August 20, 2000

I dashed out for a copy of the 25th Anniversary Edition as soon as I heard news of it. I'm hooked. I love it. We love it. Whenever the 'omigod-what-are-we-doing's' hit -- which, thank goodness, have been few and short-lived -- we grab the book and are smitten all over again.

Bobi & Scott Wilson

•The Perfect RV

Finally... after decades of kicking tires and countless interviews with RV’ers in Mexico, Lorena and I are able to reveal our “Perfect Mexico RV” recommendation.... (more) by Carl Franz

•Camping In The Peten Rainforest

...The ‘casa’, turned out to be a hundred and fifty square feet of rotting boards, crumbling adobe, rusting sheet metal and fermenting palm fronds. The parking space was an overgrown foot trail leading from the muddy road. By carefully backing the bus I nudged the pintle hook against the front of the ‘house’. And by backing Nellie Belle against the bus, it gave two or three inches of clearance between the front of her and the muddy trail that led to town. The neighborhood well produced clear water, but I subsequently boiled every drop vigorously or laced it with chlorine....Day two the ants appeared.... (more) by David "El Codo" Eidell

We want to move to Puerto Vallarta

We fell in love w/ PV the first time we vacationed there. Any hints on how to get started & where to find a rental on a month to month basis for 3 month to 1 year would be welcomed. Since we cannot generate an income in Mexico, we will need to stay on a budget. Is renting for $600 to $800 reasonable..... (more) from Lisa & Rick

Robert responds

You will have a wide range of properties to choose from in the $600 to 800 per month area. Obviously, if you sign a year's lease, you may have more negotiating clout. Be wary of month to month deals. They'll shoot up dramatically when high season hits.... (more) by Robert Foster

•Cuba

•Popcorn at the Beach

While Carl & Lorena are here, our days fall into an easy pattern. I'm usually the only one up to greet the dawn; they pull themselves out of the tent at a more leisurely rate. I don't think I've ever seen Carl this laid back! We begin to worry about the perhaps permanent woven pattern indenting his back from a severe case of hammockitis, a condition endemic to the beach. His back looks a little like some exotic Tahitian tattoo has been executed in dark pink..... (more) by Tina Rosa

•Perfect Popcorn

Over the years, Lorena and I have expended a great deal of time and energy in our restless search for perfection: The Perfect Mexican Beach, The Perfect Camping Spot, The Perfect Hammock, etc. Now, after decades of ceaseless research and no small number of old maids, we are pleased to offer you the recipe for... Perfect Popcorn.... (more) by Carl Franz & Lorena Havens

We made a deal with El Valiente to cut all the old coconuts from the palm trees. El Valiente didn't climb the trees like Tarzan did - he used a machete blade tied to a long piece of bamboo. Actually he had several of these in different lengths - some of the palms are really tall. Boom, boom, boom, the cocos fell. He only worked until noon, because that's when the wind comes up and sometimes the cocos fall by themselves. You certainly wouldn't want to be under a tree and have one of those puppies fall on your head.... (more) by Dobie

Once I got up early to be first in line at a laundromat in Oaxaca. I hurried past the Juarez market as vendors set up their shops, sanitation workers swept, swept, swept, and bicycle messengers delivered magazines, ice, bundles of sisal. I ignored the glorious lush cool air and arrived two minutes before the scheduled opening of the laundromat. I was first in line! The only thing was, there was no sign of the owner at opening time.... (more) by P.G. Meier

July 4, 2000

Lorena"s Note: We continue to expand our "For More Information" section, with reviews of Our Favorite Mexico Books & Websites. Please send us your recommendations of good websites and must read books to Carl & Lorena

We've also added new section indexes to make it easier to find your way around this website. Recently expanded sections include: Mexico: A to Z: Keeping In Touch; Food: Recipes; Living and Retiring in Mexico and our Letters from Readers.

Dear Carl and Lorena:

We would appreciate your thoughts regarding a trip I my son and uncle are planning. Taking much of the Mayan route in Guatemala, Belize and Mexico.

We are planning to use an old military style vehicle which is converted into a camper, known as a Unimog and are anticipating mostly living in the vehicle while in Guatemala, Belize and Chiapas, Quintana Roo and the Yucatan in Mexico. Opinion varies on the wisdom of using this type of vehicle or camping out in relation to safety because the vehicle is quite conspicuous and we may not be able to find a camping site.... (more) from Matthew Solomon

Known mainly by prospectors, Tarahumara goatherds, smugglers and a few widely scattered ranchers, this vast territory of forested plateaus and precipitous canyons is both a paradise and a paradox for hikers: without a reliable guide, getting lost in the Sierra Madre's topographic maze isn't just easy, it's almost guaranteed.... (more) by Carl Franz

So this guy Abel comes to cut the coconuts. I swear he looks like a Mexican version of Tarzan. He's wearing only shorts, and he's barefoot (there are spiny, thorny plants everywhere). He's carrying a coil of rope and a machete that's had the end cut off, so it's square at the tip. His hair looks like it was cut by a little kid who just got his hand on a pair of pruning shears.... (more) by Dobie

As a travel writer and 55 year-old wilderness guide, I’ve learned the hard way that I can’t continue to do good work without improving my body’s flexibility. Thanks to the recommendations of several chiropractors -- and inspired by the pain of paying their bills -- I finally began to practice yoga with Barbara Luboff.... (more) by Carl Franz

Last week Colin got some of his AA buddies from nearby to come over for a meeting here on our beach. So one afternoon I walk down to Colin & Christie's brick bungalow and join three strangers and Colin in fellowship. This circle of men, honest about their addiction, humble in their struggle, brings me to that tearful cracked-open heart space I have been graced to live in so much of the last ten months.... (more) by Tina Rosa

Sorry about the corrections to your Spanish Lorena...you had the bad luck to write to a Spanish teacher (and apparently I couldn't resist rudely correcting you)! ... (more) From Flo Ariessohn

While traveling we often meet people we’d like to drop a line to once we return home. The problem is what to say and how to say it, especially if your Spanish is weak. It’s amazing what can be communicated with sign language, facial expressions and other signals, none of which are available when faced with a blank sheet of paper.... (more) From The People's Guide to Mexico