I am writing this from my home in San Carlos, Sonora, Mexico and I certainly feel safer when I am here than at my other home in Tucson, Arizona.
Mexico is not a war zone and lots of innocent people are not being killed on a daily basis. Good news does not sell papers or get you to watch the evening news. Would you cancel a trip to Phoenix because 5 people were murdered there yesterday? Would you cancel a trip to Disney Land because 6 people were murdered in Los Angeles yesterday? Probably not.
Mexico is about 2/3rds the size of the US in land mass so it is unlikely you will find yourself or any other friends or family in danger at any time.
The Mexican government is going after the drug cartels and as a result violence is erupting between the narco traffickers and the police and military in isolated areas and incidents. If you are not in the illegal drug business, not a Mexican police officer, or a member of the Mexican military you have nothing to fear. The violence is primarily drug dealers killing other drug dealers as they fight for a shrinking corridor to smuggle drugs into the USA. If people in the USA would stop using so many illegal drugs these guys would be out of business. Currently the cartels are moving into Phoenix and Atlanta so drug violence in the USA is also on the rise, it is not just Mexico.
In traveling to San Carlos, Sonora, Mexico you will NOT drive through Nogales if you use our driving directions, as the faster commercial crossing (Mariposa Crossing) goes around the city and is much faster. Once on the highway it is four lane highways all the way to San Carlos. The roads are well patrolled; there are gas stations, 3 toll roads with bathrooms and lots of small towns that you travel through so the highway is very safe and secure.
Once in San Carlos you will find a small predominantly American community in Mexico. Here we don’t lock our doors or worry about someone stealing our car or any other crime for that matter. This time of year our winter residents are here most of them in their 60′s and 70′s and they all drive back and forth between here and the USA regularly and no resident has had any problems. One friend of ours Pat Sheya who turned 80 in November drives her Dodge truck back and forth once a month by herself!
When you arrive in San Carlos you will discover what only a few of us know, that Mexico is as safe as ever, possibly even more so now with the more regular patrols by the federal police and “Green Angels” (mechanics on wheels). And when you return home we hope that you will be able to spread the word that Mexico is safe and more people should ask those who live there how it is and not always believe the media all the time.
I have attached some other testimonials that have recently been posted on face book regarding other people’s thoughts on traveling in Mexico. And we have just acquired 2 new websites that we hope to have up in the next month that will have even more info on safe Mexico travel www.sonoraissafe.com and www.mexicoissafe.com . Sorry for writing a book, but the grossly inaccurate media coverage is rampant and I am trying my best to give people honest and factual information. I hope this helps you in deciding to come bring your group diving in San Carlos with us! And I look forward to your reply.
Sincerely,
Michael A. Huhn
Howdy,
Please reply to my email ed@greenprairieenergy.com and Thank you much for the local info.
Two of us will be arriving by Tufesa on the 8PM bus this week. We are staying in San Carlos but can not tell if the bus station is in San Carlos or Guymas. Will there be a taxis at the bus station at that time of night? And no, i did not make the reservation to bring us in after dark.
Ed