Sorry if this came across as callous, here is a starting point for help with PTSD:
http://www.helpguide.org/mental/post_traumatic_stress_disorder_symptoms_treatment.htm
Wierd scene coming into Rocky Point today.
- Thread starter Panamahat
- Start date
http://www.helpguide.org/mental/post_traumatic_stress_disorder_symptoms_treatment.htm
dry heat
Pigeon coup coordinator
I would not pay much attention to the PM asking you to start a support group. More than likely they are just messing with you and really don't think you need to start a support group.
To everyone asking if they should go down or not, here is my two cents after just returning.
Our family went down this past Friday, 2 days after the shooting, and we came home on Monday. We were in contact with several local friends who kept us informed on what they heard was going on. Some have close friends on the police force. They weren't concerned at all, more relieved that the military took these guys seriously and eliminated what they felt was as threat to the overall community and business and tourism.
Our experience was that if we hadn't have read the news online or seen the video and photos before we went down, we would have never known anything happened. Same old Rocky Point that we are used to. It was extremely slow at all the restaurants we went to, but to be expected the week before Christmas.
Our biggest challenge wasn't security or fear from the military action, it was dealing with all the pot holes around town and terrible road conditions in and out of Las Conchas because of the big downpour on Friday.
Other than that, another great trip, great weather, beautiful beach and too much eating.
Hope that helps out those who are considering a trip.
wildtoucan
Guest
Yes, thank you! Merry Christmas!
StephenHeisler
Guest
We moved to Rocky Point with a fairly nice car... 20 months later and it's all but a jalopy. Cracked windshield, big scratch from scraping the wall in the garage, the paint is fading on one side and it all but impossible to keep aligned.
We are thinking that a 4-door F350 like this is about the only way to go-
We are thinking that a 4-door F350 like this is about the only way to go-
MikeinRockyPoint
Guest
Come down to RP & enjoy the beautiful beach as we are. Yes it is slow here now but that's just December. The days before the incident you might see 2 people on the entire beach all day.
Keep living your life. After the Colorado shootings people returned to Colorado. After the Tuscon mass shooting people returned to Tuscon and live safely. The difference in RP is these cartel guys werent shooting or harming tourists and the shooting only happened because the military decided to remove them.
As far as retaliation is concerned. Not worried at all about that. Ive worked in Mexico for many years and cartel guys are killed by the military in other cities in Mexico occasionally and you dont hear of cartel returning and harming tourists to retaliate because they have a beef w/ the military. The cartel wants to keep a very low profile and they understand what is good and not good for their business survival.
brokenwave
Guest
If you can afford to have a nice truck like this to get trashed, Go for it. The best way of dealing with the roads and driving skills lapses,We moved to Rocky Point with a fairly nice car... 20 months later and it's all but a jalopy. Cracked windshield, big scratch from scraping the wall in the garage, the paint is fading on one side and it all but impossible to keep aligned.
We are thinking that a 4-door F350 like this is about the only way to go-
Is to have a beater vehicle and something nicer that's very dependable.
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We would never recommend that our friends, relatives or neighbours stop visiting Mexico - they can make their own decisions.
But we will be very honest as to why we will never again go there ourselves.
We were incredibly naive to believe we were safe in Puerto Penasco, despite many of our friends warning us of that PP had changed since they used to go down 15-20 years ago.
Many folks memories will fade, but I'm pretty sure anyone that experienced the war zone for 5 hours won't forget for a long time.
If we hadn't witnessed what we had we would likely not believed it. I have had plenty of experiences where I escaped injury or death over the years - some by luck - others because I could do something about the situation.
By sitting in a condo within several hundred feet of unseen helicopter gunships firing gatling guns at unknown targets, then hours of sporadic gunfire - without any means of protecting ourselves, understanding what was going on or who the 'enemy' was, left me with the most helpless feeling I have ever had in my life.
Then to be presented a couple days later with the worst spin ever about how this was a small skirmish confined to one area, by bad guys who were "just visiting on a holiday" and then to gradually day by day find out that it was even bigger than what we knew we had experienced, was the final straw to convince us to stay away.
Like I said, everyone is entitled to their opinions, and I know this won't affect those that know PP better than I ever will now, but please...
...don't insist it is safe, it just isn't.
And BTW, we were also left with the feeling that as tourists, even if it is the slow season, we had absolutely no value - were worthless pawns in an obvious growing war. Not to mention the workers, security guards, and any others that were innocent victims of this battle.
I realize this isn't the best post for Christmas day, but as we sat hugging each other and our children and their families today, thankful we were alive - it was overall a most unpleasant Xmas that was supposed to have been spent in 'paradise'
dry heat
Pigeon coup coordinator
Canuck, we all understand you will never come to penasco again. You have told us on numerous occasions along with repeating the events on numerous occasions. No one is saying that penasco is safe to all crime (just like any town or city in the world). At this point, it may be best if you seek professional help to deal with the experience. I am sure anyone who experiences a horrible event may be apprehensive about walking into the same situation again (ex. someone who saw a mass shooting at a movie theatre or someone who was a bystander in a shooting outside of a grocery store). To the person who experiences those events, life will never be the same anytime they visit a similar place.
Is it bulletproof? That may come in handy.We moved to Rocky Point with a fairly nice car... 20 months later and it's all but a jalopy. Cracked windshield, big scratch from scraping the wall in the garage, the paint is fading on one side and it all but impossible to keep aligned.
We are thinking that a 4-door F350 like this is about the only way to go-
"Keep living your life. After the Colorado shootings people returned to Colorado. After the Tuscon mass shooting people returned to Tuscon and live safely."
Listen. I'm not interested in bickering about what is safe and what is not. I'm smart enough to figure out for myself when I'm in an unsafe situation and I know how to take care of myself. Hell, I've been to Chicago. At night. But making these kind of comparisons is ridiculous. There is a huge difference between one crazy with a gun shooting up a crowd and two helicopter gunships with mini-guns blazing, armed troops with hordes of military-grade weapons and armored vehicles racing around having rolling gun battles. When the cartels start fighting, or the Mexican Army goes after drug people, there appears to be little concern for collateral damage. I'm not concerned about random danger, I have no control over that and I will deal with it when it happens without worrying about it. However, if some up-and-coming-power-crazy drug lord wants to roar into Rocky Point and take out all the competition, I'm not interested in a front-row seat. If the army decides the town needs a purging, I don't want to be a first-hand witness, I'm just fine with watching it on the news. I am interested in hearing any information on places I should avoid, like maybe the places the cartel people frequent. I'm not judging them or condemning them, I just don't want to be around when they decide to settle their differences with others.
That's all. I'm not some shaking-in-my boots fear-monger wetting my pants when I hear a backfire. I'm just your average old-fart that is concerned about the safety and welfare of the people that trust me to take care of them. I appreciate that there is a community of people that reside in the Rocky Point area. experienced with the local culture and customs, and that you have an online community where you can share your experiences and disseminate important information for everybody. I can read between the lines and I can tell when I'm getting BS'd. I've been around the block once or twice and I know the difference between shit and shinola. When people throw out vague warnings and then disappear, I tend to discount their wolf-crying. Given the recent events in RP, however, ANY sensible person would want to be as confident as possible that they are not leading their family into a dangerous situation. That is all.
Thank you very much for all the discussion, it has been enlightening and I appreciate it. If anybody has any sensible advice to offer, I am all ears.
Listen. I'm not interested in bickering about what is safe and what is not. I'm smart enough to figure out for myself when I'm in an unsafe situation and I know how to take care of myself. Hell, I've been to Chicago. At night. But making these kind of comparisons is ridiculous. There is a huge difference between one crazy with a gun shooting up a crowd and two helicopter gunships with mini-guns blazing, armed troops with hordes of military-grade weapons and armored vehicles racing around having rolling gun battles. When the cartels start fighting, or the Mexican Army goes after drug people, there appears to be little concern for collateral damage. I'm not concerned about random danger, I have no control over that and I will deal with it when it happens without worrying about it. However, if some up-and-coming-power-crazy drug lord wants to roar into Rocky Point and take out all the competition, I'm not interested in a front-row seat. If the army decides the town needs a purging, I don't want to be a first-hand witness, I'm just fine with watching it on the news. I am interested in hearing any information on places I should avoid, like maybe the places the cartel people frequent. I'm not judging them or condemning them, I just don't want to be around when they decide to settle their differences with others.
That's all. I'm not some shaking-in-my boots fear-monger wetting my pants when I hear a backfire. I'm just your average old-fart that is concerned about the safety and welfare of the people that trust me to take care of them. I appreciate that there is a community of people that reside in the Rocky Point area. experienced with the local culture and customs, and that you have an online community where you can share your experiences and disseminate important information for everybody. I can read between the lines and I can tell when I'm getting BS'd. I've been around the block once or twice and I know the difference between shit and shinola. When people throw out vague warnings and then disappear, I tend to discount their wolf-crying. Given the recent events in RP, however, ANY sensible person would want to be as confident as possible that they are not leading their family into a dangerous situation. That is all.
Thank you very much for all the discussion, it has been enlightening and I appreciate it. If anybody has any sensible advice to offer, I am all ears.
dmcauley
Guest
I understand the fears of the previous posters and I too think it was ridiculous of Roberto to post his remark and disappear. He is not usually that irresponsible and is usually on target about tourist information. I am heading down to RP to go fishing and I am sure there will be a lot less people to deal with at the boarder but this will blow over and people will come down again.
Dry Heat...
...thanks for the advice, but you just don't get it. I have experienced horrible events in past.
Mass shooting or shooting outside a grocery store, while traumatic events to those nearby, isn't even close to the same situation as being stuck in the middle of a war zone.
You certainly have the right to your opinion, but so do I, and to repeat so you clearly understand mine - a War Zone.
Not by me. Were they taken down where hosted?
I did not take the pics down either, Rick....
You guys need to take this offline in private. It is now looking like a P****ng match. Pretty much everything that needs to be said has been said.
By sitting in a condo within several hundred feet of unseen helicopter gunships firing gatling guns at unknown targets, then hours of sporadic gunfire - without any means of protecting ourselves, understanding what was going on or who the 'enemy' was, left me with the most helpless feeling I have ever had in my life.
A person told me that 50 cal ammo like they were firing from the helicopters can penetrate solid walls, so you were not entirely safe sitting in your condo. Not only did the helicopters fire along Sandy beach road from the desert but were firing over the roofs of the condos.
And BTW, we were also left with the feeling that as tourists, even if it is the slow season, we had absolutely no value - were worthless pawns in an obvious growing war. Not to mention the workers, security guards, and any others that were innocent victims of this battle.
I agree, when something like this goes down. YOU ARE ENTIRELY ON YOUR OWN.
A person told me that 50 cal ammo like they were firing from the helicopters can penetrate solid walls, so you were not entirely safe sitting in your condo. Not only did the helicopters fire along Sandy beach road from the desert but were firing over the roofs of the condos.
And BTW, we were also left with the feeling that as tourists, even if it is the slow season, we had absolutely no value - were worthless pawns in an obvious growing war. Not to mention the workers, security guards, and any others that were innocent victims of this battle.
I agree, when something like this goes down. YOU ARE ENTIRELY ON YOUR OWN.