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The Best of Mexico
In this section, we feature interesting articles, travel reports and personal experiences of people who live and travel in Mexico. We welcome your own contributions to these pages, but please read our Writer's Guidelines first.
San Carlos Bay, Sonora
By Carl Franz
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..... (more)
Living in San Cristobal
by Sage Mountainfire
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’. Although reports of political unrest (due to the Zapatista uprising in January 1994) still lingered in the air, we hoped that the city of San Cristobal would provide us with a safe atmosphere in which to live..... (more)
Cheaper in Paradise
by David “Cheapskate” Eidell
Cold, wet and pale, I felt like I was suffocating. Even multiple trips to our ‘authentic’ local Mexican restaurant, didn’t help to lift the net of gloom that deep winter had cast over me. “I can’t take this anymore,” I shrieked, (a waitress had tried to convince me that a yellow lemon was in fact a genuine ‘limon’). I threw my napkin on the plate, surrendered eight dollars to a check that had magically found its way alongside my plate halfway through the meal, and escaped out into (yet more) driving rain.
“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?”.... (more)
By Flo Ariessohn
One of our main reasons for our trip to Mexico last year was to visit Cuetzalan and to see the yearly Feria (festival), a very indigenous celebration with both traditional and modern elements. (Cuetzalan is a small town about four hours by bus from Puebla, which is two hours from Mexico City.) 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.
The tradition started with the Totonaca Indians of the nearby Gulf Region, who apparently trained local groups of voladores in Cuetzalan, even though many of this area are Nahua (descendants of the Aztecs).
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..... (more)
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Carl & Lorena
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