| Canadians Living and Traveling in Playa del Carmen and the Riviera Maya |
|
|
|
| Thursday, 24 May 2007 | |
|
Mexico, specifically the Riviera Maya, has been getting quite a bit of bad press in Canada as of late. We decided to get a Canadian point of view, and our friend Shawn Bandick at One Stop Real Estate volunteered for the job. This is what he had to say......
Hello everyone. This article is a little bit different than what
you usually get from me, but it is from my heart and I felt it was time to
speak out. Is there more crime in Mexico than anywhere else? Lately there has been a lot of bad press in Canada blatantly accusing Mexico of being an unsafe destination for Canadians. Well, first let’s be clear, I would never imply that there’s no crime in Mexico! Of course there is, just like there is in the USA, or Canada, or any other areas including your own home town or country. The root of the problem stems from the way the reporting is done, and the opinion that is implied on the news. When is the last time the news showed a front page story of something good?
Check out this true story from a local Playa del Carmen
resident:
"Last Saturday I had
gone to the money tree and gotten $500 US in cash to loan to a friend in Playa del
Carmen, Mexico where I live now. I rode my bike to my friend’s house, and I
lost my wallet from my pocket somewhere on the two kilometer journey. I had
traveled through Playacar, our neighborhood, and then onto La Quinta, the main
tourist drag in Playa del Carmen, so the wallet had a lot of places it could
visit. I sort of got bummed about the money and especially all the ID and
credit cards that were lost, so I went home to sulk and have a beer. My wife,
Maureen, bless her Irish heart, decided to retrace my bike ride and ask every
person, shopkeeper, and security guard she saw if they had seen a lost wallet. Turns out a tourist found it on the street in the busy Paseo del Carmen mall,
gave it to the waiter at Johnny Rockets, who gave it to the manager, who gave
it to security guard no. 1 who gave it to security guard number 2......who gave
it to Maureen....who gave it to a very grateful me. This human chain did not
have a single dishonest link. Every single peso, credit card, picture and
dollar was in my wallet!
Let´s hear it for honesty in Mexico and the
world."
Don’t get me wrong I’m sure it is not always like that, but how many places in the world do you think that would have happened? If a crime has happened to you or your family I am truly sorry, but before we get on the band wagon and accuse Mexico of being unfriendly to travelers we should ask ourselves if perhaps the reporting is not completely unbiased. It seems to me that sometimes the media should reflect on the days of the past where reporting meant reporting the facts from a neutral position rather then trying to form public opinion. It can’t all be about readership and ratings. We have all heard and know that leaders of countries will stand up and tell us untruths, on international TV. When it becomes uncovered the public has forgotten the issue as a thing of the past. However, at the time, the speaker and the media had a huge effect on forming public opinion so the damage was already done! Contrary to what we have been conditioned to believe, we cannot believe everything we hear or read in the news. Take for example Hurricane Wilma. The news was very fast to report that Playa del Carmen had been destroyed. What great headlines! What damage did they do? Just seven days later when we wrote articles sharing the fact that Mexico had in fact pulled man power and resources from around the country to re wire and clean up the town the media they refused to carry the story. The damage had been done by false and irresponsible reporting and this economically and emotionally affected the area, investors and the locals who gain their lively hood from tourism. My point is this, there’s crime everywhere, in my home town and in yours, but we can not allow news to form public opinion and steal our dreams of traveling or living in Mexico. I’m sorry but I find it hard to believe when the news reports that Canadians are being targeted by criminals in Mexico that the criminals are checking passports of potential victims. I have been living and traveling in Mexico with my wife and two children since Sept 2001 and we have many friends and clients who come from Canada, and other places, multiple times a year to travel in Mexico. We have been welcomed by the most gracious people you could ever hope to meet. There are many places in the world that could take a lesson from the people of Mexico.
Shawn Bandick is originally from Canada, a published author, and owns One Stop Real Estate He can be reached by email at This email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it This email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it or by phone at +52(984)100-5016 mobile (984) 803-3739 office
Comments (4)
 ...
written by Tanya, May 25, 2007 ...
written by Bill, May 28, 2007
Hi Shawn,
Thank you for the article you wrote. As a fellow Canadian, I too agree that the media to often writes things without having done their homework on the articles they are writing about. The lastest "event" happened to a family from my hometown and my prayers are with them as they mourn their great loss. Could it not have happened anywhere? The answer is a definate "yes". Accidents happen everywhere around us, in our hometowns and abroad. My family and I have been travelling to the Riviera Maya since 2001. Each time our vacation ends, we leave with anticipation in coming back. I was here for the months of January and February 2007, and was snorkeling at one of the local beaches one afternoon. When I left the beach and got to my villa, I realized that I had forgotten my wetsuit at the beach. It was to late to go back and see if it was still there. So I went back the next day and the security guard had given it to the local restuarant and the restuarant gave it back to me. Is that honesty? I would say so! Thank you amigos! I am currently living in Playa Del Carmen and in the process of starting a business and am excited to work with these warm, friendly Mexican people. From our own experience and talking to friends, we have come to the realization that sometimes we let our guard down and say and do unwise things when we are relaxed and vacationing whether at home or abroad. So be wise and enjoy God's world and don't believe everything you see and read in the news media. ...
written by judi Shaw, June 01, 2007
Sorry, terribly sorry for the man's family and the way the investigation has been handled by officials here . However as for the Canadian media and politicians drawing conclusions that all of Mexico is "Bad" for Canadians is very misguided.
It is wrong wrong wrong that the Albertan man was beaten so badly while on holiday here . Yet this tragic and violent incident, and the others the newspapers mention in other areas of Mexico, does not imply an overall danger in the community here. Per capita of people in Mexico vs tourists and violent situations is probably quite low. Violent occurances happen more regularly in cities like Vancouver or NYC i think than what the media and the politicians point out as an epidemic of violence against Canadians in the entire country of Mexico. If we look close we can see lots of violence in Canada's own back yard..... Three days ago there was news of a Toronto youth who shot another youth in the school yard. What about the Asian student studying English in Vancouver, who was beaten near Stanely park and has been brain dead ever since? Bad news then too. What about the Tran girl taken from her home and murdered by a Japanese student? on and on. In Canada's own tourist back yard I remember several severe beatings in night clubs in Whistler a few years back on Saturday nights. Several of them were people in the community whom i knew, who are now seriously brain injured. Recently there was a shooting death too in Whistler- the first ever. That made news Do other countries want to impose travel warnings on Canada because of this ?I think not... Does the shooting death in Whistler suggest it is a bad place to travel to for all tourists to Canada ? No . So why does the Alberta man beating suggest all of Mexico is a bad place for Canadian Tourists to travel to? I still feel safe where i live and work and walk here in this lovely part of Mexico. This doesnt change my life one bit. Except that i will pray for the family of the beaten man and pray for quick and truthful accounting of the death. Perhaps there are extenuating circumstances in the most recent violence against the Alberta man beaten in Cancun. Reports say he was going in and out from a night club, repeatedly. hmmmmm why? Sounds more like more than just random violence against a tourist. Yes he didn't deserve to be beaten to death . I might suggest though this doesnt mean Cancun and area is all "bad" and a horribly violent place. It is a horrible awful and ugly situation and it makes me mad that it happened and mad about how it is handled, but i dont think it means there is a bad trend that is a threat to you and I and other travellers or expats living here Do 4 tragic and violent incidents against Canadians in Mexico in the last 18 months traced over the whole country suggest that all of Mexico is bad to travel to? I think not... As Jesus says "remove out the plank in your own eye then you will be better able to see the speck in your brothers eye" . So in other words- Canada would be well advised not to make a case against travelling in Mexico when there is trouble in your own backyard Judi Shaw has lived and worked in Playa del Carmen as a real estate agent for 3 years now with www.resorts-real-estate.com and 17 years in Whistler British Columbia. When not selling real estate she can be found on the beaches of the Riviera maya hopefully with her kite inflated and her board strapped on her feet. This email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it 1 604 628 7247 ... written by Tanya, June 06, 2007
My hearts goes out to the Alberta man's family as well. However, this the latest report on the story. Seems his injuries were consistent with a fall.
http://www.cbc.ca/canada/edmonton/story/2007/05/15/toews-autopsy.html Write comment
Copyright 2007. All Rights Reserved. |
Show/Hide comment form
| < Prev | Next > |
|---|
I am a fellow Canadian. Thank you so much for the article. You are so right about the way the media skews information. I am embarrassed by how the Canadian media handled the most recent "event" in Cancun regarding a Canadian. Before all the facts were gathered the media and other government officials jumped to conclusions. Requesting a travel advisory etc. It sent of wave of fear of coming to Mexico. However at the end of the day all evidence pointed in the direction of an accident. I think an apology is in order. I have only been to Mexico twice and I have never experienced more humble, nice, welcoming people in my life. It is a beautiful country. We are coming again soon to learn Spanish and we are so excited. Millions of foreigners visit Mexico every year without incident. No one writes about that. Unfortunately bad things happen but they're rare. Lately I think the travel advisory should be issued for Toronto!!!!! People in glass houses shouldn't throw stones!