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There is no "common sense" in fearing an entire country, especially a country as vast and varied as Mexico, with some of the friendliest and most beautiful people I have ever met in my whole life. And by the way, the "other side of town" isn't scary unless you want it to be. But hang onto your fear, I'm sure it has served you well.
If you're as macho about running around our towns here, all willy-nilly, as you're are in Mexico, think I'll bypass you're advice. Even though my office where I am right now if considered a very safe area during daytime daylight hours, I wouldn't want to be anywhere near it at night, when the ghouls come out. As the saying goes,
fools run where angels fear to tread. ... I do certainly agree with you that one cannot proscript an entire country based upon the bad reputation of certain areas.
But I'd certainly want to know the specifics before wandering off just anywhere. I've known just too many people who've gotten kidnapped or murdered - including
some murdered within mere yards of this business off hours. .. and I did have a family member kidnapped and held hostage from one of those allegedly safe tourist areas of Mayan heritage - he was never abused or even threatened, in fact, they treated him rather politely - but neither was he going anywhere until the ransom
money came through.
I'll buy that for a dollar, Drew.
Michael, It's called weighing the risk versus reward. Risk has skyrocketed. Reward (cheap, restful vacations) has plummeted. When I first when to Ensenada in 1986 a hotel cost me $13 and breakfast $1.25. A few years later I rode my BMW motorcycle down the length of Baja, put it on a ferry with myself, and my girlfriend, and paid $6.50 to get to Mazatlan. We had a cabin too. I spent weeks and weeks driving all over the interior of Mexico on a motorcycle back then.
Flash forward to today. That same room is $50, and the doorknobs still fall off in your hands. The hot water still barely works. Breakfast is $10. The ferry, last time I checked in Guaymas to La Paz, about 10 years ago, had risen to $75. In a nutshell, you'll pay more than in America for almost everything, and get about 10% the quality and safety. And things are often cancelled, or late, or .... It's Mexico still. Do I want to pay top dollar to go get "adventure" and risk kidnapping or getting gunned down in a restaurant battle? Or would I rather go to Yellowstone, San Diego, Alaska, Paris, London.....where everything works and I don't risk all that?
Well, I have been held hostage once in this country ... and a very very small mistake could have ended up fatal to one of us. I'm close to any number of people who routinely went to the Pakistan Karakorum to trek and climb. No more. One of them got kidnapped and went thru an incredible ordeal escaping - and that was just from the crazed official liason officer, not the Taliban. No difference here. I know exactly which transit stations are safe, and which are not, which streets are drug territory lines with frequent gun battle, and which are normally quiet. Heck, certain street are on the local news almost every nite, with somebody getting shot by a stray bullet. So you have 99 to 1 odds that it won't happen to you a particular day. ... Is it worth the gamble, when there are thousands of safer places to go? I did enough foolish things as a kid. No need for any more of that.
just be careful about the two camera/person body restriction - they will charge you duty if you bring 3 (30% after allowing the first $300) or more. No restrictions on lenses. The larger, more touristy ruin sites like Chichen Itza will deny a tripod.