contains a great many bullet-points under the
headings of media relations, coverage,
upcoming coverage, media leads, writing, social media & website (including
Twitter and Facebook), and admin/counsel.
A survey of 600 Southern Californians was conducted in
December of 2012 to judge peoples’ perceptions of Baja’s reputation.
Respondents “who perceived Baja as unsafe” decreased by 16% from the previous
year and those “who would not visit Baja because of the perceived danger,
crime, or drugs” decreased by 44%. I believe that these results most likely
reflect the perceptions of the general population. So travel Baja at your own
risk and watch out for the occasional alligator.
Someone may have put a lot of lipstick on an alligator, but
it’s still an alligator.
