Viajes / Travel

Sun28Oct2012

Five star sweat: The luxury of experiential travel

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Darren Ballegeer Print Email
One of Mexico’s most honored and oldest rituals is the temazcal, a pre-Hispanic sweat lodge used in ancient Mesoamerica as part of a curative ceremony to purify the body after battle or aid the sick.

What is the difference between tourists and travelers? Tourists want an easy, relaxing trip focused on basic needs of accommodation, food, drink, and perhaps recreational activities. Travelers seek experiences and people that define a destination – they seek the essence of a place. Directly experiencing the traditions and rituals of the local culture is one of the best ways to learn about a place and its people. Such experiential travel is a luxury of its own whether you spend a lot or no money on a certain experience.
Fri02Mar2012

Adobe, sand, and surf

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Elena Miramar Print Email

The attraction of eco-living and eco-tourism--- 

There are still many places in Mexico that are unspoiled and untouched by tourist development. Foreigners and Mexicans who value un-crowded places where nature still dominates are attracted to places like Cabo Corrientes, which is South of Banderas Bay in the state of Jalisco. Driving two hours from Puerto Vallarta, our destination was a unique eco-resort in the Cabo Corrientes region.  
Wed17Nov2010

Visitando el pueblo de Tequila

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Elena Miramar Print Email
Celia Villanueva de Maestri (der.) trabaja en la línea de producción junto a sus trabajadoras.

Como aficionada al tequila de calidad, por muchos años quise visitar la región productora de tequila en México. Había leído y escuchado cosas sobre el pueblo de Tequila y los campos de agave. Además estaba familiarizada con muchas destilerías pequeñas y grandes y sus historias, pero aun no sabía que esperar de este lugar tan famoso. ¿Sería como la región de viñedos en California con cientos de ansiosos productores de vino invitando a los turistas a sus
Wed24Feb2010

Epic journey to Mexico completed

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Elena Miramar Print Email

What is your impossible? That is the challenge of a 6,000 mile journey that Diego Gonzalez Joven, 26, recently completed. Diego and fellow adventurer Rachael Scdoris pedaled their special tandem bike from Alaska, through Canada and down the U.S. coast. They crossed the border into Mexico in December, heading to Los Cabos in Baja California Sur. Diego attempted to swim a 180 miles across the Sea of Cortez to Mazatlan before he and Rachael started cycling across Mexico. Diego says that the goal of the expedition is to inspire people. “To prove to people that nothing is impossible as long as one commits to their goals,” writes Diego on his website, www.whatsyourimpossible.com.

In a recent email to friends and supporters, Diego and Rachael describe the last part of their long journey:

“After 6,000 miles of cycling, over terrain that varied from boring flat desert to 11,000ft mountain roads, in freezing rain storms to extreme heat and humidity and everything in between, we rode our tandem bike of bamboo into beautiful Cancun. Immediately, we stuffed ourselves with tacos from the street vendor we found.

The ride from Mazatlan to Mexico City was long, hot and hilly but we made it there in time for Christmas with three days to spare. We took those three days to relax and explore the city. We spent Christmas with Diego’s family and took one more rest day. We felt like we should have been on the road but the extra day was necessary as we were so bloated from all of the amazing food, there was no way we could have ridden anywhere. Then it was time to push on toward Cancun.

We met so many wonderful people along the way. Diego’s friends, one of our police escorts, or just people we met randomly along the way would take us in and treat us like family. 

For the new year, we took a slight detour from the expedition and celebrated in a small coastal city called Veracruz. The next day we were back on the bike, averaging an easy 60 to 80 miles per day at 15 miles per hour. We had planned to average 100 miles per day but everywhere we went, we had media lined up to speak to us and the people were so warm and engaging, it was hard to leave.

The last two days, however, all of us were ready to finish. After we finished our presentation in Merida, we did two days of 100 miles at 15mph.

We are so thrilled to be finished and so thankful for all of your support. And we are ready to move onto new challenges. We spent a few days in Cancun, mostly playing on the beach. Now we are heading back to Mexico City. There Diego will begin to coordinate his second attempt at the sea of Cortez.”