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[visor2040]

Conspiracy theories aside. I agree. The north is the bad place. But Mexico City now is rainy and that keeps our air clean . Other places in the south and center are fine (and damn cheap).

That being said, Xcaret and places like that are bad. As a "gringo" they rip you off and as Mexican they rip you off and treat you like a second class citizen >.>

[mmbcross]

Our family of ten are just back from Cancun in perfect health. Not even a case of "Montezuma's Revenge".

Yes indeed Cancun is a rip-off for gringos, but there again I have found this to be the case for all intensely travelled tourist spots the world over. A seasoned traveller will usually be able to avoid most tourist scams.

Example in Cancun. The ferry from the mainland to Isla de Mujeres from the Zona Hotelera is US$ 15.00 RT. The same ferry from Pto Juarez where the locals live is 70 pesos RT (under US$6.00).

They get away with it because even with the tourist "surcharge", it is still inexpensive by our standards.

[starlagurl]

Donyan, glad to hear you got over the flu, were you scared when you were sick?

Welcome back, Martin, glad you didn't get sick, but we all knew you'd be OK.

Funny story: I was coming back from Toronto this weekend in a car with some people I have never met (rideshare). We started talking about Mexico for some reason and one guy in the car goes:

"Mexico? Didn't they close the border or something?"

Me: *burst out laughing* "No! They can't close Mexico, what the???!"

Just the insane miscommunications that are happening around this little outbreak, are incredible.

[starlagurl]

What the???

[mmbcross]

That's amazing. It sounds more like Melbourne, Florida than Melbourne, Australia. I thought the Aussies were much more world wise than United Statesians.

New forum. A name for citizens of the United States of America.

[starlagurl]

I think this lady is an isolated incident...

[visor2040]

Swine flu/scare is somewhat over now, folks. Well I would still take precautions like washing your hands, sanitizing and all that stuff. I would avoid Tijuana and Mexico City for sure. Still pretty unsafe.

Friend of mine is in Cancun as we speak and all is well. Don't be scurred.

Mexico City is no more unsafe than LA or NYC .

All you need is a little common sense and you should be fine . Tijuana is the same, all you need to do is know where, when and with whom you should hang out with.

[joelmunoz1968]

Update, US reports first Swine Flu death...

BBC News

And after all is said and done, once again Mexico is left decimated economically by the media. Turns out the swine flu is a weaker version of the common flu. Stories that scare the hell out of people sell a lot of papers and make a lot of people watch the over supply of crappy news shows. God forbid people do their own research and find out the facts behind things before they cancel travel plans and hide under their beds.

Media preys on ignorance and fear. Don't be prey! Ask questions, do your own research.

http://alternative-doctor.com/blog/swine-f...-truth-is-ugly/

[mmbcross]

This repoert came out in April. The Swine Flu has gone around the world 90 times since then. I bet most people have entirely forgotten that it all started in Vera Cruz, Mexico from an American owned pig farm.

[carabean]

Stay there and if you give them proof that you got Influenza A while in Cancun they will pay for THREE YEARS of vacations to Cancun for you and a companion.

Proof is some kind of medical certificate that you got the disease up to 14 days after your stay or something

Hooray! We are off to Cancun week after next (pretty much sans spring breakers by now) and will be hunting around to see if we can get the flu. Thee years of holidays in Cancun is just too hard to resist. Question - Do you always have to take the same companion (hope my wife doesn't read this!)?

I don't think people will have much luck getting the free vacations. I know that lots of people are talking about this. From what I have heard this strain in only moderately stronger than a typical seasonal flu bug. As always, the ones most at risk are the young, the elderly and those with immuno-deficiencies.

For example: Last year alone in Canada, over 4000 people died from a "normal" strain of the flu. I think the reason it is being called a "pandemic" is the ease at which it is spreading through the global community due to our interconnectivity. Washing hands and face masks are your best defense. I am traveling to Bali in a month and I am not too concerned with it.

I am heading to a cancun hotel in a few weeks...If I do catch it, then I will definitely be looking into this further!