273 Two Sides of Mexico: From the Drug War in the North to the Mundo Maya in the South

Travel with Rick Steves

Rick Steves

Rick Steves, Public Radio, 721132, Europe, Society & Culture, Places & Travel, Npr, Travel

4.3 • 2.2K Ratings

🗓️ 14 January 2012

⏱️ 52 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Ed Vulliamy investigates the escalating bloodshed from drug gangs in Northern Mexico and shares what he found in a "post-political" war zone, where few outsiders dare to tread. But Mexico is a big country, so Rick also explores this year's special tourism emphasis around an ancient Mayan prophesy, which is is fostering a deeper interest in the indigenous culture in the south.

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Transcript

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0:00.0	Nobody recommends a road trip across the border lands of northern Mexico these days,
0:05.0	but British journalist Ed Vuleami spent two years exploring the rough-and-tumble border territory from Tijuana to Matamoros.
0:12.0	He witnessed what the notorious drug card... border territory from Tijuana to Matamoros.
0:13.2	He witnessed what the notorious drug cartel violence is doing to the region up close.
0:17.6	It is a journey through the most appalling violence, arguably on earth at the moment, against this backdrop of breathtaking beauty.
0:25.0	Hi, I'm Rick Steeves. In the hour ahead, we'll hear the unvarnished truth about what's happening in the scary parts of Mexico.
0:32.0	But Mexico is a big country with plenty of wonderful tourist destinations
0:36.0	so we're venturing south also to the peaceful Mundo Maya.
0:40.0	Travel writer Josh Berman clues us in on the tourist-friendly celebrations linked to a Mayan prophecy about 2012.
0:46.0	No doubt it's the end of a cycle and for the Maya the end of a cycle was a big deal, the bigger the cycle, the bigger a deal it is.
0:53.0	We're exploring two ends of Mexico today on Travel with Rick Steeves.
0:57.0	Stay with us.
1:00.0	Whenever we do a segment on Travel with Rick Steeves about tourism in Mexico, we hear from people who live in the border states warning us about the violence there.
1:08.0	For many Americans, the coverage they've seen on TV and what they've read in the newspaper has convinced them to stay away from Mexico, period.
1:16.0	The death toll there certainly matches the carnage of a major war, and the violence just seems so senseless.
1:22.0	Now I've been to Mexico City over the holidays and found it to be much like any other big city,
1:27.0	without any evidence of Drug Cartel shoot-em-ups like we hear about just over the border in places like
1:32.0	Juarez and Nuevo Laredo.
1:34.5	And other travelers tell us that the rest of Mexico is actually very safe and that violence
1:38.2	against tourists is rare.
1:40.6	So to learn more about the situation in Mexico, we've invited one of Britain's most respected
1:45.0	investigative journalist to join us here on Travel with Rick Steeves.
	...

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