Expat Safety In Mexico

@OceanBeach92107

the recent actions are sure not going to help the tourism or expat situation there.  As an outsider looking in, this is crazy.  I’m learning today that there are at least six of these violent cartels in Mexico, covering the whole country.  Even Colombia seems safer than this!  The system down there has allowed this to go on, and probably also benefited from it.  I’ve lived in Colombia before and was thinking of trying Mexico, but this is just plain crazy.  As I write this, my brother’s wife is trapped in a hotel, with no flights out and apparently running low on food.  These whole idea of moving to places that are cheaper needs to be re-examined.  It’s now looking that it’s cheaper for a reason!

I have owned a home 30 minutes from the Guadalajara airport since 2008. 

There is always similar bloques by the cartels after a significant leader is killed, captured or extradited to the US.  It's expected and civilians are rarely injured, let alone killed.  The buses and tractor trailers are stopped, passengers and drivers allowed to leave the area before the vehicle is lit afire.

Yesterday, less than 24 hours after the bloques, I was at my local frutería buying fresh veg and produce.  The farmacias opened by 10, as did the gas stations.  The road to the airport was cleared enough for traffic by 5am. 

This is a normal course of things here; those who are skittish should not consider MEX or any foreign country for retirement or remote work.  They may be more comfortable in Orlando or Miami, though not necessarily safer. 

I think there has been a lack of posting maybe because people are still reeling, maybe in shock, maybe just trying to get out of the cities most affected. But I concur with the above post. Our lockdown here in Puerto Vallarta, at the hostel where I had been for a few days, lasted one day and a half.  We combined what was left of our food together and shared our meals. One tienda opened yesterday and the line was long and took an hour for everyone to grab what they wanted. The owners inflated prices (500 pesos for what should have been about half, I live in Mexico so I knew it should have been much less) but we had no choice as one or two OXXO's were burned, vandalized, and the rest were all shut out of fear. I had heard, but can't confirm, that the cartels told the workers in the OXXO near us to leave before they doused it with gasoline. Tourists are inconvenienced, yes, and in fear, it was scary to have the hotel next door to us up in flames for hours and buses and cars burned a block away. However, I still plan to return as I love this city and this is how life is. Mexico is a kind country and people look after each other here. It is not dog-eat-dog like in the states. I would fear FLA much more myself. Stores are slowly opening and the airports have resumed flights so far. The WORLD is unsafe. Keep your head up, stay alert and survive! Find the good stuff where you can! If you feel safer in the USA (I don't), then by all means, please stay there!