New Warden Message re potential hazards of highway travel in Tamaulipas

Warden Message to Inform U.S. Citizens about the Potential Dangers of Inter-City Bus Travel in Tamaulipas.

The United States Consulate General in Matamoros advised U.S. Citizens of the potential hazards of highway travel in Tamaulipas on November 12, 2010 and re-issued the message on January 7th , 2011. The messages focused on the dangers of traveling in private vehicles. In addition to those messages, recent reports indicate that inter-city buses are increasingly being targeted by armed individuals for robbery and kidnapping.

From late March to early April, the Consulate received three reports from American Citizens or their families regarding inter-city buses being boarded by criminals. In at least one instance, male bus passengers, including an American citizen, were forcibly removed from those buses and have yet to be located. The Consulate General strongly encourages those American Citizens considering travel through Tamaulipas by bus, as well as by automobile, to keep these risks in mind.

We encourage U.S. citizens living or traveling abroad to register with the nearest U.S. Embassy or Consulate through the State Department's travel registration web site at https://travelregistration.state.gov/ibrs/ui/ so that they can obtain updated information on travel and security. Americans without Internet access may register in person or by phone with the nearest U.S. Embassy or Consulate. By registering, American citizens make it easier for the Embassy or Consulate to contact them in case of emergency.

We strongly encourage U.S. citizens to maintain a high level of vigilance, be aware of local events, and take the appropriate steps to bolster their personal security. For additional information, please refer to "A Safe Trip Abroad" found at http://travel.state.gov.

For any emergencies involving American citizens in the Matamoros consular district, please call or visit the American Citizens Services (ACS) Unit at the U.S. Consulate General on Avenida Primera 2002, Col. Jardin, Matamoros, Tamaulipas; telephone (011)(52)(868) 812-4402. http://matamoros.usconsulate.gov/.

Well, damn, here I was feeling relatively secure in the Chiapas highlands with the further peace of mind provided by the notion of spending this summer as usual at Lake Chapala but with the unpleasant prospect of having to drive from Chapala to Santa Fe in July and, while that drive would not take us through Tamaulipas but, rather, logicalliy, through Ciudad Juarez or some such more direct route, Northern Mexico seems to be becoming a less and less inviting driving route but getting to Santa Fe from Lake Chapala leaves one with only a few alternatives. I suppose a drive through the Tamualipas town of Nuevo Laredo was an altternative but one that seems less attractive as things heat up there and in Monterrey. Juarez City is a war zone but seems the most practical way to go. Perhaps crossing at Nogales makes sense, The drive back down Baja taking the La Paz-Mazatlan ferry is settled although that will add much driving time that, nevertheless seems worth it for the adventure.

Do any of you having recently taken the drive through Chihuahua and Juarez City have any advice on driving that rouite including places to stay between Chapala and the border? We know, so far we will be staying one night in Lerdo but the rest of the trip is open to suggestions.

Thanks in advance for any help in negotiating the war zone.

Dawg:

As you know, we live in the piss-ant City of Albuquerque and have been making the drive to/from Mexico for numerous years. Since our last excursion in August of 2009, the situation along the route has deteriorated a great deal. We used to be able to avoid the trouble in Juarez by crossing the border at Santa Teresa, NM/San Jeronimo, Chihuahua. I dig deep for the news along our typical route and repeated incidents in Villa Ahumada, Chihuahua, Delicias, Camargo, Jimenez, the tri-cities of Torreon, Gomez, Lerdo, Rio Grande and Zacatecas have made the entire route not to our liking! We will not drive this route again until the situation improves a great deal![u] For us it is fly into Guadalajara and then work out of there. Certainly not our preference to go this route but we refuse to play Cartel Roulette[u]!

cheenagringo wrote:

Dawg:

As you know, we live in the piss-ant City of Albuquerque and have been making the drive to/from Mexico for numerous years. Since our last excursion in August of 2009, the situation along the route has deteriorated a great deal. We used to be able to avoid the trouble in Juarez by crossing the border at Santa Teresa, NM/San Jeronimo, Chihuahua. I dig deep for the news along our typical route and repeated incidents in Villa Ahumada, Chihuahua, Delicias, Camargo, Jimenez, the tri-cities of Torreon, Gomez, Lerdo, Rio Grande and Zacatecas have made the entire route not to our liking! We will not drive this route again until the situation improves a great deal! For us it is fly into Guadalajara and then work out of there. Certainly not our preference to go this route but we refuse to play Cartel Roulette!

Thanks for the heads-up Neil:

We have already cancelled our plans to drive back to Lake Chapala from San Cristóbal through Huatulco, Acapulco, Playa Troncones and Highway 37 through Michoacan and have elected to drive our traditional and more direct route through Veracruz State, Puebla State, the Arco Norte and Queretaro. The trip up the coast can come later when things settle down a bit. Flying from Guadalajara to Albuquerque so we can attend the Santa Fe artisan´s fair is a bit more problematic since we have promised rides to some Chiapas and Oaxaca artisans . Maybe we´ll just drive up the coast route to Nogales and, as originally planned back down Baja to La Paz and home using the La Paz-Mazatlan ferry. Juarez City and, these days, Nuevo Laredo sound more and more like out-of-control human dung pits. Dawg likes Santa Fe but not that much.

Dawg:

If we ignore the fact that it is a 2-day boring drive each way, it would still be our preference to do our usual drive starting with a basically empty van and returning with it loaded to the roof with new treasures and additions to our tequila collection. Juarez has been a no go for many years and that was easily circumvented. We had located a Hampton Inn in the new modern section of west Chihuahua to our liking but in following the news, there have been numerous grenade attacks and executions in various restaurants and bars within the immediate vicinity. We used to stay overnight in either Torreon or Gomez Palacio but never felt all that comfortable in either. Now that entire area has become very problematic but one has to do some real digging to find the real news. Since our last stay (8/09) in centro Zacatecas, that area has also developed many problems and incidents. I just cannot tell anyone that I would drive the route and could hardly recommend them doing so.

Since you have indicated that you will be driving out of necessity, I would probably travel the Hwy 15 route to Nogales. Not that it hasn't been without problems but they seem to be far fewer. There has been a good deal of violence in Mazatlan and I might not be inclined to stay overnight there.

I am guessing that you are probably bringing your friends up for the Spanish Market?

New Warden Message re potential hazards of highway travel in Tamaulipas

New Warden Message re potential hazards of highway travel in Tamaulipas :: Comments

New Warden Message re potential hazards of highway travel in Tamaulipas