Mexico is divided into states. Yucatan is a state and Quintana Roo is a state, even though both are in the Yucatan Peninsula. (The state of Yucatan has the city of Merida and many coastal areas, and the state of Quintana Roo has the better-known expat areas of Cancun, Cozumel, Playa del Carmen and Tulum.) There are many, many other states in Mexico. Each state has their own laws, their own rules, and their own way of doing things, their own culture within a culture.
Compared to Galveston, Texas, where I’m from, the state of Quintana Roo would be far safer. Have you seen the crime stats in Galveston lately?
The state of Yucatan is somewhat of a “neutral zone.” They have a very, very low tolerance for crime of any kind in this state. Outside of this state, things can be different. I live in Progresso, which is a small fishing village in the state of Yucatan about a half an hour drive from Merida. Here in the Yucatan, in Progresso, I can walk around in all hours of the night or day and not worry about being bothered by anyone. If I encounter any kind of car trouble or can’t get a cab at midnight or 1 or 2 in the morning after attending a festivity, the police will give me a ride home and not think anything of it. The same is true within other areas of the state of Yucatan. The same cannot be said, however, about the state of Quintana Roo or the state of Veracruz, and most especially, not about the state of Nuevo Leon. So the safety varies depending on your location. I would recommend anyone who is interested in living in one of these other states to investigate fully. Do your homework before you pickup and go.
Compared with Galveston, Texas, hands down, Progreso is by far the safer environment. In the city of Merida, which has a larger population and some lower income families, there is some crime, but nothing involving people against people; just property crimes like burgled houses or cars.
Here in Progresso, I don’t have burglar bars on my windows. If the same house I’m living in in Progresso were placed in the middle of Texas, it would’ve been robbed and vandalized a million times. Here in Progresso, I sleep with the windows open at night. I went back to the States last February and I ended up having to go through two surgeries and I was there six months recuperating. I came home and my house and my yard had not been touched. My housekeeper once or twice a week came in to turn it out to freshen the air, and to take care of the outside animals. Everybody knew I was gone but yet nobody bothered my property at all.
I often take walks at night completely without concern for my safety. I don’t walk the beach at night unless there’s a full moon because you can always trip and fall or step on a jellyfish, which are the little hazards that are common to beach areas. There’s no light over there where I live.
(Expat Mikki James flashing a peace sign in Porgresso, Yucatan, Mexico, pictured.)
I have been living in the Lisbon area countryside since 1983, the first ten years as a single woman living alone, and up to now have never felt unsafe. What exists in this area is mostly petty crimes of opportunity, eg. bags or cameras left in a parked car, or houses obviously unoccupied. 
There are changes in religion, even here in Nicaragua. 
There is good bus service in Boquete but they are slow. There is bus service from Boquete to David (the closest largest town to Boquete, about 40 minutes away by car) and from David to Boquete. The rate is about US $2 and they travel every 20 minutes. 
The restaurants in Belize are wonderful and inexpensive. Often times, I go into a restaurant and I don’t even look at the menu. I’ll just tell the lady, “Fix me something that you’d have for dinner at your house. What’s the closest thing that you have to Belizean cuisine?” What I get is always wonderful. 
Having lived in Belize as an ex-pat for almost 30 years, I guess I qualify as a bit of an expert on the country. 
This little bird is a baby Panama Flycatcher. Mum and dad moved in above the light fitting in my kitchen in April 2012. I live on a little Caribbean island just off the coast of Panama in the archipelago of Bocas del Toro. This short tale is taken from my new book "Paradise Delayed", which is sub-titled "The pitfalls and pleasures (mainly the pitfalls) of Caribbean island life in the beautiful archipelago of Bocas del Toro, Panama". Life can be challenging and frustrating at times here,...
