Destination: Mexico
Mexico City Transit Goes Grope-Free
by Julia Ross | 01.24.08 | 11:41 AM ET
I feel for the women of Mexico City. Like their long-suffering sisters in Tokyo, they daily run a gauntlet of gropes and grabs while commuting on jam-packed buses and subway cars. Now the city has given them some breathing room, at least. According to Reuters, a new women-only bus service got under way this week, turning men away at the door. The city plans to expand the service to 15 routes by April.
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Yahoo! BuzzDengue Fever, Revisited
by Jim Benning | 01.16.08 | 10:56 AM ET
The Los Angeles Times revisits the rise of dengue fever in Mexico and beyond, casting travel as a primary culprit in its spread: “Thus far, cases of dengue fever in North America have tended to be scattered and affect relatively few people. But increased travel to and from South America, where a resurgence has made dengue widespread, is thought to be boosting the disease’s spread northward. And some experts suspect climate change is aggravating the problem.” Meanwhile, Dengue Fever—the band—continues its ascent, spreading infectious “Cambodian pop rock psychedelic dance party” music throughout the globe.
Chilangos on Ice in Mexico City
by Jim Benning | 12.20.07 | 12:52 PM ET
Mexico City’s residents—Chilangos, as they’re often called—are enjoying free ice skating in the city’s central plaza these days. The Los Angeles Times has a nice little video report.
Dear Mexican, Why the Yellow Cheese on Tex-Mex Food?
by Jim Benning | 12.10.07 | 11:47 AM ET
Anyone who’s traveled much in Mexico knows you just don’t see much yellow cheese on authentic Mexican food. You’re far more likely to encounter a lighter white cheese. So why are so many Tex-Mex and California-Mex dishes north of the border—heck, throughout the world—smothered in yellow cheese? Gustavo Arellano, who writes the terrific Ask a Mexican column, explains.
Related on World Hum:
* All Hail ‘The Burrito King of Argentina’
* ‘On the Road’ Sites, Including a Mexico City Sanborns, Then and Now
* Eating Fajitas in France
Related on TravelChannel.com:
* Anthony Bourdain: Highlights From Mexico
Photo by HeatherW via Flickr, (Creative Commons).
All Hail ‘The Burrito King of Argentina’
by Jim Benning | 12.03.07 | 10:43 AM ET
In our ongoing quest to chronicle the spread of Mexican food —Tex-Mex, Cal-Mex, you name it—around the globe, we note the rise of the humble burrito in Buenos Aires. At The California Burrito Company, which was co-founded by a 24-year-old expat from California, eating instructions are posted on the wall: “Pull back the foil wrap as you consume the burrito.” There’s even talk of expanding to Montevideo.
Photo by rick via Flickr, (Creative Commons).
Are Robberies and Carjackings of Surfers on the Rise in Baja?
by Jim Benning | 11.15.07 | 5:43 PM ET
It’s hard to say because some crimes go unreported, but it’s clear there’s cause for serious concern. We recently wrote about a surf trip that went horribly wrong when three veteran surfers and Baja travelers were robbed and carjacked just off the road in northern Baja. Now, the San Diego Union-Tribune is reporting that about six robberies and carjackings of surfers have occurred in Baja since June, according to “unconfirmed tallies reported via the Internet.” Among them was an attack at Cuatro Casas, a popular surfing and camping beach 200 miles south of the border.
Top 10 Foreign Cities for Americans to Get Arrested
by Jim Benning | 11.12.07 | 12:07 PM ET
Photo by DavidDennis via Flickr, (Creative Commons).
Where do Americans go to cut loose, have a good time and, oh, break a few foreign laws? Or, put another way, what foreign cities boast the most number of Americans taken into custody in 2006? Tijuana tops the list, with a whopping 520 Americans detained last year. Not surprisingly, many of them were young and drunk, according to Sunday’s San Francisco Chronicle, which published the list. Guadalajara ranked second with 416 arrests, and Nuevo Laredo ranked third, with 359. London and Mexico City followed, ranking fourth and fifth respectively. Only one Asian city made the list: Hong Kong ranked 10th, with 90 arrests.
Happy Day of the Dead
by Jim Benning | 11.01.07 | 12:18 PM ET
Cancun to Times Square: How to Spot a Tourist Trap
by Julia Ross | 10.23.07 | 3:00 PM ET
How do you know a tourist trap when you see one? Aside from the double-decker buses and fanny packs, I’m usually alerted by a feeling I get: an overwhelming desire to flee mixed with befuddlement. The first time I visited San Francisco’s Fisherman’s Wharf, I remember thinking: I don’t get it. Choosing the world’s top tourist traps is sure to elicit heated debate, but ForbesTraveler.com has weighed in with its own list, nicely illustrated with a slide show and story offering tips for alternative experiences. Skip Times Square in favor of Central Park’s Strawberry Fields, writer Chris Colin recommends, or try the Valley of the Kings instead of the Pyramids at Giza.
Bill Bryson Reveals the Value of a Good Travel Guide
by Michael Yessis | 10.16.07 | 1:31 PM ET
Yeah, I’m talking about the same Bill Bryson who famously took to the Appalachian Trail accompanied by his college friend, the “big soft flabby baby” Stephen Katz. Bryson admits in the first line of this piece in the Guardian that “Anyone who has read my books will know that I don’t tend to use guides when I am travelling.” Yet he was asked to help judge the Paul Morrison/Wanderlust Guide Awards, and the experience caused him to reflect on times he did use a guide and how important guides can be to a travel experience.
Women’s Travel E-Mail Roundtable, Part Twelve: Hitting the Road
by Catherine Watson | 10.12.07 | 11:29 AM ET
All this week, four accomplished travelers -- Stephanie Elizondo Griest, Liz Sinclair, Terry Ward and Catherine Watson -- talk about the rewards and perils of hitting the road alone as a woman.
Women’s Travel E-Mail Roundtable, Part Six: Wanna See My AK-47?
by Stephanie Elizondo Griest | 10.10.07 | 7:09 AM ET
All this week, four accomplished travelers -- Stephanie Elizondo Griest, Liz Sinclair, Terry Ward and Catherine Watson -- talk about the rewards and perils of hitting the road alone as a woman.
Interview with George Saunders: Loose in the Real World
by Frank Bures | 09.28.07 | 1:03 PM ET
Frank Bures talks with the author about Dubai, Nepal's Buddha Boy and what he learned about travel from a mob of rock-hauling, 70-year-old women in Singapore
Mexican Rockers Maná Make Los Angeles Arena History
by Jim Benning | 09.20.07 | 8:19 AM ET
Searching for ‘Hermano del Sol’ in San Cristobal de las Casas, Mexico
by Terry Ward | 09.17.07 | 10:36 AM ET
Any travel story that starts with a teaser like this one is worth curling up with a coffee for: “Really, there is plenty to do in San Cristobal de las Casas, Mexico, without going on a quest to find a middle-aged Mexican hippie who makes bongos.” But I enjoyed reading Ben Brazil’s Washington Post story about his experience in the mountainous Chiapas town for other reasons, too.