Mexico

By Larry Habegger | Permalink | No Comments | August 21st, 2001 | Trackback

A recent robbery of a U.S. citizen in Mexico City is a reminder that hailing taxis on the street can be unwise here. The man and his girlfriend left a restaurant in the La Condesa district and were followed by a car full of young men. They hailed a Volkswagen “beetle” taxi, which then was stormed by two of the young men. The taxi driver was an accomplice and the victims were robbed at knifepoint of all possessions before being dumped 45 minutes later on the other side of the city. Whenever possible, phone for a taxi or use only officially licensed cabs.

In Chiapas, the threat of a second Zapatista uprising is in the air because a constitutional amendment enacted Aug. 15 was so watered down before passage that it failed to adequately address the Zapatistas’ main concerns about autonomy and rights over land and natural resources. Tensions are growing in the area.

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Mexico

By Larry Habegger | Permalink | No Comments | August 20th, 2001 | Trackback

Mexico’s new requirement to collect a hefty deposit from drivers of all foreign cars entering from the U.S. was suspended indefinitely after one day. Officials will study a better way to accomplish their goal of reducing illegal sales of cars within Mexico. Of perhaps more pressing concern to travelers is the question of the border’s Y2K readiness. In a “secret test” at the the Otay Mesa border crossing about 40 miles west of San Diego Nov. 30, the entire computer system froze and trucks were backed up for five hours and five miles. It may be prudent to avoid crossing the border the first week of January.

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Mexico

By Larry Habegger | Permalink | No Comments | August 15th, 2001 | Trackback

The government is very sensitive about outsiders getting involved in internal politics, and what is defined as political involvement is hard to pin down. Eleven tourists who participated in a celebration to commemorate the sixth anniversary of the Zapatista uprising in Chiapas were questioned by the military in a move that bordered on intimidation. Immigration laws allow deportation of anyone found to be meddling in Mexico’s internal affairs.

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Mexico

By Larry Habegger | Permalink | No Comments | August 14th, 2001 | Trackback

Winter is pollution season in Mexico City, and this year air quality is the worst ever. The city set a record for particulate matter January 31, forcing schools to close and factories to shut down or scale back operations. Last year Mexico City was ranked the most dangerous in the world for children in terms of air pollution. Avoid strenuous outdoor activity and consider wearing a mask outdoors.

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Mexico

By Larry Habegger | Permalink | 1 comment | August 13th, 2001 | Trackback

In a move unexpected by environmental activists and development proponents alike, the Mexican government and Japan’s Mitsubishi Corporation bowed to political pressure Mar. 2 and abandoned plans to build a giant salt plant on San Ignacio Lagoon in Baja California, Mexico’s premier whale breeding area. It was a victory for nature that promises a happy future for the whales that frequent the area and locals and visitors who come to observe them.

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