Mexico Travel Stories

Mexico Cruise for Viewing April, 2024 Total Solar Eclipse

solar eclipse

UnCruise Adventures, a leading provider of small ship adventure cruises in Baja California, Mexico, has announced the launch of bookings for a special one-time sailing of the Baja California Eclipse Cruise. Departing on April 6th, 2024, this 7-night adventure cruise offers the perfect opportunity for guests to witness the natural wonder of a total solar eclipse while exploring the beautiful waters of Baja, California, Mexico. With only 66 cabins available, the cruise is set to depart from the coast of Mazatlán and offers guests the opportunity to experience the unique combination of comfort and adventure.

This meticulously planned eclipse sailing includes not only the total solar eclipse but also an array of other activities such as steep red bluffs, sun-kissed private beaches, marine life encounters and sea lion snorkels, among others. The cruise also offers guests the opportunity to discover the rich history and culture of Baja California Sur, from the early explorers of John Steinbeck to the modern-day conservation efforts that preserve the natural beauty of the region.

“I highly recommend the Eclipse Cruise for anyone looking for a truly unique and adventurous experience. Our Belize 2023 Eclipse Cruise sold out quickly and we expect the same for the 2024 Baja Eclipse Cruise,” said Captain Dan Blanchard, CEO of UnCruise Adventures. “I’m incredibly proud to be a part of the Baja California Sur community and support local tourism and growth. This is what makes over 25 years in this industry worth it.”

The cruise includes several highlights such as ease of flights with roundtrip entry and departure into San Jose del Cabo with safe tourism guidelines, expert positioning for optimal viewing of the celestial event, daily activities to get up close and personal with the region’s marine life, comfortable accommodations, gourmet meals and a friendly crew. Current WAVE season offers are also valid for the 2024 Baja California Eclipse Cruise bookings.

For more information or to make a reservation, guests can contact UnCruise Adventures at sales@uncruise.com, 888-862-8881 or ask their travel advisor for more details.

Riviera Maya Magnetism

by Leslie Jones

Ominous clouds pass quickly overhead as torrential rains, thunder and lightening sporadically deliver an impressive show direct from the Mayan Gods. Pristine jungles, intriguing archeological sites and ecological reserves intermingle with a plethora of tourist developments spreading quickly throughout this region.

Rich in history and tradition, the natural surroundings are still intact, complete with sparkling white beaches and coral reefs suitable for world-class diving and snorkeling. Numerous sinkholes, called cenotes, offer cavern diving for those professionals seeking a more exotic adventure.

Extending over 95 miles along the northern coast of the Caribbean Sea, Highway 307 runs from Cancun south to the town of Tulum. While Cancun is the primary location to begin the journey after disembarking from a flight, the area south of this is where the true adventure begins.

Venturing south, I begin noticing small market stands and villages springing up on the sides of the road. Colorfully woven blankets begin to appear along with small shade-covered restaurants.

Here in late September, the crowds have diminished, there are no hurricanes presently forecasted and I’m eager to begin exploring a handful of the region’s highlights.

Xel Ha’s Exhilaration

A symphonic blend of blue, yellow, rainbow and iridescent shades of various shapes and sizes, dances in unison against the rocky shoreline as schools of hundreds of fish are traveling together, undeterred by their human visitors. Pushing off shore for my early afternoon snorkeling sojourn through the central lagoon, I’m immediately transported into another world; one I’m in no hurry to leave.

One of the lagoons of Xel-Ha Several hours later, while still completely ensconced within this underwater domain, time has ceased to exist. Only the shriveling of the skin on my fingers and lunchtime hunger pangs tempt me to slowly retreat back to land. The vivid colors of the world beneath will again come alive in my dreams later that evening, along with several evenings to come.

This ecological park is located along the southern portion of the Riviera Mayan coastline, 76 miles south of Cancun. Offering a multitude of natural, ecological and water-related activities, a series of lagoons, ancient Mayan caves and underground fresh water rivers all merge within this natural paradise.

The Mayans called this area Xel Ha (pronounced shell ha) which loosely translates to ‘where the water is born’ or ‘source of water’. Once used as a port and safe harbour while navigating the coastline, this was a designated spot where the Mayan Gods were said to have pooled their wisdom, dreams and appreciation of great beauty.

The Mayan Gods were so completely satisfied with their work, according to this legend, that they decided to let the mortals enjoy it, as well. They did, however, appoint the macaw, iguana and parrotfish as the guardians of Xel-Ha. All held in high esteem, they’re considered keepers of the sky, land and sea respectively.

Snorkeling in the placid lagoon is just one of many outdoor opportunities presenting themselves here at Xel-Ha. Walking along the park’s inspirational “Path of Consciousness”, I find myself sharing the sidewalk with large iguanas.

Beautiful in a primal way and quite harmless, it’s a respectful distance that suits both parties best. It’s decidedly wise to watch where I’m walking at all times here on the pathway. They don’t easily move to offer the right of way, especially when they’re busy sunning themselves.

The landscape is spectacular while traversing through mangrove habitats, near a fresh water river and by a series of rock formations complete with petroglyphs. The bird life is plentiful, as well, as I spy several egrets back in one of the quiet lagoons.

While hiking this trail, others are drifting down the nearby turquoise-hued river in small rafts. While some are chatting with others, many are completely silent, merely taking in these breathtaking surroundings around them.

At the end of the trail’s journey, Hammock Island patiently awaits for a quick afternoon siesta. Restaurants dot the area along with dolphin swimming excursions and additional snorkeling-related activities. This is truly a park for anyone with a child-like fascination with nature and genuine respect for its beauty.

Town of Tulum

Since it’s only a short 8-mile drive down to the Mayan ruins of Tulum, it makes sense to visit that location, as well. Tulum is well worth a visit just for its incredibly picturesque photo opportunities. I enjoy wandering around without the usual crowds to better enjoy the area’s peacefulness. Intuitively I sense that some powerful force still resides within these walls.

A small group of traditionally-dressed Mayan dancers perform in the central plaza just outside this ancient walled city. I begin climbing a long, rocky stairway leading to the entrance while a majestic castle slowly comes into view, perched high on a cliff top. The vivid turquoise hues of the Caribbean Sea lie just below.

Dancers in traditional Mayan dress Entering the grounds through a breach in its western wall, well-preserved ancient Mayan palaces, pristine foliage inspired gardens, intricate rockwork walls and sheer cliffs are all deemed impressive.

Passing by El Castillo (the Castle), Gran Palacio (Grand Palace) and Templo de los Dioses Descendientes (Temple of the Descending Gods), these are but a few of the many ancient buildings to view.

Thunderclouds soon beckon once again overhead; perhaps it’s best to call it a day. I’ve enjoyed the blue skies today here along the Riviera Maya. But I’m a mere visitor to a culture of another time and place.

The Mayan Gods remind me once again of their omnipotence as the first thunder clap echoes.

About the author:

This week Traveling Tales welcomes freelance travel writer Leslie Jones who makes her home in California.

Photos by Leslie Jones:
1: One of the lagoons of Xel-Ha.
2: Tulum ruins by the Caribbean Sea.
3: Dancers in traditional Mayan dress prepare to perform.

The Lure of the Iguana

The Villa of Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton, linked to “The Night of the Iguana,” Casa Kimberley, is a fascinating Puerto Vallarta attraction

by Margaret Deefholts

The place is haunted, its walls filled with old memories and lost dreams. Those days of wine and roses when a torrid love affair between one of the world’s most beautiful women, and a charismatic Welshman set the town on fire.

The setting is Puerto Vallarta; the couple are, as you’ve probably guessed, Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor, both of whom were married to other partners at the time.

An infatuated Burton bought “Casa Kimberley”—a nine-bedroom villa in Gringo Gulch— for $57,000 as a gift to Liz for her 32nd Birthday, and 42 years ago, this is where they lived, loved, battled and boozed.

And caroused with the likes of Peter O’Toole, Roddy McDowell, Spencer Tracy and Katherine Hepburn (also romantic fugitives from the glare of publicity) and John Huston, director of The Night of the Iguana.

The Night of the Iguana, and the sizzling Burton-Taylor affair, brought ravening paparazzi from all over the world, and changed Puerto Vallarta forever from a quiet town of a few thousand residents to a tourist destination that today draws well over three million visitors a year.

I am fascinated by the seeming immediacy of Casa Kimberley’s past. It’s as though I’ve dropped into a home where the owners have merely stepped out for a few moments. A collection of 1964 magazines and a well-thumbed book lies on a coffee table, and the carelessly flung, slightly flattened cushions on the nearby settee speak of frequent use.

Taylor’s clothes still hang on pegs in a room adjoining the kitchen. And everywhere there are photographs—a random moment caught on camera, as Burton solicitously lights Liz’s cigarette, another of the two of them gazing at one another, silhouetted in a balcony doorway overlooking the town—he cradling a drink, she seductively barefooted, and wearing the briefest of briefs.

A pink and white bridge, romantically called, “Lover’s Arch” links Casa Kimberley to Burton’s villa across the cobbled street.

Given their spectacular fights, it is sometimes referred to more appropriately as the “Bridge of Reconciliation” as, having retreated into separate suites to lick their wounds in privacy, this was their pretty little kiss-and-make-up spot.

The relationship—Burton’s alcoholism and Taylor’s chronic hypochondria—eventually wore them both out. After their divorce Elizabeth never returned to Casa Kimberley, and when she sold the property in 1990, she abandoned everything—photographs of her children, personal letters, books, and cosmetics—even a half-finished crossword puzzle!

Burton, however, did return to Puerto Vallarta, this time with his third wife, Susan Hunt. Their villa, Casa Bursus, (a combination of their names) bought by Burton as a Valentine’s Day gift to his bride, is just a short walk around the corner from Casa Kimberley. Today it is part of Hacienda San Angel, an exquisite colonial style boutique villa.

Caught up in nostalgia for the glamour of old Hollywood, I knock on the ornate hand-carved entrance doors of the Hacienda. But alas, Burton’s shadow doesn’t lie across its bright, sunlit plaza.

It is, however, as sumptuous as any modern-day movie star could wish for. The owner, Janice Chatterton (who bought the property from Hunt) has a discerning eye for interior décor, and is a collector of antique furniture, fine art and beautifully crafted Mexican folk-art curios. The place is larger than it seems at first sight: three villas (including Casa Bursus) and nine lavish—and wonderfully romantic—suites.

Night of the Iguana features Burton as a drunken defrocked minister who drives a tour bus of unsuspecting spinsters on a mad ride to a seedy hotel set in the Mexican jungle.

Other characters are a young nymphet (Sue Lyons), a voluptuous widow (Ava Gardner) and a genteel woman artist (Deborah Kerr). The movie is steamy, raw, intense—not unlike Mexico’s fevered jungles.

It was filmed in Mismaloya—a short drive out of Puerto Vallarta—but the beachfront today bears no resemblance to the movie’s setting. Back in the sixties Mismaloya was primitive: no proper road access, phones or reliable plumbing and electricity. Today, this is the site of Barceló La Jolla de Mismaloya, a five star hotel.

I chat over a sumptuous Mexican lunch to Carl Guzman, the owner of the upscale Le Kliff restaurant in Mismaloya. He talks about those heady days of Hollywood magic. “My grandparents used to entertain Huston and the cast lavishly at our family hacienda,” he says. “What a thrill for us little kids! Imagine being fussed over by Liz Taylor!”

As I discover that evening, Burton and Taylor weren’t the only ones captivated by the spell of Puerto Vallarta.

It bewitched director John Huston as well, and for the rest of his life he was to return over and over again to his retreat in Las Caletas—a beachfront property of 1.5 acres, which he leased from the Chacala Indians. It fronts Banderas Bay, backs onto thick jungle, and is accessible only by boat.

Vallarta Adventures, an efficiently run tour company, have taken over the lease, and their Rhythms of the Night dinner and concert presentation takes visitors on a 140-passenger catamaran to Las Caletas.

As it did in Huston’s time, the breeze still sighs through the palm fronds, and the evening light is gentle.

A lavish buffet—traditional Mexican cuisine complimented with salads—is set out in a grove along the waterfront. Guests dine to the lively sounds of tympani and maracas played by strolling musicians. After dinner, we move to a large open-air amphitheatre set within dense tropical foliage.

Dusk falls and torches by the side of the stage, blaze into life. Mesmeric drum rhythms accompany dancers as they enact mythical tales of courtship, love, terror, cruelty and death. Their costumes are spectacular, their fire-juggling, flamboyant. Their performances unforgettable.

Huston may not have been too happy about this commercial invasion of his once secluded paradise. But the cheering crowd and I have no complaints.

About the author:

Margaret Deefholts is a Canadian author, and much travelled freelance travel writer/photgrapher. Visit her website at www.margaretdeefholts.com

Photos by Margaret Deefholts:
1: Exterior view of Casa Kimberly.
2: Liz’s clothes still hang on pegs as she left them so many years ago.
3: Richanrd Burton’s domain – his bar.

If You Go:

For more information:
http://www.visitmexico.com or http://www.visitmexico.com/wb/Visitmexico/Visi_Puerto_Vallarta
In Vancouver: Mexico Tourism Board: (604) 669-2845

Casa Kimberley’s guided tours, and bed and breakfast facilities:
http://www.casakimberley.com/
e-mail: casakimberley@yahoo.com

Hacienda San Angel: A superb luxury boutique hotel.
http://www.haciendasanangel.com
e-mail: Janice@haciendasanangel.com

Vallarta Adventures (Rhythms of the Night and several other expeditions)
http://www.vallarta-adventures.com/rhythms/index.html
e-mail: danilo@dolphin-adventure.com

Le Kliff (Mismaloya)—An authentic Mexican dining experience in a romantic setting
http://www.vallartaonline.com/restaurants/lekliff/
To book: reserva@lekliff.com or phone (322) 2240975/2280666

Acapulco Offers Visitors Natural Lagoons

by Habeeb Salloum

A few kilometers past Acapulco Airport, the beach at Barra Vieja looked deserted when our group of seven stepped out of the van as it halted at the mouth of Tres Palos Lagoon. Wading through a few feet of water we climbed aboard a tourist boat moored on the sands and began our sail up the Lagoon. As we started to move, I looked back. Steering the boat was girl that looked like a 15-year-old. “Would she be able to save us if we had a mishap, and I’m unable to swim?” I thought to myself as we moved through the murky waters.

The Lagoon was edged on both sides by dense greenery dominated by majestic palms. Storks, herons and other exotic birds were resting on the branches of mangroves and shrubs. Pelicans were swimming in the calm waters around our boat. Everyone seemed to be enjoying the ecological ambiance: a rustic scene waiting for an artist’s brush.

As we admired the lush vegetation and the diversity of birds, especially the storks resting on the branches, the voice of our guide rang out. “These birds you see are storks. You know? I mean birds that bring babies!” Everyone snickered as they watched the white birds – the basis of children’s fanciful little tale. Flamingos sunned themselves on the edge of the Lagoon while we leisurely made our way past fishermen, trying their luck. Leaving the Lagoon we entered the shade of mangrove trees, through a swampy rivulet flowing into the Lagoon. I thought that at any moment we would scrape the bottom of our boat, but the girl operator skillfully navigated the rivulet, never once hitting the mangrove roots.

In the shallow part of the Lagoon the operator shut off the motor and jumped into the murky waters and began to gently push the boat further into the rivulet while cool breezes soothed our faces and bodies. After about ten minutes she stopped and scooped a large lump of black mud from the bottom of the Lagoon and rolled it into a ball. Smiling she called out, “Who wants a mud mask? It’s a much better beauty treatment than you will get in any spa!”

A brave young woman from our group jumped into the few feet of water saying: “I’ll try it!” Her face was soon mud-covered and then she was back in the boat drying her mud mask in the sun. Like bees to honey, the other women-and even one of the men-put on mud masks. A short time later, having washed off their dried masks most of the women remarked their skin felt tighter and softer. The youngest woman in our group stood up in the boat and smiled at us saying: “Don’t I look like a model? After this mud-mask, I am sure I can compete with any woman in a beauty contest.” “Even without the mud-mask treatment she’s beautiful!” I mumbled to myself. So, were they telling the truth or just romanticizing about being revived in a natural setting? I could not tell! Actors, beauty queens and models have visited the Lagoon to try the natural nutrient-filled mud that seems to tighten the skin.

“I wish I had a plastic bag to take some of this mud back to Canada,” remarked one women as she waited for her mask to dry. Smiling, I handed her a plastic bag that I had brought with me to carry my bathing suit. Gratefully, she filled it with the black mud. How she would get it through Canadian customs, I had no idea.

Retracing our steps, we sailed back through the Lagoon and three hours after beginning our journey we were sitting in an open-air restaurant on the beach in Barra Vieja. Here where the rushing salt water of the ocean and the fresh water of the still waters of the Lagoon meet, we rested comfortably under the restaurant’s thatched-roof while lounging on hammocks and chairs drawn up to tables. It was a secluded spot, and we seemed to be the only people on the beach – a million miles away from the crowds and traffic of Acapulco. Shortly afterwards we were served Empanadas, Sopas and, best of all, Pescado a la Talla, Acapulco’s special dish – a spicy roasted fish, freshly caught from the Tres Palos Lagoon.

It was a fitting way to cap to our journey through the Tres Palos Lagoon. In the words of one of my accompanying colleagues, “It was a relaxed and fulfilling day spent amid the best of what nature has to offer. I hope that the Lagoon will not be caught in the boom of the 21st century. But I fear the real estate vultures are waiting.”

IF YOU GO: General Information:

The Lagoon tour costs about US$10.00 per person for about 90 minutes – depending on your bargaining skills, or one can join one of the tours offered by tour companies.
Getting around town is easy by taxi, bus – (bus fare is about 40 cents) – horse-drawn carriage or rented autos. Small cars, fully insured with unlimited mileage, rent for about $65. per day. It is easy to drive in Acapulco – drivers seem to obey the law.
Acapulco, called by some the ‘playground of the world’ offers breathtaking scenery, pristine beaches, deluxe accommodation, all types of sport activities, including four manicured 18-hole golf courses and one 9-hole course.
The city also offers a world of culinary delights. Besides the peoples’ restaurants near the Zacalo offering fine dinners for around $10., there are some 160 classy eating places like the Zibu serving the best in Mexican and international dishes.
When in Acapulco, for those historically minded, a visit to the nearby Tehuacalco Archaeological Zone is worthwhile..
When you leave Mexico there is a ‘Departure Tax’ of about $18.00.

Where to Stay:

Acapulco has hotels to satisfy all tastes. In the old city, there are abodes that offer rooms at less than ($10.) per night. At the upper level, the city has some of the top luxury hotels like Las Brisas, a hotel for the affluent; the Fairmont Acapulco Princess Hotel, towering upward like a grand Aztec pyramid. For those who love history, Los Flamingos Hotel, made famous by Hollywood movie stars in the 1st half of the 20th century, is the place to stay. Situated high on a cliff, it is cooled by sea breezes and offers a view of spectacular sunsets. Note: All prices quoted are in US dollars – about 13 pesos to a US dollar. For Further Information, Contact: In Canada contact the Mexican Tourism Board – 2 Bloor St. West, Suite 1502, Toronto, Ontario M4W 3E2. Tel: toll free 1-800-44-MEXICO. E-mail: toronto@visitmexico.com. Web: www.visitmexico.com; in the U.S.A. 375 Park Avenue, Floor 19, Suite 1905, New York, NY 10152, USA. Tel: (212) 308 2110. Fax: (212) 308 9060. E-mail: newyork@visitmexico.com Also, see www.acapulco.com for information and reservations: Tel: from the USA/ Canada: 1 888 514 2137; from Mexico: Tel: 01 800 674 9434

Spain Lives in Puebla, Mexico’s City of Angels

by Habeeb Salloum

Our guide’s voice came through loud and clear over the microphone as we left Mexico City, the largest urban centre in the world, for the city of Puebla. “My name is Manuel, but I’m always confused about my name. When I enter a room where my friends are gathered, I always hear the comment, ‘Jesus! It’s him again!’ Now I sometime think my name is Jesus. Take your pick!”

Everyone in our group of twelve broke into laughter as Manuel continued to entertain us until we reached the heart of the city of Puebla – the most Spanish of all the Mexican cities which is said to have been built due to a vision. According to legend, the Bishop of Tlaxcala, Julían Garcés, in a dream saw angels leading him to a beautiful valley and indicating to him where to build a city. Following the angels’ directions he travelled to the valley and founded the city, which became known as ‘Pueblo of the Angles’.

Fables aside, the 2,134 m (7,000 ft) high Cuetlaxcoapan plains where Puebla is located is believed to be the place where maize was first grown, hence, becoming the heartland of the Olmeca and Totonaca cultures. When the Conquistadors came, they erected Puebla in 1531 as a fortress town at a strategic point on the Veracruz – Mexico City route.

Overlooked by three imposing volcanoes, Puebla, located, 120 km (75 mi) from Mexico City, with its 3 million inhabitants, is the fourth largest city in the country and is the capital of the state with the same name. Soon after its establishment, it grew into an important Spanish-Catholic town and eventually became a colonial jewel – today the pride of modern Mexico. The city’s greatest event occurred on 5 May 1862 when a makeshift Mexican force, led by General Ignacio Zaragoza, now the town’s hero, repelled the French army sent by Napoleon III.

Today, religious structures, vestiges from the Spanish centuries, saturate the old city. Thousands of colonial buildings and at least 70 churches overwhelm the visitor with their appealing architecture. The city, a living museum, has more chapels, churches, convents and monasteries per square mile then any other place in the country. At the centre of all these renowned buildings is the Historic Town Centre, spreading out from Zócalo, the town’s main square, bedecked with exquisitely arranged gardens.

These ornate edifices, topped by a monumental cathedral, incorporate all the architectural styles of the colonial period including Gothic, Herreriano, Neoclassical, Plateresque and Renaissance. However, above all, the city is noted, for its idiosyncratic Baroque structures built from red brick and grey stone, in a variety of forms. Many are embellished with an elaborate white stucco – an 18th century popular ornamentation called AlfeZique, from the Arabic (al-fanid – sugar paste), a candy made from egg whites and sugar. This is best reflected in the exquisite and striking AlfeZique House.

Most of these eye-catching structures are also decorated with the attractive hand-painted Talavera tiles – the symbol of Puebla. Spanish settlers from the Talavera de la Reina region in Spain, famous for their manufacture of ceramics and tiles, introduced by the Arabs to Spain, brought the art with them. Today, the city is noted for these Arab-Spanish influenced tiles with which many of the colonial buildings are adorned. An artistic art par excellence, they are to be found decorating both old and new: church domes, façades, fountains, kitchens, rooftops, and many inside and outside walls.

The historic section has been largely restored and has a prosperous and appealing aura. A stroll through the streets of this section gives visitors a wonderful opportunity to admire the architectural styles of the buildings with their decorative combination of tiles, wrought iron grills, and white plastic embellishments and reliefs.

Visiting ‘Puebla of the Angels’, a town delineated by fantasy, is to travel back in time to rediscover an historic accumulation of splendid attractions. For more than four centuries the city has carefully preserved its colonial aura inherited from its days of splendour. Without doubt, it has well earned its designations as ‘Shrine of America’ and, since 1987, ‘World Heritage Site’.\

Photos by Habeeb Salloum:

1. Hand Painting Talevera
2. Preserved Fruits For Sale
3. Street Vendor
4. Talevera For Sale
5. Traditional Tiled Building
6. Zucalo
7. Talevera

IF YOU GO

Tips:

1) The official Mexican currency is the peso currently trading at around – 12 pesos for both the US and CDN dollar.

2) Puebla’s tourist facilities are excellent, the city is safe and the climate all year-round is very agreeable.

3) Puebla is noted for its cuisine – visitors should try: cemita, toasted bread rolls with cheese, chilli, chicken and vegetables; camotes, a local fruit made from sweet potatoes and fruit; and Pan arabe taco, Puebla’s improvement on the taco. An excellent place to try local dishes is at the Fonda Santa Clara – a fine reasonably priced eating-place.

4) When you leave Mexico there is a ‘Departure Tax’ of about $18.00 US per person, but the tax is usually included in your airline ticket.

Some of the Important Sites in Puebla:

Museo Amparo – housed in an 18th century building, it contains an extraordinary collection of Prehispanic art.

Iglesia de San Francisco – has a beautiful churrigueresque façade.

Casa de los MuZecos – exhibits the early use of Talavera ceramics to decorate the outside of buildings with lay themes.

Capilla del Rosario – part of the Iglesia de Santo Domingo, it constitutes the greatest achievement of the Baroque art in New Spain and is classified as one of the wonders of the world.

Uriarte Talavera Factory – an authentic ceramic and tile factory, founded in 1824, it is a great tourist stopping point.

Santa Rosa Museum – boasts a splendid cloister and one of the most beautiful fountains in Puebla. Also, its Talavera-tiled kitchen is a favoured tourist attraction.

Barrio del Artista – a picturesque colonial corner with studios of artists.

Principal Theatre – considered to be the oldest theatre in the Americas.

African Safari – a drive-through Safari Park containing a wide variety of wild animals, running free, from around the world.

For Further Information, Contact:

In Canada contact the Mexican Tourism Board – 2 Bloor St. West, Suite 1502, Toronto, Ontario M4W 3E2.
E-mail: toronto@visitmexico.com.
Also Toll free number: 1-800-44 MEXICO. Web: www.visitmexico.com or E-mail: contact@visitmexico.com; in the U.S.A. 375 Park Avenue, Floor 19, Suite 1905, New York, NY 10152, USA. Tel: (212) 308 2110. Fax: (212) 308 9060. E-mail: newyork@visitmexico.com

In Huatulco, Mexico, Eco Tourism is the Winning Ingredient

By Chris McBeath

The van bumped and cajoled its way up into the Sierra Madre del Sur mountains, kicking pebbles into the jungle precipice from the dirt track and lurching to a standstill every so often for us to view the local wildlife: a tarantula the size of Boris Karloff’s hand, an armadillo waddling out of our way, and a rattler warming its length in the Mexican sun.

Huatulco, (pronounced, wah-tool-co), lies 400 km south of Acapulco in the state of Oaxaca, and is a far cry from the party-central excesses of Cancun or Puerto Vallarta. In fact, the folks at Fonatur, Mexico’s state-run tourism organization would like to keep it that way. In the mid-1980’s, Fonatur expropriated land to develop Huatulco into a Pacific resort and also set aside some 40,000 acres as a nature reserve to protect the tropical hillsides. In addition, governances were put into place to protect the wild and extensive shorelines – some of the most pristine in Mexico, against the over-indulgent developments like Fonatur’s other successes that include Cancun, Baja and Ixtapa.

While the resort area comprises facilities for two cruise ships, and several major hotels, most are so underutilized it feels as if the parade has passed them by. In reality the parade has yet to come. The exception is Quinta Real Huatulco. Small, personal and beautifully laid out, the hotel stands atop a hill and offers spectacular views from multi-level patios for sun bathing, fresco dining and simply relaxing. Each of the spacious 28 suites is intimately private, some even have private pools, and all have shaded patios with double-sized hammocks.

The name Huatulco comes from the Hahuatl word cuauhtolco, meaning “the place where the wood is adored.” According to legend, the great civilizing god Quetzalcoatl left the inhabitants of the bay of Santa Cruz a wooden cross. Another legend talks of an old, white man with long hair and a beard arriving from the sea. He carried a beautiful timber, like a cross, and stayed to teach them many things; when he departed, left them the holy timber.

La Crucecita, Huatulco’s city center, is charming. It comprises a heritage market square with a church boasting the largest Madonna painted on a ceiling, and a good assortment of local restaurants, and stores selling trinkets, hand woven rugs and blankets, clothing and jewellery. Huatulco is the only place in Mexico to buy black pottery (clay polished with quartz before firing) and if your Spanish is up for it, bartering is the order of the day. Since most of the workforce here earns less than US$1 per 12-hour day, you might not want to barter too hard even if the store does advertise, “Let’s make a deal, Monty Hall style.”

Most visitors do not come to Huatulco for the shopping. They come for the hospitality of ‘old style’ Mexico, for the safety (honest — this community is about as far removed from Mexico City as you can get), and to experience the country’s new style of eco-tourism: birding, diving, golf, mountain climbing, or shooting the whitewater rapids of the Rio Capalito where three different rafting trips are offered based a visitor’s skill level and fear factor. Or you can take an ATV, horse or hardy four-wheeler into the Sierra Madre del Sur mountains in search of their “green gold” ……pluma coffee.

This was where our van was heading. After an hour of driving, we reached a remote village dating back some 400 years. Another hour of travel and some magnificent waterfalls at the head of the Rio Copilato were a welcome respite to the hot journey. Finally, we arrived at the Lagloria coffee plantation, a ramshackle group of adobe buildings and rather crude processing barrows and slatted drying racks surrounded by 550 acres of tangled bush. At 2000m above sea level, the ecological coffee has acquired a mythical status for its one-of-a-kind high altitude taste – smooth like chocolate yet dark, full bodied and without a hint of bitterness. Harvesting the beans is gruelling work earning pickers –primarily women for their smaller, nimbler hands, US$4 per 12-hour day. And even though the coffee plants grow wild amidst thorny bushes and jungle undergrowth where multi-colored tarantulas and deadly Naouyaka snakes make their home, danger money isn’t even a consideration.

But this is the reality of authentic Mexico and the visit to the plantation, without doubt, is a highlight of the area.

However, if you are looking for an alternate pace to this ecological paradise, you won’t be disappointed. The inevitable tequila tour boats can be found. They travel the coastline, music blaring, past nine mesmerizing bays, 36 lovely sandy beaches, most of which are inaccessible by land, to crystal clear snorkelling waters. The entire experience seems to fly in the face of the eco-message Huatalco is trying to promote. And while eco-tourism here is barely on the map, it holds the promise to be its salvation. So you might want to make tracks to this sleepy and beautiful part of Mexico before the pleasures of these party boats start to make their mark.

Note: Huatulco has earned Green Globe certification, awarded to destinations that are particularly earth-friendly. That said, previous experience in Mexico still questions the “do drink the water” signs.

Where to stay:

Quinta Real Huatulco
Tel: 888/561-2817 or 958/581-0428 www.quintareal.com
Ask about Quinta Real’s money-back guarantee if the sun fails to appear, mid November-mid June.

Cruise Port Insider Guide to Huatulco
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For information: www.oaxaca.gob.mx

Photos by Chris McBeath

Exploring Cancun’s Big Neighbor, San Miguel, Cozumel Island

By Rick Millikan

Isla Cozumel seems to float alongside the Yucatan Peninsula’s eastern coast. Our day trip from Cancun includes a ferry ride to Cozumel’s main port, where a Mariachi quintet joyfully strums guitars, blares trumpets and harmonizes traditional songs.

While fellow walk-on passengers catch cabs for leeward beaches to snorkel offshore reefs or inland for horseback rides to Mayan ruins, we stroll San Miguel itself and delve into local culture.

Conquistadors never found gold here. Yet today’s bargain hunters seek out treasures among countless jewelry stores and shops along Avenida Melgar. Street vendors are strangely absent. Not one enterprising Mexicano calls out, “Hey amigo, I got a deal for you!” Instead, shopkeepers offer cordial invitations and freebie inducements. One clerk presents complimentary pina coladas and a map. Sipping these frosty treats under the hot morning sun, we figure out our location… then we’re off to Plaza del Sol.

A bronze bust in the plaza’s center honours Benito Juarez, an indigenous hero. A plaque explains how Benito, Mexico’s first constitutional president, made extensive reforms creating its modern democracy. Beneath the plaza’s orange-blossomed poinciana trees amid dozens of bustling open-air stalls and sidewalk cafes, we people-watch. Here, fellow explorers haggle over tooled belts and straw hats. We then join them, first browsing over picture puzzles, painted pottery, puppets and colorful serapes and fancying a future fiesta, we purchase hot sauce, tequila and maracas.

Museo de la Isla de Cozumel stands a few blocks away, an aptly converted Spanish revival-style hotel. The ground floor offers wonderful exhibits on Cozumel’s natural environment. The top floor focuses on history displaying artifacts of the island’s widespread Mayan settlements and model of one of the Maya’s sophisticatedly designed palaces. Storyboards describe how Cortez landed here in 1519, enlisting allies for his later conquest of mainland Mexico. In another gallery, we see colonial torture devices and learn how the Spanish suppressed and mistreated the Maya. Mayan resentment continued against a new group of outsiders following Mexico’s independence, resulting in the ‘War of the Castles.’ San Miguel became the haven for displaced Mexican settlers during this bloody 1848-1901 conflict.

Sipping chilled Coronas on the museum’s cafe balcony, I ask our diminutive waitress about Cozumel’s Mayans. She smiles, “I’m one! I speak Mayan as my first language… as well, English and Spanish.” Sensing our interest, she adds, “Be sure to look at that round thatched house in our courtyard. This simple home reminds me of how my grandparents lived!”

Returning via the waterfront’s malecon stretching 14 scenic blocks, we admire the colorful bustle of Avenida Melgar and shoreline artwork rising above the turquoise Caribbean. One delightful sculpture depicts young girls balancing on a green sea turtle. Another shows a duo of bronze divers swimming perpetually through a coral arch encrusted with exotic fish, octopus, manta ray and other deep-water denizens. Two definite photo ops!

Re-boarding the ferry, we shake our maracas chanting, “Viva Mexico! Viva the Maya!”

About the author:
A former teacher, Rick Millikan encourages healthy, mind-expanding vacations. With writer/photographer partner and wife Chris, Rick recounts snorkels over colorful reefs, rollicking rides around sensational countryside, strolls through historic cities and walks on the wild side. These local and global adventures are syndicated into several Van-Net B.C. papers, appear monthly in two community newspapers and regularly in both Open Road Magazine and Senior Living Magazine. Rick’s passion for cycling propelled past Adventure West columns, Vancouver Province Zen Cyclopath adventures, current Cycling California Magazine articles and ongoing newspaper features. Two of his fictional bicycle tales appear in the anthology Traffic Life.

Plan to visit?
Check out www.carnival.com and www.visitmexico.com.