What's the burning question these days when someone finds out you've just returned from Mexico? Well, sad but true, it's 'how many times were you shot at?'
Happily, the answer in my case was none.
And while I'd be a complete fool to suggest that there's no cause for alarm in that wonderful country, in Puerto Vallarta where I was, there was absolutely no reason for panic.
And to boycott Mexico en masse, as some alarmists mainly based in the United States would have us do, is just plain stupid.
Yes, there are horrible statistics on the number of people and police officers who have been killed there over the past year. But, for the most part, the murders relate to drug trafficking and happen in the areas closest to the U.S./Mexican border. And just as I wouldn't vacation in the Downtown Eastside of Vancouver or make a Surrey gang member a close personal friend,I stay away from dangerous areas and people in other countries too,including Mexico.
The saddest part of the scare campaign going on against Mexico is that the person most apt to be hurt by tourism boycotts is the average Mexican citizen.
In Puerto Vallarta, without exception, anyone we dealt with, on any level, was unfailingly courteous, helpful and happy for the chance to make our holiday just a little bit better. And overall, I think there are many lessons we could learn from their culture.
At the resort where we stayed there were several Mexican families on holiday as well. It was nothing for the older children in the family to amuse and look after their younger siblings while their parents visited with other adults. What struck me as different was the children didn't appear to feel put upon by this expectation. Rather, the kids were happy just to be with each other. There was a lot of laughing and tomfoolery going on. No whining, crying or loud 'Do I have to?' from any one of them. And it may just have been the venue, but I didn't see one single kid playing with any video game. They were either splashing in the pools, besting each other at ping-pong, darts or bocce ball or just digging in the sand. It was good to see.
One incident that stuck in my mind as to the level of caring Mexican people have for fellow humans came when I was travelling on one of their city transit buses, a bone rattling, bladder challenging experience at the best of times.
On this particular bus, a young hotshot driver was trying his best to stop on a dime, getting faster with each subsequent stop. When my stop was nearing I made the mistake of being the polite Canadian and heading for the back door. Only a quick-witted Mexican señor grabbing me by the wrist prevented me from becoming part of the structure of the bus. The thing that struck me was that, had it been on a Canadian bus, no one would have noticed my predicament. And if they had, their likely response would have been one of 'not my problem'.
I love the Mexican people -their humour, their grace and their charm.
Use discretion, plan carefully, don't do anything in their country you wouldn't do in ours, and you will have the holiday of a lifetime. Hola!
