Acapulco/Bill Muncey

[daveracerdsh]

As soon as the national meeting was over, I flew down to Acapulco Mexico. If you have never been here...well...lemme tell ya....it is a real culture shock! As I type this, is is well over 85 degrees (at 730 at night) and so humid the walls of the condo I am working on are dripping. Ugh! I can see where 30 years ago this place was really nice.....but now it is so run down it is hard to describe....and there are armed military driving around in big trucks...at least 6 of them per truck, with semi automatic weapons, as well as machine guns...and every store I have been into so far has an armed guard, with a huge weapon, safety off, walking around looking at you. To get around, you flag down a VW beetle, painted white and blue, and they will take you on a pre planned route, cost is around 100 pesos. (about 90 cents) I got done with work, and walked down to the beach. You can't just throw your towel down...you have to pay a small fee to use the sand......again around 100 pesos. Of course, as soon as you get comfy, venders come by every 30 seconds or so trying to sell you whatever. It is kinda cool that you can buy beer or cocktails and sit on the beach...you can actually buy a cocktail to go, just like in New Orleans! The condo complex I am at is medium sized, maybe 60 units, and they have one small winding staircase to access it....everything here is on a hill. How you are supposed to get furniture up to room is beyond me. Tuesday afternoon I am going to take a taxi up to the lake where Bill Muncey was killed in 1980. Dave

[65R]

Hi Dave,
When I was in the Coast Guard 93-97, I spent time in Acapulco and it was beautiful! I remember a few armed officers but nothing like your experiencing. The night life and beaches were crowded with tourists. I had a lot of late nights and felt very comfortable. I heard it had changed, pretty unfortunate

[daveracerdsh]

Acapulco

Ya....the place is like an armed camp. Went out to get a drink last night...bars were deserted. I do feel pretty safe though. Davey

[bill van steenwyk]

It does make a difference which way the gun is pointed

Some years ago during a travel agent convention in the city, two travel agents from St. Louis were kidnapped, the woman agent raped, both robbed, and then both killed and the bodies dumped in a marshy area not far from the city. The lawlessness that this was a part of had been on the rise there for several years, and when the travel agents were killed, most all the travel agents in the US refused to book anymore folks there for vacations, conventions, etc. In the meantime since then, most of the well off tourists have moved to eastern cost destinations, leaving Acapulco and other destinations north of you such as where the "Sandpipers" was filmed, on the short end of the stick tourist, and consequently, money wise.

What many complaints over the years had failed to do (stop the killings of tourists) the lack of tourists and their money soon accomplished. What you are seeing is a result of that lack of tourist money (run down facilities) and the government is now hoping that the show of armed guards everywhere will reassure tourists again and bring them and their money back. BUT, they didn't do it till it started costing them money.

Unfortunately, human nature, drugs, and money being what it is in Mexico, this probably won't happen anytime soon, as it was found that the persons who were robbing, raping, and killing the "golden gooses" were none other that the local law enforcement which only proves that corruption and it's result, can and does exist everywhere, especially in Mexico with the low income problems that exist there..

You may feel safe, and probably are safer today than in the past, for the simple reason that the bad guys know the present people protecting the city and tourists have their fingers on the trigger to protect you and others., BUT until the motivation was money and lack of tourists, they cared less.

Unlike your comments of several weeks ago on HR, guns can serve a good and helpful purpose, for as you state, "you do feel pretty safe now".

[raceright]

Ya....the place is like an armed camp. Went out to get a drink last night...bars were deserted. I do feel pretty safe though. Davey

Davey, Davey you feel safer in Mexico than Starbucks??? I will never go to Mexico
as they would not allow me to bring any weapons. I always travel with some type of weapon even to Depue--that's just me and I always feel safe because I trust myself--and not any other types of governments.

Fundamental difference between a gun owner and a non owner.

[daveracerdsh]

Acapulco

Was not meant to be an artical on guns..simply stating what I am seeing. I can understand how how this place was at one time very hip and cool....some of the buildings that are next to the beach used to be pretty nice. I was very suprised at how few people go to clubs that line the Condesa...stunning views of the bay, but no people! Went out last night, and at 10 pm the bars and such were totaly deserted. There is a place down below my hotel that is just like the International marketplace in Waikiki...totaly stuffed with little shops selling trinkets. They have a very small food court in the middle of it...they call small fod shops fondas I think...the first place I went to looked like it had good food...but I speak very little spanish and the cook spoke no english. An older guy across the way spoke very good english and helped me with t he menu and insisted that I use his table for my meal. Very friendly people here. The whole meal including a large Pepsi was 40 pesos...a little under 4 bucks! There seems to be a lot of lakes in area...not sure if Bill Muncy was killed on one of those or if they raced on salt water. Will look it up on the internet in a little bit. Dave

[blueskyracer]

So Dave are you their on vacation or work related??

[S Henderson]

Mexico

Dave
I have lived on this border with Mexico for 40 years. It was at one time a great place to go and visit.
I no longer go to Mexico. It has become to dangerous and deadly. The gangs and drug cartels run Mexico
to day. Kidnaping is big business there to day. The place you are in is one of the worst in Mexico. The reason
you don’t see any people out at night is because they know better. My advice if your on vacation is don’t go out
after dark and get you butt back to the good old USA as soon as you can.
Stan Henderson

[Dave M]

Sound Advice

If you are not armed to the teeth, takes Stan's advice. No work or vacay is worth fighting for your life over. There is so much corruption over there you honestly don't know who to trust. Trust your instincts. Get the condo work done and get out.

[daveracerdsh]

Mexico

Here for a working vacation..neighbors down the street own 2 condos that they rent out and I am doing some work on them....nothing too extreme. I think most of the drug related violence is on the outskirts of town....As a gringo I have not been hassled at all....everybody I have met here has been very friendly and helpfull. I think they are glad to get whatever money they can. There seems to be 4 distinct police forces here...the Federal police, who travel around in the back of a pickup, usually 6 off them, with machine guns at the ready...the army, who also travel around in slightly larger rigs, with a machine gun mounted on a swivel, local police, two dudes in a car, with both automatic weapons and sidearms, along with motorcycle cops, who just have sidearms, as well as local security forces, who have automatic weapons. I honestly feel pretty safe here walking around..I am in the tourist district. I found out that the unlimited race was held north of here...still not sure if it was fresh or salt water. One kinda cool thing...there are a lot of fishermen here..and the main motor they seem to use is a Tohatsu M50D..the same powerhead I run! They beach them in the little cove towards the south end of the bay....talked with one of the dudes and mentioned that I use the motor for racing...he was a smart dude and was very curious as to how we did it and stuff. He mentioned that the Tohatsu he owns has been very reliable..almost ten years old and just spark plugs and lower unit lube once in a while..and this is in a salt water enviroment. Showed him a cell phone pic of my boat testing...and he was just thunderstruck...and had to bring all his buddies over to look at it. They all said it looked more like an airplane then a boat! Lol. Dave

[jeff55v]

Dave, much of what you describe is like Ecuador. Not all of it.
The times I spent in Ecuador was a very positive experience. I was always surrounded by very nice people who were genuinely happy I was there. Yes, there are some dark elements in Ecuador, much like Mexico. But I had a crew of native friends who made sure I was always safe. I would have never gone to a place so foreign to me if it weren't for my friends looking out for me.
Stay safe, have fun and take lots of photos.

[daveracerdsh]

Pictures

I have taken maybe 10 pics with my cell phone...will upload them when I get home. One more funny thing. I swear the stoplights on the streets here are the opposite from the states. Green means go fast....yellow means go faster...and a red light, no matter how long it has been red, means hit the gas as hard as you can! It is just funny as hell to watch the VW beetle taxis, stuffed with 8 people, carreen thru an intersection, most of the time missing other beetles full of people. Does make it kinda scary to get across the street though....oh ya...I hear you are looking for another tohatsu....You do know that both Jeff Brewster and myself have brand new ones sitting in shops ready to go. Gringo Davey

[Mrs blueskyracer]

Dave - did you see TAKEN?

[daveracerdsh]

Taken

The Liam Neeson movie....not yet. I heard it is pretty good though,. Why

[PRO-MOTIONRACING]

When my wife won a national (running) championship in Nicaragua a couple of years ago, 3 police officers armed with machine guns picked her up to go collect her prize money. When they arrived at the building the first officer gets out and secures the area then the second officer gets out and escorts her to the door of a locked building she is then turned over to an official who is escorted by an officer armed with a machine gun inside the locked building. The whole prosses is repeated all the way to her front door.

On the cool side she was interviewed on all three national network TV stations and people would stop at the cafe she was working at to get a picture with her.

P.S. she also races boats.