Seems as if you have doubts about what I wrote and I will make no apologizes for your doubts. I have plenty of witnesses if you need to talk to them. San Miguel use to have just empty camp sites and as for the trailers, well I have seen a couple there, but nothing like you describe, just other travelers. It may be different now but it was the way I described it back then. The camp ground was some little private deal with about 12 sites and a drop arm gate. As for over inflated contrived surfer stories, I have never heard any of those either. If I had prior to the trip I would have opted not to stay there. But seeing that you have heard so many of them, then maybe it does have issues with the federalies robbing when opportunity arises. One thing I will agree with you on is above Ensenada is riskier than south of Ensenada but 15 years ago it wasn't nearly as bad as it is now.
I do know of one person who got hit by a drunk down there and had his car totalled and he himself injured. After they fixed him up at the clinic they held him in custody until payment was made and he never got to collect his belongings or his vehicle. This happened way south of what you consider the safe zone. Oddly enough he was delivering supplies, that my church collected, to an orphanage or something similar near La Paz.
Now I don't know about you, but small indiscretions don't really deter me from visiting someplace again whether I be shopping at a local store here or traveling abroad, large ones usually do deter me from visiting or spending my hard earned money there again. The incident I was citing ironically was the last day of a goodwill mission in which I tagged along with some firemen from OCFD and other Orange county municipal fire stations. They delivered a bunch of used equipment and a refurbished firetruck to ensenadas' fire brigade. One of those firefighters is my brother and I wouldn't consider him a contriving surfer type either but a very level headed individual family man with the responsibility of running a firehouse in an Orange County coastal city. Not the type of city that hires and promotes irresponsible types to that position either. Yes we were planning on surfing one morning after we made the delivery. A few, but not all of the other firemen joined us. There were 6 of us in all. Hardly a "contriving" type of group.
As for traveling to other foreign lands, I have never experienced having an SKS (or any other type of firearm) pointed at my head or kicked in the ribs as I was in Mexico. I follow the rules as I don't like the idea of being locked up abroad reliant on an unknown justice system. I have been to 27 different countries in both hemispheres and on both sides of the equator since I left the Navy. Many I have camped in. I stay away from large hotels and opt for the smaller BandB's in order to take in as much of the local culture as I can. I work for a Large Hotel Chain and could easily save money staying there but I like it the other way far better. 2 years ago I went to Romania, Bulgaria, Greece, and Turkey and camped out more nights than I spent in hotels or BandB's. Not once did I have any issues with the local authorities. As a matter of fact the only time I did was the one incident I cited before. And because of that I will personally boycott traveling and spending my money there.
