What’s struck me recently about Mexico — apart from the usual beauty of its beaches, mysticism of its colonial cities, delectability of its culinary arts, and friendliness of its people — is how different the reality is from the perception. In the United States, we’ve grown inured to hearing that you just can’t travel to […]
Continue Reading
In a country filled with wonderful beaches and resorts, what could possibly prompt someone to visit Playa Azul? Perhaps because it’s there – representing the only sizeable beach town along the 250km of Michoacán’s coast. One must discount Lázaro Cárdenas, the sprawling industrial giant to the south, namely because it’s not a town and because […]
Continue ReadingOFFICIAL NAME: United Mexican States CAPITAL AND LARGEST CITY: Mexico City AREA: 1,978,000 sq Km ( 760,000 sq mi) MAJOR CITIES: Mexico City (25 mil), Guadalajara (8.5 mil) and Monterrey (5 mil) POPULATION (1995): Estimated 95 million POPULATION DENSITY: 75.2 persons per sq km DISTRIBUTION: 69% Urban, 31% rural ANNUAL GROWTH (1995): 3% ETHNICITY: 60% […]
Continue ReadingOne of the Mexican Tourism Secretariat’s flagship programs in recent years has been its Magic Towns designation. This is a program after my own heart, and one that was long overdue when it was finally begun in 2001. Mexico’s Magic Towns (Pueblos Mágicos) range from tiny, almost undiscovered villages on the coast to sizeable inland […]
Continue Reading
It works! Advertising actually works. Mexico’s tourism board kept pouring millions of pesos into splashy ad campaigns featuring white sandy beaches, turquoise blue waters, Maya ruins, fresh fruit and genuine hospitality. Americans, Canadians, Europeans and several from the Orient ignored dire warnings, bought the sales talk and came to see for themselves. OK, there are […]
Continue ReadingLiterary-minded travel writers describing Puerto Vallarta as an “island of tourist delights” probably don’t realize that their words are closer to the truth than they might imagine. At present, Puerto Vallarta has plenty of tourist facilities but is certainly not an island. The Pacific Ocean may swish against Vallarta’s beaches on one side, but there […]
Continue ReadingYour Sanborn’s Travelog has a complete list of meetings. The following information was excerpted from Mike’s book, Live Better South of the Border. This material is NOT copyrighted and you are free to download it and share it with others. That’s the idea, isn’t it? You’ll find AA throughout Mexico, even in small towns. NA has a sizable […]
Continue ReadingLong-time travelers to Mexico will have noticed an increase in the presence of Mexican military units around the country, particularly roadblock inspection squads purportedly searching for drugs and weapons. In remote areas of the Sierra Madre it’s not uncommon to come upon small, camouflage-clad patrols bivouacked outside towns and villages. Larger troop movements in Chiapas, […]
Continue Reading
The small fishing town of Tecolutla straddles the Gulf of Mexico and the Rio Tecolutla in the northern part of Veracruz State. Apart from school vacations and the annual fishing tournament nothing much happens around here – which is why we like it. One has the feeling of being lost in another time and place […]
Continue Reading
Loreto Bay, a 3-billion-dollar, 6,000-home development in Baja California Sur, may be the most eco- and socially-aware resort project anywhere in the country. At first sight, this is rather strange, given that Loreto Bay, eight kilometers (five miles) south of the town of Loreto, was originally conceived by the Mexican Tourism Development Agency, Fonatur, which […]
Continue Reading