Destination: Mexico
Will Arizona’s Immigration Law Lead to a Travel Boycott?
by Jim Benning | 04.27.10 | 11:52 AM ET
It’s starting to. Some groups are already canceling meetings there. San Francisco supervisors are expected to vote today on a resolution that would go well beyond travel and cancel all contracts with companies based in Arizona.
And in a man-bites-dog kind of twist, Mexico has issued an alert for Arizona, warning that “any Mexican citizen could be bothered and questioned for no other reason at any moment.”
Taco Bell to Indians: ‘Visit Mexico for 18 Rupees’
by Jim Benning | 04.21.10 | 2:59 PM ET
Yes, Taco Bell is invading India, offering such classic Mexican delicacies as “Potato & Paneer Burrito.”
The offerings, with an Indian twist designed to appeal to local tastes and vegetarian diets, sound genuinely intriguing in an Indian-Mex-fusion kinda way.
World Travel Watch: Drug Violence in Acapulco, iPad Ban in Israel and More
by Larry Habegger | 04.21.10 | 12:40 PM ET
Larry Habegger rounds up global travel news
What Does a Travel Warning Look Like in Tijuana?
by Jim Benning | 04.20.10 | 1:19 PM ET
Something like this, snapped with my camera phone over the weekend.
I went there for lunch and took a stroll down Revolution Avenue, the main tourist thoroughfare lined with bars and curio shops. A few years ago, the street would have been hopping with gringos out for an afternoon of margarita drinking, taco downing and sombrero buying. Not these days, and especially after the latest travel warning issued earlier this month.
A number of shops and restaurants were closed. The sidewalks, at least on some blocks, were nearly empty.
I’ve been going down to Tijuana for years. The drug-related violence has been taking a toll on the tourism business for a long time. But this was, by far, the emptiest I’d ever seen Revolution Avenue. Strangest of all, I didn’t see another gringo on the street during my visit. I was less than a mile from the U.S. border but in some ways felt as though I could have been in central Mexico.
One shopkeeper told me he sees more European visitors than American these days. (Now that I think about it, I saw more German travelers than American when I visited the southern Mexican state of Chiapas several years ago.)
Revolution Avenue wasn’t entirely empty. There were people out having drinks and lunch in bars and restaurants, and some of them appeared to be having a good time. They just weren’t white Americans.
This street designed to appeal to gringos is now, it appears, catering almost exclusively to Mexicans.
Photo You Must See: Diving at the Underwater Museum
by World Hum | 04.02.10 | 11:58 AM ET
Divers swim near Jason de Caires Taylor's "The Man on Fire," one of several sculptures immersed in the water off Cancun
Bill Maher on Mexico: ‘Closed Until Further Notice’
by Jim Benning | 03.25.10 | 4:43 PM ET
Bill Maher’s “new rule” about Mexico cracked me up—even if I don’t believe travelers should avoid all of Mexico.
Tijuana Embraces its Touristy ‘Zonkeys’
by Jim Benning | 03.25.10 | 10:39 AM ET
Behold the zonkey. This poor donkey and others like it, painted with stripes to resemble zebras, have been a kitschy mainstay on Tijuana’s Avenida Revolución for years. Before drug-related crime frightened most tourists away—visits from the U.S. have dropped off 80 percent since 2001—many would pay a few bucks to don sombreros and pose for photos with the animals. It’s a ridiculous tradition that somehow endures.
And now, a new Tijuana basketball team playing in a regional Mexican league has embraced the painted zebras, calling themselves the Tijuana Zonkeys. They have striped jerseys and, yes, even cheering “Zonkeys girls.”
The team’s president told the San Diego Union-Tribune: “It’s a crazy, cartoonish figure, and in a way, that’s what the city’s all about. It’s a crazy, cartoonish city where everything is possible.”
He’s right about that.
Go Zonkeys.
Photo You Must See: Hot Air Balloons Over Teotihuacan
by World Hum | 03.24.10 | 12:27 PM ET
Hot air balloons float past the pyramids of Teotihuacan outside Mexico City as part of a Spring equinox festival.
World Travel Watch: Dengue Fever in Brazil, Strikes Across Europe and More
by Larry Habegger | 02.24.10 | 11:16 AM ET
Larry Habegger rounds up global travel news
San Miguel de Allende: ‘The Loser Now Will be Later to Win’
by Peter Ferry | 02.19.10 | 10:34 AM ET
Peter Ferry celebrates a beloved Mexican city where you might not get all the avocados you want
Five Photos: The Painted Walls of San Miguel de Allende, Mexico
by World Hum | 02.19.10 | 10:23 AM ET
The historic Mexican city -- a haven for artists, writers and expats -- is as colorful as they come
World Travel Watch: Strikes in Belgium and Greece, Bombing in India and More
by Larry Habegger | 02.17.10 | 11:38 AM ET
Larry Habegger rounds up global travel news
King of the Road: Five Great Elvis Travel Movies
by Eva Holland, Eli Ellison | 01.08.10 | 12:07 PM ET
Eva Holland and Eli Ellison go traveling with The King on his 75th birthday.
World Travel Watch: Safari Robbers in Tanzania, the ‘Real IRA’ in Belfast and More
by Larry Habegger | 12.09.09 | 9:33 PM ET
Larry Habegger rounds up global travel news
World Travel Watch: Kidnapping in Mauritania, Border Hassles in Mexico and More
by Larry Habegger | 12.03.09 | 11:35 AM ET
Larry Habegger rounds up global travel news