gocanucks

i'm driving down to mexico in august from BC with a buddy of mine for a few days. we were going to stay in Tijuana but everyone up here is convinced we would be killed. i dont really buy into that, but to make my family happy we are going to rosarito instead.

ive never been to mexico before, in fact i've never left BC. so this is all a big adventure. couple questions:

1) good place to stay in rosarito? i'd prefer bars and beaches. what is the opinion on the festival plaza?

2) am i going to be killed? i always figured the media overhypes the violence in mexico, and if i dont mess with the wrong people i should be fine.

3) if mexico is anything like canada, nobody likes americans. everybody will think i am american. how should i expect to be treated? am i going to get ripped off a lot? would it even make a difference if somehow people figured out i was canadian?

4) will people assume i have tonnes of money because im white? (i don't)

5) whats a good muffler shop in rosarito? my car needs a new exhaust and the guys up here want about $450cad which is about 5200 peso's.

thanks for any help. if anyone is taking a trip or thinking about a trip to british columbia i'll answer any questions they might have.