Mexico -dos and don't

My question: Do or don't go at all? I started planning for my first trip there for September to meet my Mexican family (in Puebla, Puebla) but then the swine flu happened. The CDC is apparently recommending against traveling there. I would hope that by September this would be wrapped up. Sigh.

man i don't know... myself and three others have a San Miguel trip planned in exactly three weeks. we've been on the fence about cancelling. my friend's friend who owns the house we're renting for the week told us that it hasn't really been a problem in their area. I just don't want to crap out and get detained in some Guanajuato clinic because a gate agent heard me clear my throat and wouldn't let me on the plane back to the States.

gonna pack some xtra purell, i guess...

also, any ILXers visited/have the word on San Miguel de Allende?

Do not buy any sombrero with a diameter greater than 1 meter, especially if it has little pom-poms dangling from the brim, large amounts of elaborate embroidery in primary colors, and dozens of tiny round mirrors stitched into the crown.

Thinking about doing a long weekend (4 days) in Mexico City around Xmas. Anyone been recently? Is there enough going on to have a good time for that long w/o actually leaving the city?

I am going to be traveling for a few days along the border between TJ and Calexico. What shld I expect?

http://www.impawards.com/1981/posters/mad_max_two_the_road_warrior_ver4.jpg

Campo on CA-94 gets a lot of illicit cross-border traffic because the mountains make it difficult to patrol effectively and the brazenness of the coyotes/drug smugglers is pretty full on. The last incident I heard of was a truck full of smugglers (humans, drugs, and otherwise) who had almost-successfully disguised themselves as Marines with a purported cover story of patrolling the border.

The upshot, be careful.

If you get a chance, be sure to try the "puffy" or "special" quesadillas. I've only ever had them in the Imperial Valley and seem to be a local staple. Instead of a traditional quesadilla, the dough/ingredients are deep fried like an empanada. Camacho's Place on Wahl Rd. (between El Centro and Mt. Signal) is the best place to get them - the restaurant has been around since the 1940s and is truly superb. A special quesadilla, some carne asada, and a picture of beer here is one of the Great Border Meals.

BTW, don't rely completely on GPS navigation because some of the roads are still messed up from the earthquake last year.

Thanks!

Revive! Heading to Mexico City for four days at the end of the month. Does anyone have suggestions for good food, cold beer, vinyl records and/or cool things to see?

La Casa Azul (Frida Kahlo's house) in Coyoacan is amazing, if you're into that kind of thing. Leon Trotsky's house is a couple of blocks away from it too.

For vinyl records, check out el tianguis del chopo on saturdays. It's an outdoor flea market near the buenavista subway station.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tianguis_Cultural_del_Chopo

Cosign both of these. Coyoacán is a cool neighbourhood in general, a great market & some nice cantinas. My main advice would be EAT EVERYTHING DRINK EVERYTHING

thanks, some great idea. Definitely want to do all this.

A few things, a-lo:

1) El Chopo is definitely an interesting place and you'll find interesting stuff on vinyl for sure, but it's in the middle a sketchy part of town so if possible don't go there on your own. Ideally you'd want to go with someone who lives there. While we're on that make sure you keep your wallet in a safe place when you're riding the Subway.

2) Yes, try everything but with food there's always a risk. Moctezuma's revenge is no myth.

3) The trendy areas in Mexico City are the colonias Condesa and Roma. Lots of cool bars and cafes. Definitely worth checking out.

4) Try to go to the Museo de Antropología. It's quite impressive.

5) I recently discovered this restaurant near the Zocalo (the main square), which is totally awesome: http://www.lacasadelassirenas.com.mx/

^especially the view from the terrace

Re 2 it's not exactly a "myth" but I'd argue that it is a quasi-racist term for what is properly called traveller's diarrhoea. There's always a risk of falling prey to unfamiliar strains of bacteria but I doubt this is that much more likely to happen with a gordita in Mexico than with a gyro or an empanada or a bacon butty or a hot dog anywhere else in the world.

Daavid's points are all good tho. You could spend a whole day in the museo de antropología easy.

Def hook up with some locals if you can, it's the best way to experience any city.

xpost - OK, yes, I've never liked that term either. I agree but I think what's particular about Mexico (obv. not only Mexico) is that the general spiciness of the food can be a problem to people who aren't used to it on every meal.

I'm saying that from past experiences where I've hosted people (US or Canadians) in Mexico City (that's where I'm from) and no matter how careful I try to be with where we dine, they always end up getting sick at some point.

I've been to Mexico 7 times and my most recent trip was the first one where I didn't get sick. My advice - don't even try to avoid getting sick because it's probably going to happen anyway.

Ah OK I guess there's something wrong with north americans then ;-)

I get a little defensive because so many ppl spout ignorant bullshit about mexican food, especially here in the UK where most ppl haven't even tried it. I'm half-mexican (my family live in querétaro) but I've only been there once as an adult. I stayed a month, ate everything, and never got sick once fwiw.

I have been to Mexico a couple of times but only got sick once, and it was nowhere near as bad as 1) the time I gave myself food poisoning with a mushroom veloute or 2) the time I got a norovirus in the US capital city and ended up in the ER.

In about two weeks I'll be Baja-bound, staying between 6 and 12 months. Very excited! How do I shot speaking Spanish?

I just stumbled into this tread while James's Taylor's "Mexico" is playing and, I gotta say: thread enhancer

Thanks all -- this is helping as I starting planning a bit more.

Daavid, we're actually staying in Condesa, so looking forward to checking that area out. I'm also looking forward to checking El Chopo on Saturday morning for records but would definitely be rolling down there solo (or maybe with my gf). When you say "sketchy," is it a case of not being stupid/staying alert or something else?

Well the good thing is that you can just pay 200 pesos and a doctor will stick a needle in your ass and you'll feel better in a few hours.

Just stay alert, the area is not as bad as it used to be some years ago.

xxpost, I mean rough (or at least rough-looking) tbh. You will notice stark contrasts between different parts of Mexico City, and the Colonia Guerrero (where "El Chopo" is located) is not one of the pretty ones. Allegedly, it's got relatively high crime rate too (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colonia_Guerrero,_Mexico_City). I don't want to scare you too much though, I haven't been to "El Chopo" in over 15 years so it makes sense that it's a different place now, as Norma says. To be fair I don't know if it was even dangerous back then or maybe just the people looked scary.

My general advice regarding safety is:
- Avoid walking too much around areas you don't know about (Condesa is fine). Call a "taxi de sitio" (they're cheap!) or use public transport (bus, subway) instead.
- Don't use street ATMs. There are plenty inside stores (like Sanborns) or shopping areas. I recommend you use those.
- Don't wear flashy accessories (expensive-looking jewelry, watches, etc.) or carry too much money around.
- If you don't want to look too much like a tourist don't wear shorts, sandals, or hats (other than baseball caps).
- When in doubt, ask whoever you're staying with.
- And yes, just stay alert.

...I'm beginning to sound a bit like my mother. The probability you'll get mugged is pretty low anyway. But it doesn't hurt to take some extra precautions. :)

One last thing, if you want to go to a pretty/quaint part, I'd recommend San Angel over Coyoacán, they're not far from each other anyway so you can visit both in the same day.

...on that note, don't try visit too many places in the same day. Car traffic can be insane (another good reason to take the subway) and you can easily be stuck in traffic for hours.

Xochimilco is sweet, ride a boat, eat barbacoa

I love^10000 quesadillas in the DF

Thanks everyone -- I'll report back on what we get into.

Thanks again for all of the advice -- Mexico DF was a great place to visit. I really had no idea what to expect.

We were there during Holy Week so there were some pretty heavy vibes at the cathedral downtown and Guadalupe. Per daavid's advice, we didn't try to pack much into each day so we had time to chill and eat a lot of al pastor tacos/quesadillas and drink. Some adjusting to the food, but no major sickness issues. Particularly liked Frida Kahlo's house.

Re: Records, I got to ABC Discos downtown and picked up a few 60s comps on LP, an Esquivel LP and a few Orfeon LPs of traditional Cuban music. I wanted to get the the stalls/shops at Balderas and/or El Chopo, but Saturday was a really nice day and we ended up just wandering around some of the neighborhoods.

crossposting like it's Usenet yo:

who's been to Mexico? all other factors aside, would ppl recommend going from Tulum to Oaxaca by: just getting a bus back to Cancun airport and flying; or taking a few days and some overnight 11-hr bus rides and going via Palenque?

― on that Manara / Fellini ish (sic), Thursday, July 25, 2013 10:51 AM (0 seconds ago)

i'm going there, too. going mexico city in august.

i've been to san cristobal and chiapas before but i've never spent any real time in mexico city. i'm excited, really have no idea what to expect apart from huge latin american city. i've been to a bunch of latin american cities (buenos aires, lima, santiago, havana, and santo domingo) so i kind of know the feeling but none of those are even on the scale of D.F., even lima which has like 8 million people.

I think Merida is the place to be right now. I mean, you'd be crazy to go in July but I've never seen a city grow so fast. Plus you're right by Progreso which is like the ideal beach town.

interesting -- I was in Merida about six years ago and was really impressed by how nice a city it was. I felt like I had stumbled onto some kind of secret -- I mean obviously it's not really a secret, but it seemed like being inland meant very few American tourists (although it seemed like a good number of mexican and latin american ones). I even had this brief fantasy of moving there and becoming a private English instructor. There was also for some reason a lot of Lebanese investment in the city.

well there are certainly some Americans that live there near downtown now. I'm guessing most of them having only moved there recently. I'm not entirely sure what things are going to look like in five years - it's expanding and getting crowded at a concerning rate. But yeah, it's a really cool place and I usually felt safe there (I happened to be there when they found all those heads on the side of the road, which brought about tanks on the street and some kinda scary traffic stops)

So, I go to Mexico for a week or so in Dec/Jan. I have never been to Mexico and am somewhat on a budget. Like many people, I want to see Mexico City but also want to spend more time taking in natural beauty or beach. Where is good right now or ever? Any suggested itineraries would be welcome - I'd prefer to keep it to one or two places, or if there is just one place that is suitable enough to spend a whole week in, I'd happily take that. Comfortable but cheap lodgings, airbnbs, etc. would be a plus.

Oh and I do not speak Spanish.

If you want to see a city, Oaxaca is nicer and calmer than Mexico City

I could have stayed in Tulum for three weeks. Bike to the Mayan ruins, or underground swimming caves with bats in, or a monkey sanctuary, in the morning; bike to the beach in the afternoon.

Tulum is incredibly awesome, don't miss it.

I loved Cozumel's beaches more than Mazatlan's or Puerta Vallarta's. If you do any sort of surfing you won't like Cancun or Cozumel's beaches.

Loved Guanajuato as well.

If you want to see a city, Oaxaca is nicer and calmer than Mexico City

Yeah, because Oaxaca has about the population of Duluth, Minnesota whereas Mexico City is one of the biggest cities in the world, with more people in it than New York City. Just something to keep in mind.

Oaxaca (city and state) is beautiful. Nice unspoiled beachtowns south of Oaxaca town like Puerto Escondido and Zipolite. I second Guanajuato too. I wasn't too keen on Puerto Vallarta tbh.

Count me among the Tulum lovers. Airfair to Cancun can usually be found for pretty cheap (though Dec/Jan is high season so ?). Rent a car and get to Tulum in under two hours. Do not stay in Cancun any longer than you have to.

If you're into desert beaches ringed with huge Cardon cacti, Southern Baja is your place. Fly into San Jose de Cabo and rent a car; skip Cabo San Lucas and go to Los Barilles for great beaches. No real cities in Baja, however.

Oh I don't really speak Spanish but have managed to live in rural Mexico (less English spoken than in cities/tourist towns)for four months so don't worry about it.

We've stayed a few times in Akumal, which is maybe 90 minutes south of Cancun by car. It's beautiful, the people are really nice, food is tasty (lotsa fish), snorkeling is ace and it's super quiet. 20 minute drive to Tulum, and from an hour or so to a lot more to other Mayan ruins in the jungles, where you can rent bikes. Temperature in Dec. and Jan. is not bad at all, compared to what it can get to, though the further inland you go the hotter it gets. Also, while the violence seems to have chilled a tad in Mexico, the Yucatan peninsula was never terribly rife with crime.

Live baach cam:

http://www.locogringo.com/Upload/akumal-beach-cam.html?CFID=30027317&CFTOKEN=241dbdd0f0402193-FE2EF189-D9D5-7C40-8B2D019B9153475F

underground swimming caves

Yeah, cenotes rule. You can just pull off the road and pay a couple of bucks and then snorkel in these awesome fresh/salt inlets full of awesome fish.

Also, yeah, avoid Cancun, which is lame. Get your tourist stuff out of your system in Playa del Carmen, which has a Wal-Mart where you can load up on supplies and henceforth avoid cities.

I've never been to Oaxaca or Mexico City, but both seem like destinations in their own right.

Playa del Carmen is great!

I use to visit Topolabampo Bay and Maviri beach every summer when we'd visit my grandmother in Los Mochis, Sinaloa. I was there last in 2007 and the beach remained lonely and beautiful. The area seems a bit far from destinations to be an excursion and not an ideal destination in the tourist sense. Mentioning it though because if you have more than a week to spend in Mexico, this place is worth checking out.

i just spent a week in mexico city at the end of august, it was spectacular. i was there for a work conference but had a few extra days to explore. there is infinitely more stuff to see than one week allows obviously, but i did feel like i fit in a good amount in the time i had. if you do spend a few days there, a few highlights included: 1) the frida kahlo house/musuem, which really was amazing and is in a great, colorful neighborhood with lots of good food and markets (coyoacan); 2) pyramids of teotihuacan, about an 1 hour north of the city, some of the biggest pyramids in the world; 3) national museum of anthropology, which is gargantuan and houses some of the most famous aztec, mayan, and other mesoamerican artifacts (and also some amazing contemporary murals);3) palacio de bellas artes, which is great for a brief visit on sunday (when admission is free) to see famous mexican murals, e.g. rivera, siquieros, clemente orozco, etc.

i totally felt though that while mexico city is amazing, i really wanted to explore other areas, smaller towns, beaches, etc. oaxaca i will surely visit next time.

what an amazing country. i left with the feeling that i will visit mexico many many more times in my life. such a rich and varied culture, art, music, folklife, even the food alone is worth going for.