This is a true story that happened a couple of years ago. I saw something while walking around Cozumel that reminded me of it and I thought that some of our readers might enjoy it.
The Story
Shortly before moving to Mexico, my wife received a phone call from her mother. Her mother told her she had some concerns about us moving to Mexico because her doctor told her that the terrorist group Isis had a lot of supporters there.
Of course my wife was surprised and a bit puzzled. Although Mexico does have some security concerns in certain parts of the country, we had never heard of the terrorist group Isis being one of them.
My mother-in-law said that her doctor and his wife had gone to Cozumel on vacation a couple of weeks before. He said that he started seeing “Isis” bumper stickers on vehicles all over the island. He was so frightened that he decided to cut his vacation short and book the first flight back to the U.S.
For those readers who live in Cozumel or visit it, you might be able to guess what happened here. For those that don’t, here’s an example of the bumper sticker that sent him fleeing the island:
This is a vehicle rental business on the island that has been operating since 1993. They had the Isis name long before the terrorist organization starting using it.
Just in case you’re wondering, my mother-in-law did educate the good doctor during her next visit. She said that he looked quite embarrassed.
Let’s Wrap This Up
The moral of this story is: when in doubt, ask a local or at least Google it. A quick Google search of “Isis and Cozumel” would have saved his vacation.
That’s really funny. I love how people jump to conclusions without knowing the facts. Have a great day!
We have seen that same bumper sticker many time. It is peculiar!
It’s the name of the Egyptian goddess of wisdom and the owner’s daughter’s name. The only thing that seems peculiar to me is that a terrorist organization would use the name.
Too funny! Gave me a chuckle!
Our dear departed Bichon was named Isis. My daughter named her after mighty Isis from Wonder Woman. The name is a little tarnished these days
Funny! You know, I get a lot of comments anout crime concerns. my answer is always this: Some parts of every city or town in North America are very dangerous, but tourists still flock to Vancouver, Toronto, NY, Chicago, LA, Miami…. Check their violent crime rates against destinations here.
We have friends and family who can’t believe we go to Mexico every year, they think we’re crazy! The crime rate in our city, Ottawa, Canada, is very high and getting worse. I feel more safe in Mexico!
Wow a doctor high tailed it out of Mexico over some bumper stickers? I’d start thinking of changing doctors ))
Hahaha, I made the same comment to my mother-in-law at the time
Hello Paul: the story is funny and you have the reason: the south of my country in general and specifically the places with tourist or expats (Ensenada, BCN; San Pancho, Nayarit; Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco; Guanajuato, Guanajuato and Taxco, Guerrero) are safe . The worse state is Tamaulipas (by narcotrafic) and Tijuana is very ugly. We don’t have terrorism: with our government is enough…
Have a nice 2017!
Thanks for information and have a great year, Miguel!
This one made us laugh ! Thanks for your blog we love it !!!
Margarita, the wonderful woman who runs Rentadora Isis, named it after her daughter Isis who in turn is named after the Egyptian goddess of wisdom. We now own a car on the island, but Rentadora Isis is the only car rental agency we will use. When we need a car on the mainland we rent from her nephew Edgar at Isis Rentadora Playa del Carmen.
We should have had the doctor call you so you could have explained all that…lol.
I rent from there every time I’m on Cozumel. Margarita is lovely! The cars are in decent shape and prices are good.
When I first heard of the terrorist group ISIS, I thought that named seemed familiar. On our next trip to Coz, I spotted a rental car and then I remembered, we had rented a car from them for 10 days the previous season.
We found Isla Mujeres about 20 years ago and been there over 30 times. Mahahual sounds interesting.Are there Colectivas that go there from CUN airport?
The last time we were in Cozumel off a Ship we rented ISIS also. nice little Convertible bug to tour around the island with a few stops along the way.
We will most likely rent a Vehicle from them in Cancun this coming spring when we scout out your area for our future retirement