dr, safer than cuba and mexico

donquixote

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Last nite on a documentary on travel in mexico and the problems tourists have with crime and problems, it was stated that government reports state that mexixo has 3times the complaints than the dr and that cuba has 2times.

it was nice to hear it put into some comparison with other tourists destinations. We always think things are better elsewhere, but not always so.
 

Funnyyale26

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Dec 15, 2006
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I don't know but I find it hard to believe that of Cuba...I heard that in Cuba, any criminal who attacks a tourist gets 10-15 years in jail and Cuba has much lower crime rate than the DR. That was probably a gringo friendly, anti communist documentary.
 

Chip

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I don't know but I find it hard to believe that of Cuba...I heard that in Cuba, any criminal who attacks a tourist gets 10-15 years in jail and Cuba has much lower crime rate than the DR. That was probably a gringo friendly, anti communist documentary.

In my many years in Florida I had met many, many Cubans born on the island, some young and some old and it was rare to have someone have something nice to say about Castro and their country. Common sense would tell you that this is significant that with the fact that hundreds of thousands have risked life and limb over the years to come to the US on makeshift boats.

Most Domincans in the US will say good things about their country but that the corruption and lack of jobs is why they are in the States.
 

Sholly24

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Last nite on a documentary on travel in mexico and the problems tourists have with crime and problems, it was stated that government reports state that mexixo has 3times the complaints than the dr and that cuba has 2times.

Mexico city can be a bit dangerous but that is only if you go to areas that look like places in your country where you would normally not go. Other than that I have found it relatively safe. Most of the violence is usually gang related (drug gangs) but if you are not involved, it appears very safe to me.

Cuba is the safest of these countries. Other than the ocassional petty theft and rare stabbings, it is a very safe place but you need to be very careful of scam artists and strangers who want to be your friend. Castro has managed to tame cubans like puppies and havana in my opinion probably has one of the highest ratio of police to inhabitants in the world who constantly monitor and check papers of it's inhabitants. They take the safety of tourists very seriously and their police are pretty much sticklers for the law. Unlike in the other 2 countries you won't get robbed by the gun in cuba........because nobody has a gun......unless Castro gives you one. I rent a car each time I visit cuba and I drive practically everywhere and at all hours but I would never rent a car in Mexico or the DR. I am very ready to take my chances with a knife attack.

I think that with commonsense each of these 3 countries is relatively safe.

Sholly
 

Sholly24

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That was probably a gringo friendly, anti communist documentary.

Having visited each of these 3 countries several times, I think that I can agree with that. But I can also add that you need to be more careful of strangers who want to be your friend in havana than maybe in Mexico city or in Santo Domingo. Maybe the complaints relate to such instances?.

Sholly
 

Rocky

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The Cuba stats may be misleading.
The cops there are for real, so tourists are more likely to complain.
Tourists in the DR who fall victim of a crime, are often told to not bother going to the cops.
As for Mexico, it's the only place that I know of where they still rob trains like in the cowboy days.
I wouldn't have any trouble believing the triple stats.
 

Berzin

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The Cuba stats may be misleading.
The cops there are for real, so tourists are more likely to complain.
Tourists in the DR who fall victim of a crime, are often told to not bother going to the cops.
As for Mexico, it's the only place that I know of where they still rob trains like in the cowboy days.
I wouldn't have any trouble believing the triple stats.

They do that to buses that are traveling long distances away from major cities along routes that will make it difficult for anyone to get immediate help from the police.
I never heard that about the trains in Mexico and I've been there quite a few times.
 

Rocky

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They do that to buses that are traveling long distances away from major cities along routes that will make it difficult for anyone to get immediate help from the police.
I never heard that about the trains in Mexico and I've been there quite a few times.
We met some people who got robbed on the train, when we were in the Yucatan.
 

Kyle

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i been to cancun and acapulco, crime it's usually on the petty side. now in juarez just across the texas border it's a different story. many of us GI's use to walk over on the weekends and i guess "our" money made us targets. in the DR though, i've never really seen any crime.
of course, this is from a tourist point of view....
 

drtampa

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Nuevo Laredo has become the new crime capital of Mexico. A few years ago you felt completely safe there walking around late a night. Its the same as most places, everything is drug related.
 
friends pickup

Nuevo Laredo has become the new crime capital of Mexico. A few years ago you felt completely safe there walking around late a night. Its the same as most places, everything is drug related.

I have a friend who winters in Texas, his pickup truck was stolen in Nuevo Laredo, he reported it to the police and went back to Texas, 3 days later they returned and spotted his truck, 4 guys jumped the thief and reclaimed the truck. Guess who was driving the truck?

Nuevo Laredo's Police Chief.:)
 

pelaut

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Tourists opinions of Cuba vs. DR

I've travelled on my own in Cuba on three occassions and found the Cuban people much like the Dominicans in their Latin hospitality and open friendliness. Like in the rest of L.A. the authorities tend to act thuggish in proportion to their power. And yes, it's relatively clean since there's nothing to throw away, and Cubans have a solid middle class history.

As Fidel wanes crime will rise, and as we saw with the Marielitos in 1980, violent crime will skyrocket when Fidel's mano duro relaxes over the (every society has them) sociopaths and psychopaths. Anarchy may prevail until the Casino Mafia (Russian this time) take over the country again. So whatever crime is there now, just wait for what will come.

Meanwhile, I'd like to know WHAT "anti-communist documentary" as a poster said. It's pseudo-intellectual cachet today to compliment these 'socialist' dictatorships -- nowhere does the media call them out for what they are. Consequently most tourists returning from Cuba try to distinguish themselves as members of the elite by praising Cuba with their own myths: education, medical, safety. And they are myths.
 
N

naturelover

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im sure the uk must be up there in the crime stakes....everyone wher i lived had to have alley gates to stop the buglaries and drug dealing..people were also shot at on the street with airrifles
 

rendul

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Just this past winter three Canadians were murdered in two different stabbings. The Mexican government tried to blame the gruesome murder of the Ianeiro's on two women (teachers) from Thunder Bay. The commissioner of police is a liar and did everything he could possibly do to divert attention away from the Mexican who did the killing. In both instances, no Mexicans have been charged and none have been investigated. Canada has warned Canadians to avoid Mexico for the sheer fact that if something happens, the police, the heirarchy will do nothing.
 

Uzin

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Being to both Cuba and DR I can also say that Cuba felt safer than DR, just because of the sheer number of uniformed police in the streets. And they told me that for every uniformed one there are two in plain cloths ! So go figure....

To be honest I never been in trouble in DR also but there are definitely less police presence than Cuba.

Never been to Mexico but I hear kidnaping and attacking tourists is a past-time down there, but that's what I hear, no first-hand experience.
 

gonzaga

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I have been in all three places and I have driven in the DR and Mexico but always with someone else. In the DR with a local and in Mexico with a friend. I would never deam or attempt to drive alone in these two places.

My last trip was to Varadero, Cuba in June 2007 for 2 weeks. I have only been to Cuba one time before in 1999 and only stayed on the resort. So on this trip I rented a car and drove to Guanabacoa, Havana ALL BY MYSELF:bunny: (brave girl) to visist my Sweetie's family. It's about 2 1/2 hours each way from Varadero. I did feel safe and a little frustrated (well worth it) and I only did day time travelling. I was a little surprise and not aware that passing through the little towns towns that there would be many Cubans trying to hike a ride into Havana (shopping in better). I was told not to stop or pick up anyone especially because I was a single woman driving a rented car that you don't see in Cuba often. Lucky me most thought I was Cuban.
 

donquixote

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The Cuba stats may be misleading.
The cops there are for real, so tourists are more likely to complain.
Tourists in the DR who fall victim of a crime, are often told to not bother going to the cops.
As for Mexico, it's the only place that I know of where they still rob trains like in the cowboy days.
I wouldn't have any trouble believing the triple stats.


good points. being to cuba many times i do notice a lot more police presense and enforcement. the comment on in dr, so many not bothering to report is valid...considering this i accept cuba is safer than dr.