Easier now for Ukrainians and Russians to travel to Mexico

[ML]

Inicio Autorización Electrónica

IMPORTANT: In order to travel to Mexico with an electronic authorization, please verify that the airline with you may travel is part of SAE scheme.

If for any reason the airline is not able to verify your electronic authorization during check-in, your boarding will not be authorized.
¿What is an electronic authorization and what is it for?

The Electronic Authorization System (SAE) is an online system, which allows Brazilians, Russians, Peruvians and Ukrainians to obtain an electronic authorization to travel to Mexico without a consular visa.

Brazilians, Russians and Ukrainians can obtain an electronic authorization to travel to Mexico for tourism, transit or business purposes.

Peruvians who get an electronic authorization can travel to Mexico only for transit purposes and must do it with Aeromexico in its routes from Peru or Brazil to China or Japan. Visa for the country of destiny is required.

Holders of a valid U.S. visa or permanent resident of Japan, Great Britain, Schengen Area, Canada or United States do not require a visa to travel to Mexico neither an electronic authorization.

Brazilians, Russians and Ukrainians who plan to travel to Mexico can file an application to obtain an electronic authorization to travel for tourism, transit or business purposes.

If you already hold a Mexican visa, you do not require an electronic authorization. Holders of a valid U.S. visa or permanent residents of Japan, Great Britain, Schengen Area, Canada or United States do not require a visa to travel to Mexico neither an electronic authorization.

To use the SAE and to obtain an electronic authorization is necessary to meet this two conditions:

    * To be Brazilian, Russian or Ukrainian.
    * To hold a valid passport.

If you meet this conditions and you want to obtain an electronic authorization, you must submit an application online at: http://www.inm.gob.mx/index.php/page/Solicitud_de_Autorizacion_Electronica/ru.html

If your application is granted, you must print out your approval and provide it to the airline personnel at the check-in desk on your flight’s day. Airline personnel will verify the authenticity and accuracy of your electronic authorization. If it is not valid you will not be allowed to board.

At your arrival to Mexico, Immigration Officers at ports of entry will also verify your electronic authorization accuracy and authenticity as well as your passport. If it is not valid you will be refused to entry.

http://www.inm.gob.mx/index.php/page/Inicio_Autorizacion_Electronica/en.html

[possum]

Doesn't mean there will be more Ukrainians/Russians traveling to Mexico.. They tried that with Brazil last year and have yet to report any significant increase in the number of tourists as the cost of airline tickets remains prohibitive..

[Nat]

Doesn't mean there will be more Ukrainians/Russians traveling to Mexico.. They tried that with Brazil last year and have yet to report any significant increase in the number of tourists as the cost of airline tickets remains prohibitive..

Are you kidding? Business in Mexico! Russia-Ukraine-Mexico - that makes a pretty nice pipeline for some people, doesn't it?

[possum]

Are you kidding? Business in Mexico! Russia-Ukraine-Mexico - that makes a pretty nice pipeline for some people, doesn't it?

Business people have always been able to travel anywhere they wanted.. Especially those who deal in pipelines of any kind..

[ECOCKS]

As Mexico continues to disintegrate economically, politically and socially I expect more "relaxation" of travel controls and security.

I initially hoped they would maintain a few enclaves where the visitors remain safe since it would be handy to bring my MIL or a couple of other family members there if I cannot get her into the US for a visit. However, unless things improve there it won't be a consideration.

The violence and anarchy in some areas shows no sign of abating and the problem is spreading.

http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/world/64517/prison-break-in-mexico  (Fixed Link)

http://www.ecoworld.com/ideas/politics-ideas/mexican-drug-wars-killed-12000-in-2010.html

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-mexico-travel6-2009mar06,0,7157441.story

http://travel.usatoday.com/destinations/dispatches/post/2010/08/cancun-bar-mexico-travel-safety/110694/1

[chivo]

I think you need to get some of your facts straight. While no one is suggesting that Mexico doesn't have problems, like any other country, many of your fears are unfounded. Violence can happen anywhere, and most of Mexico's violence is between the authorities and the drug cartels, or the cartels against each other. The areas most affected are the border towns and deep in northern Mexico.

Surely, or I hope, you're not basing your perception of Mexico on the articles you posted. There are still over a million Americans living in Mexico and most, if not all, completely enjoy it and are safe.

And yes, there are many safe "enclaves" there. Stop the fear mongering. If you think Mexico is any worse than say, Egypt, then you're way out there, and Russians go to Egypt all the time. Anytime Russians/Ukranians can travel visa free more or less, I consider it a good thing. Travelling visa free to certain places doesn't mean they're doing it because their country is going to hell. Russians have experienced easier visa, or will enjoy eaiser visa rules to Europe in the future, as well as the UK and America.

As for me I wouldn't hesitate to travel to Cancun or the surrounding areas with my lady from Russia, not to mention other places in and around Mexico and I think it will happen in the future. Of course there are certain places I wouldn't dare go into, just as there are certain areas in Los Angeles I wouldn't venture into.

Here are some facts about Mexico and the outlook for tourists and economically:

http://blogs.mcclatchydc.com/mexico/2010/12/mexican-corruption-getting-worse.html

http://www.nasdaq.com/aspx/stock-market-news-story.aspx?storyid=201012161232dowjonesdjonline000559&title=moodys-raises-mexican-banksoutlook-to-stable-from-negative.

http://blogs.mcclatchydc.com/mexico/2010/12/americans-in-mexico-how-safe.html

http://online.wsj.com/article/BT-CO-20101217-708273.html

[ECOCKS]

By all means, believe what you want to believe. I'll "fear-monger" to counter-balance your Pollyanna-like view which ignores realities with regard to risk assessment and evaluation of situations.

In the meantime, while I guess Mexico makes a better vacation choice than Somalia, there is a long list of safer, more stable locations for a vacation, retirement or business setup.

Hilarious...taken from a supposedly "positive" commentary on Mexico in the Wall Street Journal:

Private analysts polled this month by the Bank of Mexico raised their estimates for economic growth next year while expressing more concerns about the security situation relative to other possible risks.

Yes, they may well sell more oil and export some more assembled goods out of the country but the outlook is not so rosy. LOL - funny.

P.S. And yes, between terrorists and sharks, there are safer places with far more stability and romance than Egypt at the top of that list I mentioned.

[Jumper]

Ed-
Chivo was just giving some balance

frankly you seem quite risk averse..as far as travel/tourism destinations .
nothing wrong with that..
but  news and media do tend sensationalize

 Since you've not been to Mexico or Egypt recently ,and  never will from your own conclusions,
it doesn't hurt if travelers who actually have been to the *safe enclaves* you mention in Mexico or other countries, give not only their  belief, but an account of their real life experiences.


you have brought up before the  bombings in Sharm as evidence that its a poor choice of tourist destinations ,yet seem to completely forget the bombings in London or Moscow.


I do understand pointing out the shady areas to venture into.
Certain areas of mexico are unstable and seem to be declining..

However, the avaregae  traveler to a tourist resort in Sharm el sheik or Riviara maya Mexico,
 is not in any more danger than flying into moscow ,bucherest, kiev, or poltova.. or anywhere in Belarus?


Granted i don't generally feel in any immediate danger in th FSU..

but i certainly had more confrontations  and possibly dangerous  situations there in Yalta , this year,
than in a Mexico resort, or in the  Domincan Republic.

I enjoy traveling to any of those locations ,
and from being there,  i do know which situation is generally safer.

border mexico towns ,and the trouble there isnt to be taken lightly !!
 but it does not change the real world experience of traveling to known resorts being quite safe


If anyone here actually feels its much less safe in 2010, to go to the Riu Cancun ,Dreams /sandals in riveria maya mex, Cozumel  ,or the resorts on DR..

 than to some random flat in Zap.. or Sevastopol..

Then I've got some nice safe ocean front property here in Gary, Indiana to sell them.
 






 

[ECOCKS]

Ed-
Chivo was just giving some balance

frankly you seem quite risk averse..as far as travel/tourism destinations .
nothing wrong with that..
but  news and media do tend sensationalize

 Since you've not been to Mexico or Egypt recently ,and  never will from your own conclusions,
it doesn't hurt if travelers who actually have been to the *safe enclaves* you mention in Mexico or other countries, give not only their  belief, but an account of their real life experiences.


you have brought up before the  bombings in Sharm as evidence that its a poor choice of tourist destinations ,yet seem to completely forget the bombings in London or Moscow.


I do understand pointing out the shady areas to venture into.
Certain areas of mexico are unstable and seem to be declining..

However, the avaregae  traveler to a tourist resort in Sharm el sheik or Riviara maya Mexico,
 is not in any more danger than flying into moscow ,bucherest, kiev, or poltova.. or anywhere in Belarus?


Granted i don't generally feel in any immediate danger in th FSU..

but i certainly had more confrontations  and possibly dangerous  situations there in Yalta , this year,
than in a Mexico resort, or in the  Domincan Republic.

I enjoy traveling to any of those locations ,
and from being there,  i do know which situation is generally safer.

border mexico towns ,and the trouble there isnt to be taken lightly !!
 but it does not change the real world experience of traveling to known resorts being quite safe


If anyone here actually feels its much less safe in 2010, to go to the Riu Cancun ,Dreams /sandals in riveria maya mex, Cozumel  ,or the resorts on DR..

 than to some random flat in Zap.. or Sevastopol..

Then I've got some nice safe ocean front property here in Gary, Indiana to sell them.
 

I've only been to Mexico a dozen or so times AJ. All of those trips along the western coastal tourist regions. I lost interest in going back after the terrorist shooting in Mazatlan and decided to look into Canada for awhile and then I was exploring Europe. We'll watch and see what happens but it is clear the violence is spreading. Cancun is still trying to play down the bar event and hoping the criminals go back to their zones along the border and northern areas. The government is still struggling for how to assert control and praying they can lay it off on someone else, preferably the united States or the criminals themselves. If I remember correctly as of November, more US citizens had been killed in Mexico than in Iraq tp date.

I won't be taking any vacations in Iraq anytime soon either.

Simply it isn't so much being risk-averse as it is that when I go on vacation I'm not inclined to go somewhere that I have to consider any more dangerous than my normal life. It's supposed to be vacation not a tactical awareness exercise. Fortunately, London and Moscow are also not on my list either. Neither I nor the Sharm-al-Sheikh resorts feel it is particularly safe to be swimming there lately (as of last week anyway) in light of the recent shark attacks. Too many far more pleasant places on the list worth seeing.

[Jumper]

Having been to Mexico twice this year, one resort area with my son,
 the other trip remote areas  for work.  
and also to DR in Sept...

 DR is fun ,but i certainly prefer Mexico ,and yes overall feel safer there than in DR , even sticking strictly to the resort areas.

I'm glad the travel restrictions are lifting.

1. it can be a great vacation destination.
but yes choose wisely ,and follow the US travelers adviseries, just like you would for the FSU

2. It can open up other possible destinations,or ease of travel to them.
Many caribee islands are open to Russian/ukrainians, but the flights there often transit thru USA (restrictions)
Cuba, or Mexico.
Restrictions lifted in Mexico will allow more transit flight choices and possibly easier  access to more islands.

 

[Jumper]

Ed
 I understand your point.
I  have also been to mexico,and  countless times ,, both in far remote areas and resorts.

In the resort areas,, i believe to be as safe as anyone's average life.
The statistics would overwhelmingly show you more likely to get in a car accident on your way to the airport

its a matter of perspective?
Going to the FSU is likely never as safe ,as sitting at your home?

Neither is travel to NYC, London, or Moscow ? they have shootings and bombings in those cities, if you feel travel there, is  safer on average,
 than the average traveler to a *Dreams resort* in Riv Maya,, ???
*shrugs*


and of course the Maldives are off the list too..? 

Turkey? Israel?
Thailand?


just curious where in the world waldo is safe?
or as safe as home?
you mentioned Canada..

Vancouver island?  (awesome but not RW friendly)   Toronto?

How about Paris ? many a  RW's dream holiday? 
wait !! they had revolts and burnings there..

[ECOCKS]

Of course. Generally, people want to go on vacations where they can trust the kids will come back on an intact tour bus. Consequently, not many go to Yemen or Darfur with the MIL, wife and grandkids.

Vancouver was wonderful a couple of months ago. Didn't meet or see anyone who appeared concerned about my wife's accent. The Columbia River Gorge was beautiful and, other than some rain on the roads, very relaxing. We weren't that attracted to anything in Portland so weren't terribly at risk from the bomb plot there but enjoyed a long weekend in Astoria, OR, great museum there and pretty good seafood. Oh, only mild curiosity about the wife's accent there either. Cayman seems pretty well under control and Bulgaria hasn't had many shootings or terror attacks. While Paris and London are still on my wife's list, I'm hoping she'll grow out of them. Copper Mountain was looking pretty good when we went through there last month and Yellowstone is looking good as long as you have enough sense not to try to pet a buffalo. My son is a bit chagrined that Baltimore also turned out to have a home-grown terrorist attempt so we're confirmed that the large population centers just don't need to be on the list. We won't be near any major population centers this holiday season and while I hope for success in our new venture we earnestly hope that the new aspect of home-grown terrorists don't target our restaurant as a place were a bomb could be of deployed. The world is a dangerous place.

Saint Louis is a crime center and we only were there two nights but, then again, it was on our route and she was interested in the Arch and touring the brewery. At least my gun(s) were legal in the state although we had to trust the Feds for security at the Arch. We didn't stay long in the area and the entertainment area in downtown seemed safe enough.

We go where we want and where we feel there is something worthwhile for the dollar but there are plenty of beaches, resorts and attractions which can be visited safely without going where there is already a tendency for trouble to happen.

[Gator]

An acquaintance from golf decided to retire in Mexico (Guadalajara).  He loves it.  Would security be one of his mandatory criteria?  Suffice it to say he is an accountant.

I've only been to Mexico a dozen or so times AJ. All of those trips along the western coastal tourist regions.   

A dozen times to the same area sounds humdrum.  That is like a German visting Florida a dozen times. Mexico is diverse; take it all in.   

I lost interest in going back .... and decided to look into Canada for awhile...

Apples and oranges.

[ECOCKS]

LOL, yeah whatever, Ensenada, Puerto Vallarta, Mazatlan, Cabo, a couple of different golf courses, all with only mildly interesting sights (Mazatlan more so).

Living in Southern California we continually heard and read about the stories concerning inconsistent water supplies, power outages, break-ins, lack of skilled trades and on-going legal battles over titles, but I am sure they were all trailer trash trying to live in hovels in the backwoods.

My favorite was the former school superintendent who dropped $400K on a home in a gated community (with a golf course) only to have his title invalidated and the development company he had bought it from out-of-business. There were 300 something residents of that community mostly American and almost all foreign. Wonder if he was a neighbor to your accountant friend?

Hey, I wonder how many accountants worked for Madoff? Enron? Very detail-oriented and meticulous guys for sure!

Believe what you want to believe and take the path you feel best about.

[Boethius]

In the past 4 years, 15 Canadians have been murdered in Mexico, most in botched robberies though a few were bystanders killed in drug gang shootings.  At least five of those murdered were killed on the grounds of gated, high end resorts.  I haven't included Canadians involved in the drug trade who have met similar fates in Mexico - criminals killing criminals.  

Last month, 5 Canadians were killed, including a nine year old boy, in an explosion at a five star resort.  

Given the tourist dollars, and the corruption in Mexico, not surprisingly, not one of those murders has been solved.  The reasons for the gas explosion have changed from week to week, with the latest explanation (previously dismissed) being a ruptured gas line.  No one really knows the truth, and Mexicans aren't particularly interested in investigating anything.  They want to hush things up, and the victims are usually made to blame.  So, one young man, beaten to death by security guards at his resort (according to his girlfriend), had "fallen off the balcony" of his suite.  His family had an autopsy performed in Canada, and he was sober.  What is the likelihood of a sober, 30 year old man falling over a 4 foot balcony railing?  In another, even more egregious case, a couple was murdered in their room at a gated resort.  They were there for their daughter's wedding.  The Mexican police determined that the main suspects in the case of two fifty something Canadians who had their throats slit and thousands of dollars stolen from their room were two young Canadians across the hall.  One was a 30 year old single mother, a nurse, the other, a 28 year old medical student.  They were not allowed to leave the country until the Canadian embassy intervened, with promises they'd be returned if charges were laid.  Anyone familiar with the case knew this was ridiculous.   But, the women were vilified in the Mexican press, and had the possibility of facing charges hanging over their heads for close to two years.   The murdered victims' family had money, so the deceaseds' son hired an American detective and a prominent Canadian lawyer.  The detective soon pointed the finger at a security guard who had befriended this couple.  Of course, he has "disappeared".  Two years after the murder, he was officially declared a suspect by Mexican authorities but, to this day, remains at large.  His mother thinks he is living in California, with siblings who are illegal immigrants.

I have a friend who lives in Puerto Vallarta.  He comes back here in the summer to make money, but it is very cheap for him to live there.  He says there are areas that are "no go" areas, though he lives in a middle class neighbourhood and feels perfectly safe.  He says burglary and robbery are commonplace, but violence outside of drug wars, is rare.  I also have a friend who grew up in San Diego, speaks fluent Spanish, and spent a lot of time in Mexico as a teen and adult.  She said she won't go there at all now, and her heart is broken for what her Mexican friends have to endure.

[Gator]

LOL, yeah whatever, Ensenada, Puerto Vallarta, Mazatlan, Cabo, a couple of different golf courses, all with only mildly interesting sights (Mazatlan moreso).

Good places and some with history.  I went to Ensenada in the mid-1960s, and probably had LSD (unknowingly).  In 1970 I went to Zihautenjo and the next year to Isla Mujeres, both years before Ixtapa and Cancun.  Rode buses.  Those were the days, and more fun than decades later when I could afford the best of the best.  Nevertheless, I still enjoy Mexico of today and find it more interesting than most other places. 

One of my friend's sons works in the vibrant economy of Panama and he raves about it.

[spectris]

Doesn't mean there will be more Ukrainians/Russians traveling to Mexico.. They tried that with Brazil last year and have yet to report any significant increase in the number of tourists as the cost of airline tickets remains prohibitive..

Well it's cheap for ME to fly to Mexico (not Brazil) - I think this is great news for possibly meeting/vacationing w/ a an FSU woman in a resort area.  I'm sure Egypt and Turkey are awesome, but heck a beach in Cancun or Cabo is only 3 hours away.  Probably not a quick flight from Moscow or Kiev (excuse me Kyiv - I'm learning) though is there?   

[LAguy]

Not sure what the OP meant but I recently took a Moldovian girl to Mexico for a short trip. She has a tourist visa for USA
and easily left and came back to USA without a hitch. I don't know how diificult it would be to obtain a SAE for a FSU girl.
DM and in particular Punta Cana does very well for a rendevous with a FSU girl!!!!

In re to talk of deaths in countries......if you look hard enough you will find it everywhere. Does this mean you don't go anywhere but stay home? I heard plenty of talk( I'm from Cali) about kidnapping in Mexico and people I know that are acutually citizens there are scared to go back.......but it is mainly in the north( of course drug dealers) and locals identified with being in the USA are thought to have $$$$, hence the trouble. Anywhere you go there are certain areas to NOT be in late night or you run that risk of maybe..... I never had any trouble in Mexico...anyplace.... but I tell you I was in St Pete's one evening when I was taking some pics and a few 'police' asked me for something( in russian) and next thing they were taking toward a car and I thought to myself 'What the fricken hell am I doing here'???? AS I was pulling every paper I could find in my pockets. Boy was I scared......in the end, I made a beeline to my hotel.......

[Boethius]

Yet not many Canadians are murdered, or die in hotel explosions in the US (the primary tourism destination for Canadians).  Further, if Canadian tourists died in an American hotel blast, it wouldn't be covered up by government officials.

Thousands of Canadians travel to Russia, and particularly Ukraine, each year, and I have yet to hear of one murdered there, other than an aid worker killed during the Chechen war.

Finally, it's not the fact tourists are murdered, or killed in explosions, which is bad enough.  It is that life is so cheap, nobody cares, and the victims' families have never seen justice.

[chivo]

Again lets try to keep things in perspective. It's one thing to know what's going on based on facts and another thing to believe everything you read and hear and then act like some paranoid person. I don't believe in Santa Claus or the bogeyman, but I've read about both.

Los Angeles is a perfect microcosm of this which is why I used it intially. Every weekend, and I mean every weekend, 15-30 people will be murdered in and around certain areas due to gangs, drugs, etc. Some will be just innocent bystanders. If I happen to travel to these places then will most assuredly be putting myself at risk. Does this mean that all of LA is dangerous? Well, no, of course not. In the same sense many, many places in Mexico are safe. My family thought I was crazy to move to Russia and for sure thought I would be killed here based on misconceptions. Think of the way many Americans who you (anyone) have talked to who have never been to Russia and ask them what they think about Russia to get an idea of what I'm talking about.  

I have family who live in Mexico and I can assure you they live better than most on this board do (my Grandfather is president of Coca Cola in Nuevo Leon), and certainly better than I. I have also been there too many times to count and don't rely on sensationalism to form an opinion, but facts.

Comparing Mexico, Cancun, etc. to Somalia, Iraq or Darfur is just plain wacko.  

No American has been killed in Mexico and have had it covered up. Come on, families put to much pressure on the authorities in America, much less what the American government will do on its own. People have been murdered all over the world and all situations have happen. Mexico is not alone with regard to this.

If someone doesn't want to go there, great. Let's just keep things in perspective.

Not sure what the OP meant but I recently took a Moldovian girl to Mexico for a short trip. She has a tourist visa for USA
and easily left and came back to USA without a hitch. I don't know how diificult it would be to obtain a SAE for a FSU girl.
DM and in particular Punta Cana does very well for a rendevous with a FSU girl!!!!

In re to talk of deaths in countries......if you look hard enough you will find it everywhere. Does this mean you don't go anywhere but stay home? I heard plenty of talk( I'm from Cali) about kidnapping in Mexico and people I know that are acutually citizens there are scared to go back.......but it is mainly in the north( of course drug dealers) and locals identified with being in the USA are thought to have $$$$, hence the trouble. Anywhere you go there are certain areas to NOT be in late night or you run that risk of maybe..... I never had any trouble in Mexico...anyplace...

Of course and thanks for bringing some sanity to this thread.

[ECOCKS]

Hmmmm, who would have dreamed this could happen.....?

27 deaths, including 14 decapitated, rock Acapulco

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/40986256/ns/world_news-americas/

[Gator]

Hmmmm, who would have dreamed this could happen.....?

27 deaths, including 14 decapitated, rock Acapulco

Yes, Mexico is a dangerous place for those "...trying to intrude on the gang's turf...."

I am headed to Tulum in one week.   Maybe "headed" is a bad choice of words if I am decapitated while there.

[Boethius]

>Yes, Mexico is a dangerous place for those "...trying to intrude on the gang's turf...."

Or just crossing it, likely inadvertently.

http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/news/world/mexico/stories/DN-massacre_26int.ART0.State.Edition1.3591964.html

[ECOCKS]

Yes, anyone with a good head on their shoulders should carefully consider the environment and plan carefully for a safe and enjoyable vacation.....

[chivo]

Is Mexico Dangerous? A Journalist from New York point of view
Views: 23367
Added: Tue. May 12, 2009 12:04am
By Linda Ellerbee,

Sometimes I've been called a maverick because I don't always agree with my colleagues, but then, only dead fish swim with the stream all the time. The stream here is Mexico.

You would have to be living on another planet to avoid hearing how dangerous Mexico has become, and, yes, it's true drug wars have escalated violence in Mexico, causing collateral damage, a phrase I hate. Collateral damage is a cheap way of saying that innocent people, some of them tourists, have been robbed, hurt or killed.

But that's not the whole story. Neither is this. This is my story.

I'm a journalist who lives in New York City, but has spent considerable time in Mexico, specifically Puerto Vallarta, for the last four years. I'm in Vallarta now. And despite what I'm getting from the U.S. media, the 24-hour news networks in particular, I feel as safe here as I do at home in New York, possibly safer.

I walk the streets of my Vallarta neighborhood alone day or night. And I don't live in a gated community, or any other All-Gringo neighborhood. I live in Mexico. Among Mexicans. I go where I want (which does not happen to include bars where prostitution and drugs are the basic products), and take no more precautions than I would at home in New York; which is to say I don't wave money around, I don't act the Ugly American, I do keep my eyes open, I'm aware of my surroundings, and I try not to behave like a fool.

I've not always been successful at that last one. One evening a friend left the house I was renting in Vallarta at that time, and, unbeknownst to me, did not slam the automatically-locking door on her way out. Sure enough, less than an hour later a stranger did come into my house. A burglar? Robber? Kidnapper? Killer? Drug lord?

No, it was a local police officer, the "beat cop" for our neighborhood, who, on seeing my unlatched door, entered to make sure everything (including me) was okay. He insisted on walking with me around the house, opening closets, looking behind doors and, yes, even under beds, to be certain no one else had wandered in, and that nothing was missing. He was polite, smart and kind, but before he left, he lectured me on having not checked to see that my friend had locked the door behind her. In other words, he told me to use my common sense.

Do bad things happen here? Of course they do. Bad things happen everywhere, but the murder rate here is much lower than, say, New Orleans, and if there are bars on many of the ground floor windows of houses here, well, the same is true where I live, in Greenwich Village, which is considered a swell neighborhood - house prices start at about $4 million (including the bars on the ground floor windows.)

There are good reasons thousands of people from the United States are moving to Mexicoevery month, and it's not just the lower cost of living, a hefty tax break and less snow to shovel. Mexico is a beautiful country, a special place.

The climate varies, but is plentifully mild, the culture is ancient and revered, the young are loved unconditionally, the old are respected, and I have yet to hear anyone mention Britney Spears, Lindsay Lohan, or Madonna's attempt to adopt a second African child, even though, with such a late start, she cannot possibly begin to keep up with Angelina Jolie.

And then there are the people. Generalization is risky, but- in general - Mexicans are warm, friendly, generous and welcoming. If you smile at them, they smile back. If you greet a passing stranger on the street, they greet you back. If you try to speak even a little Spanish, they tend to treat you as though you were fluent. Or at least not an idiot.

I have had taxi drivers track me down after leaving my wallet or cell phone in their cab. I have had someone run out of a store to catch me because I have overpaid by twenty cents. I have been introduced to and come to love a people who celebrate a day dedicated to the dead as a recognition of the cycles of birth and death and birth - and the 15th birthday of a girl, an important rite in becoming a woman - with the same joy.

Too much of the noise you're hearing about how dangerous it is to come to Mexico is just that - noise. But the media loves noise, and too many journalists currently making it don't live here. Some have never even been here. They just like to be photographed at night, standing near a spotlighted border crossing, pointing across the line to some imaginary country from hell. It looks good on TV.

Another thing. The U.S. media tend to lump all of Mexico into one big bad bowl. Talking about drug violence in Mexico without naming a state or city where this is taking place is rather like looking at the horror of Katrina and saying, "Damn. Did you know the U.S. is under water?" or reporting on the shootings at Columbine or the bombing of the Federal building in Oklahoma City by saying that kids all over the U.S. are shooting their classmates and all the grownups are blowing up buildings. The recent rise in violence in Mexico has mostly occurred in a few states, and especially along the border. It is real, but it does not describe an entire country.

It would be nice if we could put what's going on in Mexico in perspective, geographically and emotionally. It would be nice if we could remember that, as has been noted more than once, these drug wars wouldn't be going on if people in the United States didn't want the drugs, or if other people in the United States weren't selling Mexican drug lords the guns.

Most of all, it would be nice if more people in the United States actually came to this part of America (Mexico is also America, you will recall) to see for themselves what a fine place Mexico really is, and how good a vacation (or a life) here can be.

So come on down and get to know your southern neighbors. I think you'll like it here. Especially the people.