Down a quiet village lane in Ajijic, a high blue wall hosts climbing vines sought by songbirds. A wrought iron gate opens to a spacious colonial style mansion. Designed and run by owners Michael and Maria Elena Eager, La Nueva Posada is a modern boutique hotel with the romance of colonial Mexico. A grand staircase carved from quarry […]
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They told us she could be a fiery mistress, this city of Merida, and we came to her uneasily. At first, she wooed us gently and seduced us with overcast skies, occasional warm drizzle and pleasing evening temperatures. We walked her beautiful boulevards; admired magnificent hundred year old mansions built for long-dead land barons and […]
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Are you looking for a unique and affordable vacation experience far from the world of all-inclusive resorts? Would you like to experience authentic Mexico at the same time? Then head right on down to the Riviera Nayarit! Here you can enjoy exploring gorgeous tropical beaches, dine on fresh seafood, and satiate yourself with papayas and […]
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In the winter, the further south you go, the warmer it will be (no surprise there). Summer is the rainy season throughout much of Mexico. Winters are comparatively dry. The higher the elevation, the cooler and less humid the air. You can subtract three degrees for every 1,000 feet of elevation (Toluca at 9,000 ft […]
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Much of what makes camping in Mexico intriguing and even mysterious also makes it challenging: It’s easy to disappear from the mapped highways and become emerged in the Chihuahuan Desert or the Sierra Madre Occidental, but a smooth and safe trip can be anywhere from difficult to impossible without careful planning and preparation. Even so, […]
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In January 2010, I wrote in these pages about our visit to Xalapa, Veracruz, a city off the Gringo radar screen, and how it compared to Ajijic, a pueblo very much on it. This time, Patricia and I decided to sample a city on the Pacific coast — Manzanillo. It is a city certainly on […]
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The Lake Chapala region (numerous villages stretching from Jocotepec on the northwest corner of the lake to Ajijic and Chapala further east) continues to grow in popularity among American and Canadian retirees looking for winter warmth and plenty of activities. The area has many attractions and comforts, and yet, not everyone can live happily here […]
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Lake Chapala, Mexico’s largest natural lake, is dying. The lake right now plays a vital role in a gigantic ecosystem, the River Lerma-Lake Chapala drainage basin, which includes more than 8 million people, 3,500 diverse industries, 750,000 hectares of irrigated farmland and 14 cities with populations in excess of 100,000. At the western extremity of […]
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If Lake Chapala could speak for itself, Mark Twain’s famous comment might come to mind: “The reports of my death are greatly exaggerated.” Since torrential rains began battering much of central Mexico in mid-August, the nation’s largest lake has undergone a truly astonishing transformation. Tourists boats that were forced to dock over a kilometer away […]
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