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I
want to share with the US State Department
my experience yesterday (03-31-09) with
armed security.
Out
in El Morro where I've been staying, I heard
the Chihuahua from across the way doing some
excessive barking. I looked out the
window to see why and saw two Army guys in
full camouflage uniform and holding very big
guns knocking on the door where the
Chihuahua lives.
My
neighbors had left about a 1/2 hour earlier.
I opened my door and called across to
let them know there was no one home.
In perfect English, not even an accent, one
of the fellas said, "Thank You, Thank
You very much"............and they
walked away to where another of their group
was talking to another neighbor and the
handyman. I watched from the window.
Soon they were joined by others and the 6 of
them went up the drive to where the Landlord
resides. After about a 1/2 hour the
troop came back and went the way they had
come thru the settlement and exited the
area.
In
this neighborhood there are 6 occupied homes
at present.. I am the only American.
After
the Soldiers left I was out talking with a
neighbor and was told the Soldiers had just
completed a 'walk thru' of this community
and did a 'look n see' of the homes where
someone was home and they were invited in,
or asked to enter. Routine mission.
I
was very impressed! My neighborhood in
St. Louis, Missouri would have benefited
from the S.W.A.T. team doing an unannounced
walk through of homes on my street, I know
for a fact, they could have confiscated many
items of interest right out in the open.
Mexico
has a very impressive Security System in
place for Tourists and Residents. They
have 'profiling' check points on the roads
and now I've witnessed 'walk thru's of
neighborhoods'
I
hope these neighborhood patrol missions
include all neighborhoods and high rises.
No one should be exempt. Not only does
it make you feel like they are keeping the
country safe for you but you are assured
your neighbors aren't putting you in harms
way either.
I
just want to say to President Hugo Torres
Chabert and the
Army...........................you are doing
a great job in keeping a watchful eye on
neighborhoods and the people who are behind
closed doors. You will always be
welcome at my door. I hope my fellow
Americans feel the same and welcome the
opportunity to play their part in making
Mexico safe for everyone.
I'm
sad to say, I'll be leaving in less than a
week, going back to Utah. I will come
back this summer and make Mexico my home.
I
hope the US State Department takes a better
look at Mexico and sees it's as safe here as
it is in Washington D.C. for a tourist.
Sincerely,
Jackie
Jackels
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Jackie
Jackels
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I
am a native Californian who has been
visiting Baja since I was a child. There
have been many changes over the years, but
few as dramatic as in the decade or so since
Rosarito became an incorporated city. Particularly
in the recent years, Rosarito has faced a
crisis and stepped forward with deliberate
speed and leadership to bring order and
safety to its residents and visitors.
Now
as a full-time ex-patriot foreign resident,
my real-life experience in Rosarito is far
different from the one I see portrayed in
the media. Of the 14, 000 or more
full-time foreign resident Americans and
Canadians living here, I am unaware of a
single incident where any innocent foreign
residents or tourist visitors have been
victims of the violence visited upon us by
the drug cartels. All but a few of the
incidents between drug dealers have taken
place, while technically within
the city limits of Rosarito, far into the
deserted canyons and hills surrounding the
population center.
Teen-agers
are not, perhaps, the most prudent tourists,
but even these young people have ventured
into our city for years and not one has
encountered the predicted danger. In
2009, there are fewer of them so far, but
they are coming here, and they are having
fun-filled, violence-free vacations at
bargain prices. Even the State
Department "alert" stated calmly
that Mexico is one of the most visited
countries by Americans, who are advised to
stay in tourist areas! All of the
business zone in central Rosarito is a
"tourist area" where visitors walk
from taco stands to fish markets, from disco
bar to family restaurant, from motels to
luxury condos, and from sidewalk cafe to art
gallery.
I
am a member of the Rosarito Friends of the
Library, and we visit libraries throughout
the city without fear, even in outlaying
colonias. Recently major corporations
such as Wal-Mart, Home Depot, Applebees,
Burger King and GNC Nutrition have opened
locations in Rosarito. Others are
coming. They share our confidence in
the safety and sunshine we enjoy in
Rosarito.
Just
so you know... I am semi-retired, but have
nothing to sell. I don't own a
business here, don't sell real estate, and
don't have a financial interest in the
tourists who either visit or don't visit
Rosarito and Baja. It is simply an
injustice to watch repeated media reports
that use years old video tape and
information from other parts of the country
while they stand in San Ysidro, California
and do their reporting with cameras pointing
toward Mexico... where they have never
visited.
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Ken
Bell /
RosaritoKen@gmail.com
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From
the moment I moved here almost two years ago
my experience has been wonderful. I feel
safer in my little town of La Mision than I
ever did in any US city or rural town.
The people here have been, almost without
exception, kind, friendly, helpful,
respectful, gentle and warm. My favorite
part of life in Mexico is that nearly
everyone will smile and wave if you smile
and wave.
Their willingness to engage and their trust
in other human beings is a balm to my tired
soul. I love the landscape too, the sea, the
rocks, and the unique buildings. It's as
though each one was created and built
spontaneously, and then painted in glorious
colors just for me. |
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Barbara
K. |
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| As
residents since 1998 we have never regretted
our decision to come to Baja. The weather,
the people, and the lifestyle is all we
hoped it would be. If you are an independent
spirit with a flexible approach to life you
can't make a better choice than living the
good life here. Come join us! |
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Sylvia
Dombrosky |
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I
am an americano having lived in baja
california for 2 1/2 years. I own a home in
Rosarito; for the last seven months I have
lived in an apartment in downtown Tijuana
for part of the week. It angers me how so
much negative publicity is put out on both
cities. I feel perfectly safe here.
People seem to forget that there is crime in
San Diego, Oakland, or anywhere else in the
United States. It is a pity to see the
tourists staying away, the negative stories
written about Baja, and the businesses and
people directly hurt by the stories. This is
my home and I love every day I am here!
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Jack
E. George |
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It's
terribly true that so often it's the
perception of the facts that counts, not the
facts. So it is with Rosarito and crime.
My wife and I live a wonderful life in our
condo in Rosarito Beach, living nicely on
what would be called a poverty level income
on the other side of the border. We "go
to town" often and have never been
bothered by that "crime" so
falsely played up by the American media. I
worked hard to become a governor back in the
'states.
Literally walking the entire state (1197
miles) while campaigning, I met thousands of
hard-working people who would be called
ordinary folks. I stayed in their homes
night after night for four months. Here in
Baja, I have met not as many but a lot of
"ordinary folks" working hard for
a living. It's a rotten shame that the
exaggerations and lies being thrown out by
newspapers and on TV "up north,"
are causing ordinary honest and hard working
folks down here horrible harm from losses of
jobs and income All of us Norte Americans
should try hard to get out the real facts
and dispel those false perceptions that
unfortunately lead so many people to say,
"I don't do Mexico."
To repeat, let's all spread the facts: This
is a delightful place to live and to shop
and the plain facts are that as you enjoy
yourself in downtown Rosarito, those bad
guys will not bother you.
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Dan
Walker, former Governor of Illinois |
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I
feel safer here than I have in some places
I've lives and traveled in the US. My last
home in the US was in Eastlake and I feel
safer here. Never hear a gunshot or see
anyone that would frighten me.. I sleep at
night listening to the ocean.
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Nancy
Callison RN / callnanc@hotmail.com |
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I
have lived full time in Rosarito for 4 years
this June and have only 'flowers' to report!
Waking up on the ocean makes me pinch myself
and Thank God for allowing me to fulfill my
dream of living on the beach. A 'buenos
dias', como estes or buen dia with a grand
smile greets me where ever I go...
VIVA MEXICO,
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A.K.
/ akenesie@yahoo.com |
Four
years ago I heard Dan
Rather of CBS announce that there was
much activity at the border, both ways. He
said Americans were heading to Mexico in big
numbers to retire.
I sold everything, put a footlocker in my
car along with my cat and headed for Baja.
My quality of life greatly improved because
of the cost of living here. I live just a
few blocks from the beach which I walk
often, in downtown Rosarito Beach, close to
shopping and entertainment. I’m not far
from the border so I can get to San Diego
for my Medicare.
I’m
only minutes away from one of the best heart
clinics in the region. I feel safe. I’ve
never heard a shot or seen a gun or a dead
body. I have a caregiver 6 days/week. The
cost of my apartment and my caregiver would
be absolutely prohibitive in the USA.
Everyday I thank God for delivering me from
a life of mediocrity to a life of serenity.
As they say in Mexico, estoy muy contento!
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Peter
Fowler
Retired
American living in Rosarito Beach, Baja
California, Mexico
Author, Good Info for Gringos Living in Baja
www.info4gringos-baja.com
619-407-7089 |
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I
get very upset at what I read in the
American Press regarding Mexico, in
particular. Rosarito Beach. Yes, there have
been some serious issues regarding corrupt
groups, but their quarrel is between
themselves and it rarely spills over into
the civilian section and when it does, it is
just a person being in the wrong place at
the wrong time. I see more problems in the
daily newspapers stateside, such as daily
carjacking, gang issues and murders just to
name a few. I really think that all this
hype about Mexico is more to do with selling
papers than giving its readers the real
information.
I have a home in Rosarito Beach and another
home stateside. I have been coming to
Rosarito since I was a teenager and have had
my home here for over 30 years. In all that
time, I have never encountered any problems.
Maybe I was just lucky, but most of my
friends feel the same way I do. SAFE.
I love the lifestyle, kick back and
relaxing. Every time I travel from the
states to Rosarito, I feel like a huge stone
has been removed from my back and I slide
right back into that relaxed feeling of
being back in Mexico. Rosarito Beach is a
great little seaside get away and offers
everything that is imaginable, good
restaurants, reasonable hotel rates, a great
beach, terrific shopping (and with the peso
being as it now is, shopping is a bargain)
and most of all relaxation.
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Dr.
Harry O.
ifapres@yahoo.com |
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I've
lived here in Rosarito for 2 1/2 years in a
wonderful home on the beach. I do everything
I would do if I were living in San Diego,
only at about 1/2 the price. Rosarito is a
charming town with the friendliest people I
have ever encountered in all my travels. How
many times have you had on-coming traffic
stop for you, so you could make a left turn?
Happens to me all the time here!
Do I feel safe? Absolutely! I have spoken to
many people in the American community and
they too feel perfectly safe. The bad guys
are not after us, they're mostly after each
other. When the US media quotes "drug
deaths in Mexico" The are reporting on
an entire country NOT Baja. I don't know
what the number of Drug related incidents
are in the US, but I'll bet if you included
users along with dealers and assaults,
robberies and other related issues, you'd
come up with a pretty high number
Sr. Torres, the mayor of Rosarito has done
an incredible job of cleaning up the police
force and even setting up a Tourist Police
group (all of whom speak English) who are
ready to help you with any problems you may
encounter. But frankly there's no reason to
expect any problems, other than needing some
directions on how to find something.
The merchants and restaurants in town are
anxious to have your business and in
addition to generally lower prices, you
dollar goes a lot further here in Baja
COME ON DOWN!!!
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Susan
Smith
susansmithz@hotmail.com |
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One
fact to know about us first is that we do
not have a cell phone - left them ALL back
in Colorado feeling we did not need them
here in Rosarito. On Thursday, March 12,
2009, approximately 4:15PM, we had just
crossed the border coming back from a day at
the doctors in Hillcrest, CA. Our van just
died on the street along the Mexican side
the of border fence. Several bystanders
jumped into action and pushed us out of
traffic.
These men, at one point, had become quite
demanding of money. And then a Tijuana
resident, Sr. Barajas, stopped and came to
our aid. He spoke English as well as his
native Spanish. He helped by translating
with the guys who had pushed us. He
volunteered to go for a tow truck and he
would be right back. Just after he left a
Motorcycle Officer, Sahagun S., stationed
out of Playas de Tijuana, stopped. He spoke
English, was extremely professional,
courteous and helpful.
He also offered to call a tow truck and in
fact did so. Without a word his presence
disbanded the group of men who had pushed
our van. Within 15 minutes, two tow trucks
simultaneously show up. In one of them is
Sr. Barajas and it is a flat bed, which is
exactly what we had asked for. Sr. Barajas
again translated for us, negotiating with
Ranulfo of Gruas Guardado in Tijuana, to
take us to Rosarito AND for a fair price. We
told Officer Sahagun how much we appreciated
his assistance and to tell the tow truck he
called we were sorry but we could not use
them. We felt we had to go with Sr. Barajas
after his coming through for us. We were at
our mechanics and then our home in Rosarito
by 6:30PM, just shortly after dark.
If it had not been for the people of
Tijuana, Playas de Tijuana and Rosarito -
all of them - we may have been in a
collision or worse. We have been here for 2
years and this is just one of several
occasions that the citizens and officials of
the Baja have come to our aid. We love it
here and believe strongly that this is a
FANTASTIC place to live.
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Nate
And Julia Prine
Rosarito - Full time resident & Lovin'
IT |
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