It s got a good Carnival, but a lousy beach to sleep it off on, the next morning. Physical security has never been a problem on board the passenger trains of any class service. I never met anyone in person who has been assaulted. A couple of first hand stories of stolen baggage aboard second class trains have been related to me. In any case, there s little scope for crime aboard the trains now, as the drug war police are well represented.
Drug dogs abound on the buses, ferries and around all major events.
Generally, as with other forms of transport, the inconvenience caused by the Mexican authorities with guns goes largely unnoticed. On the train, the five-hour trip was extended another hour and a half, as three different stops were extended by inspections and interrogations. Dogs, military and migration authorities conducted micro-inspections of baggage. Everyone including the conductors were unhappy with these delays. Although people failed to voice any complaint to the armed authorities directly, they did complain to each other.