In December 2000, I watched the sleepy fishing village of Puerto Escondido wake up from its summer slumber. When I arrived during the first week of the month, this beach town south of Oaxaca city hadn’t even begun to yawn and stretch from its months’ long, low-season nap. You could shoot a cannon down the […]
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Internet Access: Above “Doc’s Restaurant”. Fast, satellite connection, friendly service. English spoken. Laundry: At the Bungalows” or 1 block toward town from the river and 1 block toward beach from main street. Groceries: Largest selection at grocery across from town plaza. Public telephone: Next to Argentine restaurant near town plaza and across from grocery store. […]
Continue ReadingYour cab deposits you outside the arched entrance to the pastel stucco hotel, and as you pass through its main portal, you are transported to another dimension, another time, to a village in Spain perhaps, or to a romantic hacienda or convent of the colonial era. You pinch yourself, thinking this unusually attractive place cannot possibly be […]
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Puerto Escondido is a travelers’ and vacationers’ market right now. Tourism is down this year to perhaps a third of its normal level. One government official told us that if it were not for “old timers like you we would have no one here.” [ Aside: The “old timer” comment referred to the fact that we’ve been […]
Continue ReadingMañana is a Mexican word that I struggle to understand. I continue to learn more about this word every time that I travel in Mexico. One of my earliest lessons was learned at the lighthouse that protects the eastern point of Bahía la Ventana in Baja California Sur. The beacon guards boats from danger in the […]
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Continue ReadingFor many visitors to Cozumel, the island’s downtown is merely a cruise ship stop or a blur out the taxi window on the way to one of the resorts that cluster on the north and south end. However, if you venture into San Miguel, you’ll find a buzzing little metropolis that is a tempting target […]
Continue ReadingOn Mexico’s west coast, few cities lie between Mazatlan and Puerto Vallarta. Looking at a map of Mexico, San Blas sits halfway between the two. Its location is indicated by a red dot as opposed to a blue dot, meaning it is a city of some consequence. It holds its own as far as population, […]
Continue ReadingI have had a vacation home in Acapulco since 1991, and love the city. There are many unknown opportunities there, and some pitfalls to avoid. There are things you can assume, and things you should not assume. YOU CANNOT ASSUME THAT ACAPULCO IS JUST AN OLDER VERSION OF CANCUN Cancun was created about thirty years […]
Continue ReadingI’m drifting away and feeling mighty fine about it, I don’t mind saying. For the last hour or so my brain’s been telling me to “Listen up. It’s the air and the breeze, stupid. Relax! Enjoy!” And I’m so far out of it that I actually speak to my inner voice, “Okay, all right, already!” […]
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