Most problems gringos have…

Shame on me: I should have known that most of the responses would be to shoot the messenger and blame the victims.

Read my last paragraph. Over the past 20 years, neither me nor my friends has had to worry about theft on La Ropa....that's what has been most upsetting.

It isn’t about shooting or blaming anyone. It is about recognizing changing times and environments and adjusting one’s behaviour.

Forty years ago I was leaving my door unlocked in the Greater Vancouver area. Not now.

Twenty years ago, I was leaving things unattended on the beach in Zihuatanejo. Not now.

These days I am comfortable leaving things unattended on the beach in Troncones with a dozen other people on it. (Well, except that I see the occasional dog using people’s things as a significant “marker” and therefore as necessary to pee on as a fire hydrant. )

Ten or fifteen years from now, I probably won’t be doing that.

Just to keep things honest, never anywhere at any time in my past or present have I left my things on the beach and then taken my eyes off them longer than I could hold my breath, and then only after scanning the area first. Not at the most remote beaches I've gone to. Ever. And I don't recommend that anyone else not watch their things either. If you want to walk or swim down the beach out of sight of your things, leave your things with somebody. At La Ropa, a bartender at a nearby restaurant is always a good choice.