David writes: Hello Felisa Churpa Rosa Rogers, At the People’s Guide website I found your name with the invitation to share Mexico stories et cetera. I mainly just wanted to thank Carl Franz and his companions for opening up a world to which I probably would never have had to courage to visit without first getting familiar with The People’s Guide to Mexico. In Dec. 1974, I was in Ocean Beach San Diego CA and stumbled into a bookstore where […]
A reader writes: I am trying to locate air transportation between Manzanillo & Zihuatanejo. Your book indicates there are links which I am unable to find on your website. –V editor responds: Hi V. Thanks for buying the book and my apologies for the missing link. Aeromexico offers flights between Manzanillo and Ixtapa/Zihuatanejo.
1. Get off the beaten path. Even if you plan on spending your entire vacation in a tourist hot spot like Puerto Vallarta or Mazatlan, it’s easy enough to step off the tourist trail and experience authentic Mexico. Ask a cab driver to take you to his favorite taqueria, or just keep walking until Señor Frog recedes into the distance. 2. Pack a few nicer items of clothing. Mexico is a dressy country. When you’re invited to a fiesta or […]
editor’s note: I’m happy to announce a new addition to our team, New Orleans-based writer and traveler extraordinaire, Holly Devon. Initially plan your trip around which places you’d like to go, rather than what is realistic given your financial constraints. Only start budget planning once you’ve arrived in South America, and necessity will quickly mother invention. Forgo youth hostels whenever possible, and try instead to find a local willing to put you up. The friend of a friend is your […]
Was just lurking over at Tony Burton’s always excellent Geo-Mexico, where I found two interesting pieces of Mexico City News: The Big Enchilada is annexing 5500 hectares of land to expand Benito Juárez International Airport, which is operating at near capacity. The giant spider-shaped addition will be designed by Fernando Romero, a son-in-law of Carlos Slim. Peña Nieto says the new six runway airport will cost about $9.16 billion and Forbes predicts one of Slim’s companies will get the contract […]
Hail Mexico, full of grace. Even though I’ve spent many years in this country, all told, I’m still in awe of the Mexico’s grace: the magic of small moments, the smile that redeems a weary journey; the stroke of strange luck that saves the day. Take today, for instance. I am homeward bound to Oregon, leaving the beach, leaving Mexico, which always makes me heartsick. We arrived in Melaque this morning to discover that (for some odd and no doubt […]
I found myself alone around noon on a 1st class bus just north of Mazatlan. I watched with curiosity as the “ayudante,” the driver’s helper, worked his way back to my seat midway down the length of the vehicle. “¿You speak Spanish?” I replied to the affirmative. “¿Do you like pollo al carbon estilo Sinaloense?” Yes of course I love charcoal grilled chicken. Why the questions, I wondered? “Si!” Me gusta pollo al carbon estilo Sinaloense.” Without another word the […]
A reader writes: Hola! We are doing a West Coast RV trip with our rambunctious 8-month-old kitten in January. Would he be allowed on the Copper Canyon train if in a carry kennel? Can he ride on first class buses? Churpa replies: I have never tried to take a cat on a Mexican bus (though, to be fair, it sounds like something I might attempt). I hear it’s possible to take a pet on the Primera Plus line, but the […]
After reading Mayan Backroads, and John Doran’s recommended books, I was inspired to go back into The People’s Guide to Mexico’s original website and update some of the books that Carl and others had reviewed there. For these and other books and articles about the Maya, see The Maya: Recommended Reading While poking around amazon.com, I also found some interesting books that I hadn’t seen before, such as The True history of Chocolate and Maya Achi Marimba Music In Guatemala. If you have read […]
Hello Carl and Lorena; Your book (The People’s Guide to Mexico) helped me on my very first trip through Mexico almost 30 years ago as a very naive young man. Later, I passed it amongst my family and friends who read it like a novel (and all enjoyed it thoroughly). I still have that original copy in surprisingly good condition. My cousin had it for eight months and didn’t want tot return it to me. In the end her sense of justice […]