Wanderlust World Wanderlust World When most people think about Mexico, they start dreaming of the long stretches of beaches and the famous resort towns of Puerto Vallarta, Cancun, Mazatlan, Cabo San Lucas and Playa Carmen. But there are a world of options for travelers in this big country. There are the fishing and snorkeling opportunities on the Baja peninsula. There are the city markets filled with fresh produce and handicrafts in almost every village. For those who prefer Vuitton to vegetables, there are the Condesa and Polanco neighborhoods of Mexico City, filled with stand-alone boutiques and malls. Culture vultures love the archaeological sites on the Yucatan Peninsula, Chiapas and Oaxaca, among other places. The colonial cities of Guanajuato and San Miguel del Allende offer the romantic Mexico of postcards, with bougainvillea spilling over stone walls, twisting cobblestone streets and a bohemian vibe. The small beach towns of Zihuatanejo, Puerto Angel and Puerto Escondido are the polar opposite of the mega-resorts, with some beaches that are nearly deserted in the low season.
Things to do in Mexico often center around food. Every beach town has its seafood specialty, featuring a fresh catch of the day. Northern Mexico has the burritos with which many Americans are familiar. Tamales, sweet corn cakes with fillings, are popular. Agua fresca, made from fresh fruit, sugar and water comes in many only-in-Mexico flavors, such as jamaica (hibiscus flower) and tuna, a kind of cactus fruit. Cactus is also chopped up and scrambled with eggs. Salsas are sauces made with chili peppers ranging from mild to wild. Tortillas come in many incarnations, from hand-patted white corn to giant white flour.
At any time of the year, somewhere someone is throwing a party, and you are invited. High season on the beaches hits in spring and lasts through summer, heating up again for December and January. Guanajuato hosts October's Festival Cervantino celebration of the arts while Veracruz puts on its spicy version of Carnival. Oaxaca presents the Gueleguetza performance of indigenous dance every August and its unique Night of the Radishes exhibit of carved radishes on Christmas Eve. Villages throughout Mexico shut down the streets and put on a public party with fireworks and food stalls when their saint days arrive. October and November bring Day of the Dead while December is about posada processionals.
Consider planning a longer stay that allows you time to visit a locale's surrounding villages and cities. Most tourist hot spots offer a plethora of organized tours that might encompass seeing nearby natural wonders and wildlife or hitting some archaeological ruins. If you speak even a cursory amount of Spanish you will benefit greatly for the insider information a tour operator can offer, though many tour operators in Cancun, Guadalajara and other heavily-touristed cities speak English. Public transportation, either by bus or collective taxi, is another cheap and convenient way of seeing the more out-of-the-way spots Mexico has to offer. First class buses, used for long-distance trips, are plush affairs, with airplane-style upholstered seats, air conditioning and, on the deluxe models, stewardess service.
Many tourists have heard that they should not drink the water in Mexico. Some fancier beach resort spots have internal purification systems but, for the most part, people buy bottled water. Bottled water is affordable and plentiful, available at supermarkets, corner stores and even by truck to people's doorsteps. Other precautionary measures include examining street stalls for cleanliness and freshness of the food and avoiding raw, unpeeled fruits and vegetables unless a restaurant notes that they have been purified.