Explore Mexico

Explore Mexicohttps://wng-kosmos-wn-cms-uat.kaos.nibit.com.au:443/explore/north-america/mexicoExplore MexicoThe Moon Men of Mexico’s Sonoran Deserthttps://wng-kosmos-wn-cms-uat.kaos.nibit.com.au:443/stories/discovery/moon-men-of-the-sonoran-desertThe Moon Men of Mexico’s Sonoran DesertFri, 01 Dec 2023 18:13:42 GMThttps://wng-kosmos-wn-cms-uat.kaos.nibit.com.au:443/stories/discovery/moon-men-of-the-sonoran-deserthttps://public-web-wn.uat.wng.me/explore/north-america/mexico/southern-baja-beyond-los-cabosAway from the resorts, bars, and crowds of Cabo San Lucas, southern Baja offers quieter pleasures: swimming with marine life near La Paz, desert hikes to hidden hot springs, and glorious beaches and ocean views near Todos Santos.2023-02-10T11:00:00Z https://wng-kosmos-wn-cms-uat.kaos.nibit.com.au:443/explore/north-america/mexico/southern-baja-beyond-los-caboshttps://www.worldnomads.comRugged mountains rise from a narrow swath of a peninsula, where the desert meets the sea. Twisted sage-green cacti rise from parched brush in crevices and along sloped valleys. Outwards, deep blue sea spans as far as the eye can see where whales can often be spotted breaching. Baja California Sur (BCS), a region relatively isolated from mainland Mexico, is one equally underestimated. This narrow peninsula state offers worlds beyond the curated resorts and nightlife hot spots of Los Cabos (encompassing Cabo San Lucas and San Jose del Cabo), on the southern tip of the peninsula. Drive in every direction from BCS’s main starting point and you’ll stumble across desert mountains and cacti-dotted canyons, dusty towns steeped in history, and wide, wind-swept beaches. Thrill seekers will find a variety of outdoor adventures while <a href="/explore/north-america/mexico/how-to-eat-mexico">foodies</a> can indulge in an endless slew of street side taco and ceviche stands. <ul> <li><a href="#la-paz">La Paz and outdoor adventures </a></li> <li><a href="#diving">Diving and snorkeling with sea lions</a></li> <li><a href="#todos">Discovering the secrets of Todos Santos</a></li> <li><a href="#around">Getting around</a></li> </ul> <h2 id="la-paz">La Paz and outdoor adventures</h2> The capital of BCS, La Paz, is a sprawling town on the center of the eastern coast that mixes adventure tourism with a local beat. We stayed a fair distance outside the main boardwalk area, known as the Malecon, which is clogged with touristy restaurants. Our unassuming neighborhood boasted tiny taco, ceviche, and fresh juice stands that had unpredictable hours and reliably tasty offerings. Beach goers can go on a mini road trip around mountain cliffs and through the desert to reach the region’s best beaches. The favorite of the area is Playa Balandra but its popularity has resulted in limited entry during one of two timeframes, either in the morning or the afternoon. If luck isn’t on your side, settle for nearby Playa Tecolote, which still offers spectacular views as well as some fantastic seaside restaurants. La Paz is also a phenomenal base from which to explore the wide range of underwater adventures in the area, varying by season. With shipwrecks and dive sites like Sea Lion Colony and Espiritu Santu, La Paz is heaven for <a href="/travel-insurance/activities/scuba-diving-travel-insurance">scuba divers</a>. It’s recommended to book in advance and your chosen company can help shape your underwater excursions, from whale sharks and diving, to snorkeling with sea lions and <a href="/explore/north-america/mexico/kayaking-in-loreto-bay">sea kayaking</a>. I worked with <a href="https://mexicotraveladventure.com/en" target="_blank">Mexico Travel Adventure</a> to decide on a number of adventures that combined my interests in the area. We specifically came in January to experience the whale shark migration in the Sea of Cortez. Each morning, the boat companies put in a bid for time slots to bring visitors to swim with the whale sharks. At 10am we met our boat captain and pulled away from the dock aboard a white speed boat. After about half an hour cruising the cerulean waves, our guide spotted the first shark, and we quickly donned our snorkels and fins and jumped into the water. I swam against the waves while searching for these mighty creatures. The cloudy water made them difficult to spot and suddenly I looked right down and was face-to-face with the wide mouth and immense, spotted body. Floating in the water, I admired the whale shark feeding before it disappeared into the depths of the sea. To be transparent, I much preferred my whale shark experience in Mozambique, where it felt more organic. In Baja, there are a fair number of boats in the water at once, all of them competing for space to swim with the whale sharks. The guides were shouting at everyone to jump into the water quickly and then back out within a couple of minutes to drive to the next spot. But nonetheless, the whale sharks were still the star of the show, enchanting us for the few minutes that we were in their presence. <h2 id="diving">Diving and snorkeling with sea lions</h2> Our adventure also included diving with sea lions later that week. After two hours of flying across choppy waves, wrapped in coats and towels to shield us from the winter wind, our boat finally slowed down. As the rays of sun restored warmth to our bodies, a chorus of barking grew louder and louder. Here, in the middle of the Sea of Cortez, was a sea lion colony. We watched in amusement as hundreds of sea lions dove into the water, slid along slippery rocks, and sunned on boulders. Snorkelers swam alongside the sea lions, while I chose to take a deeper dive. <figure><img src="https://media.worldnomads.com/explore/mexico/southern-baja/sea-lions-la-paz.jpg" alt="Playful sea lion pups frolic beneath the waves near La Paz, Mexico." /> <figcaption>Playful sea lion pups at the sea lion rookery near Isla Espiritu Santo. Image credit: Bernard Radvaner / Getty Images</figcaption></figure> I geared up with a scuba tank and descended into the sea surrounding the boulders. We quietly navigated our way through murky, green waters. From time to time, sea lions flipped in the water, gliding beside us as we slowly made our way beneath the rocks and emerged on the other side of the cave. Later in the day, we continued on to Espiritu Santo, where we did a shallow dive near the shore and filled up on ceviche on the white sand beaches of this uninhabited isle. It’s worth noting that while whale season runs during the winter into early spring, these months aren’t ideal for scuba diving. The visibility is limited, and the water is cold. Prime diving season is in October when the waters are clear and comfortably warm. The area is also filled with spots for freediving and spearfishing. If you have a car, head to Ventana, a small coastal town about 45 minutes’ drive from La Paz. Ventana is known for its windy beaches and optimal kiteboarding conditions. Baja’s onshore adventures aren’t to be missed either. I recommend a cruise along winding desert roads to the region around Santiago, a town steeped in 18th century history from the Spanish occupation. Along the way, <a href="/travel-insurance/activities/hiking-travel-insurance">stop and hike</a> through desert mountains to Cañón de la Zorra and swim in the pool at the base of the Cascada Sol de Maya waterfalls. After a day of adventures, take a soak in the Santa Rita hot springs surrounded by palm trees. <h2 id="todos">Discovering the secrets of Todos Santos</h2> Tucked into a desert-sea oasis on the southwestern coast of the Baja peninsula is the once barely known town of Todos Santos. Today, the main road running through the town has a distinctly bohemian vibe, complete with chic cafes and boutique shops. The dusty side streets of Todos Santos are where the magic is at, in my opinion, and still hold the type of wonder the town once held before it was designated a haven for foreigners. Walking down dirt roads to deserted beaches was one of my favorite ways to take in the scenery, admiring open fields, the shadow of cacti dancing in the morning light, and brilliant orange and magenta bougainvillea crawling up dusty-rose adobe walls. <figure><img src="https://media.worldnomads.com/explore/mexico/southern-baja/todos-santos.jpg" alt="Dusty streets and bright bougainvillea in the town of Todos Santos, Mexico." /> <figcaption>The dusty streets of Todos Santos. Image credit: Alicia Erickson</figcaption></figure> From quiet coastline with sea turtle hatchlings, to vibey beaches with music, crowds, and makeshift cocktail carts, you have your pick of beaches in Todos Santos. The whole area is known for its <a href="/explore/north-america/mexico/chasing-waves-on-the-west-coast">surfing</a>, though Playa Los Cerritos draws the biggest crowds. La Pastora is a quieter option for surfing just a few miles north of town. However, the waves in Todos Santos can be immensely powerful in winter and the swells should only be attempted by experienced surfers during this season. Todos Santos is best savored with a view. As the sun beat down on my shoulders, I followed the Sugar Port Trail up a meandering path to Punta Lobos. After a couple of miles, I arrived at a flat overlook, with crashing blue waves below. My curiosity led me past the viewpoint and down a steep trail to a quiet cove below. I scrambled across an empty beach of big, black boulders and soaked my feet in the cool water. And after a day of long adventures in Todos Santos the thing to do is catch a sunset, of course. We sat down on a deserted stretch of sand, just a short walk from our house, and watched the waves roll out and come crashing back in with mesmerizing force, getting misted by sea spray. The sun slowly sank into the ocean, casting tangerine and golden reflections across the water. The moon rose and dusk gave way to a star-speckled sky, while crickets chirped in the distance. <figure><img src="https://media.worldnomads.com/explore/mexico/southern-baja/cove-below-punta-lobos.jpg" alt="Clifftop view of a rocky cove and deep blue water near Todos Santos, Mexico." /> <figcaption>View of the cove from Punta Lobos. Image credit: Alicia Erickson</figcaption></figure> <h2 id="around">Getting around</h2> Baja California Sur is ideally explored with your own set of wheels. As I planned the trip, I imagined myself taking in the freedom of the road and driving with open windows in search of hidden trails, hot springs, small coastal towns, and roadside taco stands. These dreams were quickly dashed upon arrival to the car rental pick up at Cabo Airport, where we were handed a very steep and unexpected fee: an extra $700 in non-refundable car insurance through the car rental company. The company refused to accept insurance from credit cards or other companies and refused to give us the car without us paying the fee. In the heat of our standoff, we called other friends in our group who were at a different car rental company and learned they faced the same obstacle. Refusing to pay triple the cost of our rental in insurance alone, we walked to the side of the road feeling defeated. Fortunately, an employee of one of the rental car companies came to our rescue and drove us the three hours to La Paz in his own car. We encountered this issue again when trying another rental car company in La Paz, so we shifted our plans. Uber operates to a limited extent in La Paz, which works to get around town and to beaches. InDrive, a regional rideshare app, was another great tool. The friendliness of locals was astounding, as we befriended many of our Uber drivers who took us on other trips through the region. And when all else failed? We hitchhiked. I wouldn’t always recommend hitchhiking but there were a few elements that made me comfortable doing so in this situation. I was with friends, the region is known for being quite safe, and hitchhiking is common here – we waited at most a minute for a ride to pick us up.Alicia Erickson 0 Alicia Erickson

https://public-web-wn.uat.wng.me/explore/north-america/mexico/the-rebirth-of-baja-norteThe northern half of the Baja Peninsula is having its day in the sun. Discover Tijuana’s thriving food and art scene, the Valle de Guadalupe wine country, and surfing and hiking spots near Ensenada.2021-05-25T10:00:00Z https://wng-kosmos-wn-cms-uat.kaos.nibit.com.au:443/explore/north-america/mexico/the-rebirth-of-baja-nortehttps://www.worldnomads.comMexico’s Baja, the 55,366 mi2 (14,350km2) peninsula, flanked by the Pacific Ocean to the west and the Sea of Cortez on its east, is enjoying its moment in the sun. And that is especially true of its northern portion. Once considered the premiere playground of the rich and thirsty, Baja Norte now does things its own way and for itself, with dependably extraordinary results. As they almost say, the way to a tourist’s heart is through their stomach, and the peninsula’s current popularity owes a great deal to the quality of its food and drink. For visitors who watch the planet as intently as they do their diet, the area’s cuisine ticks an important box: it’s sustainable. Baja Norte has, on its doorstep, everything it needs, and when it needs it, to create the culinary buzz that is now being heard around the world. <ul> <li><a href="#tijuana">Tijuana: a city coming into its own</a></li> <li><a href="#guadalupe">Valle de Guadalupe: the wine country</a></li> <li><a href="#ensenada">Surfing in Ensenada</a></li> <li><a href="#trip-notes">Trip notes</a></li> </ul> <h2 id="tijuana">Tijuana: a city coming into its own</h2> <a href="/explore/north-america/mexico/border-towns-the-real-story">Tijuana</a> has led the way. Where once its dining scene catered to the tastes of its northern neighbors (the margarita and the Caesar salad date back to Prohibition days), it now calls all the gastronomic shots – of its specialties, my favorites are: machaca, spiced, pounded, dried and shredded beef; duck sopes served with a tart salsa verde made with roasted tomatillos (often called green tomatoes, but they’re a different member of the nightshade family); chipped and fried jicama (aka the Mexican turnip, which tastes like an unsweet apple); and caguamanta, a manta ray and shrimp stew. Wherever you wander within the laidback confines of the downtown and business districts, you’re guaranteed a delicious feed. For birria goat stew tacos or a six-course Baja-Med fusion dinner, Zona Centro is packed with top-end restaurants. For a gathering of food trucks run by progressive chefs with an international outlook, there’s Telefónica Gastro Park, in Zona Este. And if you want to party with the locals, consider Plaza Fiesta, an open-air mall in Zona Rio that has become the heart of the city’s craft-beer scene, with breweries and tasting rooms setting up where just 10 years ago only divey clubs dared to operate. Where <a href="/explore/north-america/mexico/how-to-eat-mexico">food</a> goes, culture follows, of course, and Tijuana is awash with creativity of all kinds – its pasaje (covered alleys) off Avenida Revolucion, once shuttered and forbidding, are now bright with murals and street art and occupied by vintage boutiques, jewelry and printmakers’ workshops, antique and book stores, coffee shops and roasters, and galleries and exhibition spaces. <figure><img src="https://media.worldnomads.com/explore/mexico/baja-art-tijuana-getty-525594210.jpg" alt="People hang out and stroll inside a covered passageway off of Avenida Revolucion in Tijuana, Mexico." /> <figcaption>Part of Tijuana's revitalized art scene: Pasaje Gomez, off of Avenida Revolucion. Image credit: Getty Images / Sandy Huffaker</figcaption></figure> <h2 id="guadalupe">Valle de Guadalupe: the wine country</h2> From Tijuana, I generally take the 67mi (109km) drive to Valle de Guadalupe, Mexico’s wine country, its answer – riposte, even – to the Napa Valley. Amid trim ranches, olive gardens, and peach orchards are many stands of knurled vines, some highly prized ones planted by a breakaway Russian religious sect, the Molokans, when they arrived at the beginning of the last century. Their original settlement has given way to more than 150 wineries and their tasting rooms, farm-to-table restaurants – such as the acclaimed Fauna – serving dishes such as pickled pork skin and grilled oyster tostadas, and sleek hotels boasting infinity pools. But the atmosphere is far less commercial than Napa’s: the airbrush hasn’t gotten to it yet, its roads are bumpy, and livestock can still be found directing the traffic. And, with its variety of microclimates and terroirs ranging from alluvial sand and loam to granite and clay, it won’t be exhausting its potential any time soon – though the Valle de Ojos Negros, a little further inland, has been tipped as Baja’s next big wine region. <figure><img src="https://media.worldnomads.com/explore/mexico/baja-wine-oysters-getty-1148883800.jpg" alt="Grilled oysters paired with sparkling wine at a winery in Valle de Guadalupe, Mexico." /> <figcaption>Grilled oysters paired with sparkling wine at a winery in Valle de Guadalupe. Image credit: Getty Images / Amalia Vargas</figcaption></figure> <h2 id="ensenada">Surfing in Ensenada</h2> There are tours of Valle de Guadalupe to suit every pocket, many of which depart from the port city of Ensenada. However, Ensenada says one thing to me, and that’s <a href="/explore/north-america/mexico/chasing-waves-on-the-west-coast">surfing</a> (and, yes, the sea urchin, scallop, and Pismo clam tostadas available in town and at some of the surf spots). I’ve rented many a board in the fall (the big swells of winter are beyond my nerve and skill) and have tackled K38 (El Morro), K55 (Campo Lopez) and K58 (La Fonda) with varying degrees of success. Salsipuedes, which means “Leave if you can”, and Isla Todos Santos, aka Killers, have discouraged me so far, given that, by all accounts, they are thoughtfully named. <figure><img src="https://media.worldnomads.com/explore/mexico/baja-coast-near-ensenada-148924792.jpg" alt="The rugged coast of Baja California near Ensenada, Mexico." /> <figcaption>The coast near Ensenada. Image credit: Getty Images / John Elk</figcaption></figure> After a week on the waves, I like to be able to feel the earth beneath my feet for a while. Constitution 1857 National Park in the Sierra de Juarez mountain range, just 60mi (97km) east of Ensenada, usually does the trick – the terra there doesn’t come much firma, though a brief appearance by a bobcat or cougar may cause you to lose your footing. <h2 id="trip-notes">Trip notes</h2> Much of the Baja is wide open space, and protected, so you’ll need a car to get around. If you’re taking your own, make sure it’s in good order as replacement parts can be hard to find, and be sure to take out Mexican car insurance as US plans don’t work south of the border. Or rent a car (if you’re aged 25 and over, though some companies will indulge a 21-year-old for a hefty surcharge on their rental fee). Whatever you do, don’t drive at night – the roads are narrow with no shoulders, they are criss-crossed by animals, and it’s when the big rigs get moving in quantity. The Baja is a place of extremes – the sun is hot, but the <a href="/explore/north-america/mexico/kayaking-in-loreto-bay">Sea of Cortez</a> and Pacific Ocean can be cold, so pack buffs, hats, SPF 50, and quick-drying swimwear. And don’t trust an aged pair of espadrilles to protect your feet – cactus spines get everywhere.Getty Images / Sherry Smith 1900534870 Getty Images Rustic wooden doors open onto a vineyard in Valle de Guadalupe, Baja Norte, Mexico.

https://public-web-wn.uat.wng.me/explore/north-america/mexico/the-world-nomads-podcast-covid19In this episode we revisit Mexico, currently one of the most popular travel destinations with some of the easiest COVID-19 entry requirements in the world.2020-09-16T10:00:00Z https://wng-kosmos-wn-cms-uat.kaos.nibit.com.au:443/explore/north-america/mexico/the-world-nomads-podcast-covid19https://www.worldnomads.com<h2>The World Nomads Podcast: Traveling during COVID-19 </h2> With COVID-19 still affecting the way we engage with the world, it’s important to plan wisely and travel responsibly, both for your own safety and that of the places you visit. But as we reengage with the world, you're likely planning vacations not far from home. World Nomads can help by providing travel safety tips, inspiring content, and travel insurance designed to protect you while traveling. <h2>What’s in the episode</h2> 00:46 Why Mexico is so popular? 03:00 Is it safe? 07:21 Mexico City has changed thanks to investment 10:30 Cassandra’s Mexican hitch-hiking story 13:50 A case of jungle diarrhea 18:13 Tales of a Backpacker 24:23 Exploring the water 30:15 Mexican cuisine 36:36 Next episode, Vietnam <h2>Quotes from the episode</h2> “I love my city; I love Mexico City. Then my second favorite of Mexico is Chiapas which is in the South, South East Mexico. They have a beautiful, beautiful, landscape. It's green, a lot of community, and local community people. They have beautiful, beautiful, green zones and it's a mix between jungle and a lot of art and a lot of traditions.” – Ruben “Playa Del Carmen it's one of the best places in the world. You see turtles, you see large fish, you see algae, you see... I saw a gigantic eel, that apparently just lives in this shipwreck and I was so surprised to find him and was told after the dive that he's just always there, every single day, waiting for divers to come down and say hi.” – Cassandra “I was actually really amazed by how many museums there are in Mexico City, apparently, there's only Paris that has more museums.” – Claire “That's the fun thing, right? About kayaking? Is that not only do you get to ride in your backpack but let's also say, so you don't have to carry anything, it's all in your boat. But then you get to use it to go explore these fun little nooks and cranny's that are otherwise pretty difficult to get to.” - Tim “You can travel around Mexico and you can have a similar dish in each place, but it will never taste the same and it will be... for me, when I've been here it's just been a series of revelations that you can have every day, and not get bored of them and still be surprised and delighted by some of the ways they present it.” - Kendall <a href="https://www.worldnomads.com/travel-safety/north-america/mexico/mexico-travel-alerts-warnings">Mexico travel alerts and warnings</a>. We revisit Mexico to see what it's like to travel during the COVID-19 pandemic. <h2>Who is in the episode</h2> Ruben Mora from <a href="http://mundojoven.com/?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIuqiF0bfG4AIVF66WCh39TgOgEAAYASAAEgJQ6PD_BwE">Mundo Joven</a>, an educational travel agency aimed at all types of travelers, especially first-timers, who are guided step by step in their process to go abroad to study. Cassandra Brooklyn runs <a href="https://www.escapingny.com/">EscapingNY</a> offering group tours for people who don’t do group tours and helps solo travelers plan their own adventures. <a href="https://www.escapingny.com/home/how-to-not-get-sick-in-mexico">Read more</a> about Cassandra's dose of diarrhea in Mexico. Claire Sturzaker runs a blog <a href="https://talesofabackpacker.com/">Tales of a Backpacker</a> and has published her own <a href="https://talesofabackpacker.com/backpacking-mexico-backpackers-guide-to-mexico-on-a-budget/">backpacking guide</a> to Mexico. She has a bunch of other articles about Mexico & Mexico City too, including <a href="https://talesofabackpacker.com/ten-things-to-do-mexico-city/">the best things to</a> do and the Mexican guide to <a href="https://talesofabackpacker.com/lucha-libre-in-mexico-city-mexican-wrestling/">Lucha Libre</a>. Tim Neville is a correspondent at Outside and frequent contributor to The New York Times, Tim has scaled glaciers, scuba dived, and cycled hundreds of miles to report his stories. His work has been reproduced in The Best American Sports Writing, Best American Travel Writing, and Best Food Writing. Read his article on <a href="https://www.worldnomads.com/explore/north-america/mexico/kayaking-in-loreto-bay">Kayaking in Baja’s Loreto Bay</a>. Kendall Hill is an Australian journalist specializing in travel, food, and people. A former travel editor at the Sydney Morning Herald, he is also the author of the best-selling recipe book Coast and a contributor to Gourmet Pilgrim’s Spain and Mexico volumes. Follow him on Instagram at <a href="https://www.instagram.com/misterkendallhill/?hl=en">@misterkendallhill</a> and read his article on Mexican food <a href="https://www.worldnomads.com/explore/north-america/mexico/how-to-eat-mexico">here</a>. <h2>Resources & links</h2> Is Mexico Safe? <a href="https://www.worldnomads.com/travel-safety/north-america/mexico/is-mexico-safe">11 Travel Safety Tips</a>. Download our Mexico guide<a href="https://www.worldnomads.com/explore/guides/mexico-nomads-guide"> here</a>. It’s designed to feel like a magazine, with big, bold images and full-page spreads. Grab a cup of tea, open it up, and read it cover to cover. Listen to our episode with <a href="https://www.worldnomads.com/explore/north-america/mexico/amazing-nomads-tenny-and-claire">Claire and Tenny</a>, who walked the entire length of the US/Mexico border. Whether it’s a call from your mom or the call of the wild, we’ll help you prepare for your trip and <a href="https://www.worldnomads.com/usa/travel-insurance/near-is-the-new-far">help you stay safe while traveling</a>. <a href="https://www.worldnomads.com/travel-safety/worldwide/worldwide-travel-alerts">Travel safety alerts.</a> You can get in touch with us by emailing <a href="mailto:podcast@worldnomads.com">podcast@worldnomads.com</a> or <a href="mailto:kim@worldnomads.com">kim.napier@worldnomads.com</a>.  <h2>Help us spread the word</h2> We’d love it if you could please share #TheWorldNomadsTravelPodcast with your twitter followers and head over to Facebook and join the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/worldnomadspodcast">World Nomads Travel Podcast group</a>. If you liked this episode please head to <a href="itms://itunes.apple.com/au/podcast/the-world-nomads-podcast/id1297825851?mt=2">Apple Podcasts </a>and kindly leave us a rating, review, and of course, subscribe so you don’t miss an episode. We use the <a href="https://www.rode.com/rodecasterpro">Rodecaster Pro</a> to record our episodes and interviews when in the studio, made possible with the kind support of Rode. <div class="AccordionSection nst-component nst-is-collapsed"><button class="AccordionSection-title nst-toggle">Full Transcript of the Episode</button> <div class="nst-content"> <div class="AccordionSection-inner"> Kim: In this episode, we revisit Mexico, currently one of the most popular travel destinations with some of the easiest COVID-19 entry requirements in the world. Insert show intro Kim: With COVID-19 still affecting the way we engage with the world, it’s important to plan wisely and travel responsibly, both for your own safety and that of the places you visit. But as we reengage with the world, you're likely planning vacations not far from home. World Nomads can help by providing travel safety tips, inspiring content, and travel insurance designed to protect you while traveling. Phil: At the time of recording in mid-September 2020 Mexico has become one of the most popular travel destinations with reportedly some of the easiest COVID-19 entry requirements in the world. Kim: Before we get into sharing this destination with you some things you need to know but PLEASE make sure you do your own research. Mexico does NOT require a negative COVID-19 PCR or rapid test for entry. You don’t need to quarantine but obviously you do need to follow COVID health requirements. Phil: Which include wearing masks in some locations and obviously washing hand and social distancing. We will have a link to an article in show notes that spells out those requirements further. Kim: Let’s get into it and who better to give us an idea just how safe Mexico is a local (not COVID safe but generally as we do hear a lot of stories) and you caught up with Ruben from Mundo Joven, at a conference in Scotland a couple of years ago Phil: Yep, born and raised in Mexico so who better to give us an insight into how safe it is. Ruben: I've been traveling around the world. I've been in this industry for 15 years, and I've been, always, next to this story about listening all the time when... "where are you from?". Mexico and immediately it's [inaudible] "how do you survive?". I don't know, people immediately is feeling that I'm landing in Damascus, probably, every time that I get home. But it's not like that. Of course, there is a problem, of course, I would be lying to you if I don't consider that we have a problem. We have a big drug problem, probably since... ever. Bigger and bigger in the last 20 years, or it was more obvious in the last 20 years. It's really simple to understand. We have a big neighbor, with a big demand, and we're a big producer. So in order to exist, any conflict has to... you need to have two parts. Otherwise, couldn't be just one. I think Mexico's first big problem is we have a terrible PR, terrible PR condition, in terms of the news. You can see the worst president ever in history that we've had, is right now. Thank god he's gone this administration, considering so many facts. Considering corruption, things that we've been involved in. Terrible, terrible. Phil Sylvester: It's pretty simple to say that there are lots of places which are fine, but there are some places which are not. Ruben: Correct. Phil Sylvester: So it's very localized, in a way. So if I was to go to Mexico, how would I find out the information about what are the safe places to go and the not safe places to avoid? Ruben: Border is always the hot spot, not in the right way. Because geographically positioned next to the U.S. border is where, probably, you're going to get the biggest conflicts. Natural conditions of these people trying to get in all this stuff, into the country. And then, about the cities or about the destinations, the most demanded destination which is Mexico City, Cancun, or all the other beach destinations. You're going to have this... how do I say? Possible problems because all the interactions there are involved around. There are always people looking for [inaudible] and there are always people having to suffer. So if you're looking after this, and you are looking after that kind of action... Phil Sylvester: You will get into trouble. Ruben: You will get into trouble. But that is something that is going to happen in Mexico or anywhere else. Phil Sylvester: Tell me about your favorite parts of Mexico, which part of your country do you love the most? Ruben: I love my city, I love Mexico City. Then my second favorite of Mexico is Chiapas which is in the South, South East Mexico. They have a beautiful, beautiful, landscape. It's green, a lot of community, and local community people. They have beautiful, beautiful, green zones and it's a mix between jungle and a lot of art and a lot of traditions. All the zones around, for me, is one of the most beautiful parts of Mexico, close to Yucatan. Yucatan, as well for me, is one of my favorite places and it's my Grandma's home town. Which, obviously, put it in the hot part of the list. Phil Sylvester: Indeed. Well look, Mexico City has changed a lot. The medium-term it was once not a very nice place to go. So what's changed there? How did it become such a great destination? How did it become a hot spot? Ruben: It's been a lot of investment in the city, in the last 10 years, I would say. Much more efficient communication and PR, a lot of big brands. Hotels and big luxury brands around the city. And developing. You feel comfortable when you're next to the city or walking around the city. And there are so many things to do, and so many things to see around. Phil Sylvester: The last question, I want you to tell me a secret spot in Mexico City. If I was to visit there, where would you send me that's not the usual? Ruben: My secret spot in Mexico... San Angel. For me, San Angel is one of the most non-well and amazing neighborhoods that perfectly shows you how it used to be, the real Mexico City. So get lost in San Angel, take a look at the houses, and you're going to know exactly how is Mexico, and how is Mexico City. Phil Sylvester: Mundo Joven is an educational travel agency aimed at all types of travelers, especially first-timers, who are guided step by step in the process to go abroad to study. All the links in the show notes. Kim Napier: Plus our very own safety guide, too, for Mexico, we'll put that there as well. Now Cassandra runs Escaping NY group tours, I really like this, because when you hear the term group tours... [crosstalk] No doubt, please. Because she does group tours for people who don't do group tours. And she helps solo travelers plan their own adventures and Cassandra has spent a lot of time in Mexico. Cassandra: So I started in Baja, California, and I did a whale watching road trip all along that peninsula, camping, and stopping at different locations to see whales. I then completed my scuba diving certification, in Baja California, then I went to Playa Del Carmen about two years later and did my advanced scuba diving certification, there. Kim Napier: So what's scuba diving like in that area? Cassandra: Oh, it's amazing, it's amazing. I'll say in Playa Del Carmen it's one of the best places in the world. You see turtles, you see large fish, you see algae, you see... I saw a gigantic eel, that apparently just lives in this shipwreck and I was so surprised to find him and was told after the dive that he's just always there, every single day, waiting for divers to come down and say hi. Kim Napier: When you're in Baja California, you then hitchhiked with a couch surfing friend? Cassandra: I did. So I met her actually the previous year in Tijuana, she lives in Tijuana. And she wrote to me and she said: "I go to see the whales every winter, would you like to go with me?". So I did, I flew back to San Diego and then I crossed the border into Tijuana and we made a plan to go down the border. We actually found another couch surfer to go with us and he drove for the first couple of days, which was really nice because when she went to pick up her tent we realized that there were no poles in the tent. So we would have been in for a terrible surprise when we went to go set up the tent at night. When he had to go back up to Tijuana, we hitchhiked! We hitchhiked the whole way down the peninsula with a lot of Canadian retired couples who, I would learn, vacation in Baja California, Mexico, every winter. And there's these massive RV camps and lots all along the peninsula so they would drive us to wherever they were going, we would spend the night, and then we would find someone to take us the next stretch. Kim Napier: So jumping in with Mom and Dad or Grandma and Grandpa, seems a lot safer than what I was envisioning. Cassandra: It was, it was very safe. We did have other offers and we just used our best judgment as two single women. There were offers from... we had an offer from a truck with three men in the front and we decided they might be very nice, but we didn't think that was the best option for us, so we let that pass. At one point we had a Mexican couple, a male and a female probably in their 30's, that was driving on a short vacation they took and so they gave us a ride to one of the cities, as well. We ended up staying at their hotel that night, just because we got in too late to try to find any accommodations. Kim Napier: We're going to chat about safety in Mexico later in the podcast but generally, did you feel safe? Cassandra: Yes, 100 percent. I've been in Mexico at least a dozen times, I've traveled all the country and I've always felt extremely, extremely, safe there. I mean there are areas I won't go to, like around the border, and there are pockets of violence and that violence is real. But, it's also in very specific places for the most part, so it can be avoided. Kim Napier: Now you mentioned last these surprises... jungle diarrhea. Cassandra: Oh, wow. Kim Napier: Why I'm so interested in this is that Phil and I are pretty sure we're going to have to do an episode on, you know, pooping around the world. It's kind of one of those things that happen to everyone but no one talks about it. Cassandra: Oh, I talk about it. I send out a monthly adventure newsletter that talks about my personal adventures, and upcoming group trips that I lead, and travel tips, and everything. One of them that I sent out was jungle diarrhea in Mexico and one of my mentors was like "You can't use that as the title". I was like "Oh yes I can", people want to know and if they don't, they shouldn't subscribe to my new slater because I want to keep it real and let them know what's going on. It's a part of travel, it's a part of travel. Unless you're just going to stay in your house for the rest of your life. I've gotten sick at restaurants in New York City and across the country. So this particularly awful bout of the jungle diarrhea happened when I was going on a road trip with a friend of mine, Pedro who's a taxi driver in Mexico City, and we drive his taxi all over the country on road trips. We were going through San Luis Potosi and we stopped in a small town because they were tired, and we went to a little street fare and the food was good. Pedro had me sample his drink, it was sweetened tamarin water, I was like "Man, this is good!". I should get my own, and I did. I was like this is really good, I should get another! Then I had another. And the next morning, I woke up, just sweating. I'm like "Isn't it hot in here?" And he was like "No, it's not!". I sat up and I was dizzy and it was really bad but, we had hiked to do that afternoon so we went hiking and we went hiking the next day, through these ancient ruins in the middle of the jungle and it was, I think in the '80s or '90s that day. It felt to me just boiling, it felt like my blood was boiling hiking through these mountains. No bathrooms in sight. At night, we were camping, and we found this really cool campground with teepees, so we had this nice teepee but I had to climb out of it and run to the bathroom, which seemed like it was a kilometer away. I was grateful for it. Kim Napier: So any accidents, or did you make it to the loo every time? Cassandra: I did make it every time. I'm surprised because the next campsite we went to I had to cross a river I had to hop over rocks to get to the other side of the campsite to get to the bathroom. But I was so grateful that there were lights and there was toilet paper. A couple of days later, I was able to do this waterfall jumping tour in San Luis Potosi Mexico, with no accidents, thank goodness. That would have been interesting for some underwater GoPro filming. That would have been the video to go viral, I know every travel vlogger and every business person wants some viral video. That would be the viral video that I would be subjected to. Kim Napier: So tell us about this friend in Mexico that is a taxi driver, and you'd drive the taxi around the country. Cassandra: I also met him on couch surfing! I met him ten years ago, and... I've been talking about couch surfing for years, and I've gotten so many more questions recently about it. I recently hosted a guy from Iraq, and I want to do some more writing about that. I met him in Mexico City and he had responded to a dancing group, I dance salsa. So he wrote me in that group and said: "Hey, I can't host you at my house but I'm a driver if you need I can pick you up from the airport and take you to wherever you're going to be staying". I said, "Oh, that works out great". So we ended up hanging out, I went down there like two years later and we met up again and we decided to take a day trip to Puebla, which is like two hours from Mexico City. It was just going to be a quick day trip, go there come back. And on the way, he says "Hey, what do you think about spending the night in Puebla, and then driving another six hours to Oaxaca in the morning?". I thought that sounds like fun, it also sounds like something we should have planned for before we left Mexico City because we don't have our clothing, our toothbrush, or anything. But it sounds like fun! When we got to Puebla we went to the internet café and we posted on there and we actually found some hosts that were going to take a bus to Oaxaca the next day. So they let us stay with them, they had a spare bedroom, and we all drove in his taxi to Oaxaca, had a great time, and then we had a bunch of adventures since then in his taxi. And now he's the taxi driver on my group tours to Mexico. He has a million stories to tell on his own. Kim Napier: Now, Cassandra's laugh alone would be enough for me to join the traveling. She's great fun, links in show notes. To avoid jungle diarrhea, she suggests making sure the water is filtered, which makes sense but it's not often that easy. Phil Sylvester: Easy to do in small towns, yeah. Kim Napier:  Claire Sturzaker has a blog...of a Backpacker, she also has her very own backpacking guide to Mexico, which we will share in show notes. She's a big fan of the places a destination having spent months there. Claire Sturzake: Oh, I loved it, I loved it. I didn't really have many expectations of Mexico City, to be honest. I'd heard all the stories that it was big, it's dangerous, it's dirty and polluted. But actually that wasn't my experience at all. I was in a really nice area of the city, a place called Roma. Leafy avenues, there are loads of cool bars and restaurants. I had a whale of a time, I really didn't want to leave actually. I'd originally only planned to be there for like, a month, and I just liked it so much I decided to stay as long as I could. Kim Napier: So give me four reasons you decided to stay for four months? Claire Sturzake: The food. Mexico's food is ridiculously good. The street food, actually, is amazing. You can buy, sort of, three tacos for a dollar and it's really, really good. The people, I actually found the people really friendly, kind, and open. Again, sort of not really what I'd expected from Mexico given all the stories I'd heard. The culture. I was actually really amazed by how many museums there are in Mexico City, apparently, there's only Paris that has more museums than Mexico City. So there's so much to learn in Mexico, there's an anthropology museum that's absolutely incredible. It's huge, and it has exhibition halls of every pre-Columbia civilization in Mexico. They have this... they call it the Aztec sunstone, this huge massive stone that's like three and a half meters across and apparently it weighs over 20 tons. It's got amazing carvings on it, they don't really know what it was used for but they think it might have been a calendar or for astrological purposes. That was just incredible for me to see that and considering how long it'd been there for, and that they've actually designed this thing. I was just blown away by it. That's three things... what else, four things. Being somewhere that was just... it was just fun! There's a square in Mexico City called Plaza Garibaldi and you can go there and there are mariachi bands playing everywhere, they can serenade you. There's an area called Xochimilco which is where you can go on a boat, like a really colorful boat, around all these canals. If you go on a weekend, or on a holiday, it's just a massive party. All these boats are filled with people drinking all their beers and singing, and there are mariachi boats that come alongside and serenade you. There are little boats that come past the house that are selling tacos and a little corn on the cob. I just loved it, everything about it really, I just really really enjoyed it. Because my expectations were pretty much zero, it just totally blew me away. Kim Napier: Perfect, but can you expand on what you do? Because it isn't just Mexico. Claire Sturzake: Yeah, no, it's not just Mexico. I decided... it was about three years ago now, I was working in Spain. I couldn't take an office job anymore so I decided to quit my job and go traveling. I went around South America for about ten months that I was backpacking around South America. I loved it, and when I came back after that, it was only supposed to be a sort of once in a lifetime trip, and when I came back the thought of me working in an office then was just awful. I decided to work a lot harder on the blog. So tales of a backpacker it's solo female travel, I travel all around by myself. Budget travel, but still spending money on unique experiences. Because I think if you're going to travel, and there's something incredible that you can't do anywhere else in the world, that's worth spending a little money on if you can. I just want to inspire people to take the plunge and do it. When I created my job, there are so many people that said to me "I wish I could do what you're doing". Obviously, if you've got a family and mortgage and stuff it's a lot harder. I think life is short, you should just take the plunge, and if you can then just do it. Kim Napier: Which is great, but the big question though, Claire, is you must have had some money in your pocket before you headed off? Claire Sturzake: The first trip that I went on, this ten-month adventure to South America, I actually had some inheritance from my grandparents and they passed away. Before I went I was working two jobs, and saving up everything I could for that. When I was out there I was volunteering at hostels and stuff like that, and staying in hostels. I'm not spending very much money. Kim Napier: And that is good to hear considering Claire's mission, Phil, is to share with you the very best of a destination without breaking the bank. Phil Sylvester: Good. Okay, Tim Neville is a travel writer and we featured him in previous podcasts, he's a great bloke to have a chat with. He went kayaking in Baja's Loreto Bay. Jacques Cousteau called Mexico's Sea of Cortez the world's aquarium. Tim Neville: Yeah, when I found that he said that I thought "Man that is just absolutely perfect". It was my first trip to that part of Mexico and I am just dying to go back. I just can't describe what a wonderful feeling it was to go down there, especially when the weather up here in Oregon is not so great. To go down there and have just wonderful temperatures and so on. When we first arrived, of course, the weather wasn't so great, but it's Mexico! It's always going to be better than where you are, at least generally speaking I would say. To jump into a place with just crystal clear water, just spectacular scenery, it's very desert very arid. Then this cool refreshing waters in the contrast are just wonderful. You pack in all this wildlife, and you think "Wow, there's no place else I'd rather be right now". Kim Napier: Now you saw a marlin, I can't imagine what that would be like to see marlin swimming when you're not actually fishing for one if that makes sense? Tim Neville: Right, right, exactly. And that's the first one I had seen not mounted on a wall in a seafood restaurant. I couldn't believe, I'm just paddling along and look down and it's kind of a disturbing feeling when you... it's almost like your body can sense there's something there before you really realize something's there. Something just looked a little different down underneath the boat and all of a sudden I realize it was moving, and then I realized oh my gosh, this is a giant fish. I really couldn't' tell what it was, even though it was probably four feet below me, something like that until it turned. And when it turned, the sunlight hit its sides and it just lit up like an alien space ship or something, just blew electric light and poof, it was gone. Yeah, that was definitely a highlight for me. There are so many turtles, and birds and things like that you begin to get a little used to it let's say? So to have something like a marlin go by, which is still the only one I've ever seen, pretty special something I won't forget that's for sure. Kim Napier: Does it live up to Jacques Cousteau's theory? That it's the world's aquarium? Tim Neville: Well I'm not a marine biologist but just an average guy that likes to go down there and go kayaking, it is certainly one of the more spectacular places you can go. You see tons, and tons, of wildlife. There are great places to go snorkeling, we would stop off into these little coves. That's the fun thing, right? About kayaking? Is that not only do you get to ride in your backpack but let's also say, so you don't have to carry anything, it's all in your boat. But then you get to use it to go explore these fun little nooks and cranny's that are otherwise pretty difficult to get to. We can pull into these little coves, beach the kayaks and then swap out for snorkel gear and go play around with the fish for a little while. Kim Napier: You described that it goes kind of from this desert feels into this beautiful crystal clear water, but you also in the story that you wrote talking about some charming little seaside towns. How does it all connect? Tim Neville: It's definitely a mix of the two... there are several places you can start but they're in the [inaudible]. It's just a wonderful little town, just that whole portion of Mexico. I think Mexico is so big and diverse, but that particular area of Mexico, the Baja peninsula, just has this unbelievably chill vibe to it. It's like we've got this great weather, we've got these great beaches, and all these animals, awesome food. Why worry? So everybody just seems naturally happy and relaxed, so you can go hang out in these sidewalk cafes, sidewalk restaurants. You can have fish tacos, or margaritas, whatever it is that you want. Just really, really shed some of the daily stress that you have in your normal life. At the same time, it's culturally fascinating and historically so rich. You've got to remember that these areas have settled long before, by Europeans obviously that's what I'm talking about, before anything where I've lived. You have these old missions, you know these towns are old, you have just this cool, very very colorful culture. It permeates everything. So to have both this wonderful urban vibe and this wonderful natural vibe, you put those two together and man, it's paradise. It's right there on our doorstep, it's so wonderful, fascinating culturally. The food... you need no excuse to go, you know? It's right there. I plan to spend a lot more time down there, for sure. Kim Napier: Well Phil it's not fair to say we've left the best until last, but we cannot have an episode about Mexico and not explore the food. Phil Sylvester: Absolutely. I think Mexican food sometimes has a bad reputation. I've heard it described as pre masticated food, but I think that's a western version and I'm aware that there is an entirely different Mexican cuisine. Kim Napier: We're about to find that out. Who better to do that with than Kendell Hill? He's an Australian journalist, he specializes in travel food and people features, but he's also the author of the best selling recipe book Coast and he contributes to Gourmet Pilgrim's Spain and Mexico volumes. So I'm guessing, Kendell, you know what you're talking about when it comes to Mexican cuisine? Kendall Hill: Kim I wouldn't ever profess to be an expert in Mexican cuisine because it may take a couple of lifetimes, I think, to get across everything that's involved there. But I've eaten quite a bit and traveled around quite a bit for the Gourmet Pilgrim book as you've said. I know something about it, yeah. Kim Napier: Phil seemed to sum it up as pre masticated food. Phil Sylvester: Well that sort of refried beans tex mex stuff that you get in cheap chain outlets, that sort of stuff I'm talking about. It's not proper Mexican food, is it? Kendall Hill: No, it's not. And talking from an Australian perspective, we don't get great Mexican food, we think it's just sort of a hot mess of things. But in Mexico itself, it's so diverse. Mexican cuisine is actually an amalgam of all sorts of different influences, not like when the Spanish invaded they brought pork and, you know, the sort of common mates that we're aware of that Mexico didn't have beforehand. Then you have [inaudible] terrain and [inaudible]. There's a sort of treasury of ancestral customs that informed the way Mexican cuisine is prepared and the way it's developed, but also they have the most incredible ingredients in Mexico. Avocado comes from there, chocolate comes from there, chili's, beans, tomatoes, pumpkin. All these incredible ingredients that we couldn't imagine living without. Tomato, for example. Those are all Mexican, so for anyone who thinks of Mexican cuisine, it adds sort of a lack of understanding of how much those United States and Mexico have brought to the world in terms of our food trade. Phil Sylvester: I think you just named all of my favorite foods, then. Kim Napier: Oh, yeah, yum. Kendall Hill: Any country that gives you chocolate has got to be... there's some debate that it might have come from further south in Latin America, but certainty the Mayans were one of the first ones that we're able to turn those things into something delicious to drink. Kim Napier: Okay, now I'm going to impress you here, both of you probably more so Kendell. When I cook a chili con Carne, I put chocolate in it. Kendall Hill: Ah! Interesting. You know mole, which is the staple sauce of high Mexican cuisine I'd say, because it takes a long time to prepare, 24 hours or more, and often has more than 30 ingredients. That often has chocolate in it, so you're on the right track in putting a bit of chocolate in, a bit of... you'd want the sun-dried chili's, as well, that gives it more of the smoky flavor, too. Kim Napier: Okay, now I do use the fresh so I'll take on board that advice. Phil Sylvester: Do you spend 24 hours preparing it, Kim? Kim Napier: It's twelve hours, slow-cooked. Phil Sylvester: Twelve hours? Okay, okay. Kim Napier: Twelve hours, slow-cooked. I put the time in. Speaking of avocados, I can't imagine what a guacamole dip in Mexico would taste like compared to what we whip up ourselves in our kitchen, based on the recipes that we're given. Or even in some of the restaurants. Is there a difference? Kendall Hill: I think there is, in the same way, that there's a difference in a lot of countries with their native cuisines when you go there and eat them. It's got a lot to do with the freshness, and guacamole is never quite prepared and mixed up the way it's made fresh. It's [inaudible] of the onion, and tomato, and the lime juice, and the avocado all together. They do, I mean avocado comes from there, but one of the states say they're the best avocados in the world so. It's that quality of ingredients that all hails from this place, I think that does make a difference. The freshness and the fact that those ingredients are endemic to the place, they probably turn out better there than they do anywhere else. That you'll see across all sorts of dishes in Mexico, it may seem very simple... Phil, you mentioned earlier about beans and cheese and what have you, but there are millions of different ways of preparing things. So many different types of cheese that they make in Mexico that there are just too many of the many ingredients they have. You can travel around Mexico and you can have a similar dish in each place, but it will never taste the same and it will be... for me, when I've been here it's just been a series of revelations that you can have every day, and not get bored of them and still be surprised and delighted by some of the ways they present it. I mean, beans Mexican style, is presented [inaudible] it's equivalent of rice in some Asian cultures because it's their staple [inaudible] I guess. Kim Napier: Well your article covers all bases that you've written for us, we'll share that in show notes. But Kendell, is it all washed down with a little shot of tequila? Kendall Hill: If that was your thing. When I was in the coast looking at tequila production, it was early morning and I had to stand there and do, not shots of tequila, but taste the stuff. It's not really my thing, I think I'd probably go for a beer, and probably a Michelada which is beer sort of served tequila style with salt around the rim, a bit of lime juice, but they put some Worcestershire and Tabasco. Kim Napier: Chili? Kendall Hill: Yeah, a bit of Tabasco. So it's a mix of Worcestershire, Tabasco, and something they call Maggi sauce which is kind of close to soy. And then you put the beer on top of that, top it with some ice especially on a hot summer day. It's so refreshing, it's sort of a little bit blood Mary ish, but not quite. It's really great. Kim Napier: I'll go that and I'll have two tequila shots and a margarita, thanks! All the food you can fit on the table. Kendell, thanks so much for chatting. Phil: And that’s Mexico, just one of the destinations in the world pushing through the pandemic and allowing travelers. Kim: Vietnam has done a pretty good job managing COVID-19 and next week, we meet a woman who found herself stuck there with her family and it’s changed the way she views travel moving forward. Bye </div> </div> </div>Colorful alley in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico: Getty Images/ © Marco Bottigelli 1 1198240687 San Miguel de Allende, Guanajuato State, Mexico

https://public-web-wn.uat.wng.me/explore/north-america/mexico/discoveries-living-mayan-cultureAway from the tourist sites of the Yucatan coast, Patrick goes deeper than the ancient Mayan ruins to find the culture still thrives in Mexican life.2019-04-03T11:00:00Z https://wng-kosmos-wn-cms-uat.kaos.nibit.com.au:443/explore/north-america/mexico/discoveries-living-mayan-culturehttps://www.worldnomads.comPat meets a local man who has an ancient ruin on his property protected by mythical creatures, and the Mayan family running a nearby ecolodge. At a local cenote, Pat swims in the clear blue waters of a pool once used by Mayans for human sacrifice, and chats with the men and women keeping ancient Mayan crafts alive through intricate embroidery. He discovers that Mayans believe strongly in a connection between generations.World Nomads 0

https://public-web-wn.uat.wng.me/explore/north-america/mexico/discoveries-community-through-mezcalJoin Patrick Abboud as he travels deep into the countryside to find the families growing and producing Mezcal, the local, potent Mexican drink.2019-04-03T11:00:00Z https://wng-kosmos-wn-cms-uat.kaos.nibit.com.au:443/explore/north-america/mexico/discoveries-community-through-mezcalhttps://www.worldnomads.comPat is moved by the deep connection he forms with the patriarch of a family after being invited into his home for dinner. In the early hours of the morning, Pat joins the family on the side of a mountain on their annual Catholic pilgrimage. After music, singing and fireworks, they sit down at a long table to feast and drink Mezcal as the sun rises.World Nomads 0

https://public-web-wn.uat.wng.me/explore/north-america/mexico/discoveries-power-of-religionPatrick Abboud meets some of the passionate pilgrims who walk for miles on their knees in devotion at the Fiesta of the Virgin of Guadalupe.2019-04-03T11:00:00Z https://wng-kosmos-wn-cms-uat.kaos.nibit.com.au:443/explore/north-america/mexico/discoveries-power-of-religionhttps://www.worldnomads.comDespite his negative feelings around institutionalized religion, after speaking to some of those who are exhausted and in pain, Pat is humbled by their devotion and commitment to something they believe in, and questions his own judgments. Around 8 million people make this annual pilgrimage to offers thanks to Mexico's patron saint. In a carnival atmosphere, food is given away, religious souvenirs are sold and people camp out to pay their respects to the saint.World Nomads 0

https://public-web-wn.uat.wng.me/explore/north-america/mexico/discoveries-challenging-stereotypesPatrick Abboud meets the people who are changing the face of Mexican life and busting stereotypes around food, music and machismo.2019-04-03T11:00:00Z https://wng-kosmos-wn-cms-uat.kaos.nibit.com.au:443/explore/north-america/mexico/discoveries-challenging-stereotypeshttps://www.worldnomads.comPat meets a group of gay and transgender Lucha Libre wrestlers who put him through his paces in the ring, and tries high-end and authentic street food that goes well beyond traditional salsa and guacamole. Pat explores the musical landscape beyond Mariachi bands and meets the musicians creating a new kind of beat for the youth of Mexico City to move to.World Nomads 0

https://public-web-wn.uat.wng.me/explore/north-america/mexico/dancing-with-the-deadDance with the dead in San Martin Chalchicuautla with Ben Hogarth, as he travels to Mexico to discover the intriguing 'Dia de los Muertos' festival.2019-02-06T11:00:00Z https://wng-kosmos-wn-cms-uat.kaos.nibit.com.au:443/explore/north-america/mexico/dancing-with-the-deadhttps://www.worldnomads.comDisguising themselves in intricate masks and costumes during the dancing with the dead celebrations, the locals dress in vibrant, homemade clothes and take to the streets to celebrate their loved ones who have passed. The day is filled with dancing, and although it may be tinged with sadness and memories, it's meant to be a joyous occasion where the community comes together to eat, drink, dance, and welcome back the dead.World Nomads 0

https://public-web-wn.uat.wng.me/explore/north-america/mexico/day-of-the-dead-discoveries-seriesJoin World Nomads’ Ben Hogarth as he travels to Chalco, a tiny town in Mexico, to take part in the Day of the Dead festival.2019-02-06T11:00:00Z https://wng-kosmos-wn-cms-uat.kaos.nibit.com.au:443/explore/north-america/mexico/day-of-the-dead-discoveries-serieshttps://www.worldnomads.comDay of the Dead is a traditional celebration for those that have passed, and the locals call back their loved one’s spirits. This celebration of ancestors also involves a huge party, where fireworks light up the sky and locals dance throughout the night. Invited into the house of a local family participating in the ceremonies, Ben discovers the rituals used during the festival, while learning more about this intriguing, multi-day holiday that's become a integral part of Mexican culture.World Nomads 0

https://public-web-wn.uat.wng.me/explore/north-america/mexico/the-world-nomads-podcast-mexicoIn America and staying close to home during COVID-19? Revisit this episode and salivate over the tastes and ingredients of authentic Mexican food, go road trippin' with a local taxi driver and find out how to avoid jungle diarrhea.2020-09-19T10:00:00Z https://wng-kosmos-wn-cms-uat.kaos.nibit.com.au:443/explore/north-america/mexico/the-world-nomads-podcast-mexicohttps://www.worldnomads.com<h2>World Nomads Podcast: Mexico</h2> With COVID-19 still affecting the way we engage with the world, it’s important to plan wisely and travel responsibly, both for your own safety and that of the places you visit. But as we reengage with the world you're likely planning vacations not far from home. World Nomads can help by providing travel safety tips, inspiring content, and travel insurance designed to protect you while traveling. <h2>What’s in the Episode</h2> 00:12 Welcome 01:07 GM Chris Noble 06:35 “You can’t live and die an Apple, you can’t live and die a Red Bull but you can live and die a World Nomad.” – Chris Noble 07:48 Talking safety in Mexico 13:30 Ruben’s secret spot in Mexico (drum roll please!) 14:43 Group tours for people who don’t do group tours 16:36 Hitchhiking in Mexico 18:35 A bad case of jungle diarrhea 21:46 The taxi driver 23:40 Travel news 26:36 Tales of a backpacker 32:33 Kayaking Loreto Bay 38:25 Mexican food with travel and food journalist Kendall Hill 44:57 Can’t get enough of Mexico? 45:43 Next week <h2>Who is in the Episode</h2> Chris Noble is the former General Manager of World Nomads. Chris’ favorite travel quote is “There are only four ways to get unraveled; One is to sleep and the other is travel" - Jim Morrison.  Kendall Hill is an Australian journalist specializing in travel, food, and people. A former travel editor at the Sydney Morning Herald, he is also the author of the best-selling recipe book Coast and a contributor to Gourmet Pilgrim’s Spain and Mexico volumes. Follow him on Instagram at <a href="https://www.instagram.com/misterkendallhill/?hl=en">@misterkendallhill</a> and read his article on Mexican food <a href="https://www.worldnomads.com/explore/north-america/mexico/how-to-eat-mexico">here</a>. Claire Sturzaker runs a blog <a href="https://talesofabackpacker.com/">Tales of a Backpacker</a> and has published her own <a href="https://talesofabackpacker.com/backpacking-mexico-backpackers-guide-to-mexico-on-a-budget/">backpacking guide</a> to Mexico. She has a bunch of other articles about Mexico & Mexico City too, including <a href="https://talesofabackpacker.com/ten-things-to-do-mexico-city/">the best things to</a> do and the Mexican guide to <a href="https://talesofabackpacker.com/lucha-libre-in-mexico-city-mexican-wrestling/">Lucha Libre</a>. Tim Neville is a correspondent at Outside and frequent contributor to The New York Times, Tim has scaled glaciers, scuba dived, and cycled hundreds of miles to report his stories. His work has been reproduced in The Best American Sports Writing, Best American Travel Writing, and Best Food Writing. Read his article on <a href="https://www.worldnomads.com/explore/north-america/mexico/kayaking-in-loreto-bay">Kayaking in Baja’s Loreto Bay</a>. Cassandra Brooklyn runs <a href="https://www.escapingny.com/">EscapingNY</a> offering group tours for people who don’t do group tours and helps solo travelers plan their own adventures. <a href="https://www.escapingny.com/home/how-to-not-get-sick-in-mexico">Read more</a> about Cassandra's dose of diarrhea in Mexico. Ruben Mora from <a href="http://mundojoven.com/?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIuqiF0bfG4AIVF66WCh39TgOgEAAYASAAEgJQ6PD_BwE">Mundo Joven</a>, an educational travel agency aimed at all types of travelers, especially first-timers, who are guided step by step in their process to go abroad to study. <h2>Please Complete Our Survey</h2> <div> <script>// <![CDATA[ (function(t,e,s,n){var o,a,c;t.SMCX=t.SMCX||[],e.getElementById(n)||(o=e.getElementsByTagName(s),a=o[o.length-1],c=e.createElement(s),c.type="text/javascript",c.async=!0,c.id=n,c.src=["https:"===location.protocol?"https://":"http://","widget.surveymonkey.com/collect/website/js/tRaiETqnLgj758hTBazgdzDiJndf0ALQHsnMpeesxexvrH_2FSGy1QIQJZ_2Fw5nHxVF.js"].join(""),a.parentNode.insertBefore(c,a))})(window,document,"script","smcx-sdk"); // ]]></script> <a style="font: 12px Helvetica, sans-serif; color: #999; text-decoration: none;" href="https://www.surveymonkey.com"> Create your own user feedback survey </a></div> <h2>Resources & Links</h2> Download our Mexico guide<a href="https://www.worldnomads.com/explore/guides/mexico-nomads-guide"> here</a>. It’s designed to feel like a magazine, with big, bold images and full-page spreads. Grab a cup of tea, open it up, and read it cover to cover. <a href="https://www.worldnomads.com/travel-safety/north-america/mexico/is-mexico-safe">Top 10 safety concerns</a> for travelers to Mexico. Listen to our episode with <a href="https://www.worldnomads.com/explore/north-america/mexico/amazing-nomads-tenny-and-claire">Claire and Tenny</a>, who walked the entire length of the US/Mexico border. Scholarships Newsletter: <a href="https://www.worldnomads.com/create">Sign up for scholarships news and see what opportunities are live here</a>. <h2>Want to Republish This Episode</h2> <iframe width="100%" height="200" src="https://player.whooshkaa.com/player/episode/id/334846?visual=true&sharing=true" frameborder="0" style="width: 100%; height: 200px"></iframe> Next Episode: URBEX <h2>About World Nomads & the Podcast</h2> Explore your boundaries and discover your next adventure with The World Nomads Podcast. Hosted by Podcast Producer Kim Napier and World Nomads Phil Sylvester, each episode will take you around the world with insights into destinations from travelers and experts. They’ll share the latest in travel news, answer your travel questions and fill you in on what World Nomads is up to, including the latest scholarships and guides. <a href="https://www.worldnomads.com/%22%20%5Ct%20%22_blank">World Nomads</a> is a fast-growing online travel company that provides inspiration, advice, safety tips and specialized travel insurance for independent, volunteer and student travelers traveling and studying most anywhere in the world. Our online global travel insurance covers travelers from more than 135 countries and allows you to buy and claim online, 24/7, even while already traveling. The World Nomads Podcast is not your usual travel Podcast. It’s everything for the adventurous, independent traveler. Don’t miss out. Subscribe today. You can get in touch with us by emailing <a href="mailto:podcast@worldnomads.com">podcast@worldnomads.com</a>   <div class="AccordionSection nst-component nst-is-collapsed"><button class="AccordionSection-title nst-toggle">Full Transcript of the Episode</button> <div class="nst-content"> <div class="AccordionSection-inner"> Speaker 1: Welcome to the World Nomads podcast, delivered by World Nomads, the travel lifestyle, and insurance brand. It's not your usual travel podcast, it's everything for the adventurous, independent traveler. Kim Napier: Yes! Mariachi music, Phil. The sound of Mexico. We couldn't do it without that, the destination we're featuring in this episode of the World Nomads podcast. And it celebrates the launch of the World Nomads Mexico Guide. Phil Sylvester: From lounging or partying on its beautiful beaches to exploring ancient Mayan ruins, Mexico's definitely an alluring destination, and it is also hugely popular. Outside the Caribbean, it's the second-most popular destination for Americans to visit, you know. Kim Napier: Yep! Cool art, top-notch food, the music, sand, sun, sea, mariachi bands, what's not to love? We'll explore the Sea of Cortez in this episode, known as the Aquarium of the World, the cuisine, and a dose of jungle diarrhea, which is not a great segue. For our first chat, with our boss about the guide. Phil Sylvester: Yeah, indeed Kim, our Mexico guide. And look, we've actually done a bit of a change in direction with these. We've got ... This is our 22nd or 23rd travel guide that World Nomads has published. But we've taken a bit of a new direction because of the ... We're trying to do something a little bit different with World Nomads. I know people love what we do. We're trying to do it better. But I thought we'd find out about why we're trying to do all this and exactly what we're trying to do by speaking to our boss, General Manager Chris Noble. G'day! Chris Noble: Hello, Phil. Hello, Kim. Kim Napier: Hello, and welcome to the podcast. This is, I was gonna say popping your cherry. This is your first time joining us. Chris Noble: I have complained that for several months that my dulcet tones have yet to be recorded. So I'm very glad that finally, I get a chance to chat with you guys. Phil Sylvester: Just talk to us, alright? Because we've had a bit of a change in direction. So now, we're all ... This new guide and it looks fantastic and it reads beautifully. Because we've switched to the first-person. We're talking ... We've got people who are good travel writers and they're explaining a destination through their own experiences. But just tell me why we're doing that. What's the philosophy behind that? Chris Noble: Yeah, look. I think it's been one of those things over the years that both as a traveler ... And I think that's the thing about World Nomads, that we are, we are world nomads and pretty much everything I think we've produced over the years has been done through the lens of ... And does it help us? Does it support us individually as travelers as well? And I think for many years when you look at ... And there's some fantastic travel writing out there and some wonderful publications. And they give you fantastic tips and hints on where to go and what to see. And I think from my perspective ... And I dunno, maybe it's just me getting older, but I generally get moved by understanding what a travel writer felt when they were in a place. What motivated them? What were the experiences they had and how did they reflect upon them? And it's always been that type of writing that I've loved. And I know a lot of us within the business have loved as well. So yes, you can get those great tips, this is where you need to go and what you need to do. And I think that there's certainly an element of that woven into it. But I was really keen, and our team was very keen to understand what did that person feel at the time? Why was it such an amazing experience? What did they get from it? What did it mean to them as an individual? Because I think as travelers, we all have completely different motivations when we make a decision to travel to a place. And it's not always just about being able to stand in front of something and pull a selfie-and go, "I was here." For a lot of us, I think it's ... We're seeking something. We're looking to understand a place and understand ourselves at the same time. So I thought this ... And the team thought this should be a better opportunity to try and explore some of those themes and see whether we could get under the skin of a place through that individual, through that writer. And really understand what do they feel when they were going through it. And that's something that I can connect with, something that I'm searching for. Kim Napier: Picked a great destination to do it with. Mexico, where nomads go. Chris Noble: Yeah, I think there are probably few countries in the world that are possibly as misunderstood as Mexico is. It's copped a lot of bad press over the years. But it really is an amazing place and it's an amazing destination. I think one of the other things that are key to the approach that we're trying to take is ... I know personally for me, very much the way in which the way that I travel now has changed in that seek out those people on the ground. I seek out local people to really give me a better understanding and a better sense of what's going on and not just take that third-person view of a place that you sort of wander into and you get a perception. But really I think we all... those fantastic trips, those trips that you have that you remember that stick with you for years, are generally around those experiences that you've shared. Now whether that's with someone, a friend, or a loved one... a lot of the time it's when you share that experience with someone that actually lives on the ground. It can really give you an insight into their culture and their way of life that you just can't get through a guide book or by just standing on the outside. I think that's ultimately what this new approach tries to do is to get our writers connected to people on the ground and really start to get people an inside out view of the destination. All of those preconceived views that you have and any of those stereotypes of a place sort of wash away when you really get to the heart of it and understand why the people are so proud to live in Mexico and so proud of their culture and history. It just gives you that further desire to want and go and experience that and, for me, that is the beauty of travelers getting on the ground and meeting people. Really understanding the destination you're in. Phil Sylvester: One last question and it's a leading question, everything that you've just said - Kim Napier: Have I got a job for 2019? Phil Sylvester: Can I keep my job? It's the leading question, you're no [inaudible] All those things that you've just described, that you can do as a World Nomad, that's not something you can normally do with lots of other brands. Chris Noble: There are amazing brands that do amazing things in the world but, you know, as I say to people within the team, you can't live and die an athlete, you can't live and die a rebel, but you can live and die a World Nomad. That's part of who we are, it's just part of our fabric it's part of our DNA and we love the fact that so many other people in the world share that vision and purpose. It's been a great work ride and we'll make it continue. Phil Sylvester: Agree with that totally. Kim Napier: Yeah, it's great. Another tattoo for you, Phil. You can't die an [inaudible], you can't die a rebel, but you can die a World Nomad. Chris Noble: Thank you guys, all the best. Kim Napier: Cheers, Chris. Well, let's kick off by addressing the elephant in the room, Phil. I know it's something you're really passionate about, safety in Mexico. You get quite frustrated when people say it's not safe. Phil Sylvester: Yes, I do get very, very, frustrated. It is generally a pretty safe destination. Kim Napier: Well we have all read about the gang and drug-related violence, in fact when you tune into Netflix, pretty much all the shows on Netflix are about that. Phil Sylvester: Yeah that Narcos series is a lot to blame for that sort of attitude that people have. Great TV, but you know. Kim Napier: Coming to the defense of Mexico. Who better to give us an idea just how safe Mexico is but a local and you caught up with Ruben from Mundo Joven. Phil Sylvester: Yep, Mundo Joven. Kim Napier: At a conference in Scotland, last year. Ruben: I was raised and born in Mexico, 33 years ago. I've been traveling around the world. I've been in this industry for 15 years, and I've been, always, next to this story about listening all the time when... "where are you from?". Mexico and immediately it's [inaudible] "how do you survive?". I don't know, people immediately is feeling that I'm landing in Damascus, probably, every time that I get home. But it's not like that. Of course, there is a problem, of course, I would be lying to you if I don't consider that we have a problem. We have a big drug problem, probably since... ever. Bigger and bigger in the last 20 years, or it was more obvious in the last 20 years. It's really simple to understand. We have a big neighbor, with a big demand, and we're a big producer. So in order to exist, any conflict has to... you need to have two parts. Otherwise, couldn't be just one. I think Mexico's first big problem is we have a terrible PR, terrible PR condition, in terms of the news. You can see the worst president ever in history that we've had, is right now. Thank god he's gone this administration, considering so many facts. Considering corruption, things that we've been involved in. Terrible, terrible. Phil Sylvester: It's pretty simple to say that there are lots of places which are fine, but there are some places which are not. Ruben: Correct. Phil Sylvester: So it's very localized, in a way. So if I was to go to Mexico, how would I find out the information about what are the safe places to go and the not safe places to avoid? Ruben: Border is always the hot spot, not in the right way. Because geographically positioned next to the U.S. border is where, probably, you're going to get the biggest conflicts. Natural conditions of these people trying to get in all this stuff, into the country. And then, about the cities or about the destinations, the most demanded destination which is Mexico City, Cancun, or all the other beach destinations. You're going to have this... how do I say? Possible problems because all the interactions there is involved around. There are always people looking for [inaudible] and there is always people having to suffer. So if you're looking after this, and you are looking after that kind of action... Phil Sylvester: You will get into trouble. Ruben: You will get into trouble. But that is something that is going to happen in Mexico or anywhere else. Phil Sylvester: Tell me about your favorite parts of Mexico, which part of your country do you love the most? Ruben: I love my city, I love Mexico City. Then my second favorite of Mexico is Chiapas which is in the South, South East Mexico. They have a beautiful, beautiful, landscape. It's green, a lot of community, and local community people. They have beautiful, beautiful, green zones and it's a mix between jungle and a lot of art and a lot of traditions. All the zones around, for me, is one of the most beautiful parts of Mexico, close to Yucatan. Yucatan, as well for me, is one of my favorite places and it's my Grandma's home town. Which, obviously, put it in the hot part of the list. Phil Sylvester: Indeed. Well look, Mexico City has changed a lot. The medium-term it was once not a very nice place to go. So what's changed there? How did it become such a great destination? How did it become a hot spot? Ruben: It's been a lot of investment in the city, in the last 10 years, I would say. Much more efficient communication and PR, a lot of big brands. Hotels and big luxury brands around the city. And developing. You feel comfortable when you're next to the city or walking around the city. And there are so many things to do, and so many things to see around. Phil Sylvester: The last question, I want you to tell me a secret spot in Mexico City. If I was to visit there, where would you send me that's not the usual? Ruben: My secret spot in Mexico... San Angel. For me, San Angel is one of the most non-well and amazing neighborhoods that perfectly shows you how it used to be, the real Mexico City. So get lost in San Angel, take a look at the houses, and you're going to know exactly how is Mexico, and how is Mexico City. Phil Sylvester: Mundo Joven is an educational travel agency aimed at all types of travelers, especially first-timers, who are guided step by step in the process to go abroad to study. All the links in the show notes. Kim Napier: Plus our very own safety guide, too, for Mexico, we'll put that there as well. Now Cassandra runs Escaping NY group tours, I really like this, because when you hear the term group tours... [crosstalk] No doubt, please. Because she does group tours for people who don't do group tours. And she helps solo travelers plan their own adventures and Cassandra has spent a lot of time in Mexico. Cassandra: So I started in Baja, California, and I did a whale watching road trip all along that peninsula, camping, and stopping at different locations to see whales. I then completed my scuba diving certification, in Baja California, then I went to Playa Del Carmen about two years later and did my advanced scuba diving certification, there. Kim Napier: So what's scuba diving like in that area? Cassandra: Oh, it's amazing, it's amazing. I'll say in Playa Del Carmen it's one of the best places in the world. You see turtles, you see large fish, you see algae, you see... I saw a gigantic eel, that apparently just lives in this shipwreck and I was so surprised to find him and was told after the dive that he's just always there, every single day, waiting for divers to come down and say hi. Kim Napier: When you're in Baja California, you then hitchhiked with a couch surfing friend? Cassandra: I did. So I met her actually the previous year in Tijuana, she lives in Tijuana. And she wrote to me and she said: "I go to see the whales every winter, would you like to go with me?". So I did, I flew back to San Diego and then I crossed the border into Tijuana and we made a plan to go down the border. We actually found another couch surfer to go with us and he drove for the first couple of days, which was really nice because when she went to pick up her tent we realized that there were no poles in the tent. So we would have been in for a terrible surprise when we went to go set up the tent at night. When he had to go back up to Tijuana, we hitchhiked! We hitchhiked the whole way down the peninsula with a lot of Canadian retired couples who, I would learn, vacation in Baja California, Mexico, every winter. And there's these massive RV camps and lots all along the peninsula so they would drive us to wherever they were going, we would spend the night, and then we would find someone to take us the next stretch. Kim Napier: So jumping in with Mom and Dad or Grandma and Grandpa, seems a lot safer than what I was envisioning. Cassandra: It was, it was very safe. We did have other offers and we just used our best judgment as two single women. There were offers from... we had an offer from a truck with three men in the front and we decided they might be very nice, but we didn't think that was the best option for us, so we let that pass. At one point we had a Mexican couple, a male and a female probably in their 30's, that was driving on a short vacation they took and so they gave us a ride to one of the cities, as well. We ended up staying at their hotel that night, just because we got in too late to try to find any accommodations. Kim Napier: We're going to chat about safety in Mexico later in the podcast but generally, did you feel safe? Cassandra: Yes, 100 percent. I've been in Mexico at least a dozen times, I've traveled all the country and I've always felt extremely, extremely, safe there. I mean there are areas I won't go to, like around the border, and there are pockets of violence and that violence is real. But, it's also in very specific places for the most part, so it can be avoided. Kim Napier: Now you mentioned last these surprises... jungle diarrhea. Cassandra: Oh, wow. Kim Napier: Why I'm so interested in this is that Phil and I are pretty sure we're going to have to do an episode on, you know, pooping around the world. It's kind of one of those things that happen to everyone but no one talks about it. Cassandra: Oh, I talk about it. I send out a monthly adventure newsletter that talks about my personal adventures, and upcoming group trips that I lead, and travel tips, and everything. One of them that I sent out was jungle diarrhea in Mexico and one of my mentors was like "You can't use that as the title". I was like "Oh yes I can", people want to know and if they don't, they shouldn't subscribe to my new slater because I want to keep it real and let them know what's going on. It's a part of travel, it's a part of travel. Unless you're just going to stay in your house for the rest of your life. I've gotten sick at restaurants in New York City and across the country. So this particularly awful bout of the jungle diarrhea happened when I was going on a road trip with a friend of mine, Pedro who's a taxi driver in Mexico City, and we drive his taxi all over the country on road trips. We were going through San Luis Potosi and we stopped in a small town because they were tired, and we went to a little street fare and the food was good. Pedro had me sample his drink, it was sweetened tamarin water, I was like "Man, this is good!". I should get my own, and I did. I was like this is really good, I should get another! Then I had another. And the next morning, I woke up, just sweating. I'm like "Isn't it hot in here?" And he was like "No, it's not!". I sat up and I was dizzy and it was really bad but, we had hiked to do that afternoon so we went hiking and we went hiking the next day, through these ancient ruins in the middle of the jungle and it was, I think in the '80s or '90s that day. It felt to me just boiling, it felt like my blood was boiling hiking through these mountains. No bathrooms in site. At night, we were camping, and we found this really cool campground with teepees, so we had this nice teepee but I had to climb out of it and run to the bathroom, which seemed like it was a kilometer away. I was grateful for it. Kim Napier: So any accidents, or did you make it to the loo every time? Cassandra: I did make it every time. I'm surprised because the next campsite we went to I had to cross a river I had to hop over rocks to get to the other side of the campsite to get to the bathroom. But I was so grateful that there were lights and there was toilet paper. A couple of days later, I was able to do this waterfall jumping tour in San Luis Potosi Mexico, with no accidents, thank goodness. That would have been interesting for some underwater GoPro filming. That would have been the video to go viral, I know every travel vlogger and every business person wants some viral video. That would be the viral video that I would be subjected to. Kim Napier: So tell us about this friend in Mexico that is a taxi driver, and you'd drive the taxi around the country. Cassandra: I also met him on couch surfing! I met him ten years ago, and... I've been talking about couch surfing for years, and I've gotten so many more questions recently about it. I recently hosted a guy from Iraq, and I want to do some more writing about that. I met him in Mexico City and he had responded to a dancing group, I dance salsa. So he wrote me in that group and said: "Hey, I can't host you at my house but I'm a driver if you need I can pick you up from the airport and take you to wherever you're going to be staying". I said, "Oh, that works out great". So we ended up hanging out, I went down there like two years later and we met up again and we decided to take a day trip to Puebla, which is like two hours from Mexico City. It was just going to be a quick day trip, go there come back. And on the way, he says "Hey, what do you think about spending the night in Puebla, and then driving another six hours to Oaxaca in the morning?". I thought that sounds like fun, it also sounds like something we should have planned for before we left Mexico City because we don't have our clothing, our toothbrush, or anything. But it sounds like fun! When we got to Puebla we went to the internet café and we posted on there and we actually found some hosts that were going to take a bus to Oaxaca the next day. So they let us stay with them, they had a spare bedroom, and we all drove in his taxi to Oaxaca, had a great time, and then we had a bunch of adventures since then in his taxi. And now he's the taxi driver on my group tours to Mexico. He has a million stories to tell on his own. Kim Napier: Now, Cassandra's laugh alone would be enough for me to join the traveling. She's great fun, links in show notes. To avoid jungle diarrhea, she suggests making sure the water is filtered, which makes sense but it's not often that easy. Phil Sylvester: Easy to do in small towns, yeah. Kim Napier: So she carries a water bottle with a filter and the brand that she recommends is gray. What's travel news? Phil Sylvester: Okay, it looks like one of Europe's longest-running parties is about to come to an end. City of Prague, where beer is cheaper than water there, you know? Kim Napier: I've been to Prague, and I drank slivovitz, not beer. Phil Sylvester: Oh my god, how was the hangover? Kim Napier: Mmmmm. Phil Sylvester: That stuff's rocket fuel. Kim Napier: It's deadly, isn't it? Phil Sylvester: Look, drug possession is only a misdemeanor in Prague as well so it makes it the ultimate party town. But locals have got sick of waking up with a hangover and having to clean up after the twenty million guests who come there every year. After years of complaints about noise and disturbance, the residents of the old city are being heard at last. The city has appointed a nightmare to address their concerns, Paris has done it as well and New York's done it. Now I think we've discussed the airfare hack known as hidden-city tickets before? You book a flight to a less popular destination, which is therefore for a cheaper ticket, but you get off at a stop-over at the more popular destination. But the airlines are cracking down on this because they claim it deprives them of thousands of dollars. Lufthansa is the latest airline to take a stand, and they're suing a passenger who booked to Seattle to Oslo flight, but got off at the stopover in Frankfurt and then bought a separate airline ticket to his home in the city of Berlin. He saved a little over two thousand euros by doing that. That's exactly how much Lufthansa is going to sue him for. Kim Napier: Well, how could that be successful? Phil Sylvester: Suing? Well, that's the whole... Kim Napier: On those grounds? Phil Sylvester: I know. Kim Napier: Seriously, someone being a bit clever. Phil Sylvester: Yeah, but now there's a site that will find these tickets for you called Skiplagged. So they're going now it's institutionalized. It used to be a few people knew about it, and it was a small hole in a big bucket and they didn't worry about it. But now it's like, you know, a gaping hole in a damn wall that so many people are taking advantage of it. Whether they are actually... I mean, they claim that you've actually broken the conditions that you've agreed to on your ticket. And you're also depriving another passenger of a seat because an empty seat goes on. We've got time for one last one? Kim Napier: Go for it. Phil Sylvester: A company that helps European travelers acts as compensation for delayed flights is predicting 2019 will be a hurry year, especially for U.K. travelers. Air help is predicting that infrastructure problems and Brexit could cause as many as a quarter of a million flight departure disruptions throughout 2019. Nicely for the Brits. They're calling on airlines and airports to get it together on infrastructure and on what they're going to do about post-Brexit and do more to protect passengers' rights. So standby for a bit of disruption. Kim Napier: If Brexit goes ahead. Phil Sylvester: Who knows? Kim Napier: Exactly. I do know that Claire Sturzaker has a blog... thanks for the news! Phil Sylvester: Pleasure. Kim Napier: It was great. Phil Sylvester: I'm here every week. Kim Napier: She has a blog, Tales of a Backpacker, she also has her very own backpacking guide to Mexico, which we will share in show notes. She's a big fan of the places a destination having spent months there. Claire Sturzake: Oh, I loved it, I loved it. I didn't really have many expectations of Mexico City, to be honest. I'd heard all the stories that it was big, it's dangerous, it's dirty and polluted. But actually that wasn't my experience at all. I was in a really nice area of the city, a place called Roma. Leafy avenues, there are loads of cool bars and restaurants. I had a whale of a time, I really didn't want to leave actually. I'd originally only planned to be there for like, a month, and I just liked it so much I decided to stay as long as I could. Kim Napier: So give me four reasons you decided to stay for four months? Claire Sturzake: The food. Mexico's food is ridiculously good. The street food, actually, is amazing. You can buy, sort of, three tacos for a dollar and it's really, really good. The people, I actually found the people really friendly, kind, and open. Again, sort of not really what I'd expected from Mexico given all the stories I'd heard. The culture. I was actually really amazed by how many museums there are in Mexico City, apparently, there's only Paris that has more museums than Mexico City. So there's so much to learn in Mexico, there's an anthropology museum that's absolutely incredible. It's huge, and it has exhibition halls of every pre-Columbia civilization in Mexico. They have this... they call it the Aztec sunstone, this huge massive stone that's like three and a half meters across and apparently it weighs over 20 tons. It's got amazing carvings on it, they don't really know what it was used for but they think it might have been a calendar or for astrological purposes. That was just incredible for me to see that and considering how long it'd been there for, and that they've actually designed this thing. I was just blown away by it. That's three things... what else, four things. Being somewhere that was just... it was just fun! There's a square in Mexico City called Plaza Garibaldi and you can go there and there are mariachi bands playing everywhere, they can serenade you. There's an area called Xochimilco which is where you can go on a boat, like a really colorful boat, around all these canals. If you go on a weekend, or on a holiday, it's just a massive party. All these boats are filled with people drinking all their beers and singing, and there are mariachi boats that come alongside and serenade you. There are little boats that come past the house that are selling tacos and a little corn on the cob. I just loved it, everything about it really, I just really really enjoyed it. Because my expectations were pretty much zero, it just totally blew me away. Kim Napier: Perfect, but can you expand on what you do? Because it isn't just Mexico. Claire Sturzake: Yeah, no, it's not just Mexico. I decided... it was about three years ago now, I was working in Spain. I couldn't take an office job anymore so I decided to quit my job and go traveling. I went around South America for about ten months that I was backpacking around South America. I loved it, and when I came back after that, it was only supposed to be a sort of once in a lifetime trip, and when I came back the thought of me working in an office then was just awful. I decided to work a lot harder on the blog. So tales of a backpacker it's solo female travel, I travel all around by myself. Budget travel, but still spending money on unique experiences. Because I think if you're going to travel, and there's something incredible that you can't do anywhere else in the world, that's worth spending a little money on if you can. I just want to inspire people to take the plunge and do it. When I created my job, there are so many people that said to me "I wish I could do what you're doing". Obviously, if you've got a family and mortgage and stuff it's a lot harder. I think life is short, you should just take the plunge, and if you can then just do it. Kim Napier: Which is great, but the big question though, Claire, is you must have had some money in your pocket before you headed off? Claire Sturzake: The first trip that I went on, this ten-month adventure to South America, I actually had some inheritance from my grandparents and they passed away. Before I went I was working two jobs, and saving up everything I could for that. When I was out there I was volunteering at hostels and stuff like that, and staying in hostels. I'm not spending very much money. Kim Napier: And that is good to hear considering Claire's mission, Phil, is to share with you the very best of a destination without breaking the bank. Phil Sylvester: Good. Okay, Tim Neville is a travel writer and we featured him in previous podcasts, he's a great bloke to have a chat to. He went kayaking in Baja's Loreto Bay. Jacques Cousteau called Mexico's Sea of Cortez the world's aquarium. Tim Neville: Yeah, when I found that he said that I thought "Man that is just absolutely perfect". It was my first trip to that part of Mexico and I am just dying to go back. I just can't describe what a wonderful feeling it was to go down there, especially when the weather up here in Oregon is not so great. To go down there and have just wonderful temperatures and so on. When we first arrived, of course, the weather wasn't so great, but it's Mexico! It's always going to be better than where you are, at least generally speaking I would say. To jump into a place with just crystal clear water, just spectacular scenery, it's very desert very arid. Then this cool refreshing waters in the contrast are just wonderful. You pack in all this wildlife, and you think "Wow, there's no place else I'd rather be right now". Kim Napier: Now you saw a marlin, I can't imagine what that would be like to see marlin swimming when you're not actually fishing for one, if that makes sense? Tim Neville: Right, right, exactly. And that's the first one I had seen not mounted on a wall in a seafood restaurant. I couldn't believe, I'm just paddling along and look down and it's kind of a disturbing feeling when you... it's almost like your body can sense there's something there before you really realize something's there. Something just looked a little different down underneath the boat and all of a sudden I realize it was moving, and then I realized oh my gosh, this is a giant fish. I really couldn't' tell what it was, even though it was probably four feet below me, something like that, until it turned. And when it turned, the sunlight hit its sides and it just lit up like an alien space ship or something, just blew electric light and poof, it was gone. Yeah, that was definitely a highlight for me. There are so many turtles, and birds and things like that you begin to get a little used to it let's say? So to have something like a marlin go by, which is still the only one I've ever seen, pretty special something I won't forget that's for sure. Kim Napier: Does it live up to Jacques Cousteau's theory? That it's the world's aquarium? Tim Neville: Well I'm not a marine biologist but just an average guy that likes to go down there and go kayaking, it is certainly one of the more spectacular places you can go. You see tons, and tons, of wildlife. There are great places to go snorkeling, we would stop off into these little coves. That's the fun thing, right? About kayaking? Is that not only do you get to ride in your backpack but let's also say, so you don't have to carry anything, it's all in your boat. But then you get to use it to go explore these fun little nooks and cranny's that are otherwise pretty difficult to get to. We can pull into these little coves, beach the kayaks and then swap out for snorkel gear and go play around with the fish for a little while. Kim Napier: You described that it goes kind of from this desert feels into this beautiful crystal clear water, but you also in the story that you wrote talking about some charming little seaside towns. How does it all connect? Tim Neville: It's definitely a mix of the two... there are several places you can start but they're in the [inaudible]. It's just a wonderful little town, just that whole portion of Mexico. I think Mexico is so big and diverse, but that particular area of Mexico, the Baja peninsula, just has this unbelievably chill vibe to it. It's like we've got this great weather, we've got these great beaches, and all these animals, awesome food. Why worry? So everybody just seems naturally happy and relaxed, so you can go hang out in these sidewalk cafes, sidewalk restaurants. You can have fish tacos, or margaritas, whatever it is that you want. Just really, really shed some of the daily stress that you have in your normal life. At the same time, it's culturally fascinating and historically so rich. You've got to remember that these areas have settled long before, by Europeans obviously that's what I'm talking about, before anything where I've lived. You have these old missions, you know these towns are old, you have just this cool, very very colorful culture. It permeates everything. So to have both this wonderful urban vibe and this wonderful natural vibe, you put those two together and man, it's paradise. It's right there on our doorstep, it's so wonderful, fascinating culturally. The food... you need no excuse to go, you know? It's right there. I plan to spend a lot more time down there, for sure. Kim Napier: Well Phil it's not fair to say we've left the best until last, but we cannot have an episode about Mexico and not explore the food. Phil Sylvester: Absolutely. I think Mexican food sometimes has a bad reputation. I've heard it described as pre masticated food, but I think that's a western version and I'm aware that there is an entirely different Mexican cuisine. Kim Napier: We're about to find that out. Who better to do that with than Kendell Hill? He's an Australian journalist, he specializes in travel food and people features, but he's also the author of the best selling recipe book Coast and he contributes to Gourmet Pilgrim's Spain and Mexico volumes. So I'm guessing, Kendell, you know what you're talking about when it comes to Mexican cuisine? Kendell Hill: Kim I wouldn't ever profess to be an expert in Mexican cuisine because it may take a couple of lifetimes, I think, to get across everything that's involved there. But I've eaten quite a bit and traveled around quite a bit for the Gourmet Pilgrim book as you've said. I know something about it, yeah. Kim Napier: Phil seemed to sum it up as pre masticated food. Phil Sylvester: Well that sort of refried beans tex mex stuff that you get in cheap chain outlets, that sort of stuff I'm talking about. It's not proper Mexican food, is it? Kendell Hill: No, it's not. And talking from an Australian perspective, we don't get great Mexican food, we think it's just sort of a hot mess of things. But in Mexico itself, it's so diverse. Mexican cuisine is actually an amalgam of all sorts of different influences, not like when the Spanish invaded they brought pork and, you know, the sort of common mates that we're aware of that Mexico didn't have beforehand. Then you have [inaudible] terrain and [inaudible]. There's a sort of treasury of ancestral customs that informed the way Mexican cuisine is prepared and the way it's developed, but also they have the most incredible ingredients in Mexico. Avocado comes from there, chocolate comes from there, chili's, beans, tomatoes, pumpkin. All these incredible ingredients that we couldn't imagine living without. Tomato, for example. Those are all Mexican, so for anyone who thinks of Mexican cuisine, it adds sort of a lack of understanding of how much those United States and Mexico have brought to the world in terms of our food trade. Phil Sylvester: I think you just named all of my favorite foods, then. Kim Napier: Oh, yeah, yum. Kendell Hill: Any country that gives you chocolate has got to be... there's some debate that it might have come from further south in Latin America, but certainty the Mayans were one of the first ones that were able to turn those things into something delicious to drink. Kim Napier: Okay, now I'm going to impress you here, both of you probably more so Kendell. When I cook a chili con Carne, I put chocolate in it. Kendell Hill: Ah! Interesting. You know mole, which is the staple sauce of high Mexican cuisine I'd say, because it takes a long time to prepare, 24 hours or more, and often has more than 30 ingredients. That often has chocolate in it, so you're on the right track in putting a bit of chocolate in, a bit of... you'd want the sun-dried chili's, as well, that gives it more of the smoky flavor, too. Kim Napier: Okay, now I do use the fresh so I'll take on board that advice. Phil Sylvester: Do you spend 24 hours preparing it, Kim? Kim Napier: It's twelve hours, slow-cooked. Phil Sylvester: Twelve hours? Okay, okay. Kim Napier: Twelve hours, slow-cooked. I put the time in. Speaking of avocados, I can't imagine what a guacamole dip in Mexico would taste like compared to what we whip up ourselves in our kitchen, based on the recipes that we're given. Or even in some of the restaurants. Is there a difference? Kendell Hill: I think there is, in the same way, that there's a difference in a lot of countries with their native cuisines when you go there and eat them. It's got a lot to do with the freshness, and guacamole is never quite prepared and mixed up the way it's made fresh. It's [inaudible] of the onion, and tomato, and the lime juice, and the avocado all together. They do, I mean avocado comes from there, but one of the states say they're the best avocados in the world so. It's that quality of ingredients that all hails from this place, I think that does make a difference. The freshness and the fact that those ingredients are Edenic to the place, they probably turn out better there than they do anywhere else. That you'll see across all sorts of dishes in Mexico, it may seem very simple... Phil, you mentioned earlier about beans and cheese and what have you, but there are millions of different ways of preparing things. So many different types of cheese that they make in Mexico that there are just too many of the many ingredients they have. You can travel around Mexico and you can have a similar dish in each place, but it will never taste the same and it will be... for me, when I've been here it's just been a series of revelations that you can have every day, and not get bored of them and still be surprised and delighted by some of the ways they present it. I mean, beans Mexican style, are presented [inaudible] it's equivalent of rice in some Asian cultures because it's their staple [inaudible] I guess. Kim Napier: Well your article covers all bases that you've written for us, we'll share that in show notes. But Kendell, is it all washed down with a little shot of tequila? Kendell Hill: If that was your thing. When I was in the coast looking at tequila production, it was early morning and I had to stand there and do, not shots of tequila, but taste the stuff. It's not really my thing, I think I'd probably go for a beer, and probably a Michelada which is beer sort of served tequila style with salt around the rim, bit of lime juice, but they put some Worcestershire and Tabasco. Kim Napier: Chili? Kendell Hill: Yeah, a bit of Tabasco. So it's a mix of Worcestershire, Tabasco, and something they call Maggi sauce which is kind of close to soy. And then you put the beer on top of that, top it with some ice especially on a hot summer day. It's so refreshing, it's sort of a little bit blood Mary ish, but not quite. It's really great. Kim Napier: I'll go that and I'll have two tequila shots and a margarita, thanks! All the food you can fit on the table. Kendell, thanks so much for chatting. Kendell Hill: My pleasure, thanks for having me. Phil Sylvester: Sticking with the Mexico theme, you may like to listen to our amazing Nomads episode with Claire and Tenny who hiked the length of the U.S. Mexico border, taking six months to walk 2000 miles. Speaker 10: We were really nervous, we had heard a lot mostly form people who hadn't been there themselves, a lot of myths about what's down there. We had a lot of fear going on but we had this trust that people are the same no matter where they are and that it maybe wasn't as bad as people made it out to be, and that's overwhelmingly what we found. We really had no instances that were even remotely dangerous or scary, or anything like that. Phil Sylvester: That was a bumper episode celebrating our Mexico travel guide and we'll share a link in show notes so you can download it. Next week we're going rogue, with a special episode on urban exploration. Kim Napier: Urbex. Until then, you can get the World Nomad's podcast on iTunes or download the google podcast app. Make sure you subscribe and if you have any feedback, it's always welcome. Or suggestions for guests, get in touch with us. Phil Sylvester: Please. Kim Napier: Get in touch with us at podcast@worldnomads.com. Phil Sylvester: See yah. Kim Napier: Bye! Speaker 11: The World Nomads Podcast, explore your boundaries. </div> </div> </div>Guanajuato Mexico Getty Images/ ferrantraite 0

https://public-web-wn.uat.wng.me/explore/north-america/mexico/unforgettable-mexicoFrom getting in the ring at a Lucha Libre match to exploring the Yucatán's fairy tale-pink lakes, our nomads share their most indelible adventures.2019-02-12T11:00:00Z https://wng-kosmos-wn-cms-uat.kaos.nibit.com.au:443/explore/north-america/mexico/unforgettable-mexicohttps://www.worldnomads.com<ul> <li><a href="#lucha">Lucha Libre</a></li> <li><a href="#mezcal">Learning to Make Mezcal</a></li> <li><a href="#lagoons">The Yucatán’s Pink Lagoons</a></li> </ul> <h2 id="lucha">Lucha Libre</h2> Our first taste of this unique sport was at a huge match in <a href="/explore/north-america/mexico/4-tips-for-exploring-mexico-city">Mexico City</a>. The Arena Mexico holds more than 16,000 guests and the matches are over the top, with elaborate costumes and rivalries between fighters that span weeks. But our real love for Lucha Libre came after attending a much smaller match in the city of San Cristóbal de las Casas, in the southern state of Chiapas. Compared to the Mexico City match, this one looked like a backyard street fight, but we immediately loved the authentic feel. The arena, normally a bullfighting stadium, was packed with local families and kids running up and down the stairs in luchador masks too big for their heads. To fully get into the spirit, we purchased a couple of masks to show which fighter we were supporting. We stocked up on popcorn and beer and grabbed a spot on the wooden benches. The match was running late and the crowd was getting restless, so my partner looked into the dressing room tent to see what the delay was about. He was greeted by a dozen wrestlers, greasing up their bodies and squeezing themselves into their latex costumes. They were more than happy to have a foreigner backstage, and even included him in some behind-the-scenes photos. But it was clear that they weren’t going to be starting any time soon. Never one to pass up an opportunity to perform, my partner donned his luchador mask and entered the ring. The kids playing on the ropes immediately saw this as a challenge. Within minutes, he had a dozen children hanging off each limb, determined to take down the big gringo with their merciless karate chops. He played the part of melodramatic villain perfectly, falling theatrically to his knees in defeat as the crowd cheered. At last, the real show started. The next hour was pure slapstick-comedy gold, with clearly missed punches sending the fighters reeling. We witnessed the most ridiculous characters, including a fighter whose secret weapon was kissing his opponents into submission. But the memory of my partner fighting off dozens of kids in his shiny silver mask is one I’ll always cherish. – <a href="/about/contributors/christine-williams">Christine Williams</a> <figure><img src="https://media.worldnomads.com/guides/mexico/unforgettable/unforgettable-mezcal.jpg" /><figcaption>Agave plants. Photo credit: Sam Kazmer</figcaption></figure> <h2 id="mezcal">Learning to make mezcal</h2> Thanks to the coordinating efforts of Oaxaca Food Walks, we slid from the bed of a pick-up at Lalocura Mezcal Distillery in Santa Catrina Minas for a tour of their property. In the driveway, a leather-skinned man under a tattered Stetson hacked towards an agave’s heart, the piña. The pale yellow cores piled up, awaiting a slow cook beneath super-heated rocks. A <a href="/explore/north-america/mexico/discoveries-community-through-mezcal">Oaxacan distiller</a> herded us towards agave burning in a stone-lined pit. The heat processes the starch within the agave and produces sugars. Reaching for a roasted piece cooling at the edge, I sampled it. I thought of leafed tobacco: vegetal, chewy, and sweet. Next, we approached three wooden fermentation vessels where microscopic yeast ate the sugar, converting it to alcohol and carbon dioxide. The bubbling liquid released a fruity, bubble-gum aroma. The liquid tasted boozy, with hints of molasses and nutmeg. Fire raged beneath a small, copper still boiling pachuga (fermented agave juice) and vaporizing the alcohol. There was no electricity. There was no stainless steel. Cool spring water in a copper bowl sat atop the still, condensing the rising alcohol vapor and directing it into a wooden chute. Clear spirit dripped into a clay pot: the mezcal was born. To the west, blue leaves of agave spiked from the ground, which gradually rose towards the mountain ridge awaiting the sinking sun. Smoke-shattered sunlight upon horse-turned mills, earthenware jugs, and oxidized copper: the place and process remained pleasantly entrenched in a time long gone. – <a href="/about/contributors/sam-kazmer">Sam Kazmer</a> <figure><img src="https://media.worldnomads.com/guides/mexico/unforgettable/unforgettable-lagoons.jpg" /><figcaption>Las Coloradas. Photo credit: Lydia Jones</figcaption></figure> <h2 id="lagoons">The Yucatán’s pink lagoons</h2> We all love a bit of pink sky reflected in blue waters. But have you experienced it the other way round? I learned about the pink lagoons of <a href="/explore/north-america/mexico/cancun-other-places-to-stay-visit">Yucatán</a>’s Gulf Coast from a friend’s photos, which looked utterly otherworldly. When I reached the dusty little village of Las Coloradas, I was initially disappointed. The nearest lagoon looked blue from a distance, flanked by gleaming white hills of the salt they extract here. But at close encounter, the lake is fairy-tale pink, as if nature tricked my eyes. It felt like being wrapped in cotton candy. I absorbed the surreal scenery, took pictures, and strolled around to see the flamingos in the outer lagoons. The world has very few pink lakes. The pink color is not an optical illusion – it comes naturally from brine shrimp and algae called Dunaliella salina. The colors can be seen any time of year, but the pigment is more concentrated in the afternoons, and the best photo op is at sunset. My curiosity aroused, I later checked out Xtampú Salinas, whose ponds have "fifty shades of pink," from spiky, purplish Mexican to soft cherry blossom. This feels more like a working site, with small pyramids of white salt dotted everywhere. Your only companions will be flamingos, woodpeckers, and herons. Both lake areas are protected, patrolled by the locals, but there’s no fee. You won't be able to swim or walk in them – just absorb that eccentric scenery. It will forever stay in your mind. – <a href="/about/contributors/lydia-jones">Lydia Jones</a>Getty Images / Peter Macdiarmid 0

https://public-web-wn.uat.wng.me/explore/north-america/mexico/beyond-chichen-itzaAvoid the crowds at the more famous sites, and instead discover the mysterious ruins on the Yucatán Peninsula’s remote Puuc and Rio Bec routes.2019-02-12T11:00:00Z https://wng-kosmos-wn-cms-uat.kaos.nibit.com.au:443/explore/north-america/mexico/beyond-chichen-itzahttps://www.worldnomads.comI experience the Maya ruins through touch. I want to climb, swim, row, absorb their energy, ponder and stand in awe in jungle that I have all to myself. For that, it’s worth getting off the beaten track. I have been to Chichén Itzá. It’s majestic, but full of vendors and crowds, so I can't feel its power. It took me five years of traveling in southern Mexico (after moving here from England) to begin to feel the energy of the ruins and see the pattern of stone masks and motifs. Now I’m hooked. The various routes are named for their architectural styles, but I’d like to take you behind that to the mysteries of Maya thought. At first, the masks and motifs all look the same, but they have different tales to tell. <ul> <li><a href="#monster">Mountain Monster (Río Bec Route, Campeche)</a></li> <li><a href="#bird">Cosmic Bird (Puuc Route, Yucatán)</a></li> <li><a href="#notes">Trip Notes</a></li> </ul> <h2 id="monster">Mountain Monster (Río Bec Route, Campeche)</h2> I first met Witz, the Mountain Monster, at Chichén Itzá, although my guide identified him as Chaac, the Rain God. Through my research, I discovered that Witz was to be found everywhere among the Río Bec group of sites in southern Campeche. These sites were occupied from around 300 BC – their later pyramids follow the style of Tikal in Guatemala, with mysterious false doorways and mock temples that you can’t enter, all built for show, not use. I choose Balamkú first, the only site where you can actually go inside the temple and meet the monsters. The walk to the pyramid gives me the feeling of being an ancient jungle dweller – superstitious, and rather frightened. I can feel the jungle spirit that the Maya believe in. When I get to the temple, the guard is as delighted to see me as I am to see him, out there in the dense forest with nothing but howler monkeys for company. Inside the pyramid, I’m alone with the ancient ancestors. Three huge pot-bellied toads sit on a monster's skull, on a long frieze across a narrow room. From the wide-open maw of each toad emerges a seated, cross-legged ruler. The monster mask has huge eyes and large teeth, and the bottom jaw is buried in the earth. The mask of Witz marks the pyramid as a sacred living mountain. A deceased Maya ruler did not die; he traveled. First he entered, through the Witz's mouth, the waters of the underworld, where he had to defeat its wicked lords before continuing his journey up the mountain into paradise. The toads helped each king complete his journey. Toads are connected to the underworld and their croak heralds rain, leading to the renewal of the earth. From here, I continue my journey to Hormiguero to face the largest Witz of them all. If Balamkú is spooky, Hormiguero is even more ghostly. I feel suspended in time, breathing the primordial atmosphere of the trees, although only 12.5mi (20km) off the highway. The tracks through the forest are no more than faint traces, and then suddenly I’m face-to-face with the gigantic Witz gateway to the temple. The rest of the ruins are barely explored, heaps of stone swallowed up by nature. I can feel, in my bones, the ancient Maya fear of death, the desire for rebirth, and the ever-present threat of the jungle. If you want a similar experience, but conveniently on the highway, try Chicanná. The other sites have smaller Witz masks. Calakmul is vast and remote and you’ll need all day. In Xpujil, the Tikal-style towers are impressive, but you can’t climb the only pyramid, while at Becán you can climb a number of them. <figure><img src="https://media.worldnomads.com/guides/mexico/maya/mysteries-monster.jpg" /><figcaption>Chicanná, Río Bec Route. Photo credit: Lydia Jones</figcaption></figure> <h2 id="bird">Cosmic Bird (Puuc Route, Yucatán)</h2> “Puuc” in Maya describes the range of low hills south of Mérida, a dramatic contrast with the level limestone plain of the rest of the Yucatán peninsula. These sites are notable for ornate mosaics from 700-900 AD. I’m standing on top of the Great Pyramid of Uxmal, the most elegant of Maya sites. I’m admiring the view of the jungle, but my real focus is the intriguing masks, just behind me. I’m curious, and I want to get to the bottom of these stone faces. I have already greeted with a smile my old friend Witz, who presides on top of the Magician's Pyramid. But how about the other masks? They can’t be Chaac the Rain God, because he has a down-curling nose, while most of these masks have up-curling noses instead. Some researchers claim they could be the Cosmic Bird called Itzam Yeh, with a “long lip,” rather than a snout. I think of it as a beak. The Cosmic Bird sits on top of the World Tree, a manifestation of the sky god Itzamná. Could he be waiting there to welcome the deceased king to the Upper World? I settle on that story of divinity and immortality. From here I’ll continue along the Puuc Route to the charming, smaller sites of Kabáh, Sayil, Xlapak, and Labná, quietly checking whether the noses curl up or down and staring into the manic eyes of the Cosmic Bird. If you have ever looked a bird in the eye, you’ll know what I mean. Then I’ll make a detour to Kulubá, east of Tizimín. It’s not on the Puuc route, but it has the same masks of the Cosmic Bird. Although it’s set among the cattle ranches of northern Yucatán, it still has that jungle magic I found on the Río Bec route. It breathes the ancient Maya message of eternal life. <figure><img src="https://media.worldnomads.com/guides/mexico/maya/mysteries-bird.jpg" /><figcaption>Kabáh, Puuc Route. Photo credit: Lydia Jones</figcaption></figure> <h2 id="notes">Trip Notes</h2> <h3>Mountain Monster</h3> Balamkú, Calakmul, Hormiguero, Chicanná, Becán, Xpujil, Dzibanché, Kinichná The Río Bec route is in the jungle of the Calakmul Biosphere (along its only highway), in the state of Campeche. Dzibanché and Kinichná are off the same highway in the state of Quintana Roo. For remote Hormiguero and Calakmul, both in the jungle off the highway, you’ll need a car. The entry fee to most of the ruins is US $2.70 ($55 MXN). Hormiguero is free. Calakmul has a set of fees, US $2.45 ($50 MXN) per person for the first 32mi (20km) of the dirt road, which is private land, US $3.45 ($70 MXN) to enter the Calakmul Biosphere, and US $2.45 ($50 MXN) for the ruins. The village of Xpujil is best for accommodation for all the sites. Avoid the rainy season (August-October) when the jungle is very humid and full of mosquitoes. <h3>Cosmic Bird Route</h3> Uxmal, Kabáh, Sayil, Xlapak, Labná, Kulubá These sites are mainly on the Puuc Route in Yucatán, about an hour south of Mérida. Kulubá is hidden in the jungle of Tizimín, north of Valladolid. The entry fee for Uxmal is US $11 ($223 MXN); for Kabah, Labná, and Xlapak, US $2.45 ($50 MXN). Sayil and Kulubá are free. Uxmal offers a few hacienda hotels and Santa Elena, cheaper eco cabañas.Getty Images / Michael and Jennifer Lewis 0

https://public-web-wn.uat.wng.me/explore/north-america/mexico/chasing-waves-on-the-west-coastDiscover Mexico’s most amazing surf breaks, from hidden spots in northern Baja to the famous “Mexican Pipeline” in Oaxaca.2019-02-11T11:00:00Z https://wng-kosmos-wn-cms-uat.kaos.nibit.com.au:443/explore/north-america/mexico/chasing-waves-on-the-west-coasthttps://www.worldnomads.comSince I was 12 years old, I’ve been watching surfing movies filmed in Mexico, and now I’m going to experience it for myself. Heading into to <a href="/explore/north-america/mexico/border-towns-the-real-story">Tijuana</a> from the US, I know two things: Mexico has a crazy amount of amazing, right-hand point breaks and really, really big waves once the season turns on. Our first goal is to get off the beaten path. Mexico is famous for this – if you’re willing to put in the hours of driving, you’re almost certain to find some incredible waves all to yourself. The other goal is to surf all the famous surf spots Mexico’s west coast is known for. <ul> <li><a href="#northern-baja">Northern Baja: Minute-long waves in San <g class="gr_ gr_96 gr-alert gr_spell gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim ContextualSpelling ins-del multiReplace" id="96" data-gr-id="96">Junico</g></a></li> <li><a href="#southern-baja">Southern Baja: Surf spots for every level</a></li> <li><a href="#pascuales">Mainland Mexico: Surfing big swells in Pascuales </a></li> <li><a href="#oaxaca">Discoveries on the road to Oaxaca</a></li> <li><a href="#puerto">Surfing Puerto Escondido and beyond</a></li> <li><a href="#notes">Trip Notes</a></li> </ul> <h2 id="northern-baja">Northern Baja California: Minute-long waves in San <g class="gr_ gr_97 gr-alert gr_spell gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim ContextualSpelling ins-del multiReplace" id="97" data-gr-id="97">Junico</g></h2> As we head south through Baja, we have a few spots marked on our map, but we also want to just explore and see where the roads take us. At first, we’re met with nothing but strong winds and an ungodly amount of flies, but eventually, we stumble on a right-hand point that quickly becomes one of my favorite places ever. It’s near a sleepy little town called San <g class="gr_ gr_98 gr-alert gr_spell gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim ContextualSpelling ins-del multiReplace" id="98" data-gr-id="98">Junico</g>. We follow the coast down point after point, eventually stopping on a small headland. I see two heads bobbing around in the water. One of them takes off on a wave – he pulls off almost a minute later. I’m in shock. Minute-long waves and only two people in the water? I can’t get in fast enough. What’s meant to be three days turns into weeks, living in our van parked on the bluff and surfing three to four times a day. The desert is harsh here – an array of cactus and sand broken up by a series of mesas jutting straight out of the earth. Though we don't see any animals, vultures circle overhead constantly. The winds are strong, the days hot, and the nights cold – it’s the <a href="/explore/north-america/mexico/the-rebirth-of-baja-norte">quintessential Baja experience</a>. My girlfriend goes from barely standing up to riding waves for a full a minute in a few short weeks. But finally, after some of the longest rides of my life, it’s time to move on. <h2 id="southern-baja">Southern Baja California: Surf spots for every level</h2> We continue down the peninsula to <a href="/explore/north-america/mexico/a-nomads-guide-to-cabo-san-lucas">San Jose del Cabo</a>, at the southern tip. The cacti are replaced by palm trees, the water becomes warmer, and the color changes from a deep blue to a tropical light blue perfect for snorkeling and fishing. East of San Jose del Cabo, the population diminishes – one road winding around the cliffs that hug the ocean, and a handful of tiny villages where we’re lucky to buy more than packets of biscuits, onions, and a few carrots. But desolate as it is, we almost always find one or two surfers camped on the beaches, all with stockpiles of food and water to avoid the long, pot-holed road back to the closest town. The coast is littered with a dozen different surfing spots for all levels and suitable for anything from a shortboard to a nine-footer. Two particular highlights here are Shipwrecks (better for a shortboard) and Nine Palms (if you want something more relaxed). We spend a couple of weeks here and surf from dawn to dusk – the conditions are perfect and there’s swell every day thanks to a small tropical storm sitting just off the coast. But eventually, we take the ferry to Mazatlan, where the mainland section of the trip begins. <figure><img src="https://media.worldnomads.com/guides/mexico/surfing/surfing-baja.jpg" /><figcaption>Cabo San Lucas, Southern Baja. Photo credit: Getty Images / Joel Carillet</figcaption></figure> <h2 id="pascuales">Mainland Mexico: Surfing big swells in Pascuales</h2> Our first stop is Boca de Pascuales, 435mi (700km) south of Mazatlan. The town is not beautiful, just one street of small, poorly thrown together buildings and barking dogs. The black sand beach isn’t particularly attractive, and the locals aren’t overly friendly, but I’m looking to throw my body into some big, heavy, waves with few crowds, and this is the place to do it. There are waves almost daily during the season (spring and summer). At first, I’m a little nervous about the size of the swell, but after a few days of double-overhead waves I settle in and am hungry for anything. The wave can be overwhelming at times – some days it’s so big that we stand on the shore with a handful of other surfers, debating whether or not to paddle out. This place draws big-wave people from all over, a mix of reclusive types that just want to be left alone to surf. <figure><img src="https://media.worldnomads.com/guides/mexico/surfing/surfing-colima.jpg" /><figcaption>Surfing in Pascuales, Colima. Photo credit: Dane Faurschou</figcaption></figure> <h2 id="oaxaca">Discoveries on the road to Oaxaca</h2> Our next destination is Mexico’s most famous surfing spot, <a href="/explore/north-america/mexico/whales-and-sea-turtles">Puerto Escondido</a>, in the state of Oaxaca. It takes a few weeks to get there, and as we drive down the coast it’s consistently hot and humid – tropical rainforest and plantations of bananas and coconut trees continually surround us. We stop at a dozen or more places. Rio Nexpa stands out in for its amazing right-hand break and for the river that flows out of the mountains and into the surf. We constantly hear stories of crocodiles up the river, and the thought of what lies beneath is forever in our minds. Fortunately, we never see one, but almost every day, we’re met in the water by ever-curious sea turtles that poke their heads up just meters away from us and then disappear again. <h2 id="puerto">Surfing Puerto Escondido and beyond</h2> Puerto Escondido is a different world, and I had been wanting to surf here for over 10 years. With some of the biggest waves you’re ever likely to see, it attracts the best surfers and professionals from around the globe. As a result, the town is well developed for surf tourism: the restaurants are trendy, the food is delicious (everything from traditional <g class="gr_ gr_94 gr-alert gr_spell gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim ContextualSpelling ins-del multiReplace" id="94" data-gr-id="94">pollo</g> <g class="gr_ gr_95 gr-alert gr_spell gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim ContextualSpelling" id="95" data-gr-id="95">asado</g> to vegan) and the vibe is relaxed. But that ends at water’s edge as waves tower above the horizon, stirring up a potent mix of fear and excitement. Next, we head south to the land of long, right-point breaks, some of the best in the world. We wake before the sun every morning, surrounded by golden sand and crystal-clear water, gazing out on perfect points and just a handful of people. Fishermen pass occasionally on their way to their secret fishing spots – on the way back they often stop to talk and offer us their catch. It’s surfer heaven, but the mountains are calling. After a few months and some of the most incredible waves of my life, it’s time to go. <figure><img src="https://media.worldnomads.com/guides/mexico/surfing/surfing-puerto-escondido.jpg" /><figcaption>Puerto Escondido. Photo credit: Getty Images / Joel Carillet</figcaption></figure> <h2 id="notes">Trip Notes</h2> Puerto Escondido is an ideal place for both beginners and advanced surfers. There are a number of surf schools where you can rent boards, and just a short drive out of Puerto is a long, gentle, left-hand point break perfect for beginners. Further south, there are good hostels right in front of the waves at Salina Cruz and Barra del Cruz (arguably the two best points in the area). When driving along the coast, be sure to follow all speed signs, plan to arrive at your destination two hours before dark, and have your route completely planned out in cities and towns to avoid getting lost on side streets.Getty Images / Marie Kazalia 0

https://public-web-wn.uat.wng.me/explore/north-america/mexico/the-muxes-of-juchitan-de-zaragozaIn the southwest corner of Mexico, the indigenous Zapotecs recognize a third gender (muxe) that’s neither male nor female.2019-02-08T11:00:00Z https://wng-kosmos-wn-cms-uat.kaos.nibit.com.au:443/explore/north-america/mexico/the-muxes-of-juchitan-de-zaragozahttps://www.worldnomads.com<ul> <li><a href="#muxes">The muxes of Oaxaca: Neither male nor female</a></li> <li><a href="#juchitan">Juchitán de Zaragoza: A center of muxe culture</a></li> <li><a href="#notes">Trip Notes</a></li> </ul> Putting your perspective to the test is a healthy thing. And there are few places better equipped to challenge your assumptions than Oaxaca, a state in southwest Mexico, where a lot of people have been doing things a little differently for a very long time. To wax anthropologically for a moment, with 16 distinct ethnolinguistic groups – that is, 16 indigenous peoples with their own customs, traditions and languages – Oaxaca is one of the most culturally diverse places on the planet. I got to know <a href="/explore/north-america/mexico/whales-and-sea-turtles">Oaxaca</a> and its plethora of peoples well in the half-decade I was based in Mexico. I encountered <a href="/explore/north-america/mexico/meeting-world-authority-folk-art">cultures that were alive</a>, not in the donning-fancy-dress-for-the-sake-of-tourist-pesos sense, nor in the form of a historical hangover, but in ways that continue to shine a light on how we live – and see ourselves – right now. Which is where the Zapotecs, the largest indigenous group in Oaxaca, come in. The founders of a sophisticated pre-Columbian civilization some 2,500 years ago, they've retained many aspects of their cuture, including a third gender, kown as muxe (moo-shey). <h2 id="muxes">The muxes of Oaxaca: Neither male nor female</h2> I had been living for a month in Oaxaca City when I met Carmelita and Elena at the Basílica de Nuestra Señora de la Soledad. In that time, though I was and remain a badly lapsed Catholic, the Baroque church had seen more of me than my usual haunts – the mezcal bars – had. My mother had recently died, and the basilica is dedicated to Our Lady of Solitude, the Virgin Mary in mourning. Above the altar, center-stage, her effigy stands, a look of infinite compassion on her face. I took comfort in her gaze, and placed myself beneath it every other morning. Grief works on people in disparate ways. It opens them up or closes them down, and Carmelita and Elena rightly saw in my eyes a willingness to talk. Always immaculately turned out, dressed like twins in embroidered silk huipils, long skirts, and shawls, their hair shining black, they would join me at the back of the church. They were patient with my halting Spanish as we talked about everything and nothing, becoming close enough after a few weeks to share confidences. “We need to tell you something,” Carmelita said, “it’s very important, and we hope you won’t feel that we’ve misled you.” They had chosen the right day for it. The power was off, and the dark had a confessional quality to it, though the caretaker had fashioned a contraption out of a bungee cord, metal coat hangers, and three mismatched flashlights on full beam to pick out the features of Our Lady. It made her look as if she were about to be abducted by B-movie aliens. And by its strange light, Elena and Carmelita took my hands. The story they told me was a remarkable one. They were muxes (moo-sheys), a “third gender" born male but living as women. “Which is how we are described by professors anyway,” Elena said. They were from the Zapotec-majority town of Juchitán de Zaragoza, which is a five-hour drive away on the Isthmus of Tehuantepec, the narrow waist of land between the Gulf of Mexico and the Pacific Ocean. And they were in Oaxaca City to track down muxe friends who they suspected had been taken there by American sex tourists. “These Americans, they call Juchitán ‘Hoochie Town’,” said Elena in disgust. <figure><img src="https://media.worldnomads.com/guides/mexico/muxes/muxes-mother.jpg" /><figcaption>A muxe with his mother. Photo credit: Getty Images / Saul Schwarz Harris</figcaption></figure> Now in their early 30s, my friends explained that they had been raised by their grandparents, and had worn their current style of dress from a very early age. “Many muxes can’t remember being anything else. There was never any question that I was one,” Elena said. “Everyone knew. And they were pleased. It is considered a blessing if God gives a family a muxe.” How modern, I thought. But I was wrong. No surprise there: though I’d been in Mexico long enough for the mosquitoes to lose interest in me, I was far from informed about its southwest corner. The muxe has been a fact of Zapotec life since pre-Colonial times. “Local legend has it that St. Nicholas Ferrer, the patron saint of Juchitán, was carrying a sack of muxes,” Carmelita said. “He was supposed to distribute them evenly across the country. But it tore when he got to Juchitán and they all spilled out.” <h2 id="juchitan">Juchitán de Zaragoza: A center of muxe culture</h2> The following week, I drove with Elena to Juchitán to see the fabled town for myself. I found it in high spirits. Preparations were underway for a four-day vela, a celebration of all things muxe, which is equal parts jamboree, pageant, and Mass (muxes are allowed to take communion in Juchitán, though it would be denied them elsewhere). The festival, which has been held each November since the early '70s, takes its name from its organizers, Las Auténticas Intrépidas Buscadoras del Peligro (the Authentic Intrepid Seekers of Danger), a group of muxe activists, educators, and entrepreneurs who keep an eye out for their own. Muxes make up about 5% of Juchitán’s population of 80,000, but they are much more visible there than that suggests. Zapotec society is matrifocal. The men are mostly laborers, out of sight, in the fields or on building sites, sometimes on fishing boats. Women are the public face of the family, involved in day-to-day commerce, running stores and market stalls. Muxes do “women’s work” too, but, free from childcare obligations, they have more freedom to explore their career options. Many Juchitán households run on muxe incomes. Perhaps that’s why it’s considered lucky to have one in the family. Elena introduced me to a few of her friends – some, like her, who looked, to foreign eyes, quintessentially feminine, and others who were more radical in the way they presented themselves (who knew a bare chest, a shaved head, and a double tutu would be a winning combination?). All were taller than the average Zapotec man, and many were broader built, as indeed the women generally are. When Zapotec parents recognize a “feminine” quality in their boy children, they are not just noticing a soft androgyny – a burlier frame can be a factor. At Elena’s suggestion, I visited Salon Cazorla, a club/dance studio that’s been muxe-owned and -operated for 40 years, where I discovered Oscar, its proprietor and one of the founders of Las Auténticas, having a sly cigarette outside. But for a blousy guayabera, he was soberly dressed and, pointing at himself, he was keen to stress the variety of muxe life. “There isn’t one kind of muxe. Some are born muxe, others become muxes. They are chosen or they choose. Some wear dresses, others just make-up. Some have relationships with men, some with women. But they are not gay or straight, because they are not men or women – they are muxe. That is important. Muxes are venerated here. They are free to pursue careers: teachers, nurses, hairdressers, party planners. They look after the elderly. Homosexuals who like to dress in ladies’ clothes come to Juchitan because they are persecuted in other towns. The more the merrier, I say, but strictly speaking, they are not muxes.” <figure><img src="https://media.worldnomads.com/guides/mexico/muxes/muxes-umbrellas.jpg" /><figcaption>Muxes dance at the Vela de Las Auténticas Intrepidas Buscadoras del Peligro. Photo credit: Joseph Furey</figcaption></figure> <a href="/travel-safety/north-america/mexico/lgbt-mexico-what-you-need-to-know">Every day is Pride here</a>, and whatever your sexual orientation or identification, the knowledge that there is a place on earth where all who live there are valued and all who don’t are welcome is enormously heartening. I was sorry to make my apologies and leave the following morning, but work was calling. I plan to return for this year’s vela; to see old friends, of course, but also to toast Juchitán’s resilience. The town was almost leveled by an 8.1-magnitude earthquake – and 10 strong aftershocks – in 2017. The mayor said the buildings fell “just like dominoes”. But I’m told that it’s business as usual for the muxes. “Or unusual, as you would say,” wrote Elena. <h2 id="notes">Trip Notes</h2> You can fly to Oaxaca City from Mexico City with Aeromexico for under US $150 ($3,060 MXN) return. Buses leave Oaxaca City for Juchitán several times a day for as little as US $19 ($338 MXN). The Vela de Las Auténticas Intrepidas Buscadoras del Peligro happens every year in mid-November.Mario Patinho via Creative Commons 0 Mario Patinho via Creative Commons A third-gender Muxe in Oaxaca

https://public-web-wn.uat.wng.me/explore/north-america/mexico/underrated-mexicoMaybe you’ve never considered visiting Zacatecas or Xcalak. Maybe, when you hear "Chihuahua," you only think of tiny dogs. Here’s why our nomads think these towns are worth a look.2023-05-03T10:00:00Z https://wng-kosmos-wn-cms-uat.kaos.nibit.com.au:443/explore/north-america/mexico/underrated-mexicohttps://www.worldnomads.com<ul> <li><a href="#chihuahua">Chihuahua</a></li> <li><a href="#zacatecas">Zacatecas</a></li> <li><a href="#xcalak">Xcalak</a></li> <li><a href="#veracruz">Veracruz</a></li> </ul> <h2 id="chihuahua">Chihuahua</h2> For many people, the word “Chihuahua” brings to mind a tiny dog rather than <a href="/travel-insurance/destinations/mexico">Mexico</a>’s biggest state. But while the dog breed did originate there, Chihuahua offers something much better: its capital, Chihuahua City. My connection to this city is personal – it’s the site of many of my cherished memories, as well as my mom’s childhood home (now a cool bar on Avenida Bolivar, a nexus of Chihuahua nightlife). But, I also just think it’s incredibly cool: a thriving industrial hub in the middle of a cattle-ranching state, where Mennonites, indigenous Tarahumaras, and Chihuaheños mingle, where this small-town girl got to go to the theatre, take painting classes, and see baroque architecture for the first time. If I was a new visitor here, I’d be sure to visit one of Chihuahua’s most important historical sites, the <a href="https://www.gob.mx/sedena/acciones-y-programas/museo-historico-de-la-revolucion">Historical Museum of the Mexican Revolution</a> (located in Pancho Villa’s house). Chihuahua boasts the best beef in Mexico, so I’d be sure to try it in any form (from taco joints to steakhouses). And I’d make a stop at a Chihuahua institution, Elotes El Socio, to buy corn prepared the Mexican way: with cream, lime, cheese, chili powder, and love. - <a href="/about/contributors/vanessa-nielsen">Vanessa Nielsen</a> <figure><img src="https://media.worldnomads.com/guides/mexico/underrated/underrated-chihuahua.jpg" /><figcaption>Chihuahua City. Photo credit: Getty Images / Darrell Craig Harris</figcaption></figure> <h2 id="zacatecas">Zacatecas</h2> A high-altitude city where the air is crisp and the nights are chilly, Zacatecas is not a place of immediate appeal, unlike, say, nearby <a href="/explore/north-america/mexico/7-standout-colonial-cities">Guanajuato</a>, with its colorful buildings, or culturally-rich Guadalajara, which is home to some of the country’s best food. And yet, Zacatecas possesses so much of what makes those destinations attractive: like Guanajuato, it’s smattered with spectacular colonial edifices, which you can see from above if you ride the teleférico (cable car) up into the mountains. The cathedral, in particular, struck me as impressively ornate, and later reading confirmed that its dusky pink façade is one of Mexico’s most elaborate examples of Baroque art. Zacatecas is nothing if not full of surprises. For example, did you know that it’s also home to a mine bar called La Mina? Yes, a literal bar in a mine. Which you can reach by catching a tiny train from the entrance. Honestly. However, the surprise I most revelled in was the sampling of Zacatecas’ regional specialty: tacos envenenados, aka "venomous tacos’" Giant, deep-fried, and stuffed with meat, chili, beans, and potato, they’re not for the faint-hearted or the grease-averse. Sure, Zacatecas isn’t a place I’d dedicate a week to exploring, but it’s well worth a weekend. For those tacos alone.  - <a href="/about/contributors/lauren-cocking">Lauren Cocking</a> <figure><img src="https://media.worldnomads.com/guides/mexico/underrated/underrated-zacatecas.jpg" /><figcaption>The cathedral in Zacatecas. Photo credit: Getty Images / fitopardo.com</figcaption></figure> <h2 id="xcalak">Xcalak</h2> Xcalak (pronounced ish-ca-lack) is so underrated, it’s hardly even fair to say it’s rated at all. A town of 400 permanent residents, Xcalak is located on the southern border with Belize. This is a completely off-the-grid kind of place that forces visitors to disconnect for a while (no cell service!). I truly feel like I’m at the end of the world. And I am, at least, at the end of the highway. The majority of residents are fisherman, as their grandparents were before them, and the pace of life is very slow. The connection with the ocean here is strong, and many of the available activities center on the water through diving, snorkeling, paddle boarding/kayaking, or sport fishing. People come for the world-class sport fishing or <a href="/travel-insurance/activities/scuba-diving-travel-insurance">scuba diving</a> and stay for the simple way of life. I find myself looking forward to the twice weekly arrival of the “veggie truck,” the only way to get fresh fruits and veggies, which is announced by the loud honking of the driver. My favorite memories of Xcalak are just simple things, like the nights spent with friends cooking up fish for dinner that we caught earlier that day. Although not a big fisherman myself, there is something very satisfying in catching your own dinner. That’s the way of life here: eat, sleep, fish, repeat. - <a href="/about/contributors/sara-walton">Sara Walton</a> <figure><img src="https://media.worldnomads.com/guides/mexico/underrated/underrated-xcalak.jpg" /><figcaption>Xcalak. Photo credit: Sara Walton</figcaption></figure> <h2 id="veracruz">Veracruz</h2> A city of grit and faded glamour, Veracruz has a sultry atmosphere and a love for music and dance that I find hard to resist. I spend my first hour or so in Veracruz shading from the tropical sun under the leafy canopy of the zócalo (town square). People sip coffee beneath the colonial-era porticos, vendors hawk snacks and cigars, and worshippers slip into the cathedral. On Saturday evenings the zócalo transforms into a dance floor. It’s flooded with locals sporting crisp white dresses and guayabera shirts who come to danzón. Everything in Veracruz shines brighter on Saturday nights. A salty breeze cools the streets and live music and dance take center stage in plazas across the city. As a visitor, it’s impossible not to become tangled up in Veracruz’s rhythm. Down at the vast malecón esplanade, the grittier side of Veracruz springs to life. This is home to one of Mexico’s busiest ports and the 16th-century fort of San Juan de Ulua. In the distance, cranes unload cargo while at the shore, divers swoop into the sea seeking colorful shells. It’s the ideal spot to watch the sun sink into the Gulf of Mexico, preferably with an ice cream from Güero Güera, Veracruz’s finest, and loudest, purveyor of ice cream. - <a href="/about/contributors/souad-msallem">Souad Msallem</a> <figure><a href="/about/contributors/souad-msallem"><img src="https://media.worldnomads.com/guides/mexico/underrated/underrated-veracruz.jpg" /></a><figcaption>The zócalo in Veracruz. Photo credit: Getty Images / Fernando Fucili</figcaption></figure>Getty Images / Chris Garrett 1200380150-001 Getty Images / Chris Garrett Cable car in Zacatecas, Mexico.

El Chepe to El Fuerte | Mexico Travel Storyhttps://wng-kosmos-wn-cms-uat.kaos.nibit.com.au:443/stories/connection/el-chepe-to-el-fuerteEl Chepe to El Fuerte | Mexico Travel StoryTue, 05 Feb 2019 20:24:28 GMThttps://wng-kosmos-wn-cms-uat.kaos.nibit.com.au:443/stories/connection/el-chepe-to-el-fuertehttps://public-web-wn.uat.wng.me/explore/north-america/mexico/4-tips-for-exploring-mexico-cityWhere do you even begin to explore a vast megalopolis like the Mexican capital? Local Lauren Cocking shares her advice.2019-01-31T11:00:00Z https://wng-kosmos-wn-cms-uat.kaos.nibit.com.au:443/explore/north-america/mexico/4-tips-for-exploring-mexico-cityhttps://www.worldnomads.comAsk 10 different people for their thoughts on Mexico City and you’ll get 10 different answers, so impossible is it to put together a cohesive, comprehensive overview of the massive megalopolis that is the Mexican capital. I didn’t take to it instantly. It’s big, it’s chaotic, and it can all be, honestly, a bit much. But it grows on you, getting under your skin until one day you look up and realize that, actually, it feels like home. First-timers, with no connections in the city, typically beeline for the well-established, central neighborhoods of Roma and Condesa. It’s understandable. They’re overflowing with amenities and accommodation, and offer proximity to some of the best art galleries, restaurants, and bars in the capital. They’re fun and photogenic places to be, replete with Art Deco architecture and some of the city's best street art. I always send people there if it’s their inaugural visit, although I also gently suggest they venture into the nearby Juárez neighborhood for hot chocolate and tamales, too. However, if there’s one thing I quickly learned in my time in Mexico City, it’s that there’s no way you can do everything in one <g class="gr_ gr_69 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_disable_anim_appear Punctuation only-del replaceWithoutSep" id="69" data-gr-id="69">trip,</g> or even one lifetime. But you can try. <ul> <li><a href="#food">Start With the Food</a></li> <li><a href="#art">Move On to the Art</a></li> <li><a href="#avoid">Avoid the Tourists</a></li> <li><a href="#historic">Don’t Miss the Historic Center</a></li> </ul> <h2 id="food">Start with the food</h2> It’s the main attraction in the capital and while the Polanco, Roma, and Condesa neighborhoods are known for some of the best restaurants in the country, skip the "elevated" dining scene and instead eat street-side, perched on plastic stools. Tacos, <g class="gr_ gr_71 gr-alert gr_spell gr_inline_cards gr_disable_anim_appear ContextualSpelling" id="71" data-gr-id="71">tlacoyos</g>, tortas, tamales (and a few dishes that don’t start with ‘T’) are sold morning, noon and night, right across the city. Eating unites, so just look for the stands with a long line of locals waiting to be served and you’re good to go. <figure><img src="https://media.worldnomads.com/guides/mexico/mexico-city/cdmx-food.jpg" /><figcaption>Street <g class="gr_ gr_72 gr-alert gr_spell gr_inline_cards gr_disable_anim_appear ContextualSpelling ins-del multiReplace" id="72" data-gr-id="72">tacos</g>. Photo credit: Getty Images / Jon Lovette</figcaption></figure> <h2 id="art">Move on to the art</h2> The Coyoacán neighborhood is an obvious bet, famed for being the one-time home of Frida Kahlo, and it was always my <g class="gr_ gr_174 gr-alert gr_spell gr_inline_cards gr_disable_anim_appear ContextualSpelling multiReplace" id="174" data-gr-id="174">favorite</g> place to escape for an afternoon. Skip Sundays though, when it gets hellishly busy and go midweek instead to enjoy your churros, coffee, or mayo-and-cheese-smothered <g class="gr_ gr_73 gr-alert gr_spell gr_inline_cards gr_disable_anim_appear ContextualSpelling ins-del multiReplace" id="73" data-gr-id="73">elotes</g> in the relative peace and quiet of the central plaza. And while you’re in the vicinity, hop from Coyoacán to neighboring Xoco, to take advantage of a daytime screening of [insert arthouse film that takes your fancy here] at the Cineteca Nacional. I always like to namedrop the UNAM Campus to potential visitors too, because what better way to make myself seem cultured. It’s a place with a fascinating, revolutionary reputation (check out the Central Library and its Juan O’Gorman murals, and the sculpture park), as well as being something of a hotspot for urban murals. For photo-ops that go beyond Roma, this is the (quieter) place to be. I can’t <g class="gr_ gr_171 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_disable_anim_appear Grammar replaceWithoutSep" id="171" data-gr-id="171">not</g> mention the <g class="gr_ gr_68 gr-alert gr_spell gr_inline_cards gr_disable_anim_appear ContextualSpelling" id="68" data-gr-id="68">trajineras</g> (canal boats) in the floating gardens of Xochimilco. You’ve probably heard of them, and taking a ride through the canals of the capital while you’re in town does make for a fun afternoon. Don’t believe the hype about the Isla de las Muñecas (Island of Dolls) though – it sounds creepy-cool but in <g class="gr_ gr_172 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_disable_anim_appear Punctuation only-ins replaceWithoutSep" id="172" data-gr-id="172">reality</g> you won’t get to see much. <figure><img src="https://media.worldnomads.com/guides/mexico/mexico-city/cdmx-trajineras.jpg" /><figcaption>Trajineras (canal boats). Photo credit: Getty Images / Orbon Alija</figcaption></figure> <h2 id="avoid">Avoid the tourists</h2> If you’d rather go somewhere with fewer tourists, then Santa María la Ribera should be next up. While there’s generally little appeal to the northern neighborhoods of Mexico City, this is the exception which proves the rule and became my go-to barrio when I fancied something different. (Full disclosure: that something different usually involved hanging out at the Biblioteca Vasconcelos, whose shelves – like a space-age Harry Potter set – seem to float in mid-air. My other go-to library is the little-visited, mural-<g class="gr_ gr_75 gr-alert gr_spell gr_inline_cards gr_disable_anim_appear ContextualSpelling ins-del multiReplace" id="75" data-gr-id="75">tastic</g> Biblioteca Miguel Lerdo de Tejada in the <g class="gr_ gr_77 gr-alert gr_spell gr_inline_cards gr_disable_anim_appear ContextualSpelling ins-del multiReplace" id="77" data-gr-id="77">centro</g> histórico.) <figure><img src="https://media.worldnomads.com/guides/mexico/mexico-city/cdmx-bellas-artes.jpg" /><figcaption>Palacio de Bellas Artes. Photo credit: Getty Images / Starcevic</figcaption></figure> <h2 id="historic">Don’t miss the historic center</h2> Give yourself an afternoon in the historic center. While it's rough and ready at times, you can’t leave without having stopped by the sinking cathedral and the cluster of impressive buildings which fan out from the central square, aka the zocalo. It also means you can mosey over to Parque Alameda, the most peaceful people-watching spot you’re going to get right in the heart of Latin America’s most densely-populated capital city. While away a few hours doing not very <g class="gr_ gr_183 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_disable_anim_appear Punctuation only-del replaceWithoutSep" id="183" data-gr-id="183">much,</g> and then pay a visit to my two favorite buildings in Mexico City: the Palacio de Bellas Artes and the Torre Latino Americana skyscraper. Whiz up to the glass-walled, 41st-floor bar of the latter for an impressive view out over the shimmering tiled roof of the former. There’s really nothing that compares to living in Mexico City. <g class="gr_ gr_168 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_disable_anim_appear Grammar multiReplace" id="168" data-gr-id="168">Like</g> I said, it gets under your skin.Getty Images / Starcevic 0

https://public-web-wn.uat.wng.me/explore/north-america/mexico/7-standout-colonial-citiesMexico’s colonial-era cities are rightly famous for their ornate, well-preserved historic centers. Our nomads share a few of their favorites.2019-02-01T11:00:00Z https://wng-kosmos-wn-cms-uat.kaos.nibit.com.au:443/explore/north-america/mexico/7-standout-colonial-citieshttps://www.worldnomads.comThere are dozens of cities and towns in Mexico that boast well-preserved colonial architecture. Each has its own special qualities, so choosing the best colonial towns in Mexico might just be impossible. Here, we've highlighted a few of our nomads' favorites. <ul> <li><a href="#guanajuato">Guanajuato</a></li> <li><a href="#taxco">Taxco de Alarcón</a></li> <li><a href="#queretaro">Querétaro</a></li> <li><a href="#campeche">Campeche</a></li> <li><a href="#xilitla">Xilitla</a></li> <li><a href="#merida">Merida</a></li> <li><a href="#cristobal">San Cristóbal de las Casas</a></li> </ul> <h2 id="guanajuato">Guanajuato</h2> If you’re considering travel to Central Mexico, you’ve almost certainly added San Miguel de Allende to your itinerary. It’s a great little town – but allow me to make the case for Guanajuato, a UNESCO World Heritage Site tucked away in San Miguel’s shadow. It's largely devoid of the crowds of international visitors you’ll find in other, more popular Mexican cities, yet still packed with a full slate of interesting opportunities ripe for exploration. Set on a hill is its most famous attraction: the largest collection of mummies in the Western Hemisphere. The Museo de Las Momias features more than 100 entombed specimens, and is well worth a visit, especially if you use it as an excuse to fortify yourself with a michelada (beer and tomato juice cocktail) beforehand. Less ghoulishly, Guanajuato is also home to Cervantino, one of Mexico’s <a href="/explore/north-america/mexico/mexican-festivals-nomads-favorites">premier cultural festivals</a>. Even if you miss the main event itself, held every October, that creative, youthful vibe extends daily into the central Jardin de la Union, where students sip coffee by day and cerveza by night. Music will follow your every step, leading you past the famous Teatro Juarez, where on a near-nightly basis you can expect world-class performances across dance, drama, puppetry and more. Across the city, colonial architecture abounds, and other wonderful examples of 17th, 18th, and 19th-century masterpieces include the Teatro Principal, Plaza de la Paz, and the iconic yellow Basilica cathedral. Guanajuato’s streets are perfectly strollable, and right upon your arrival by car or bus, you’ll understand why; much of the traffic is routed through the cavernous tunnels running under the city, which leaves the streets largely empty of vehicles. On my first visit, that kind of aimless exploring brought me to my favorite place in Guanajuato: the local baseball stadium, a short 20-minute walk from downtown. Head here on a sunny afternoon for a game, complete with cold beer and chicharon (fried pig skin, it’s delicious, trust me) sandwiches filled with avocado, hard-boiled egg, and hot sauce. Colorful houses rise on a hill above the outfield, making a dramatic backdrop to the sporting action. A five-hour bus ride from CDMX, Guanajuato is my favorite city in Mexico. For a taste of bohemian, laid-back university life, this is the place to go. - <a href="/about/contributors/dan-pierson">Dan Pierson</a> <figure><img src="https://media.worldnomads.com/guides/mexico/colonial-mexico/colonial-guanajuato.jpg" alt="Strollable streets in the colorful colonial town of Guanajuato, Mexico." /><figcaption>Strollable streets in Guanajuato. Photo credit: Getty Images / Jose Girarte</figcaption></figure> <h2 id="taxco">Taxco de Alarcón</h2> Taxco is blessed with both magnificent colonial architecture and stunning natural geography. The two combine to make it one of the most picturesque cities in Mexico, yet surprisingly it does not yet draw huge numbers of tourists. Built with the wealth of the local silver mines, its inhabitants used their riches to build opulent whitewashed mansions for themselves. These weave around the steep contours of the hillside on which the city is built, before stopping abruptly at the cliff-like edge of the valley below. To fully appreciate the city’s grandeur, I head uphill to the El Cristo statue. The spectacular views begin as soon as I emerge from the warren of narrow streets, and as I climb they get better and better. Most eye-catching is the Santa Prisca church, with its ornate towers and colorful dome. Framed by the folds of the surrounding hills, it looms dramatically over Taxco’s historic streets. - <a href="/about/contributors/max-serjeant">Max Serjeant</a> <figure><img src="https://media.worldnomads.com/guides/mexico/colonial-mexico/colonial-taxco.jpg" alt="Whitewashed homes climb a hillside in the colonial city of Taxco de Alarcon, Mexico." /><figcaption>Taxco. Photo credit: Getty Images / Kryssia Campos</figcaption></figure> <h2 id="queretaro">Querétaro</h2> Officially named Santiago de Querétaro, but called simply “Querétaro,” this town is proof the original spirit of Mexico thrives in its geographic heart. I moved here because I wanted to experience the real Mexico, unlike the version cultivated for tourists in other parts of the country. While researching potential cities to live in, I failed to find much information about Querétaro. That lack of guidebooks and blog posts only made me want to move here more. Querétaro's relative anonymity is a bonus to visitors, too. In the rush of tourism to nearby San Miguel de Allende, travelers somehow overlook Querétaro. It's a bit surprising, since Querétaro's historic city center is a prime example of the magnificent colonial architecture that made its neighbor a must-see destination. Every day, I walk out my front door and into the shadow of Templo de la Merced. If I'm ever lost in the city, I simply look for the crimson dome – freshly painted the week I moved in – and follow it home. Querétaro is often referred to as the “pride of Mexico” for its high quality of life, strong economy, and overall safety. Despite having over a million residents, the historic center of the city still has a small-town feel. You can drink in traditional cantinas, shop in working markets like Mercado La Cruz, and engage with hospitable queretanos who still find foreigners a relative novelty. My first week in Querétaro, I managed two of the three when, after realizing I was a foreigner, the chicken stall owner gifted me four coffee cups for my new home. I drink coffee in my mug every morning, buy chicken from Fernando every week, and am grateful to live in Querétaro every day. - <a href="/about/contributors/alex-wittman">Alex Wittman</a> <figure><img src="https://media.worldnomads.com/guides/mexico/colonial-mexico/colonial-queretaro.jpg" alt="The ornate facade of a colonial church in Queretaro, Mexico." /><figcaption>Colonial church in Querétaro. Photo credit: Getty Images / Rodrigo Friscione</figcaption></figure> <h2 id="campeche">Campeche</h2> Standing on the thick, fortified walls that surround Campeche’s historic center, gazing out into the Gulf of Mexico, I can almost fool myself into seeing the British pirate ships that once laid siege to the city. The walls – and a pair of nearby forts – did their job and today the heart of Campeche is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is home to wonderfully preserved Baroque churches, shady plazas where time appears to stand still, and 18th- and 19th-century pastel-shaded houses that look like they’ve been plucked from the pages of a Gabriel García Márquez novel. Despite its history, Campeche, capital of the state of the same name and located on the western flank of the <a href="/explore/north-america/mexico/cancun-other-places-to-stay-visit">Yucatán Peninsula</a>, is not stuck in the past. Modern sculptures line many of the narrow, cobbled streets and lively seafood joints are strung along the malecón, the city’s waterfront promenade. - <a href="/about/contributors/shafik-meghji">Shafik Meghji</a> <figure><img src="https://media.worldnomads.com/guides/mexico/colonial-mexico/colonial-campeche.jpg" alt="Historic San Miguel Fort, overlooking the ocean in Campeche, Mexico." /><figcaption>San Miguel Fort, Campeche. Photo credit: Getty Images / dyana_by</figcaption></figure> <h2 id="xilitla">Xilitla</h2> In Mexico, nature is very much a part of the architecture, and nowhere is that more evident than Xilitla's Las Pozas. Located in San Luis Potosí's share of the Sierra Gorda mountain range, Xilitla is a pueblo mágico (magic town) that served as a hub of Augustine missionary activity in the mid-1500s, but the pride of Xilitla lies just the city limits. Las Pozas attracts visitors from all over the country who come to marvel at its whimsical fusion of nature and art. In the 1940s, British poet Edward James went to Mexico in search of a place to build his own “Garden of Eden” where he could pay tribute to his love of surreal art. Having fallen in love with the fantastical work of surrealist Salvador Dalí while living in Spain, I knew I had to see this grand homage for myself. The wild mountain rain forest, stunning waterfalls, and crystalline natural pools around Xilitla were the perfect settings for the Edward James Sculpture Garden. With more than 30 structures across 20 acres of jungle, deciding where to focus is, at first, overwhelming. To fully experience Las Pozas, I had to let go and let myself be transported to another world. The jungle has started to reclaim some of the sculptures, but the moss and vines only enhance the illusion. Inspired by fantasy works like Alice in Wonderland, the garden is home to sculptures such as Hands of a Giant, the House on Three Floors, and, my personal favorite, Stairway to the Sky. Between the gorgeous natural setting and my happiness at being immersed in surreal art, I didn't even care when the staircase wound me around several stories only to lead absolutely nowhere. - <a href="/about/contributors/alex-wittman">Alex Wittman</a> <figure><img src="https://media.worldnomads.com/guides/mexico/colonial-mexico/colonial-las-pozas.jpg" alt="Surreal artwork in the Las Pozas sculpture garden Xilitla, Mexico." /><figcaption>Surreal sculpture in Las Pozas. Photo credit: Getty Images / Quasarphoto</figcaption></figure> <h2 id="merida">Merida</h2> Merida’s position on the Yucatan peninsula gives it a tropical Caribbean atmosphere which contrasts with most of Mexico’s colonial cities. With its palm trees and humidity, it reminds me more of <a href="/explore/caribbean/cuba/everything-you-need-to-know-about-havana">Havana</a> or San Juan than Mexico City. In many ways, Merida symbolizes the hybrid nature of Mexico. On the one hand, the Maya population of the region has ensured that its people’s dress and <a href="/explore/north-america/mexico/how-to-eat-mexico">food</a> have a clear indigenous influence. On the other, the architecture of its center feels very Spanish and it has firmly embraced European culture. Its streets are lined with sculptures, and it's home to museums, art galleries, and even an opera house. Being the closest colonial city to the resorts of Cancun, it does attract large groups of visitors. The crowds are smallest between June and September, making this a good time to visit – as long as you don’t mind the increased humidity. - <a href="/about/contributors/max-serjeant">Max Serjeant</a> <figure><img src="https://media.worldnomads.com/guides/mexico/colonial-mexico/colonial-merida.jpg" alt="The historic streets of Merida, a colonial city on Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula, by night." /><figcaption>Merida at night. Photo credit: Getty Images / S. Greg Panosian</figcaption></figure> <h2 id="cristobal">San Cristóbal de las Casas</h2> Set at 7,200ft (2,200m) above sea level and surrounded by misty, pine-covered hills, San Cristóbal de las Casas is one of Mexico’s most attractive cities. Its historic center is filled with cobbled streets, mansions with red-tiled roofs, and ornate churches, some dating back to the 1500s. Among the highlights is the Baroque, pale pink Santo Domingo de Guzmán church, whose candle-lit interior is an evocative place, regardless of your religious beliefs. Beyond its colonial architecture, San Cristóbal is the cultural hub of the southern state of Chiapas and its bustling markets offer an array of <a href="/explore/north-america/mexico/meeting-world-authority-folk-art">local crafts</a>, most notably some exquisite textiles. Much of the center is pedestrianized, and there are scores of vaguely bohemian cafes and bars in which to while away the hours. Known to locals as Jovel, the city is also an ideal base for exploring the nearby indigenous Tzotzil Mayan villages of San Juan Chamula and San Lorenzo Zinacantán. - <a href="/about/contributors/shafik-meghji">Shafik Meghji</a> <figure><img src="https://media.worldnomads.com/guides/mexico/colonial-mexico/colonial-san-cristobal.jpg" alt="The Baroque Santo Domingo de Guzman church in San Cristobal de las Casas, Mexico." /><figcaption>Santo Domingo de Guzmán. Photo credit: Getty Images / Siqui Sanchez</figcaption></figure>Getty Images / Jose Girarte 0

The Princess of the Pyramid | Mexico Travel Storyhttps://wng-kosmos-wn-cms-uat.kaos.nibit.com.au:443/stories/connection/princess-of-the-pyramidThe Princess of the Pyramid | Mexico Travel StoryWed, 23 Jan 2019 23:54:10 GMThttps://wng-kosmos-wn-cms-uat.kaos.nibit.com.au:443/stories/connection/princess-of-the-pyramid