Hello America – The World Ain’t as Bad as You’ve Been Told
My first trip to anywhere that was considered the least bit sketchy was to Mexico. Now, growing up in the U.S. I don’t believe that I was alone in hearing about how violent and corrupt our neighbors to the south were. I think I grew up with a lot of misconceptions about a lot of things actually…but I digress. I was a bit apprehensive about actually going to Mexico…but not so much as to not go. I wasn’t going to to Acapulco or Cancun or any of the special white man resorts, mind you, I was going to the regular Mexico – the one with Mexicans and chicken buses and stray, starving dogs and and roosters crowing and trash blowing and everything.
Before going there, I even looked at the U.S. State Dept. travel advisories for Mexico and there were general warnings about most of the country but nothing specific. The ONLY specific warning was about the EXACT place I would be going – the warning had something to do with violence towards Americans on Zicatela Beach – I think it warned to stay off the beach at night. My apprehension was ratcheted up a few notches but…the tickets were booked at that point and deposits had been made….I was taking the trip.
Zicatela Beach and the entire town of Puerto Escondido on Oaxaca’s Pacific coast turned out to be wonderful (constantly crowing roosters and starving dogs aside) – the people there were friendly and helpful and I managed to stay there AND travel through the interior of Mexico on various buses and vans and taxis and never once was I mugged or stabbed or even pickpocketed (though I was, on a couple of occasions, propositioned to buy drugs…declined though….kept having movie flashback moments of Mexican prisons and tried to avoid even talking to these characters). Anyhow, the point here is, that in Mexico and everywhere else I’ve ever been in the world, people go to a certain place to live for pretty much the same reasons that people would go live in say…Des Moines, IA… They wish to make a life for themselves and their families, they wish to do so honorably and they don’t want to live in a crime riddled neighborhood. Yep, people are people no matter where in the world you go. Just like in Des Moines there will be bad elements in cities and towns across the world, but there is absolutely no place that is sitting, waiting for you to show up so that they can rob you blind and throw you out naked and bleeding.
So why the rant….well, hopefully, more people can relate to the place in this video that is being called a “cesspool of corruption” and a “mess”. If you’ve ever been to Amsterdam, I would think that you would agree that it is anything but a cesspool.
The gospel of Rupert Murdoch is baseless sensationalism.
Will @ July 29, 2009
Comments (3)
amazing video! so true…great rant
Ha, Fox News is always good for a laugh (and a shudder). The video maker is hilarous, he should submit those to The Daily Show. I can only be lucky enough to visit Amsterdam on my next trip to Europe.
Love the website name!
Like this post!. Im from México and had travel for the last year over Canada and Oregon and CA in the States. I landed in Tijuana a day a go for need more than something else. I was completely cultural shocked in my home country, remembering how dirty it is. What a shame local people care nothing about improving habits. It is out of my sense how can someone go to the beach, get to see dolphins with an spectacular sunset as a background and yet not being sensitive enough to take their trash with them. All the shore cover by junk makes me sympathetic for us, I use to get really angry.
I´ve been in Zicatela, nicer than Pto. Escondido. I lived in Zipolite for a year (which was inspiring for personal growth) and I know beach environments. It is true they are risky in the way there is access to drugs and stuff, local people are a little bit safer for knowing the tricks of the culture but is the same when we go to an unknown territory.
So good to hear you had a safe and nice experience down Oaxaca, its a magical place. Danger is everywhere (Tijuana!!!!), all around the world but who doesn´t take the risk will only see other places through pages on a magazine.
I love the reality shown in the video. Revealing undercover truth about misconceptions and tabus, like alcohol being so well accepted worldwide when is a cause of a problem chain!
Anyways.. culture, misconceptions, what a long-night topics… regards!