=MAX=, great pictures! thanks
And thanks for kind words guys!! I'll level with you all, I've been battling opiate addiction on and off for 10 years and finally found a real CURE in the form of ibogaine (iboga is an amazing plant medicine, look it up or ask me for more information if you're interested. as someone who is studying medicine, it is the only actual cure for addiction of any kind that I've ever come across as most conventional solutions generally replace one substance with another...). Actually, if any of you have addicts in your lives that have been struggling to kick their habits, feel free to get them in touch with me because this medicine truly works and seeing how it has saved me, I'd be more than happy to share the information with other people experiencing similar struggles. Thanks to this medicine I'm alive in a way I have never been before
kdstrick - thanks for the heads up and the links :thumbup: I completely agree that shit is pretty crazy in Mexico right now, but outside of driving across the border and travelling through bigger cities, I actually feel pretty safe where I'll be living for a few reasons:
1 - As far as the safety factor goes...the town I'm moving to is a tiny beach surfer town, a town that few Mexicans even know of because of how small it is and it has pretty much no drug trade, and talking to the locals confirms that the cartel doesn't even waste their time there - anyone trying to score something has to drive to bigger, more well known towns in the area. Some people from Guadalajara tour there, but that's the majority of it. Way less American tourism than most other spots in Mexico, but I do recognize that any amount of Gringo tourism does present potential risk. Of course it is such a small town that any new cartel or Arab presence would be noticed, and fast.
2 - Having travelled through Lebanon, I've actually spoken and interacted with several Hezbollah members and have spent some time and driven through areas where they have a pretty big presence. In talking to them and other Lebanese citizens, Hezbollah are way less extreme and dangerous than mainstream media make them out to be - their main goals revolve around allowing the Lebanese people to vote for their own political representation and fighting any kind of Israeli occupation of Lebanon...with the little I know, it seems that any extremism or acts of violence on their part is far more likely to be towards Israel, not Arabs or Americans for that matter. If they really are getting involved with the Mexican cartels, then that is a pretty new development as far as I know and it surprises me. Of course Hammas is another story and yes, I would definitely avoid them as I would any crazy cartel members. Hammas is far more organized and powerful than Hezbollah (at least based on my Lebanon experiences). The few times I have had to worry for my safety in Lebanon has been when travelling through or near Hammas occupied areas, and I am not at all surprised that they are starting to work with the cartels...if they suddenly appear in the little town I'm moving to then that could be cause for concern.
3 - Being Arab, I can spot other Arabs and am proficient enough with Arabic that their presence wouldn't catch me off guard. Also the town has 3 ibogaine clinics, all of which draw Gringos, many of whom stick out way more than I do.
4 - I tan pretty well...so much so that towards the end of my trip, locals were starting to assume I was a local so hopefully I'll just blend right in with a couple more month of Spanish practice anda little more sun
5 - Not to get too hippie on you all (again), but it's pretty clear that I'm supposed to spend some time there, and I trust that if I'm where I'm supposed to be, doing what I'm supposed to do, then I will be safe. And if it really gets crazy then I'll drag myself and my INFI into the jungle for a while!
I'm not trying to start a flame war, so please don't take any of this the wrong way. I truly appreciate your input and warnings, but I ultimately do feel safe there and besides that, I have to listen to my calling to be there while I'm build some sober time and serve the community with acupuncture before I come back to my life in the US. If at any time things change and become more dangerous then I definitely will leave Mexico as my instinct for self preservation probably won't allow me to stay and see what happens...
Again kdstrick, many thanks for your insights and advice. I'll definitely have to remind mindful of my surroundings and the local political situation while I am down there, so I really appreciate your words on the issue and the reminder to do even more research, just in case things change and I prove to be mistaken.
Looking forward to some jungle pics, better not hold out on us! 
