California Native Shares His Impacting Experience In Baja

I am a native Californian who has been visiting Baja since I was a child.  There have been many changes over the years, but few as dramatic as in the decade or so since Rosarito became an incorporated city.  Particularly in the recent years, Rosarito has faced a crisis and stepped forward with deliberate speed and leadership to bring order and safety to its residents and visitors. Now as a full-time ex-patriot foreign resident, my real-life experience in Rosarito is far different from the one I see portrayed in the media.  Of the 14, 000 or more full-time foreign resident Americans and Canadians living here, I am unaware of a single incident where any innocent foreign residents or tourist visitors have been victims of the violence visited upon us by the drug cartels.  All but a few of the incidents between drug dealers have taken place, while technically within the city limits of Rosarito, far into the deserted canyons and hills surrounding the population center.

Life in Baja as a Single Mom

Perhaps it’s the foreign language that intimidates many “would be” visitors of Mexico. Or, it could be the tales from south of the border that keep many from experiencing our sister country. For example, I myself have heard the horror stories; the man and wife who went to Mexico and were never heard from again; the two guys who spent five years in a Mexican jail because a Mexican citizen hit their car; The woman who drank the water in Mexico and nearly died (or she did die, depending on who is telling the story).

So how safe is Mexico? I felt safe enough to venture on the trip alone, but ended up taking Ms. Star Thompson along with me. Star, a twenty-seven year Chula Vista resident, had never been to Rosarito. Her fathers warning of the forbidden country had, to this date, been taken as the word of the almighty himself.