The Best of
Mexico & Central America

A uniformed agent got on the bus and asked to see our papers... In incoherent Spanish I told the agent that I lost all my papers: my passport; my money; my plane tickets; everything!... Would I be arrested? Would I be penniless on the street at night in Villahermosa?..... by Louis Barton

•San Carlos Bay

I’m sitting in our apartment overlooking San Carlos Bay, listening to jazz and enjoying a more-or-less work free day. I’ve just emailed two web review articles to Yahoo Internet Life on biking and GPS units. One of the (dis)advantages of the internet is that wherever we go... work now follows us....

Lorena is off to an early Monday art class, and I’m planning an afternoon hike into the desert. San Carlos has seen some changes since our first visit some centuries ago, but then what place hasn’t? The good news is that it is still an outrageously beautiful coast, with many empty beaches and countless places to free camp. I’ve even found good campsites between the big hotels and a couple of prime beach front lots available for immediate squatting..... By Carl Franz

•The Ruta Maya

This huge territory is undoubtedly one of the hemisphere’s most exciting and picturesque regions. The boundaries of the proposed Ruta Maya embrace several million contemporary Mayans, thousands of greater and lesser archaeological sites and untold acres of relatively pristine jungles, forests, wetlands and wildlife habitat. As an additional attraction, the Ruta Maya includes several international airports and is surprisingly easy and inexpensive to reach.... by Carl Franz

•Living in San Cristobal

I moved with my partner to live in San Cristobal de Las Casas, in the state of Chiapas, in February of 1997. Although we had never visited this area of Mexico, we chose San Cristobal, after much research. It fit the list of things we were looking for in a place to spend our two year sabbatical. It had a somewhat intact indigenous culture, moderate highland climate and possibilities for volunteering that would provide meaningful ‘work’. by Sage Mountainfire

•Cheaper in Paradise

“It’s Mexico Or Die!” Though burdened by an emaciated wallet, I was determined to feel warm sand between my toes, if only for a couple of weeks.

I scouted around for airfare bargains to Pacific resort airports on the internet, and found a round trip ticket to Manzanillo for two hundred ninety dollars. “What the hell,” I decided. “It’s on the west coast of Mexico, isn’t it?”.... by David “Cheapskate” Eidell

•Cuetzalan

One of the big spectacles of the fair is the voladores, or flyers, who dress in brilliantly colored traditional costumes, climb up a 150 foot pole, tie their ankles to ropes wound around the pole and then jump off, “flying” gracefully around and around as the ropes unwind until they reach the ground. As the voladores ""fly," another performer balances at the top of the pole and plays haunting tunes on his wooden flute.

This year, it was even more dangerous than usual, because we had violent thunderstorms with lots of lightning. Even so, they performed in all but the worst weather..... By Flo Ariessohn

•Impressions of Mexico

Having been totally unprepared for bandits, the car windows were rolled down and the doors were unlocked. I hurriedly started rolling up windows and locking doors. I asked the guy on the passenger side what he wanted; your billfold, was his reply. Suddenly the other guy had the driver’s door open. ....by Louis Barton