Retirement in Puerto Vallarta - Dangerous Living in Mexico?

Have you heard the horror stories about travelingreturn home with negative feelings about Vallarta.
through Mexico? Worst yet, can you imagine livingThe objective of each and every Vallartense is to
there? Well, being the adventurous andassure all tourists an enjoyable and safe time
courageous retirees that we are, in 1997 wewhile visiting so that they look forward to
bought a beautiful new mountainside villareturning. The young Mexicans are taught that
overlooking Banderas Bay and El Centro, orsafety is the prime concern of all visitors and to
downtown in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. The villa isharm a tourist would be equivalent to taking food
actually a compound, surrounded by 10 foot wallsor money out of their own family household.
with a walk-in gate and doors for car entry.As a side note of interest, there is currently a
Our initial thought while closing the doors duringfilm, "South of the Border" being shot here in
our first evening in our new villa was to hire aVallarta by the Disney Company. It's a cute story
couple sentries to guard the villa at night. Oneabout a chihuahua, owned by a Beverly Hills
could be positioned in front and the other downsocialite, that got lost while she was visiting a spa
below on the backside facing the bay, thusin Mexico. A group of local Mexican chihuahuas
providing the security required in this foreign newfound this pup, took care of and entertained it,
land. Well, we never got around to hiring thoseand then assured its safe return to Beverly Hills.
guards and furthermore, we've never heard ofThe film will be released in 2008 and will help
anyone being burglarized in the neighborhood forpromote the social, cultural, and economic relations
the past ten years. Municipal Police do cruisebetween Mexico and the US. The bottom line
through the neighborhood a few times everybeing, that the safety and security that one feels
night and we do have excellent street lighting;in Vallarta is quite comforting and is demonstrated
however crime in the neighborhood, known as thein the film through the life of a chihuahua.
"Beverly Hills of Vallarta", is virtually non-existent.Serious crimes such as murder, rape, kidnapping,
Ten years ago, we would be pulled over by theetc. are unheard-of in Vallarta. Security is such
local police every two or three months for any ofthat armed robberies are virtually non-existent.
a myriad of concocted reasons. It was the typicalOne reason of course is, guns are not permitted
corrupt Mexican police shake-down where afterin Mexico. The penalty for carrying a firearm is
you handed him 200 pesos or $20, you were nomuch more than anyone would ever want to pay.
longer guilty of breaking any laws or committingThe one crime that persists in PV is related to
any crimes; you instantly became his amigo! Thatdrugs. Although the Mexicans seldom use them,
corruption is seldom seen anymore in Vallarta andthey are plentiful for those tourists too ignorant
we haven't been pulled over by the police for ato understand the consequences. The penalty for
number of years. In fact, they seemed to havedrug possession and use is so severe that anyone
gone 180 degrees the opposite direction beingdependent on drugs is best off avoiding Paradise.
very friendly to all Americans and Canadians. TheWith full employment in PV, even the art of
city of Puerto Vallarta, referred to as PV orpick-pocketing is no longer practiced here; it's just
Vallarta by the residents, has exploded intoo easy to find a job! The US and Canadian
population during the past ten years to theConsulates in Vallarta are well staffed and ready
current level of 350,000 inhabitants. That growthto assist any tourist with just about any problem
can be attributed solely to tourism.that could arise while visiting here.
Virtually every job in PV is based on tourism andEven though Vallarta has reached the size of
without the influx of foreigners from the US andAnaheim or St. Louis, it's still a small city where
Canada, Vallarta would still be a sleepy littleeveryone seems to know what others are doing.
Mexican fishing village. Because tourism is soAny crime committed by a local would be known
important, the young locals are taught to treatabout by many others immediately. Not to be
the Americans and Canadians with dignity,picking on Anaheim or St. Louis, but when
respect, kindness, and as friends. The very lastcomparing Vallarta to cities in the US of similar
thing they can afford is to have touristssize, our hunch is that it's much safer in Paradise!
encounter problems while visiting Paradise and to