tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-221141772024-03-07T01:50:33.119-06:00Mexico-in-EnglishMexico and the United States are so close, and yet in many ways, so far away from each other. In an effort to expand our readers ideas about Mexico and what goes on there, here is a list and personal reviews of websites and blogs about Mexico written in English.Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger58125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22114177.post-87489145801552761712010-01-17T09:32:00.003-06:002010-01-17T09:42:56.716-06:00Expatriate Services<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD583C_c0_v6lBgs5elZGLWmJOmMfTXz2e5ZwJtFMcpCJSWxUGES8jeCu26O-kd1qSzBrHMM0LXw-YXZdpSi112xi6rFhBkdu_ttwudDocsemG0g9iBQ53j-cgP77xYO1epVWu/s1600-h/personal-finance.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 175px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD583C_c0_v6lBgs5elZGLWmJOmMfTXz2e5ZwJtFMcpCJSWxUGES8jeCu26O-kd1qSzBrHMM0LXw-YXZdpSi112xi6rFhBkdu_ttwudDocsemG0g9iBQ53j-cgP77xYO1epVWu/s320/personal-finance.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5427734619362129746" /></a><br />Well, it's been forever since I've written in this blog, but I am inclined to pick it up again now in 2010. I'll keep it short, but informational... there's a lot to talk about.<br /><br />Let's start with this website, a sign of things happening and things to come.<br /><br />More and more gringos are moving to Mexico... if you're one of them and moving to the Yucatan, you'll want to know about these fine people. A group of educated, intelligent, bilingual and well-connected Yucatecans that have formed a company to provide services to people moving here or owning property here or starting a business here. They've been providing this service to large corporations for a few years... now they are branching out to help the little people. Good for them and good for us!!<br /><br />The accounting firm affiliated with YES (that's the acronym for Yucatan Expatriate Services) is the oldest and most respected in Merida. The law firm is headed up by a fine young lawyer who got his degree from Yale and worked in NYC for awhile afterwards. The project managers are all experienced women (at the moment they are all women...) who are efficient, effective and good at what they do. <br /><br />Yucatan Expatriate Services ... YES!<br /><br />Find their website at http://www.yucatanyes.com<br /><br />OH, and one more thing. We've edited four (to date... more coming) Expat Guides that they have written. You can download the guides from their website. Each one is amazingly comprehensive... chock full of information on the particular subject. I've lived here for eight years and I was amazed at how much I learned from editing the Employment Guide, for example. There's also a Personal Finance Guide, Personal Insurance Guide and an Immigration Guide. I'm working on the Personal Healthcare Guide now... to be published this month.<br /><br />If you are in the market for this kind of service or information, this is an awesome website and service to know about.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22114177.post-10317529197454228492009-03-20T09:03:00.002-06:002009-03-20T09:05:13.786-06:00The Truth About MexicoI've started contributing to this new website started by my friend Malcolm. Those of us who live in Mexico have been appalled recently by the onslaught of bad press in the American media. So we are working together on this website that brings our opinions and information to bear on the issue.<br /><br />Check it out if you want to know what it is REALLY like in Mexico these days...<br /><br /><a href="http://www.thetruthaboutmexico.com">The Truth About Mexico</a><br /><br />Comments?Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22114177.post-54711089750380531152008-10-23T10:22:00.000-05:002008-10-23T10:23:46.483-05:00Ocupada en MeridaI just want to mention that I've been way too busy lately to keep up this blog. <br /><br />That doesn't mean there aren't a lot of great posts here... there are! Also, new websites about Mexico every day. <br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">Ojala</span>, I will find some time soon to restart this...Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22114177.post-87816862607576148942008-05-17T07:48:00.000-05:002008-05-17T08:41:11.323-05:00Folk Art from Central Mexico<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWTDv0_w9y5cJgZgzNX5gcA-CuHByNfp8pjUUtroWm-mndKwB3-7biKmpACLwKgfzfhuz11B8ToYWsdsS-X0KM4-kkhiS-8CJ_Gzyro3QROvMHDo_q96VRpkNPtAND7MqRI4y0/s1600-h/huaraches.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWTDv0_w9y5cJgZgzNX5gcA-CuHByNfp8pjUUtroWm-mndKwB3-7biKmpACLwKgfzfhuz11B8ToYWsdsS-X0KM4-kkhiS-8CJ_Gzyro3QROvMHDo_q96VRpkNPtAND7MqRI4y0/s320/huaraches.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5201335302221676130" /></a> Many thanks to Billie of <a href="http://billiemercer.blogspot.com/">billieblog </a>for pointing out this website to me. Because one of the most wonderful things about Mexico is it's folk art. And one of my favorite places in the world (we even own a cottage there) is the area around Patzcuaro. And this blog is about both those things!<br /><br />The woman who writes this blog (whom I don't know...) apparently also owns a folk art store in Patzcuaro called Zocalo. And has a <a href="http://www.zocalofolkart.com/index.php">website </a>that sells folk art. What she also does, and quite well, is keep a blog about the folk art and the culture that she sees around her home and on her travels in Mexico. She's been doing that (living and traveling in Mexico) for eighteen years, so she has a lot of experience and knowledge to share.<br /><br />Poke around the blog and you'll find information on artists, books and their authors, towns, fiestas, quotes from poets, museums of Mexico... oh, for anyone who loves art and loves Mexico, this blog is a goldmine!! I haven't read it all (it's quite extensive and jampacked with information and links and fotos) but I intend to. <br /><br />And if you love Mexico, I'm betting you are going to too.<br /><br />And I'm on a no-spend diet at the moment, so I won't be buying a lot of crafts from their wonderful online store, but Goddess knows I would like to! Even if you don't want to buy anything right now, check out the extensive information about the different kinds of crafts and how to take care of them. Again, what a goldmine! To be balanced, I must admit that all the links to and shameless plugging of the store get a little repetitive and get in the way a bit, but the woman needs to make money to support her obvious arts and crafts habit. So we'll forgive her for that.<br /><br />You can believe that next time I'm in Patzcuaro, I'm going to go and check out the Zocalo store. In the meantime, I plan to be enjoying this wonderful blog. How about you?Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22114177.post-17778553044522726992008-03-19T22:49:00.001-06:002008-03-20T09:22:49.256-06:00Right in my Own Backyard<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGMhXYbK5Eu6nMThRowB9iYxjlROIeGiwXMONCeZMNV3UlZnRgigil5n8Yv-VQdwT6bNddzEkc1zkh-wAWfhkq2sAizvxzbj17hQ5SzHXt8908ZrRqpmQ1xJd6vh3Meekb_JfT/s1600-h/title-2.gif"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGMhXYbK5Eu6nMThRowB9iYxjlROIeGiwXMONCeZMNV3UlZnRgigil5n8Yv-VQdwT6bNddzEkc1zkh-wAWfhkq2sAizvxzbj17hQ5SzHXt8908ZrRqpmQ1xJd6vh3Meekb_JfT/s320/title-2.gif" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5179686629051520402" /></a><br />Jim Conrad is a self-proclaimed naturalist who lives in the Yucatan in the winter months, and god-knows-where-else the rest of the year. According to his blog, he has been summering in Chiapas lately... but <span style="font-style:italic;">ni modo</span>. The point is, Jim Conrad has a website and its a good one. What makes it good? It is unique and full of real information, the kind of thing that makes you bless the Internet.<br /><br />The website is divided into four categories: Animals, Plants, Coast Wetland and Ecology of the Northern Peninsula. <br /><br />What is a naturalist, anyway? Well, one definition would be someone who appreciates nature. And certainly, Jim fits in that category. His Animal section includes a subsection on Birds of the Yucatan. Over 20 birds are listed, each with their own page and their own story. What to know what's in that tree making that strange sound? Check out his list.<br /><br />The Plant section is good, but left me wanting more. The horticultural plant section gives you photos and Latin names, but no information about care and growth patterns. The wild plants section is a little more interesting, with information about some strange trees and flowers that you might see growing during your Yucatan travels. Its a good reference if you are curious about that sort of thing. I found a link to www.ceiba.org, a whole website about Ceiba trees (we have one planted in our backyard... its the sacred tree of the Mayan, dontcha know). Great find! Did you know there are ten species of ceiba trees and that they are related to the baobab tree in Africa? Neither did I!<br /><br />The Coastal Wetlands section explains the animals, fish and shellfish of the northern coast of the Yucatan, a very different ecosystem from the inland areas. These include such creatively named animals as Checkered Puffers and Turkey Wings. Fun!<br /><br />Lastly, the ecology of the Northern Yucatan section talks about weather and climate. There's a section on hurricanes, on geology and on some of the smaller ecosystems. <br /><br />OK, it's not terrifically well organized, but we forgive him. There's a lot of great information there and its not that hard to find. Jim Conrad seems to update the website fairly regularly, but the nice thing is that this information doesn't get old. A ceiba tree is a ceiba tree... and a magnificent one at that. <br /><br />If you love the Yucatan, and you love nature, you'll love this website.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22114177.post-73675931143702626172008-01-12T09:28:00.000-06:002008-01-12T16:14:34.489-06:00This Website Cooks!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHKSpurmFi72Zjo8zYmR-V6Mq5ZB7SXsDAyEPEaQu_wSIeHanz6gkysQ5E3bvU7y62UDZRCUwcYghSzcmwz1kCFiVXUp2CEQrLfenXvE_xxxgCHpxP9JSjdp9EjJFBLFc9AXnr/s1600-h/Untitled-2.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHKSpurmFi72Zjo8zYmR-V6Mq5ZB7SXsDAyEPEaQu_wSIeHanz6gkysQ5E3bvU7y62UDZRCUwcYghSzcmwz1kCFiVXUp2CEQrLfenXvE_xxxgCHpxP9JSjdp9EjJFBLFc9AXnr/s320/Untitled-2.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5154616078606776498" /></a> A reader of Mexico-in-English alerted me to her blog, called Mexico Cooks!. I'm not much of a cook myself, but since I have been living in Mexico, I've gotten a lot more interested in food. The Yucatecan cuisine (<span style="font-style:italic;">panuchos</span>, <span style="font-style:italic;">pavo en relleno negro</span>, <span style="font-style:italic;">cochinita</span>!!, <span style="font-style:italic;">habanero </span>chiles, I could go on...) are so delicious. After living here awhile, you start to want to know how it's all done.<br /><br />So I was excited to find an apparently very knowledgeable blog about Mexican cuisine. But I wasn't in the least bit prepared for the richness of what is here! <span style="font-style:italic;">Dios mio!!</span> This blog is a treasure!!<br /><br />First of all, it's well-written. Secondly, it has photos... good photos... to accompany every story. Thirdly, it's written by an English-speaking woman who has lived in Mexico for 26 years, speaks Spanish like a native (I'm soooo envious!) and is a Mexican citizen. She seems to travel around Mexico learning about the native foods, crops and recipes. She interviews people, gets recipes, photos and then shares it all with us... lucky us! <br />I've so far read stories about quince (it's a fruit, doncha' know...) and a town that grows it in abundance near Lake Chapala, about various foods unique to the Purepecha Indians that live in the Morelia, Michoacan area (one of my personal favorites), and then I found a recipe <span style="font-style:italic;">chiles en nogada</span>! If you've ever tasted a really good <span style="font-style:italic;">chile en nogada</span>, you will doubtless be as excited as I was. It's one of the most delicious Mexican dishes I've ever tasted, AND it's pretty too!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixAi3rFLYY1A7lzMNxOsy6Xl8TMqAagrd8A3-zNmvsqYnv7Qy1AkZ5UvBRqIN1Y9hoEZy9lAtd8LMkiRmce7cVvUZiWUnoXTNB9hmjivwj1rkq1I1IeOQvFFRyUSOClLMOHr8g/s1600-h/Untitled-1.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixAi3rFLYY1A7lzMNxOsy6Xl8TMqAagrd8A3-zNmvsqYnv7Qy1AkZ5UvBRqIN1Y9hoEZy9lAtd8LMkiRmce7cVvUZiWUnoXTNB9hmjivwj1rkq1I1IeOQvFFRyUSOClLMOHr8g/s320/Untitled-1.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5154715395430529218" /></a><br />The added bonus of this site, of course, is that in reading about the food and the writer's travels to find and document the food, you learn a lot about Mexico and its geography and culture too. There's a lot of good information packed into these pages, and I for one can't wait for a little more free time to explore.<br /><br />So rather than spend any more time telling you about what is in this blog, I'm just going to tell you to GO READ IT! If you love Mexico, if you love the food and culture (and frankly if you don't, why are you reading this?), you're gonna' love this blog.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22114177.post-27819736579192820532007-11-03T03:21:00.000-06:002007-11-03T03:45:28.292-06:00Preserving Treasures of Mexico<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfttz3XiGFNZE3KtIPRWbvfSD1VCHSw-YxRxOKmXgf2QKCHtGpjpQTkc14pBkYFbFGCCGBkxGddmU76bXawnisqKsh0cs9xdFLg10WmHenKjuIZRKwQ0D3bc_zgLrkwnB78tgC/s1600-h/totonaca_union.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfttz3XiGFNZE3KtIPRWbvfSD1VCHSw-YxRxOKmXgf2QKCHtGpjpQTkc14pBkYFbFGCCGBkxGddmU76bXawnisqKsh0cs9xdFLg10WmHenKjuIZRKwQ0D3bc_zgLrkwnB78tgC/s320/totonaca_union.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5128547817870514370" /></a><br />What a find I have brought you tonite! Thanks to <a href="http://www.rollybrook.com">Rollybrook</a>'s Blog (a very comprehensive website with lots of good info about Mexico...previously reviewed), I have stumbled across this labor of love, all about the textiles of Mexico. I cannot say that this is the most beautiful website I've seen, nor the most organized or well-written. But it is a gem when it comes to unique information and photos about a very specific subject: the disappearing textile traditions of Mexico. <br /><br />The gentleman who writes and researches this website, Bob Freund, obviously travels a lot, seeking out the smallest villages and the oldest women in an effort to take photos of and purchase examples of the many different types of textiles used as clothing by the indigenous peoples of Mexico. In many places, these textile traditions are dying, and he is documenting the last people to wear certain types of clothing. <br /><br />Are you looking for a unique Christmas gift but don't have time to travel to the mountains of Veracruz or Guerrero? Bob has an eBay store (linked from his website) where he sells some of the indigenous textiles that he buys in his travels, using the proceeds to pay for more travel and documentation of these traditions. The store offers placemats, wall hangings, blouses and bedspreads. The textiles are all hand-made and hand-woven and are one of a kind. And I'm sure I don't need to mention they are beautiful.<br /><br />One of the best things about this site is the wealth of photos of the women of these little towns throughout Mexico. All too often, Bob finds the last woman in a town who wears the traditional costume. He visits and photographs her, and we get to enjoy and share the experience through his website. His travels take him to some very remote places that most of us will never get to (unfortunately!). <br /><br />As he says many times, so many of these textile traditions are being lost as these women die. I would encourage anyone who appreciates these to buy from this eBay store so that Bob can continue to buy from the women who make them. What a great place to get a unique Christmas present and to do good at the same time. And to let Mr. Freund now that his work in documenting these textiles is appreciated.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22114177.post-47134481830523311852007-10-28T06:17:00.000-06:002007-10-28T06:38:24.436-06:00What do YOU do all day?<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp8kiq7d9t3BbdN5zr9hGijY5rodYCjIgD2ygjGiMHxueYVNRKQxRscgZfcM-VNW0KRVtEdyi__AIN38167rwvusnjO6eHpBsY0QuAWNfxoUNshrUuo08asZaLosHI7SV75oU_/s1600-h/terraza+y+fachada+101.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp8kiq7d9t3BbdN5zr9hGijY5rodYCjIgD2ygjGiMHxueYVNRKQxRscgZfcM-VNW0KRVtEdyi__AIN38167rwvusnjO6eHpBsY0QuAWNfxoUNshrUuo08asZaLosHI7SV75oU_/s320/terraza+y+fachada+101.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5126365381778659506" /></a>Here's a homey, intimate blog written by a woman who has retired to Merida recently. I've been getting out more a bit lately (the "season" is starting here, now that the weather has cooled down) and I've noticed a lot of new faces. There definitely seems to be more <span style="font-style:italic;">extranjeros</span> in Merida than there were, say, last year. And this woman, Theresa, is apparently one of them. Unlike a lot of them, she is writing about it. <br /><br />Why do people move here? There are a million reasons, but one of them has surely got to be because they can afford to. They can retire a little early (she and her husband are in their fifties, apparently) and can live a relaxed but culture-filled life in a city not so far away from family and friends. Housing is still affordable here. Where else can you find a liveable home for under $100K USD? And be somewhere with a symphony orchestra, museums, archaeological sites, Walmart, Costco, good hospitals and the Caribbean just three hours away? In a nutshell, that explains why more and more people like Theresa and her husband are retiring here. In mine and a lot of other people's opinions, its just the beginning.<br /><br />Theresa hasn't been posting for very long, so our window onto her world is still a tiny one. She seems comfortable here, even though she hasn't been here long. She posts about everything from shopping (all those people who want to know what it costs to live here? Stay tuned... unlike me, she actually seems to remember what she paid for tomatoes...) to how to bargain with the vendors that come to the door. In fact, that bargaining lesson post was particularly charming... and useful too. Bargaining is not something I'm very good at, but I learned a few things I'm going to practice later.<br /><br />For a slice of a life in Mexico, this blog shows some real promise. Theresa writes well and includes the kind of little details that are both interesting and useful to someone thinking of following in her footsteps. <br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">Andale</span>, Theresa!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22114177.post-37329391003958437072007-10-07T16:04:00.000-05:002007-10-07T16:38:00.281-05:00Black MexicoWhat a find is <a href="http://www.afromexico.com/index.htm">this website</a>! <br /><br />A labor of love, written with insight, intelligence and as a result of much research... this is a <a href="http://www.afromexico.com/index.htm">website all about Mexicans of African descent</a>. <br /><br />Here in the Yucatan, we see a black Mexican about once a month... the black culture is not well represented in this part of the world. And the blacks we see are usually from Cuba. But on the other side of the country, in what is called the Costa Chica region, blacks have a definite presence, though still small. (The other area of Mexico with a significant black presence, according to the website, is the state of Veracruz)<br /><br />The website is written by a cultural anthropologist named Bobby Vaughn, who boasts impressive degrees from places like Lafayette and Stanford. A former Fulbright scholar, he has researched the black population and its history within Mexico and shares the benefit of that research on this website. <br /><br />For instance, did you know that there were six blacks who participated in the conquest of Mexico with the conquistadors? They were probably the personal slaves of their Spanish masters, brought over with them from Spain and that they were probably Spanish-speaking by the time they got here. Sometime after 1519, the New World started receiving slaves brought in directly from Africa, who were not christianized beforehand (not were they taught Spanish). According to the website, these slaves were called <span style="font-style:italic;">bozales</span>. Probably the most fascinating fact is that black slaves from Africa outnumbered Spaniards from the Old Country from about 1553 until 1810 when the Spaniards started feeling more secure about their place here. Think about it!<br /><br />I don't want to spoil the rest for you... check out the website yourself. There is a brief history, a little bit about the author, a photo gallery and a reading list. It seems that the website hasn't been updated for awhile, but the content is no less interesting for that. <br /><br />As one who always loves to learn more about Mexico, I was happy to find this website. Hope you enjoy it too!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22114177.post-27358115849291980782007-09-14T00:05:00.000-05:002007-10-07T16:34:24.164-05:00San Felipe Mexico<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGaVQLz8TxVcE3Eb-CK5_hVsxg0s1zWQWPdR2G6tSy22Zp6ks_LvETNbicbC_9I2sMlLDtubWetuukgnGNXR0LHxy8tDVRLS7G6noGyFNVJqy1v4A2TtYkiLxRI-7r6cQiQByD/s1600-h/baja_mapa.gif"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGaVQLz8TxVcE3Eb-CK5_hVsxg0s1zWQWPdR2G6tSy22Zp6ks_LvETNbicbC_9I2sMlLDtubWetuukgnGNXR0LHxy8tDVRLS7G6noGyFNVJqy1v4A2TtYkiLxRI-7r6cQiQByD/s320/baja_mapa.gif" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5109921806158621842" /></a><br />On the other side of the country from where I live is San Felipe. But thanks to the Internet and a dedicated woman who goes by the name of Kat, I can find out all about it from the comfort of my own home at midnite in bed! Ah, the wonders of the 21st Century!<br /><br />I've never been to San Felipe, but it's not far from my original home of California and it seems like a place I'd like to know more about... because, as you all know, I'm interested in just about anything having to do with Mexico. This website, which bills itself as the official town website, has a lot of good information on this small but growing town on the edge of the Sea of Cortez.<br /><br />The website has the usual suspects of departments: Weather, News, a Photo Gallery... It has an entire page about Fishing, which gives you a clue about the nature of the place. If you click on "About San Felipe", you'll find a good concise synopsis about the place, and you'll find out that San Felipe is humid in the summertime, is a big fishing village and was founded as a commercial fishing port in 1916. As Mexican cities go, it isn't very old.<br /><br />So you don't go to San Felipe for charming Mexican architecture and indigenous culture. What do you go for then? Well, sea views, apparently. Dry warm climate in the wintertime. And did we mention fishing? According to this website, about 250,000 Americans and Canadians come to San Felipe in the wintertime for the warm weather (and the fishing...). That is a very large community for a small town with only 25,000 year-round residents. Apparently, there is a lot of RV activity there, as it is only 125 miles south of the US border.<br /><br />I learned something else that was interesting. Unlike many seaside communities, San Felipe does not discharge its wastewater into the sea, recognizing that its livelihood comes from tourism and yes, fishing. They have a water treatment plant in the desert and individual septic systems for those houses outside of the city limits. Sounds intelligent and thoughtful to me... I like the place already.<br /><br />For the personal touch and a personal view of the town, click on the tab labeled "Kat's Korner" and get the inside scoop. Right now, Kat is out of town waiting for her daughter to deliver her first grandchild. That's pretty personal, but that's the kind of writing that makes this website a good resource. Even if you don't like to fish!!<br /><br />Enjoy...Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22114177.post-13176279185135698432007-07-01T23:38:00.000-05:002007-10-07T16:35:07.513-05:00Laying Mexico Bare<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIJ_KFEgFuEzpeB2lByIN-BmmbmhO5Nv6WA0ReceP4ZUaIZnijQEPalvNpihzs3Dgn4jq9YhbcAMjJhUmCZQANpevv56dR67gZ71OvmtEgeHVEPClTp-Tq9HmLGpvHdTGZ-9P4/s1600-h/image_4758027.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIJ_KFEgFuEzpeB2lByIN-BmmbmhO5Nv6WA0ReceP4ZUaIZnijQEPalvNpihzs3Dgn4jq9YhbcAMjJhUmCZQANpevv56dR67gZ71OvmtEgeHVEPClTp-Tq9HmLGpvHdTGZ-9P4/s320/image_4758027.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5082458357510018818" /></a><br />Jeremy Schwartz moved to Mexico City with his wife less than a year ago. He is Cox Newspapers man with his ear to the ground in Mexico City. His blog is published on the Austin newspaper website, www.statesman.com. <br /><br />I like Jeremy's writing style... it is spare and to the point. He doesn't romanticize or poeticize (is that a word?). He's all about facts, insights and the kinds of things you hear over coffee or a drink. He gives you an idea what is being talked about on the streets of Mexico City. <br /><br />He also communicates, though seldom overtly, what it is like being a young professional expat in Mexico City.<br /><br />Today's short blurb was a brief look at a few of the slew of books coming out this week about last year's Presidential election in Mexico. Over the last few months he has covered the President of Mexico's activities, the experience of shopping for shoes in Mexico, rich and poor at the movie theatres and Mexico City rainstorms. And everything in between. <br /><br />He doesn't write every day, and when he writes something, its interesting and not too long and complicated. A nugget of information for busy minds in a busy world. <br /><br />About Mexico.<br /><br />In English.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22114177.post-5395283922724393932007-05-24T07:22:00.000-05:002007-10-07T16:36:07.297-05:00Lighting the World through Bliss<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheVTEwW551FcL2tjKUJhrc23HmDqp1jhcg9rsRowKBjyWH2zn-5kpwd6YRwoIDp5fDyAnvBlTwN6WNKIV-9Ccf71dRO_VjQ5-wTCAbu1QPX8FrZgBZ-CcFZSlduNqFPFDHMn0z/s1600-h/light_sm.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheVTEwW551FcL2tjKUJhrc23HmDqp1jhcg9rsRowKBjyWH2zn-5kpwd6YRwoIDp5fDyAnvBlTwN6WNKIV-9Ccf71dRO_VjQ5-wTCAbu1QPX8FrZgBZ-CcFZSlduNqFPFDHMn0z/s320/light_sm.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5068107702108398338" /></a><br />I was reading a new (to me) blog this morning, written by a woman who lives alternately on a boat and in San Carlos, Mexico (a lovely seaside town at the edge of the desert in Northern Mexico). It's a great blog, well-written and insightful. The writer seems full of life and love for the life she lives in Mexico.<br /><br />But what caught my eye this morning was a brief mention of the BoGolight. And because the BoGolight seems like such a fabulous idea, I wanted to spread the word (and credit my source).<br /><br />The BoGoLight company was started by a man who was a diplomat for 20 years. It is his mission to improve the lives of the less fortunate through eco-friendly technology. His first project is the BoGo Light. It's a solar-powered flashlight that last up to 20 years, charges in 8 hours and provides 4-5 hours of light. The rechargeable batteries last for 2 years and replacements are available worldwide. For us, it is a great camping or emergency flashlight.<br /><br />But the best part is that very time you buy a BoGo light, the company sends one to an organization to help someone less fortunate. Mostly, they seem to be focused on Africa, but I notice they are also sending them to soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan. <br /><br />Why is light so important? You can read on the website how providing families in Africa with a cheap and reliable source of light saves them up to one-third of their income that is usually spent on kerosene, their usual source of light. Having light allows the women to cook without kerosene fumes and allows the children to study after working in the fields all day. <br /><br />If you are at all interested, check out the <a href="http://www.bogolight.com">BoGo Light website</a> to learn more. And then buy one! Everybody wins!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22114177.post-24088534903217619482007-05-21T01:34:00.000-05:002007-10-07T16:36:38.308-05:00Luis Barragan<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxUOgBscCFxRMC7B81q3GV9AsaFJ1Y0aNnHcYewuTDWD9q4fETwGvmEpUfNjZhm6pmA5fFP7SuKpuKiuyS-LapQIT1PjmkuixRyY_ZeKHP4tyAXMoh6-qp7-MXBAjpe6eOkCfL/s1600-h/barragan.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxUOgBscCFxRMC7B81q3GV9AsaFJ1Y0aNnHcYewuTDWD9q4fETwGvmEpUfNjZhm6pmA5fFP7SuKpuKiuyS-LapQIT1PjmkuixRyY_ZeKHP4tyAXMoh6-qp7-MXBAjpe6eOkCfL/s200/barragan.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5066902946602001138" /></a><br />You may have noticed that my postings have slowed down lately. This is partly due to being tremendously busy, but also partly due to running out of good websites to talk about. <br /><br />So I'm starting a new series. I'll still be highlighting websites about Mexico that are written in English, but I am going to be focusing on famous Mexican people, either living or dead. Just people that I find interesting that call Mexico their home.<br /><br />I'm starting with Luis Barragan, one of the first Mexicans that I became aware of, strangely. I fell in love with photos of his homes... there was something about a hot pink wall next to an orange wall that just blew my entire conception of space. I loved his willingness to break the boundaries of convention with color. Only later would I realize what a patently Mexican trait that really is.<br /><br />The main website about this famous architect is offered by his foundation and is available in German, English and Spanish. It features a biography, where I learned that he was born in Guadalajara in 1902 and realized his first project in 1927. He traveled to Europe and the US during his life, but spent most of it in Mexico City. He was awarded the very prestigious Pritzker Prize for architecture in 1980 and he died in 1988. <br /><br />He is known for his very original style, which is both modernistic and distinctly Mexican. He is without a doubt the father of Mexican modern architecture, and is known around the world. He was one of the first architects to use color in his work. <br /><br />If you are interested in his work, you will enjoy the Foundation's website. One of the best features is in the Visitor's Guide section, where they map out all of his works in Mexico City and Guadalajara. <br /><br />Another good website for information about this gifted architect is the <a href="http://www.pritzkerprize.com/barragan.htm">Pritzker Prize website</a>, which has a comprehensive photo gallery of some of his work, as well as the text of his acceptance speech. <br /><br />Do you have any famous Mexicans that you are interested in? Let me know... or just visit here regularly to learn more!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22114177.post-5994127989766498692007-04-27T00:27:00.000-05:002007-04-27T00:58:26.825-05:00Some Like It Hot and Spicy<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbgDI-rLwsjETqHhpq6VyXgNTPrYsY-q5cE7Ifiw2oVM8O5RC9EmjZk2WzOIeOrgWiN_MTMk7v3glijJFwd1i0hqUN39P8nQGCjL4U_c2Uogg-ow8xXRnTQJiinIU5wAgcav5Y/s1600-h/UFWicon.gif"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbgDI-rLwsjETqHhpq6VyXgNTPrYsY-q5cE7Ifiw2oVM8O5RC9EmjZk2WzOIeOrgWiN_MTMk7v3glijJFwd1i0hqUN39P8nQGCjL4U_c2Uogg-ow8xXRnTQJiinIU5wAgcav5Y/s320/UFWicon.gif" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5057975556799925234" /></a> This is a website that will singe your eyebrows if you get too close to the monitor. Any real student of Mexico owes it to themselves at some point to go beyond the trivial and the travel, and explore Mexico with an edge to it. Mexico and the Mexican gestalt is about things that can make your eyes tear up and your nose run. <br /><br />Mexico's a big country, an even bigger culture and the Mexican heart and soul encompasses many things. This particular blog is called The Unapologetic Mexican (although it doesn't have capital letters...) and it lives somewhere out on the periphery of the gestalt. It's written by one who doesn't feel the need to apologize, and who does his unapologetic writing and ranting with a sense of humour. And good graphics.<br /><br />And the guy is funny and witty. He writes with passion and pathos. His style is intimate and intelligent. Oh, Blogger, I think I'm in love!! OK, it's only a blog. But with insight about the Latina culture... from the best kind of person to teach it: someone who has needed to learn.<br /><br />Because this Mexican unapologetically grew up with a white mother and didn't get inculcated into his <em>raza</em> until later in life. Don't forget to read the "Mi Familia" section... that's where I found the pathos part. And his bit about some words he coined in "Nezua Brings Palabra". And I'm still in the middle of the story called "The Grand American Dream and el Barco de la Ilusion"....delicious! Root around in the corners of his blog and you'll find many tasty bits... writing about his grandmother, book reviews, comments on the news. <br /><br />Some of the writing about current events might make this blog feel a bit like biting into a nice crunchy fresh habanero. You know it might hurt a bit... but the rush is SO worth it. <br /><br />Enjoy!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22114177.post-20841763497807495512007-04-04T23:36:00.000-05:002007-04-05T00:08:41.755-05:00The MEX Files<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6_k6JwtRgSIHhAKtOQxNOUvymsVEg5kFvl-ssBUr3BClpnTKCxdpEyRcBxVW98LVCPuGPlWis4qb-TymTv04kHHnApqZrQtLbVItCWFjvdeIzAhyIbKmPtqsZE9OVOSh5KLjW/s1600-h/zapa1.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6_k6JwtRgSIHhAKtOQxNOUvymsVEg5kFvl-ssBUr3BClpnTKCxdpEyRcBxVW98LVCPuGPlWis4qb-TymTv04kHHnApqZrQtLbVItCWFjvdeIzAhyIbKmPtqsZE9OVOSh5KLjW/s320/zapa1.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5049803570356643458" /></a> Yep, I love this blog. It has something for everyone eventually. If you are interested in Mexico, that is.<br /><br />Spend a little time with Richard and Lyn-2, the writers, and you'll be treated to diatribes on everything from politics to <span style="font-style:italic;">perros</span>, WalMart to Starbucks, Oaxaca to...to....Oscar Creighton (look it up!). Sometimes there are great articles from Spanish-language newspapers translated into English for your reading pleasure (Richard is a translator for a living). Sometimes, a history lesson. Sometimes, a rant. You just never know what you are going to get with the Mex Files!<br /><br />What you do know is that you are going to get it from a writer who obviously knows a lot about Mexico. And so you'll probably learn something new.<br /><br />And THAT is what makes this a great website!! Bookmark it...Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22114177.post-36042800871355293172007-03-02T17:28:00.000-06:002007-03-02T17:29:47.645-06:00Uno, dos, tres, quatro!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilcpHVeGTRpZL02YJuwxPgXKeGti8IoB62m_Qv00lttPzWkJex8QkQijM76kvfDYCZob-CYWyt8A-hVhTaIHUkLz_TwLUeqM0bBW7B8RvqOUsvyrdMPmXbi8g_Q2N_1sL3kAV3/s1600-h/gse_multipart46163.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilcpHVeGTRpZL02YJuwxPgXKeGti8IoB62m_Qv00lttPzWkJex8QkQijM76kvfDYCZob-CYWyt8A-hVhTaIHUkLz_TwLUeqM0bBW7B8RvqOUsvyrdMPmXbi8g_Q2N_1sL3kAV3/s320/gse_multipart46163.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5036841372251440722" /></a> Nancy and Paul, who currently live in Washington State, are moving to Mexico... and because of blog technology and Nancy's prolific and expressive writing, you can share the journey. Regular readers of this blog have been following Nancy and Paul as they traveled throughout Mexico to decide where they were going to move to when Paul retires. Recently, they have decided to move to Mazatlan, and now the real countdown begins as they experience the process of moving to another country.<br /><br />What I love about this blog is the intimate picture of what so many of us who live here have gone through. We maybe have not all gone through it with the joy, peace and luxurious timeframe that Nancy enjoys, but we have all taken the steps that these two are taking. Deciding where to live, deciding whether to buy or rent, what to do with the car, the "stuff"... there are so many big and little decisions involved in moving. Those decisions are multiplied in significance and emotional impact when you are moving away from friends and family to a new country.<br /><br />As Nancy's writing conveys, moving to Mexico is both about leaving things you love behind and moving towards adventure, mystery and a new way of life. <br /><br />If you have moved to Mexico already, I think you'll enjoy watching these two go through the process, which allows you to revisit your own process and see how much you have learned since you moved. If you are moving yourself or thinking of making this move, you will probably learn a few things as well as gain a comfortable feeling of not being alone in your venture.<br /><br />I know I am enjoying following the real-life story of two people making the big move to Mexico... I invite you to join me. Altogether now: uno, dos, tres...Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22114177.post-18454899316097913122007-01-29T22:48:00.000-06:002007-01-29T23:16:26.678-06:00Doing Business in Mexico<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjogqqSXTOnJNjFeXlWEdfrQmtbAnjMTsZLQxPfCEv1_CPrsnIvaIEc_yhgU5vN1X5cVrNnBPQTNLVnAgOK6nI7aVwetzIKlDFErM51xBzcWz5658T2TesMD5DSNnVBAwDPo2q4/s1600-h/images-1.jpeg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjogqqSXTOnJNjFeXlWEdfrQmtbAnjMTsZLQxPfCEv1_CPrsnIvaIEc_yhgU5vN1X5cVrNnBPQTNLVnAgOK6nI7aVwetzIKlDFErM51xBzcWz5658T2TesMD5DSNnVBAwDPo2q4/s320/images-1.jpeg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5025681761416285266" border="0" /></a>I love this blog. Why? Because this information is hard to find and it is good, useful information for anyone living in and/or working in Mexico.<br /><br />Lee Iwan works in Corporate Mexico in Leon, Guanajuato. Leon is one of Mexico's thriving manufacturing centers, is the leather tanning and shoe manufacturing capital of Mexico (who knew?) and is located in Mexico's heartland. Lee doesn't mention who he works for, but says in his profile that he has worked in retail, wholesale, service, manufacturing and agricultural industries internationally. He certainly seems to have an international perspective and a good handle on business life in Mexico.<br /><br />His blog, entitled <a href="http://businesssob.blogspot.com/">Business South of the Border</a>, treats a different subject with each post. Recent subjects have included the way employee Christmas bonuses are paid in Mexico, new low-cost airlines that are flying to Mexico and "what every business person should know about Mexican politics".<br /><br />One of my favorite posts, from October 2006, is about the value of Patience and Chaos in doing business in Mexico. It is, in my opinion, an absolutely brilliant and spot-on observation and I reprint it here as an example of the valuable information you can find on this website, both for your working and your personal life if you live in Mexico or deal regularly with Mexicans...<br /><br />****<br /><p><strong>Patience. </strong></p> <p>Mexicans are patient people. The have great tolerance for human error. <span style="font-weight: bold;">They run on a schedule that is influenced by work concerns, family concerns, their own mental health, and takes into consideration outside factors and influences that might interfere with their plans</span>.</p> <p>This is not to say that Mexicans are never in a hurry, or are willing to accept poor quality, or like to move slowly.</p> <p>What it means is that they are not overly disturbed and motivated to emotional outbursts and threats if something gets in their way, or does not go as planned. They patiently seek a solution, and if no solution is present, they accept the reality of the situation.</p> <p><strong>Chaos<br /></strong></p><p>Chaos is part of Mexican culture and society. <span style="font-weight: bold;">Lack of long term planning is quite common (at government, business, personal levels), and everything gets done at the last minute. The curious part is that everything DOES get done.</span></p> <p>This chaos and disorganization draws strong criticism from individuals used to order, control, planning and expected outcomes in their own countries. Remember that it is a characteristic of Mexico, not good, not bad, just different.</p> <p>Living in a chaotic environment allows the Mexicans to rapidly adapt to any situation, take advantages of opportunities quickly, and survive quite well in a very changing world.</p> <p>There is spontaneity in Mexico. Social engagements are arranged at a moments notice, or simply just happen, unplanned and casually. Things just happen. <span style="font-weight: bold;">Expect last minute changes in plans, events, and agendas. “Expect the unexpected” is great advice</span>.</p> <p>Not surprisingly, Mexico is a country where social relationships and social networks are extremely important. <span style="font-weight: bold;">These personal bonds and relationships, which are reinforced constantly, help to create order and get things done.</span></p> <p><em>As is the case of all stereotypes, these observations are broad based and may, or may not, have any validity.</em></p><span style="font-style: italic;">****<br /></span>The emphasis in bold letters is mine. And I especially love the last sentence, italicized by the author. Because it should be put at the end of any article written about Mexico or Mexicans. You can try to generalize about something here, but you will be immediately proven wrong at the next possible moment. It has something to do with the inherent chaos of life down here. And it is what allows the magic to shine through.<br /><br />Anyway, whether or not you do business in Mexico, I encourage you to spend time on this blog if you want to learn about the Mexican way of doing things. No matter how much you think you know about Mexico and Mexicans, I can almost guarantee you will learn something.<br /><span style="font-style: italic;"></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22114177.post-1168157246445648752007-01-07T01:59:00.000-06:002007-01-11T18:02:16.306-06:00Prensa Latina<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/6888/2244/1600/576489/pl04.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/6888/2244/320/45765/pl04.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a>For my first recommendation in the Year of the Dolphin, 2007, I am happy to report this very useful site, Prensa Latina, the Latin American News Agency. <br /><br />What makes this site so valuable is that it is up-to-the minute reporting of issues affecting the Latino World... in English. I was led to this website tonite by searching on "Yucatan" (the state where I live) on a new search engine called <a href="http://www.swamii.com/home/">Swamii</a> (also not a bad site to know about). The news items I read were recent (today's news) and were things I had not read about by doing the same search in Google News. There was a news story about AMLO traveling in the Yucatan this weekend and another one with details about recent locust swarms in the Yucatan. Both news stories filed today which I probably could have read about in the local Spanish-language paper. But now I have this resource too.<br /><br />Try it... you just might bookmark it!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22114177.post-1166824605051437272006-12-22T15:28:00.000-06:002006-12-31T08:27:48.066-06:00Getting Married in Mexico<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/6888/2244/1600/729024/cake.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/6888/2244/320/870802/cake.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br />Are you thinking of getting married in Mexico? If you are in the market for a wedding, you've probably considered the option of what is known as a Destination Wedding these days. And if you're thinking of getting married while on vacation, Mexico is probably one of the first places that comes to mind.<br /><br />Before I tell you about this website that consolidates information about weddings in Mexico, let me say that my husband and I were married away from home... in Italy, to be exact. It wasn't as common in those days (10 years ago) and we had a hard time finding someone to coordinate the event (in Venice). Nowadays, you can choose from a whole list of people and getting married in a romantic location is a much more popular idea. <br /><br />Getting married in a foreign country has its pros and cons. It is expensive for your guests (we solved that problem by not having any). And it may not be legal in your country (we solved that by having a civil wedding before we left). The ceremony was incredibly special, romantic beyond belief and something I will remember on my deathbed as a highlight of my life. We were married at midnight on the Piazza San Marco in Venice, Italy as the bells chimed and the bands played. About 200 people from around the world came to watch as we stood in front of the golden Basilica and the wedding "official" who was dressed as a doge (the traditional ruler of Venice).<br /><br />Now, weddings in foreign countries are a lot easier to manage. And Stray Weddings has a very helpful website that makes getting married in Mexico a breeze. They have a free e-book report about the Top Ten Resorts for Weddings in the Yucatan Peninsula. They also have listings of wedding planners, travel agents, translators, photographers and musicians (although in my experience, all you really need is a good wedding planner and they will help you find everyone else). Our good friends Paradise Weddings are listed as one of their wedding planners and I know that they do it all, from flowers to music to videos to napkins.<br /><br />They have recently started a blog with more detailed info about what documents you need to get married, photos of chapels and other details that will be important to a future bride.<br /><br />So now, do you want to see photos of our wedding? <a href="http://www.eclectech.com/wedding/weddingone.htm">Sure you do...<br /></a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22114177.post-1164594858668766242006-11-26T20:33:00.000-06:002006-12-21T17:36:02.216-06:00Mexico With Heart<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/6888/2244/1600/64697/rosanahartlogo.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/6888/2244/320/970086/rosanahartlogo.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a> I wish I had more time right now to read this website. I've spent about a half hour here, and instead of feeling like I've gotten a good overview and I can write a nice review about it, I feel as if I have just dipped my toe in the water and I'm anxious to go in for a swim!<br /><br />The woman who writes this webpage (and associated blog) is Rosana Hart. She has been traveling to Mexico for many years (she talked about going to Acapulco as a child... oh! how I wish I could have seen it then!). She has created a website that gives good information about the top cities in Mexico: Acapulco, Cancun, Cuernavaca, Mexico City, Puerto Vallarta, etc. She lives in the Guadalajara area, and so she writes about that as well.<br /><br />But she and her husband have also traveled and continue to travel through Mexico, so there is a lot more in her blog and in the section called Mexico with Heart, the Book. I loved a section on El Chorrito, a town with a shrine to the Virgen of Guadalupe (about whom I just wrote an article on <a href="http://www.yucatanliving.com/events/the-day-of-the-virgin-of-guadalupe.htm">Yucatan Living</a>) and another article on Ciudad Victoria, a place I visited this summer. Wish I had read this article *before* I went there!! Another great article is her <a href="http://www.mexico-with-heart.com/book/16-meeting-people.html">Sixteen Ways to Meet People</a>, apparently written from years of experience and a must-read for anyone wanting to come to Mexico and see beyond the tourist hype.<br /><br />Anyway, I'm bookmarking this website and I'll be going back to read more when I have some real time to devote to it. If you are interested in Mexico, I suggest you do the same.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22114177.post-1164073044357913572006-11-20T19:18:00.000-06:002007-01-14T20:26:14.850-06:00Slow Life in Mexico City<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6888/2244/1600/5148748_9651056.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6888/2244/320/5148748_9651056.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a> <br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Another blog? Yep, another blog. Another blog by an English-speaking expatriate living in Mexico.<br /><br />This one happens to be a real Englishman... Seth is from the UK (although apparently he has no plans to go back). He is in Mexico working for Amnesty International, a worthy cause and something that makes me like him already.<br /><br />Reading the blog, you'll soon learn that Seth is a very likeable guy. I'm not sure what first clued me into this. Was it the fact that he was a good enough sport to dress up like a girl for a party where boys dressed like girls and girls like boys? Maybe it is the fact that he cooks for his roommate Frank, in exchange for Frank's Spanish assistance. Or maybe its because I agree with him politically. Or maybe its just his all around good nature and the fact that he's working for Amnesty International. <br /><br />In any case, this blog is really just all about Seth, and Seth's adventures in Mexico City. He's from England, went to school in London, but curiously the blog starts (about eight months ago) in Norway of all places. Seth has a thing for Norway. It seems that Amnesty International was the one to send him to Mexico, and so he is here now and writing about it. <br /><br />He's a fresh face with a fresh attitude to Mexico. His blog is a refreshing read.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22114177.post-1163295130343386452006-11-11T19:09:00.000-06:002007-01-15T19:31:33.993-06:00Historic Haciendas<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6888/2244/1600/IMG_4239_correc_crop_PS_env-238x315.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6888/2244/320/IMG_4239_correc_crop_PS_env-238x315.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a> I came across this website a few weeks ago and finally got a chance to look at in depth tonite. Historic Haciendas is certainly not the prettiest or best designed website I've seen. But it does offer a little glimpse into a world (and an opportunity) that I knew very little about.<br /><br />Historic haciendas is an independent collection of hacienda hotels and vacation rentals in Jalisco, within driving distance from Guadalajara. Each hacienda and hotel appears to be privately owned, and has between three and twenty four rooms to rent. Some of them have spas in the hacienda, and they all seem to offer tours doing everything from historic walks to horseback riding. Almost every one of them looks beautiful and, of course, unique in its design and history.<br /><br />One hacienda, Hacienda Sepulveda (obviously named after a famous boulevard in the San Fernando Valley...) has 11 rooms and was built in 1684. According to the website, the current owner has spent TEN years renovating the hacienda to be a hotel. The photos show beautiful stone walls, boveda ceilings and arched pasillos. The eleven suites all rent for between $145 and 180 USD per night. <br /><br />The subject matter is unique and I doubt you can find out about these places in many other websites. But the website design is absolutely horrendous. The navigation alone is a case study in what not to do. It works, barely, but it looks bad and it looks different on every page. All the pages are different colors and designs as well. It has got to be one of the strangest websites I've seen in a long time. <br /><br />But, you aren't going there for an example in website design. Instead, I'm thinking you'll be going there to drool over the photos of beautiful buildings turned into luxurious hotels. And maybe, hopefully, to plan to visit one of them someday.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22114177.post-1162641380857151622006-11-04T05:31:00.000-06:002006-11-06T21:57:30.623-06:00Unknown Mexico<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6888/2244/1600/mexdesc.gif"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6888/2244/320/mexdesc.gif" border="0" alt="" /></a> If you have lived for any amount of time in Mexico, you are probably aware of those beautiful magazines, <span style="font-style:italic;">Mexico Desconocido</span> (Unknown Mexico) that tempt you in the checkout lines at the grocery stores. You pick one up, and try to pick your way through the beautiful looking magazine that promises to illuminate all the wonderful corners and cultures of Mexico for you. But alas, it is all in Spanish and you resign yourself to mostly looking at the beautiful photos.<br /><br />Well, <span style="font-style:italic;">gracias a Dios</span>, there is the internet. And <a href="http://www.mexicodesconocido.com.mx/english/index.cfm">Mexico Desconocido</a> has a website, with a very healthy English language side to it. And as of today, Mexico Desconocido is no longer unknown, at least to the readership of Mexico-in-English!<br /><br />Basically, Mexico Desconocido has Travel, Shopping and Publication sections. These sections appear to be only in Spanish. But within the English section, there are two divisions: Discover and Live. I'm not really clear on the distinction between these two. Under the Discover section, you'll find History, Nature, Culture & Society and Monuments & Historical Centers. Under the Live section, there's Sports, Beaches & Spas, Counties and Museums & Archaeological Zones. This is not the way I would have divided these categories; this is not intuitive to my Western mind. But there you have it.<br /><br />Each category is further divided into sub-categories, and within each sub-category are anywhere from 10 to 40 or 50 articles. It appears that these articles are reprints of articles previously published in the magazine, as they are notated with the author name and dates. Some that I've read are dated back as far as 1994. The depth of information about different parts of Mexico, its traditions, culture, treasures and people. Just casually exploring, I have come across articles about everything from <a href="http://www.mexicodesconocido.com.mx/english/historia/siglo_xix/detalle.cfm?idsec=3&idsub=21&idpag=1907">Ricardo Bell</a>, "the clown that made our grandparents laugh" to the <a href="http://www.mexicodesconocido.com.mx/english/zonas_arqueologicas_y_museos/centro/detalle.cfm?idsec=47&idsub=0&idpag=1675">mining museum in Pachuca</a>. I've found articles about the <a href="http://www.mexicodesconocido.com.mx/english/zonas_arqueologicas_y_museos/oriente/detalle.cfm?idsec=46&idsub=0&idpag=1257">Xalapa Museum of Anthropology</a> (surely one of the most beautiful museums I've ever seen) to the <a href="http://www.mexicodesconocido.com.mx/english/cultura_y_sociedad/arte/detalle.cfm?idsec=14&idsub=51&idpag=633">History of the Altar of Forgiveness</a> in the Cathedral in Mexico City. <br /><br />Now don't get *too* excited. Some of the articles are nothing more than a paragraph or two of rehashed facts that are all too familiar to the casual student of all things Mexican...hardly <span style="font-style:italic;">desconocido</span>. But at least one half of the articles are in-depth, interesting and full of details and tasty tidbits of information.<br /><br />This website is a gold mine of little nuggets of information about Mexico. I'm bookmarking it, and next time I go on a little roadtrip, I'm going to research my destination with this website. I might find out about a little church I might have missed otherwise or a tradition I might not have otherwise known about. After you visit it, you might decide to do the same.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22114177.post-1162476576533650872006-11-02T07:38:00.000-06:002006-11-02T08:27:58.763-06:00Bookmark the Larpman<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6888/2244/1600/larpman.0.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6888/2244/320/larpman.0.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br />Here's a website recommended by one of our readers. And what a great find!<br /><br />Larpman.com has some valuable information that you don't find on other sites. The website is divided into four simple categories: Transportation, Books, Maps and Photos. Four categories of resources that are useful when planning a trip to Mexico.<br /><br />The books category is a simple listing of a few books that John Barreiro (the Larpman, one would assume) recommends. These are links to his Amazon affiliate listings, of course, so he stands to make a few cents whenever you order one of these books through him. The books are pretty predictable...no surprises there at all. <br /><br />The maps category is more indepth, and therefore more valuable. Not only are there links to <a href="http://www.inegi.gob.mx/inegi/default.asp">INEGI, Mexico's geographical institute</a> that produces excellent quality maps, and Mapquest, Expedia, multi-map and the obvious Maps of Mexico, but there is a link to the <a href="http://www.larpman.com/mappages/mapsatelite.html">Google Maps website</a> with 97 separate places within Mexico already mapped for you. Señor Barreiro has also developed his own way to view Google satellite maps, called LarpMax, which I did not want to tax my broadband to test, but which sounds promising.<br /><br />The third category is Photos. <a href="http://www.larpman.com">Larpman.com</a> links to various websites that have photo galleries of Mexican locations. He promises that this section will grow, as now it only covers five areas: Mexico City, Puerto Escondido, Guanajuato and Palenque. Our other website, Yucatan Living, has a very nice <a href="http://www.yucatanliving.com/?page_id=88">photo gallery of the Yucatan</a>, which I would love to suggest to Mr. Barreiro. <br /><br />Which brings me to one of the flaws of this website. There is absolutely no way to communicate with the creator of the site. Mr. Barreiro has crafted a valuable site from which he makes money through Google Ads, Amazon referrals and possibly other affiliates. I don't have a problem with this. But in this 21st Century, when communication is so easy, why not have a way to provide feedback or suggestions? I'm sure he has his reasons... perhaps he'll notice this posting and let us know! <br /><br />Last, but most definitely not least, is the section on Transportation. I find this to be the most valuable information on the website. Larpman has done his homework, and while I cannot attest to the accuracy of all the information without duplicating his research, it looks good and has got to be some of the most detailed on the web on this subject (in English, anyway).<br /><br />The <a href="http://www.larpman.com/transportpages/transport.html">Transportation Section</a> is divided into 5 sections: Air, Bus, Train, Auto and Bicycle. <br /><br />The Air section provides <a href="http://www.larpman.com/transportpages/airpages/air.html">all the airlines that fly to and within Mexico</a>, and listings of which cities are covered by each airline, as well as links to aviation photo websites. Each mention is followed by a link to the airline's website and a link to the Wikipedia page about that airline, if there is one.<br /><br />The Bus Section includes <a href="http://www.larpman.com/transportpages/buspages/bus.html">information about how to purchase bus tickets</a>, a rundown on the difference between the different bus classes, links to <a href="http://www.larpman.com/transportpages/buspages/buswibcw.html">bus company websites</a>, <a href="http://www.larpman.com/transportpages/buspages/bussched.html">schedules </a>and a special section on <a href="http://www.larpman.com/transportpages/buspages/busairport.html">busses at the Mexico City airport</a>, complete with schedules. This alone is worth bookmarking this website. But there's more! A section on <a href="http://www.larpman.com/transportpages/buspages/bususa.html">bus travel from the USA to Mexico</a>, complete with the hours and distances for common routes and links to the American bus companies that travel to Mexico. The last section under Bus Travel explains <a href="http://www.larpman.com/transportpages/buspages/busouth.html">how to travel into Mexico by bus from the South</a> (from Belize & Guatemala), again with links to the bus companies. <br /><br />But wait! Maybe you've heard about the <a href="http://www.larpman.com/transportpages/trainpages/train.html">trains in Mexico</a> and want to travel that way. Señor Barreiro has researched that as well, and shares his knowledge. There are links to the different rail services (the "remaining" rail service, as he puts it) with explanations of routes, times and distances. This is the weakest section of the website, however. The photos appear to be missing (weren't uploaded to his server...) and one of the paragraphs in the introduction is about the bus system, not about trains. Again, if there was a way to give feedback, this might have been fixed before this review.<br /><br />The Auto Section, entitled "Driving to and within Mexico" is Under Construction, as is the Bicycle Section, but we can probably look forward to similarly detailed and well-researched information. Though I would caution anyone that the rules about cars seem to change all the time here in Mexico, as laws are changed and updated. I can speak from experience when I say that you need to be prepared with a modicum of patience when bringing your car into or out of Mexico. There are times when you might need it. <br /><br />Overall, this is a well-researched and well-designed website. It has valuable information and it is easy to find that information. The navigation bar at the top is simple and always tells you where you are in the website and there is a site map in case you get lost. Kudos to John Barreiro for his excellent research and presentation... now if only we could tell him personally!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22114177.post-1162182881906187972006-10-29T22:34:00.000-06:002006-11-06T21:55:12.113-06:00Si-Mexico<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6888/2244/1600/si_logo150-135ax.2.gif"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6888/2244/320/si_logo150-135ax.2.gif" border="0" alt="" /></a><br />Si-Mexico is basically a web-based travel agency. If you don't know much more about Mexico than that you want to go there, this website is a good place to start. You can pick any of the popular cities that you might want to visit and find a healthy list of hotels where you can stay. You can compare airfare rates from a number of different services and airlines, book your hotel and even book excursions... all in Mexico and all from this website.<br /><br />In addition, it has some useful reference information. My two favorites are a page on all the airport codes for the different cities in Mexico and the listing of events and festivities throughout the country during the different months of the year. These are both helpful tidbits of information when you are planning a Mexican trip.<br /><br />While the ability to search for airfare from competing services all in one place is impressive, the hotel search and booking facility is less impressive. While it is a good place to get a listing of the largest hotels in a given Mexican city, I found that the hotels listed in my hometown are the "safe" hotels, and probably the ones that subscribe to a central booking service. Some of my favorite hotels are too small to subscribe, and so they aren't included in this website. Also, there was one hotel on the list for my city that I am very familiar with. The fares represented on the website are NOT cheaper than the fares published on the hotel's own website. In fact, they are a lot more expensive. <br /><br />Now in Si-Mexico's defense, they do give a guarantee that they will refund the difference if you find a lower price. At least there is that, but you'll have to catch the discrepancy of course, and apply for the refund. Why not just get the price right?<br /><br />The website also seems to promise the ability to book excursions out of the major destinations, such as Swimming With the Dolphins in Cancun or Sunset Sailing in Puerto Vallarta. But when the link was clicked on, neither Firefox nor Safari (yes, I'm using a Mac laptop) was able to serve up the desired page of information and booking form. All I got was a blank page with the Si-Mexico logo.<br /><br />So, while the site has some flaws, I still find it a useful resource. I imagine it is especially useful to the new, first or second-time traveler to the famous vacation destinations of Mexico. I can see how it would provide a one-stop internet shop to the less experienced traveler.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2