News Roundup

January 24, 2012 | 1 Comment

by Rich Peterson

Deportes – Mexico faces the United States in a qualifying match in women’s Olympic soccer in Vancouver, Canada. Mexico and the U.S. are tied atop the Group B standings, but after scoring a ridiculous 27 goals in two recent games, the U.S. holds the tie-breaker. Mexico handed the U.S. women’s team it’s first ever loss in a World Cup qualifier 14 months ago, and hope to make the road to London 2012 a little more rough for the U.S. team.

Big Dig – An interesting article at Geo-Mexico about a huge tunneling project in Mexico city to alleviate drainage problems the city has struggled with since it was founded by the Aztecs. The 62 km Túnel Emisor Oriente is to be largest drainage tunnel in the world, and is among the biggest engineering projects in Mexico’s history.

Gasoline Heist! – Agents of Mexico’s Attorney General’s Office found four stolen tanks containing more than 10,000 gallons of Pemex fuel in an industrial park in the city of Puebla, southeast of Mexico City. I hate paying for gas, too!

And for fun, some photos:

Miss Lousianne getting to know the locals

Sunrise over the headlands

Driving into Mexico in rental car

January 24, 2012 | 1 Comment

by Churpa

Writing about cars yesterday reminded me of another tidbit dredged from Lorena’s infamous and swamp-like inbox: fellow travel writer Ben Starr sent us a tip regarding Advantage, a rental service that allows cars from select locations in California, Arizona, and Texas to cross the border into Mexico. Purchase of a $25 dollar (per day) Mexican insurance policy is mandatory, and the car must be returned to its original U.S. location. We have not used this service, but we would like to hear from readers who have. If you have a story or advice regarding Advantage or a Mexican car rental service, please comment or email us. Excerpts from juicier emails may be featured on the blog.

Also, in all due fairness I should mention that Butch rented Especial (see post below for details) during the Christmas holidays and Especial was literally the last car on the lot. Presumably, all of the nicer vehicles were already packed with screaming children and headed for the coast to terrorize sleepy beach bums . I don’t want our experience to discourage other travelers from renting a vehicle in Mexico, as taking a drive is a great way to jump start your Mexico adventure (sometimes literally). Sorry, I couldn’t resist.

On the road in The Sweat Lodge…

January 23, 2012 | 7 Comments

by Felisa Churpa Rosa Rogers

Ah, vans! Tina Rosa, on the far right.

Mexico used to have a real van culture. I grew up in it. When I was two months old, we traveled across the border in a Dodge camper my parents called the Sweat Lodge. The Sweat Lodge was succeeded by a white Chevy van we called Cebu, and then by Jolly, a Forest Service green Dodge van my dad bought at a government auction.

All these vehicles were tricked out as homes on wheels. My sainted mother sewed curtains for the windows, and Steve built his “food box”, a giant cube of plywood with a lid that folded out into a tiny counter. With this contraption Steve could set up a kitchen in under 60 seconds; it was perfect for emergency roadside cooking.

Jolly

The box was packed with obscure ingredients, including an arsenal of spices that would have put many a gourmet restaurant to shame. If you tried to tease my dad about it, he’d get a wounded expression, as though to ask:

“What kind of philistine would embark on a four month trip without Fenugreek leaf?”

Steve Rogers

In those days, campgrounds and camping beaches were crowded with vans and small campers from the U.S and Canada, and I was always on the lookout for interesting new arrivals. When a van (perhaps billowing smoke and loaded with surf boards) would cruise down the beach road or into the campground, I’d crane to see if it had other kids on board. After waiting a respectful moment that allowed the newcomers to hang their hammocks, inevitably Steve would amble over to the new vehicle to talk roads, routes, and rigs with the drivers.

As an adult, I made my first drive in a ’94 Nissan pick-up named El Gato Negro. When El Gato retired, I caught my next ride in Miss Lousianne, my friend Tia’s intrepid ’87 Dodge van. Loaded to the gills with camping gear, Miss Lousianne traversed the highlands and the coast. I was depressed to note very few gringos traveling by van and pick-up. I am always impressed by the intrepid snowbirds who still wend their way south in RVs every winter, but I’m a little sad that my own generation is missing out on the joys of driving in Mexico.

Churpa and Steve. In the background you can see Cebu

Yes, the joys of driving in Mexico. It’s true that everyone drives like a maniac, but once you adopt the maniac mentality, the rules of the road are liberating. Due to the hazardous nature of the art form, your average Mexican driver is more aware. There’s a give and take to Mexican driving, a sort of feral politeness. Yes, the truck overloaded with mattresses will cut you off, but an hour later when you suddenly realize you have to get over a lane, he’ll also let you in. Of course, all these joys turn to ashes if you have to, say, navigate the length of Guadalajara, hellish glorietas and all.

But the real benefit to having a car in Mexico is the enhanced ability to explore. On our last drive south, we explored an abandoned resort, huddled in Miss Louisianne for 48 hours straight during a spectacular coastal storm, and enjoyed many an impromptu carnita stop. Nothing can match the ability to stop at every interesting roadside eatery or make an abrupt right when you see a promising road heading in a beachly direction. Not to mention all those fascinating mechanics you meet…

Our finances did not allow a lengthy road trip this year and I was reduced to traveling por avion to Mexico City. I was thus greatly pleased when my friends Butch and Sara invited me to tag along on their road trip to Michoacan. We would have a rental car! I imagined myself traveling in air-conditioned luxury, a far cry from the rattling vans that are my normal lot in life.

In typical Mexican fashion, things didn’t got quite as planned. Although Butch took to Mexican driving (being a bush pilot in Alaska probably helps), the car wasn’t exactly a chariot. We dubbed it Muy Especial because it demanded special treatment, including periodic push starts. I spent half the trip begging water from mystified campesinos, who were out of sight of the highway and thus unable to see Especial, steaming and spouting coolant. Even when I think I’m finally high flying, somehow I always end up down by the side of the road.

The author peering from van.

Stay tuned for the 14th edition of the People’s Guide and a new story on one of my more alarming memories of Steve as chauffeur.

Eating Around Mexico

January 22, 2012 | 2 Comments

by Rich Peterson

“I don’t know, it’s looking rather sparse out here,” Abigail proclaimed from the driver’s seat. “I think we might be out of luck, guys.” Though the four of us in the Dodge van traveling north toward Nogales had already eaten at a taqueria just a few hours earlier, our impending return to the United States had us already missing Mexico; especially the food. We all agreed we wanted tacos one more time before we crossed the border.

Churpa, being fond of listing and categorizing things with people, asked from the passenger side, “What was your favorite meal on this trip?”

“Tacos de cabeza!” Abigail proclaimed immediately. Everybody else groaned, having not ventured that far. “They were great. I loved them. You guys missed out.” She replied, punctuating each word of the last sentence.

“That’s a hard question,” I said trying to remember everything I’d eaten on the trip. “Cuca’s chile rellenos were more than worthy of the praise,” I added, and was was met with agreement from my fellow travelers. “And I still think about the birria on Gringo Day in Rebalcito.”

“I loved the spring rolls and the sushi at Chile and Maryanne’s on our last night at the beach,” Churpa paused in thought, trying to place herself back in that moment.

“And the stumblers.” I added, referring to Chile’s extra strong and super tasty margaritas. Churpa groaned, Abigail cooed.

“Oooh, the stumblers!”

“They’re evil,” Churpa replied.

“Evil and delicious,” laughed Abigail.

“The huachinango al ajillo at Mosca’s” Kamari piped in, prompting a cascade of favorites from Mosca’s, mine being the camarones al ajillo.

As I racked my brain for anything that could top Cuca’s rellenos or the Gringo Day birria, I realized that it was quite a task. The albondigas at the restaurant in Agua Prieta just blocks from the border still stood out in my mind, as did the carnitas at the tianguis in San Miguel. Several meals in our camp on the beach also stood out, including mahi mahi hash I made for breakfast with the last of the fish our neighbor, Bob, had given to us.

“Taco Carretas in Mazatlán.” Churpa said slowly, poking the air with her index finger for emphasis. The rest of us agreed. We had asked our cab driver to take us to a good taqueria, and he took us far from the hotels on the beach to a relatively large and busy taqueria deeper in the city. It was worth the cab fare and the curious looks.

“What’s that?” Churpa pointed to a white blob on the left up ahead. Kamari and I leaned forward and peered ahead.

“It’s a building!” Abigail exclaimed.

It was a lone buiding built at the base of a low ridge. As we pulled closer we could make out the ubiquitous plastic tables used by restaurants, comedors, taquerias, and just about everywhere food is served in Mexico. Even closer and we could make out smoke rising.

“It’s a taqueria! Pull over!”

“I am,” Abigail shot back, turning the wheel. The four of us were out of the van as soon as Abigail brought it to a stop. We ordered our tacos and beer, then took a seat. Part weary and homesick from a long trip through Mexico, but also sad to be waiting for our last tacos before crossing the border, the four of us watched the bubbles in our beers.

“So,” Churpa broke the reverie, trying to cheer us up, “What’s the first thing you want to eat when you get back the U.S.?

Folkloric angels dressed in Jaguar skins? We’re in!

January 21, 2012 | Leave a Comment

By Felisa Churpa Rosa Rogers

One of our longtime favorite websites, ColonialMexico.com, does a monthly feature on colonial Mexican artwork. This month’s article discusses el barocco Poblano. The photographs of an amazingly gaudy “folk baroque” church are well worth your time, provided, of course, that you are the sort of person who enjoys pictures of minute folkloric angels dressed in Jaguar skins.

Life goes on…

January 20, 2012 | Leave a Comment

by Felisa Churpa Rosa Rogers

photo credit: Tina Rosa

I just received an update and photos from my sainted mother, who is happy out in the rancho near San Miguel de Allende, Gto. Which reminds me…While the mainstream media screeches about the dangers of Mexico, an army of bloggers offer a more salubrious perspective on day-t0-day life down south.

We don’t need reminding of why we love Mexico, but Mexican Trailrunner’s description of an incident at the mercado warms the heart nonetheless.

For a foray into the mouthwatering culinary wonderland of Mexico City, check out Nicholas Gilman’s blog. Gilman writes well and he obviously knows what he is talking about. I particularly enjoyed this post on Mexican food regions and corresponding D.F. restaurants.

Meanwhile, Countdown to Mexico describes daily life in Mazatlan, yet another example of how life goes on for expats, even in states such as Sinaloa that are known problem areas.

The Mexico you love is still here

January 17, 2012 | 5 Comments

by Churpa Rosa Rogers

As a kid, I was accustomed to the double take, the long stare, the muffled giggle. We spent months of each year traveling the backgrounds of Mexico and Guatemala, and we ended up in a lot of places where the locals hadn’t seen a gringo in years. Of course that was back in the days when Americans were afraid to go to Mexico because they were convinced the country was overrun with murderous banditos and crooked cops. Oh wait…

photo credit: Tina Rosa

After decades of grumbling about tourists crowding my favorite haunts, this December I felt like I’d time-traveled back to the days when Mexico was a truly exotic destination. Upon arrival, my friend Chelsea and I got the eerie impression that we were the only gringas in Mexico City. When I traveled to Michoacan to see the monarch butterflies, my friends and I were, in fact, the only Americans in the town of Ocampo (despite the town’s proximity to a famous tourist destination). In San Miguel de Allende, I saw a healthy number of local expats, but very few American, Canadian, or European travelers. My friend Carlos says enrollment in his Spanish classes is down by 50%.

Why is Mexico so empty? Part of the drop in tourism is the result of the crappy global economy. The other reason is just as obvious, but it doesn’t make as much sense.

Many travelers seem to understand that some parts of Mexico are relatively safe (Cancun remains inexplicably popular), but I don’t think Americans and Canadians realize how many parts of the country are relatively safe. As Tony Burton reports at the excellent Geo-Mexico blog, narco-related deaths in 2011 were heavily concentrated in eight states: Chihuahua, Guerrero, Nuevo León, Tamaulipas, Durango, Jalisco, State of México, and Coahuila. Mexico has 31 states and a Federal District. When it comes to the narco wars, San Miguel de Allende, Guanajuato isn’t even on the map. But even in areas that do register on the narco violence radar, tourists are statistically unlikely to be targeted. For example, Burton’s co-author Richard Rhoda notes that an American who visits Mexico City is more likely to die of a traffic accident in the US than as a result of drug violence in Mexico City. 83 times more likely, in fact.

Here at the People’s Guide, we enjoy statistics, but we are even more fond of anecdotal evidence. To this end, I recently conducted a highly scientific survey of safety in Mexico. The results: Mexico feels just as safe as it ever has. I did not encounter crooked cops, nor was I menaced by black Escalades. I was not mugged, beaten, robbed, or executed. On my entire trip, I was the victim of one crime: someone (presumably an employee of United Airlines) stole a bottle of 12 year Flor de Caña rum out of my suitcase while en route between Houston and Portland, Oregon.

To the casual traveler, the most noticeable effect of narco violence is the lack of foreign tourists. The overall number of visitors to Mexico is at its lowest level in 15 years, and my trip through the highlands definitely illustrated this statistic. I might have enjoyed ‘authentic’ gringo-free vistas if it weren’t for my gnawing sadness for the people who are hard hit. Everywhere I went, I saw hotel owners and waiters tending to empty businesses with a resigned dignity that is muy Mexicano. Meanwhile, with equally typical cynical optimism, Mexican politicians and tourism authorities are counting on an ‘end of the world’ tourism boom for 2012. I’ll believe that when I see it. The good news is that Mexico is still here, and these days the entire country feels off-the-beaten path.

photo credit: Tina Rosa

Green Map San Miguel

January 14, 2012 | 2 Comments

By Felisa Churpa Rosa Rogers

As Lorena dredges through her bottomless inbox she often sends me tidbits. This one struck my fancy: Green Map San Miguel or Mapa Verde San Miguel allows visitors to search a directory of sustainable goods and services in the San Miguel Area. A calendar provides info on upcoming events, including bird walks, eco-tours, workshops, documentary showings, organic farmers’ markets, volunteer opportunities, and activities for kids. The site features an interactive map of the town that shows bus routes. Pages are legitimately bilingual, which I appreciate, and the tone is informative, rather than commercial. Very cool.

Mexico News Round-up

January 13, 2012 | 1 Comment

By Felisa Churpa Rosa Rogers

Carl is on a rampage this week and has been inundating my inbox with interesting Mexico links. For instance….

Mexico Security Consultant Walter Mckay gives CBC News a rundown of current cartel hotspots and points out that the cartels aren’t really out for gringo blood. Mckay’s website provides interactive graphics with current data on murder rates in problem areas.

Residents propose a controversial solution to the recent crime wave in Ajijic. Should American expats pony up to help fight crime in Mexico? We’d love to hear your thoughts on the subject. For more Tim Johnson, check out his blog.

Meanwhile, Robert Remmington points out that according to statistics, a Canadian is more likely to get murdered in Calgary than in Mexico. This reminds me of my dad, who always said the scariest part of going to Mexico was driving through LA. Of course, that was back in the good old days. That said, I didn’t feel threatened on my recent trip to Mexico, which included a stay in Mexico City and a foray into the wilds of Michoacan. More on that later.