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Flying La Paz/LAX/Portland....standing amongst literally thousands of people of all nationalities from over 50 incoming international flights clogging Immigration & Customs at the International arrival terminal at LAX....slowly inching my way forward next to a gal of apparent Latino heritage....

She: "This is absolutely crazy! How long do you think it's going to take for all these people to get through these lines?"

Me: "Hopefully less than the two hours, since I have a connecting flight out of the domestic terminal in two hours & it's not looking like all that realistic a hope at the moment!"

She: "Where did you come in from?"

Me: "La Paz, Mexico"

She: " Isn't it really dangerous there? How long were you there for? Where are you going to from here?"

Me: "12 years, and no it's not dangerous in La Paz, it's nearly 1,000 miles south of the border & all the drug cartel violence is pretty much in border towns. My connecting flight is to Portland."

She: "You mean 12 days? You were in Mexico for 12 days & your going home to Portland?"

Me: "No, I live in La Paz & have since 1999, that's my home....I'm visiting my mother in Portland for 2 weeks."

She: "But it's so dangerous in Mexico! How can you live there?"

Me: "95% of what you read about & see in the media is about cartel violence & it's pretty much isolated to the border area. As long as you aren't into drugs & don't go looking for trouble, it's safe. There has been very little violence directed against tourists or foreigners; for the most part it's been cartel killing competing cartel & that's a good thing!"

The preceding conversation is but a snippet of the conversation between a visa-holding non-citizen USA resident & a visa-holding US citizen residing in Baja! Talk about cultural exchange!

It truly is "all in the eye of the beholder"!

I have run into a bit of that myself and it does go to show how opinions are formed based solely on news reports and knee jerk reactions. I think it is a good thing to report what is happening but it is usually referred to as violence in Mexico instead of violence in border areas. I happen to go to Tijuana frequently on business and feel no different there compared to when I have to go into areas of Los Angeles that I consider just as dangerous.

Thanks, I love those kinds of stories.

Longlegs, my dear, sometimes, not often, I am disappointed in your creativity. Standing in this long line you could have agreed with her. Embellish. I mean after all we did have some of those clowns picked up in Fidepaz. Explain you have two fierce dogs and an attack cat, and built a house of foam so as not to hear the gunfire (okay so it's only on New Year's and Noche Buena). Such a wonderful opportunity to entertain yourself and discourage some one of questionable brain power who has already made up their mind on the basis of no first hand experience from coming here.

Should have told her you were kidnapped last year and had your head cut off.........

Great line!