BULLETS OVER BAJA: Attack Yields Grave Consequences

[CompuDude]

Well, Billy, aside from visiting your condo I'm not too sure I want to head back to La Bufadora after reading all this. Muggings in the dark parts of a city and perhaps an attack on someone in an RV parked on an empty stretch of beach in the middle of nowhere are one thing. Armed carjackings of people by fake cops driving the toll roads, however... that hits a little close to home. I'm sure I'd be fine once I got to La Buf, but the getting there is getting scary. And considering how often I end up crossing the border after dark on the return trip... that's no longer sounding very appetizing, either.

 

[Empty V]

Well, Billy, aside from visiting your condo I'm not too sure I want to head back to La Bufadora after reading all this. Muggings in the dark parts of a city and perhaps an attack on someone in an RV parked on an empty stretch of beach in the middle of nowhere are one thing. Armed carjackings of people by fake cops driving the toll roads, however... that hits a little close to home. I'm sure I'd be fine once I got to La Buf, but the getting there is getting scary. And considering how often I end up crossing the border after dark on the return trip... that's no longer sounding very appetizing, either.

Kalani, I completely understand your concerns and it's a shame that I'll have one more bedroom open for another diver or two. Seriously though, I think due to the potential danger we just need to adjust our travel times. I'd only travel in the early afternoon and try to stay on the main highway. I doubt we have any more to worry about living in LA than Baja. I agree with many of the posters who already said this so maybe we should find crime statistics for the valley and see which is more dangerous.

Billy

 

[CompuDude]

Kalani, I completely understand your concerns and it's a shame that I'll have one more bedroom open for another diver or two. Seriously though, I think due to the potential danger we just need to adjust our travel times. I'd only travel in the early afternoon and try to stay on the main highway. I doubt we have any more to worry about living in LA than Baja. I agree with many of the posters who already said this so maybe we should find crime statistics for the valley and see which is more dangerous.

Billy

The difference is this: I know the unsafe areas of LA and how and when to avoid them. Yes, there is an outside chance of something bad happening, but it's VERY unlikely, and should something actually happen, there is a big safety net I can depend on in terms of access to medicine, expert medical help, and reliable law enforcement.

That's not the case in Mexico. None of it, actually. Not in the Baja Peninsula, at least. There is only one road (the toll road) to get to the areas I want to get to. And that toll road now has several recorded incidents of carjackings by fake cops. When was the last time something like that happened in Studio City, Westwood, or Woodland Hills? Never. That sort of crime simply doesn't happen here.

And THAT's what got my attention.

 

[Empty V]

When was the last time something like that happened in Studio City, Westwood, or Woodland Hills? Never. That sort of crime simply doesn't happen here.

Ahh but you are wrong my friend. Last year there was a guy going around impersonating a cop and raping women I believe that this happened in Pasadena and on the UCLA campus.

If you live in fear of what might happen, you're not really living. I'm sure there are 100x more fatalities on the 101 and 405 every year then there are tourist deaths from the border to Ensenada. How can you drive on the freeway knowing this? I'll take a mexican bandit over an LA driver any day. At least the bandits let you go alive, the LA drivers are not as forgiving.

Billy

 

[ShakaZulu]

The difference is this: I know the unsafe areas of LA and how and when to avoid them. Yes, there is an outside chance of something bad happening, but it's VERY unlikely, and should something actually happen, there is a big safety net I can depend on in terms of access to medicine, expert medical help, and reliable law enforcement.

That's not the case in Mexico. None of it, actually. Not in the Baja Peninsula, at least. There is only one road (the toll road) to get to the areas I want to get to. And that toll road now has several recorded incidents of carjackings by fake cops. When was the last time something like that happened in Studio City, Westwood, or Woodland Hills? Never. That sort of crime simply doesn't happen here.

And THAT's what got my attention.

Hmmm, let me try to add an explanation...sure there are dangerous areas in the US and in any country for that matter, and we do our best to stay away. If I go run around at night in L.A.'s South Central, I would expect to get into trouble.

Mexico on the other hand, is promoted as a safe destination by the media, but it's not as is clearly evident by the increase in violence over the last year. Thus, the reason for this thread, too make people aware.

PS. Regardig ownership of property in Mexico, why?

The Mexican Constitution regulates the ownership of land and declares that ...within a zone of 100 kilometers from the border or 50 kilometers from the coast, a foreigner cannot acquire the direct ownership of the land. These areas are known as Restricted or Prohibited Zones."

I'd rather buy shares in Enron

 

[Empty V]

PS. Regardig ownership of property in Mexico, why?

The Mexican Constitution regulates the ownership of land and declares that ...within a zone of 100 kilometers from the border or 50 kilometers from the coast, a foreigner cannot acquire the direct ownership of the land. These areas are known as Restricted or Prohibited Zones."

I'd rather buy shares in Enron

I had no idea that that was Mexican law, I should sell my property and definitely not buy the other piece I'm looking at. Maybe you should call Prudential Real Estate Baja Division and tell them this. They might want to pull out their stake in the land. What would I do without the geniuses of scubaboard? Come on Shakalaka, you really think that Mexican law is black and white?

Billy

 

[scjoe]

The problem is that it isn't black and white in terms of land title. Land reform (also known as land grabs) has been a source of trouble in Mexico for years. Just in case it has been forgotten, in 200 a number of American retirees were evicted from land they had legally leased from the record owners who had obtained the property through presidential decree from the Mexican government in the 1970's. The houses built on the land by the Americans ended up in the hands of Mexican companies courtesy of the 400 or so police officers who physically evicted the Americans.

 

[shep]

I do believe that investing in real property in Mexico is as safe as any other foreign investment. Today, the number of foreign owned real estate investments are many fold larger than in the 70's.

Today, if there were any attempt to rewrite the law by the Mexican Government and seize property, there are many, many more "parties of interest" than 35 years ago....and there'd be lots of money thrown at stopping it from happening again.

If you're concerned about RE investment, stay away from RE in the US- it's about to tank again!

 

[cdiver2]

Shaka is correct in his statement

The Mexican Constitution regulates the ownership of land and declares that ...within a zone of 100 kilometers from the border or 50 kilometers from the coast, a foreigner cannot acquire the direct ownership of the land. These areas are known as Restricted or Prohibited Zones."

I was in Mexico City a couple of weeks ago and looked into buying land. You can buy land in the restricted zone...but it must go into a trust Co, Mexican registered of course.

 

[Sam Miller III]

Try to find an out- of- print book called "God and Mr. Gomez" by Jack Anderson, a deceased columnist from the LA times. It is the story of Anderson's true life adventure of building a home on the coast in Punta China, near PN with a Mexican contractor, Mr. Gomez. It's hilarious. I think you'll appreciate it all the more as you get ready to make your condo purchase down there. I actually met Mr. Gomez years ago- it added to the tale for me.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The columnist was Jack SMITH. The book is a great read! A must for every Bajaphile.

Gomez was named Romulo. He passed away in 1994 in Duarte, California hospital at the age of 83. He had two sons who oversee the operation, Sergio, & Pepe and a daugher Marisa.

SDM