Mexico: Swine Flu Fears

Outbreak in Mexico sets off pandemic in cyberspace impacts travel to Mexico

Associated Press headline: "Mexico swine flu deaths spur global epidemic fears." About one thousand cases (and 81 deaths) in Mexico, mostly in Mexico City, the capital, "where authorities closed schools, museums, libraries and theaters in the capital on Friday to try to contain an outbreak that has spurred concerns of a global flu epidemic.The worrisome new virus — which combines genetic material from pigs, birds and humans in a way researchers have not seen before." Eight cases, more or less (but no deaths), in California and Texas.

• People photographed wearing face masks.
• Caution to "avoid hospitals" in Mexico City, since they are breeding grounds for contagions. Caution against handshaking or cheek-to-cheek kissing as a greeting.
• Pasesengers at Mexico City's international airport questioned to try to prevent passengers with flu symptoms from boarding airplanes and spreading the disease.
• Concern at the World Health Organization, which is "convening an expert panel to consider whether to raise the pandemic alert level or issue travel advisories. It might already be too late to contain the outbreak, a prominent U.S. pandemic flu expert said late Friday. Given how quickly flu can spread around the globe, if these are the first signs of a pandemic, then there are probably cases incubating around the world already, said Dr. Michael Osterholm at the University of Minnesota," according the AP report.

For travelers, where's the line between reasonable precautions and unreasonable fear? Everyone has to make his or her own decision, but for my part, I can think of a lot of reasons to avoid the congested and confusing airport in Mexico City if at all possible. I traveled to China in 2003, not long after SARS hit there. And, I attended the Society of American Travel Writers convention in Houston last October, where many of my colleagues came down with similar symptoms (mostly fever, vomiting and diarrhea). I didn't contract SARS in China in '03 or turista in Texas in '08, so I'm probably no yardstick.

Travel to Mexico has already been slammed by the recesssion and by reports of drug-related violence in border cities, far from tourist destinations. Now this. Bottom line, again, is that each traveler has to assess the decision, but there are great values to be had. And, for what it's worth, the American Medical & Health Tourism Conference is going on right now in Monterrey, according to a report on the Mexico Vacation Travels blog site. Click here for the New York Times report on steps Mexico is taking to curtail the spread of swine flu.

Cancun Tourism in Trouble

Hard times at popular Mexican travel destination

Mexican tourism has taken well-documented hit after hit in the last couple of years (drug gang violence, weather, swine flu, global economic woes, you name it), and now, Cancun in particular has been slammed by malfeasance on the part of local officials. As Mexico City-based Jimm Budd reported under the headline "Cancun Broke":

"Cancun – officially the Benito Juárez municipality – is technically bankrupt according to the governor on Quintana Roo, the state where Cancun is located. It seems the city treasurer, Carlos Trigo, has vanished and taken the treasury with him. His boss, Gregory Sanchez, resigned a few weeks ago in order to run for governor. Since then, Sanchez has been arrested and now is in prison awaiting trial on charges he was working with narcotics smugglers.

"Nor is Cancun doing well as a travel destination. The airport reports that the number of passengers served thus far this year is still nearly ten percent below the 2008 figure. Number for last year were so dismal as not to be considered."

Aeromexico Returns to Loreto

Travel to Baja to become easier again


Travel interests have in Baja California Sur have evidently provided enough guarantees to persuade Aeromexico to reinstate service to Loreto starting July 2 with expected daily jet service from San Diego and Mexico City. More than 30 years ago, Loreto was one of five destinations selected for major development by the Mexican government, which funds the basic infrastructure to lure private investors. Then, the anticipated development was straight tourism, but now residential communities for retiring baby boomers are also a big Loreto. A year ago, five carriers served Loreto, but with the economic meltdown, only Alaska Airlines remains with four flights a week. The restored Aeromexico service will make this pleasant, low-key part of Baja more accessible for visitors too.

Thoughts About Travel Safety

Well-traveled American septuagenarian traveled to Iraq without incident

When I was heading for Egypt a few months ago, a number of people asked whether I was "afraid" or "nervous" about visiting the Middle East. My response was, "No." After I returned, people were happy that I had a "safe" trip. Several weeks later, when an explosion in Cairo rocked a popular tourist area, the questions and expressions of relief that my trip was uneventful continued. Click here for my post after I heard about the blast.

I would still return to Egypt in a heartbeat, and I am encouraged when other people aren't scared into staying home. Therefore, I was cheered to read "Travelers, Your Tour Bus for Basra is Boarding" in today's New York Times. Reporter Campbell Robertson wrote about 79-year-old Mary Rawlins Gilbert from Menlo Park California, who joined a 17-day group tour of Iraq by "mostly middle-aged and older, that has the honor of being on the first officially sanctioned tour of Westerners in Iraq since 2003 (outside of the much safer enclave of Kurdistan). The guide is Geoff Hann, 70, the owner of Hinterland Travel, a 'specialist adventure travel company' based in England." Hann is also the co-author of a guidebook called Iraq Then and Now and is presumably very knowledgeable and realistic about travel to this country. (Ignore that "Click to Look Inside," which came with the upload from amazon.com. You'll have to find the book there to preview it online.)

Robertson's report continued, "The trip has not been nearly as perilous as most expected. On Friday night — six years after the American invasion began — a white-haired British man and woman bought big bottles of cold Heineken in central Baghdad, walking home in the dark. The Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities, which helped arrange the tour, had provided armed guards for the trip, but Mr. Hann said they were too restrictive. So the group had driven around, in a minibus, with little or no security."

It seems as if Iraq might be taking a page from Egypt's tourism playbook by linking tourism and antiquities under one jurisdiction. Egypt's Tourism and Antiquities Police also guard the ancient sites and assigned an armed security officer to accompany every tourist bus. At many destinations, they were joined by a uniformed local police officer or two (right), and plainclothes security personnel seem to be everywhere too. I don't know whether this show of force is meant as reassurance to nervous travelers, as a deterrent or both, but I never felt a pang about being there.

Meanwhile, US and European shopping malls, convenience stores and even schools and universities have been the sites of all too many random, murderous rampages. Drug cartel violence has hit Mexican border towns hard, but Mexicans and not visitors have suffered, and the problems have not spread to popular tourist destinations or states to the south. Yet many people tend to be more fearful of violence in other countries, especially in the Middle East and now Mexico, than of our own shores.

Riviera Maya Puts Tourist Promotion into Overdrive

Fancy new hotels, upgraded old towns, eco-experiences, new attractions and Tulum lure visitors

A few weeks ago, representatives of tourism industry came to Colorado with updates about the Riviera Maya, the Yucatan Peninsula's sun-kissed coastline Caribbean coastline. South of Cancun and all of its high-rise razzmatazz stretched along a 14-mile-long Tourist Zone, visitors to the Riviera Maya nevertheless benefit from the proximity (11 miles to the north end of the Riviera Maya) to a good-size international airport. It is anticipating building its own airport within a few years, but from my standpoint, why cut down ancient jungle and foul up the place with airplane noise, fumes and traffic when a perfectly good airport is not all that far -- except that Cancun and the Riviera Maya are in different states, and politics is doubtless involved.

The infrastructure of the 81-mile Riviera Maya has been greatly upgraded since I was last there nearly 20 years ago. My husband and I had been scuba diving on Cozumel, just offshore. Since we weren't able to dive within 24 hours before flying home, we boarded a hydrofoil to a dusty town called Playa del Carmen, wandered up the main street and hopped on the first Tulum-bound bus. A rattly old school bus drove the two-lane road with a lot of jungle views and dropped us off along the highway, perhaps a quarter of a mile from the entrance to these magnificent ocean-view ruins. The bus fare was about $1.35. We explored the ruins at our own pace, consulting our guidebook and occasionally eavesdropping on an English-speaking guide. Then, we wandered back to the main road, boarded the next Playa del Carmen-bound bus (another $1.35 fare), just missed one hydrofoil and had a couple of drinks and a some dockside nibbles before returnbing to Cozumel on the next one.

Tulum photo by Bruno Girin from Creative Commons

That was then and this is now: 362 hotels with a total of 37,300 hotel rooms available in different categories from small and charming hotels along the shore to modern "integrated tourism complexes made up of luxurious five star hotels, marinas and golf courses," in the tourist-speak now practiced in this enchanted, enchanting part of Mexico. I think there's even a four-lane highway. Now, luxury hotels, including all-inclusive properties, have sprung up on the Riviera Maya -- mercifully lower-rise and with less density than other coastal resorts. If you want swimming pools, palapas, fine dining and a family-friendly resort environment, the Riviera Maya has those in abundance.

There are also tourist developments that appear to be enlightened and enlightening. Xel-Ha is described as "open-sea aquarium offer[ing] a myriad of land and water activities, ecological attractions, world-class restaurants and countless more unimaginable experiences." I'm intrigued by the concept of a responsible attraction that protects wildlife, marinelife, birdlife and habitat while offering the kinds of safe experiences that many travelers, especially families, seek today. Another attraction that appears to combine gentle adventure, visitor education and resource protection is Xplor, which provides an opportunity to swim through a stalctatie river, hand-paddle an undrground raft and ride a zipline above the trees and water, all of which seem designed to protect the natural resources. The two-seat amphibious vehicles that "conquer all terrains between jungle, water, rocks and grottos" -- maybe not so much.

If you prefer a vibrant town with a lots of  amenities aimed at visitors, Plaza del Carmen is such a place. No longer a laid-back Mexican town, it has been developed a good culinary presence and an interesting art and music scene. It also has an abundance of tourist shops, tourist-trap bars, gringo-ized restaurants and even a WalMart. I wouldn't go back for those, but I would for the arts, the festivals and the chance for some of the nearby eco-opportunities, including cenote snorkeling or diving  -- and of course, to revisit the ruins at Tulum.

Clearly, presentations, like that given by the Riviera Maya representatives make everything look great, even facilities not normally of interest. What impressed me about this one was the range of accommodations now available, from backpacker-friendly to five-star luxury, presenting something for every type of Mexico-bound traveler. And from what I'm hearing, prices for the rest of 2010 (until Christmas) are rockbottom low, even at top properties. Summer is a season of high heat and low prices, but consider a deal at a complete resort with a great beach, a large pool and air conditioning, where the heat won't bother you.

Head to Playa del Carmen on Thursday evening, when it's cooler, for a weekly cultural and street festival starting at 8:00. 5ta. Avenida in Playa del Carmen, the main street, features painting , sculpture, dance, poetry, theatre, photography, performance art and video. Come fall, festival season kicks up again.

Get Connected at Puerto Vallarta Resort

Luxury boutique hotel helps guests connect the 21st-century way

A lot of people are intending to get savvy or savvier about social media -- Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, etc. -- but never get around to it. Casa Velas near Puerto Vallarta, Mexico now helps guests get a handle on 21st-century communications at with three free social media workshops a week. It's the newest inclusion at this all-inclusive, adults-only, AAA Four Diamond Casa Velas Hotel Boutique (not Boutique Hotel, but Hotel Boutique). The Monday, Wednesday and Friday workshops take only an hour, enough for such basics as creating a Facebook profile, adding friends, uploading photos and utilizing “Like” pages; getting on Twitter, following and Tweeting; and also creating videos and uploading them to YouTube.

Pierre Bonin, Casa Velas managing director believes his property to be Mexico's first to offer social media workshops, free at that. Of course, the property benefits when has introduced guests share their vacation experiences, photos and videos with family and friends, but Casa Velas’ social media program was also requested. Velas Resorts surveyed 300 guests in Puerto Vallarta, Riviera Nayarit and the Rivera Maya. Seventy percent of respondents, aged 18 to 64, expressed serious interest in social media. The majority wanted to share vacation photos, videos and trip experiences with friends and family on Facebook. The plan is to add such workshops to other Velas Resorts.

I've never been to Puerto Vallarta in general let alone to the Casa Velas in particular, but the resort looks appealing. It is a member of The Leading Small Hotels of the World and appears to be a hideaway rather than a high-action place. It is closer to Puerto Vallarta Airport (five minutes) than to P.V's popular downtown area (15 minutes), filled with, art galleries, shops, restaurants, nightspots and seaside malecon. The hotel has 80 suites (some with private pools and Jacuzzis), large pool, richly landscaped grounds, golf privileges at a couple of nearby courses, a small spa and Emiliano, an a la carte fine-dining restaurant serving Mexican and international cuisine.

From now through December 23, rates start at $240 per person per night, based on double occupancy, including dining at Emiliano, private beach club, premium international liquor brands, 24-hour in-suite service, in-suite minibar, private roundtrip airport transportation and all taxes and gratuities. I don't know where rates that "start at" $240 PP/DO might end. I'm not pretending that $480 per day for a couple is a cheap vacation, but it certainly seems to present a good value for those who want a luxury getaway. And have you priced the hourly rate of an Internet tutor? Reservations, 866-529-8813. RCI members, RCI Members, 800-835-2778.

Arizona Travel Boycott Gains Momentum

Associations and municipalities pull meetings in Arizona; some individuals simply won't go

Municipal employees in Boulder, a very liberal place that has been described as a city with its own foreign policy, will not be traveling to Arizona on city business in the wake of stringent regulations seeking to identify and detain illegal immigrants. Specifically, it is now a state crime to be in Arizona illegally and requires police and other law-enforcement agents to check documents of people they "reasonably" suspect to be illegal. Those opposed to this law, which requires local law enforcement agencies essentially to act as an adjunct of the federal government and stop individuals with or without additional cause (like a traffic violation), with a demand to produce papers has all the signs of racial profiling.  Mexican citizens have been cautioned against visiting Arizona, and a number groups have begun pulling meetings out of the state.

Arizona has suffered self-inflicted tourism wounds before. It reportedly lost some 170 conventions and the Super Bowl in the early 1990s from boycotts because it refused to approve the Martin Luther King Jr. Birthday holiday. Overlapping that boycott was one against Colorado, after state voters approved a confusing, anti-gay constitutional amendment that was never put into effect but that earned it the nickname, "The Hate State." It seems as if Arizona is poised to take that mantle, with social media calls to avoid Arizona going viral. The Arizona hotel industry trade organization has launched its own defense Facebook page.

In addition to the Boulder City Council vote to boycott Arizona, Boston, San Francisco and Oakland have done so. An immigration lawyers convention has pulled out of Scottsdale, ABC reported that the law, if not repealed, could cost Phoenix the 2011 All-Star Game. The 2009 All-Star Game brought on the order of $60 million. It is estimated that up to 40 percent of Major League Baseball players at all levels (including Minor League and farm organizations) are Latino. Some interviewed on camera say the law does not disturb them, but some of them might well come from countries with random police stops and a requirement to carry a nation identity card.

While some entities and individuals are avoiding Arizona while this law is on the books, others predictably think it's a damn good thing, by God! A USA Today online  poll currently shows that two-thirds of the respondents clicked on "I'm more excited than ever to visit the state." The remaining third split their clicks among four other opinions.


Repressive policy. Support from some. Anger from others. Backlash and reverse-backlash. Defensive actions. Posturing politicians. Innocent people (low-wage hospitality workers in particular) caught in the cross-fire. Business as usual.

The Sound of Silence in Mexico's Copper Canyon

Riding a railroad to a stunning, quiet place

Most Mexican cities and towns are noisy places, filled with traffic, voices, music and miscellaneous sounds. The Barranca del Cobre, which in English we call the Copper Canyon, is one of the quietest places I have ever been. It is actually not one canyon but a labyrinth of seven enormous canyons that could swallow our Grand Canyon several times over. Other than the two times a day when the train (below) rumbles through the clefted upland called the Sierra Tarahumara, nature's sounds prevail: wind whipping through the trees, rain splashing on rocks and roofs, rain water coursing down hillsides, insistent roosters crowing from dawn to dusk.

Below is the view from the terrace of my room at the Posada de Barrancas.

Tarahumara women make and sell exquisite baskets crafted from pine needles, reeds and other natural materials. These quiet, shy people do not hustle or pester -- nor do they invite bargaining or other aggressive shopping.

Simple homes are perched on ledges or in valleys with some elbow room. Below, a washline with a wondrous view.

Tarahumara women wear bright clothes and keep babies on their backs.

Older children look after younger ones.

Simple, ancient churches established by Spanish missionaries are still used, with celebrations combining Christian and timeless Tarahumara symbolism. Below is San Alonzo de Arareko.

The Tarahumara walk up and down steep canyon paths and through widely scattered settlements.

The mother below set out her baskets near a roadside pull-out overlooking a reservoir called Arareko Lake.

Dawn and dusk create equally gorgeous light shows as the sun peaks over or dips toward the canyon rim.

Indigenous Dances -- And Adaptations

Traditions preserved -- for tourists?

Indigenous villages in tourist areas, like El Fuerte where Mexico's famous Copper Canyon train leaves from, often find ways to preserve some of their traditions (usually dance, music, food preparation) by demonstrating them for visitors.

Such is the village of Camposa, where a local tour operator called Turismo Fuerte, has arranged for a family to open their rustic home to visitors. Emilia makes tortillas the old way. Jose-Luis dances. I am time-crunched and will have no Internet access for several days, so blow are a two photo of a traditional dance representing a deer being hunted. First, Jose-Luis Martinez performis in the village. Then, a dance student does the same dance in town.

If you can tell from the only images I managed to take under conditions too challenging for my my small digital cameras Note the differences in costume details. Jose-Luis is holding a real deer head in his teeth near the end of the dance. The costumed dancer never does that. And the deer head he is wearing is elaborately decorated.

Tequila Train Might Expand Operating Days

Popular weekend excursion train from Guadalajara considering adding more days

I rarely write news by conjecture, but I am so happy to report something upbeat from Mexico that I have to pass on news that the Tequila Express, which currently operates on weekend and which I wrote about here, might add a couple of days each week and continue its route all the way to the town of Tequila itself. Here's what my colleague and Mexico tourism watcher Jimm Budd reported today:

"Negotiations are underway to have the Tequila Express operate on Thursdays and Mondays as well as Friday, Saturdays and Sundays. And, if this were to come to pass, the train would actually go to Tequila (the town) for a visit to Cuervo Centro, the Tequila Cuervo visitor center.


"Currently the train goes to Amatitlán, where Herradura (Horseshoe) Tequila is distilled. The train is operated by the Guadalajara Chamber of Commerce, which hopes this way to keep visitors in Guadalajara one more night. The Tequila Express features all the tequila (or beer or soft drinks) a passenger can consume. Mariachis stroll through the cars. On arrival, there is a tour of the distillery followed by lunch, a show, and more free booze on the trip back."

State Department Warnings: What's in a Name?

Decoding US government warnings to international travelers from the US

Unrest and violence cause travelers -- especially Americans -- to reconsider international travel plans. Ten percent more Americans visited India in 2007 than in 2006, but with the recent terrorist attacks in Mombai (aka, Bombay) in which six Americans were among the 170 people killed, that number is likely to drop. Ditto travel to Greece, which welcomed 12 percent more international visitors in '07 than in '06 but has recently been plagued by riots in Athens, the capital, and concurrent strikes by workers at the Acropolis and other popular tourist sites.

Violence, of course, is volatile, and the US State Department doesn't always get it right. There were periods when visitors shunned London (Irish Republican Army attacks), central Europe (in the era of Germany's Bader-Meinhoff faction and other far-left terrorist groups) and parts of Spain (Basque separatist violence), as well as countries in Southeast Asia and Latin America when when wars, political unrest, assorted insurgencies and government policies made them unwelcoming. Consider that under Augusto Pinochet, Chile was not a desirable or safe tourist destination, now it is, while up north, not too many Americans visit Venezuela under Hugo Chavez or neighboring Colombia with its drug cartel-related violence. And US citizens have been forbidden or discouraged from visiting Cuba for nearly half-a-century, yet those who have visited report Cubans to be warm and welcoming -- and their visits to be incident-free.

The US State Department updates and issues travel advisories ranging from subtle warnings to outright recommendations to stay away from certain nations. When deciding on your risk-tolerance in light of these advisories, consider that the US government has also been telling air travelers in this country that the threat level is at "orange" just about since the color coding system was unveiled in 2002. That annoying Department of Homeland Security recording has played so incessantly since then that it has become just so much airport background noise -- and I don't think too many travelers pay much attention.

So it is with some skepticism that I share the State Department's definition of its country-specific evaluations for Americans contemplating travel abroad. These are updated on the department's website. Country-by-country evaluations are useful because they are not as simplistic as the "Department of Homeland Security's terror alert is orange" that we hear at airports.

• Travel Advisory - This is the general category of perceived threats that could affect Americans traveling to specific regions, countries or cities.
• Travel Alert - A threat that the State Department believes is of relatively short-term duration, including upcoming elections, hurricane or typhoon threat or other short-term situation.
• Travel Warning - Chronic violence, including such obvious destinations as Afghanistan and Iraq, where the situation so inflammatory and "potentially dangerous for Americans that we want them to know about that," Michelle Bernier-Toth, director of the Office of American Citizens Services and Crisis Management, recently told Gannett News Services. Well, duh!

Bernier-Toth also explained that assessing situations is a "very collaborative process between our embassy and consulate, between various bureaus and offices within the department. . . Sometimes we tell people to consider the risk of traveling, sometimes we say you should defer nonessential travel or all but essential travel and sometimes we just recommend you don't go. The best way to figure out what kind of danger you're facing is to read the specifics of the alert."

I am scheduled to visit Egypt with the Society of American Travel Writers in February, and have read the State Department's assessment, I'm willing to accept the risk

Looking in on Huatulco

Quick trip to resort towns in southern Mexico yields favorable impression

You know those "36 Hours in...." pieces that are published in the New York Times and in Hemispheres. I experienced "36 Hours in Huatulco" -- about the time I spent in this resort development in the State of Oaxaca. Two days and three nights provided a tantalizing taste, and I'd love to return.

Officially called the Bahias de Huatulco, it is actually a string of resort developments and beaches tucked into a series of nine bays along a 35-mile-long stretch of south-facing coastline between the southern end of the Sierra Madre Range and the Pacific Ocean. Rather than one long beach, there are 36 small ones, which means there is no shoulder-to-shoulder, Cancun-style row of high-rise hotels. In fact, there are no high-rise hotels at all, because regulations prohibit anything higher than five stories, and nothing is built on the ridgetops either. (Below, Tangolunda Bay with Camino Real in foreground and Quinta Real, with its twin Moroccan-style domes, in the background.) Recycling, water purification and aggressive sewage treatment also have contributed to Huatulco's certification in 2006 as a Green Globe Community. In fact, it became the organization's first recognized tourist destination in the Americas.

Fonatour, the Mexican government development and tourism promotion agency, also designed Huatulco as the greenest of the country's five new resort areas and also transferred 30,000 acres to another agency for preservation as a national park. There is not yet any infrastructure, but the dense jungle, coral reefs, bays and beaches within park boundaries are protected. Biologists and wildlife experts have document 413 plant species, 130 species and subspecies of mammals, 291 species or birds, 72 species of reptiles and 15 amphibian species, as well as fish and shellfish that live in the sea. It is an astonishing accomplishment for a country that has had, at best, a checkered environmental and ecological record.

Located between the Coyula and Copalita Rivers that cascade down from the Sierra Madre, Huatulco offers river rafting as well as such more expected activities as sea kayaking, snorkeling, scuba diving, surfing and golf. In the town of La Cruceita are a shady plaza, a church, small shops, restaurants, bars and small, budget hotels. The waterfront center of Santa Cruz is smaller with a second plaza, more shops and a cruise ship pier accommodating two vessels. The Boulevard Santa Cruz/Boulevard Benito Juarez parallels the coastline and connects Santa Cruz with the zone of larger beach hotels with swimming pools, restaurants, bars and other facilities (one of Las Brisas' several pools, below left; beach in front of Camino Real, right).

West of Huatulco is the small village of Ventanilla with its stunning, undeveloped beach fronting a mangrove-fringed lagoon (below left) and a small, palm-studded island (right) on which a crocodile preserve is situated. A boat ride through the mangroves is a magical experience, with dappled light, sounds of birds and the occasional glimpse of orange of a male iguana.

The beach at Ventanilla is one of several where sea-turtle eggs are removed from the sand to a protected enclosure until they hatch and make their way to the water. Close to the nearby beach community of Port Angel is the Centro Mexicano de la Tortuga, a research and rehabilitation center that studies both sea and land turtles. It is also something of a turtle zoo, where visitors can see many species on land and in tanks (below).

Mexicana Airlines flies Mexico City-Huatulco several times a day year-round. Continental has nonstop service from Houston on a seasonally changing schedule. Hotels range from in-town bargains with rooms for as little as $25 a night to super-luxury resorts with room rates starting at more than $200 nightly. Several properties are all inclusive, meaning that all meals, entertainment (below) and on-site activities are included.

After a 36-hour taste of Huatulco, I look forward to returning for a whole feast.

Mexico City Airport Connection Alert

Mexico City Airport - Avoid making connections here if you can. The airport is poorly signed and confusing, and with its vulnerability to fog/smog, flights can be delayed. Continental flies nonstop Houston-Huatulco, but only once or twice a week in the spring/fall shoulder seasons.

Note: For more details on specific connection issues at Mexico City's Benito Juarez Airport, see comments below. I will say that once a traveler has a concept of the layout (one very long terminal area with international gates at one end), it is easier than arriving clueless and depending on poor signage and misleading information. But I still believe that the first time around, it's good to have a little spare time.

Earthquake and Chilean Tourist Destinations

Reflections on Chile; broad-stroke news of current conditions

I created this blog in Santiago, Chile, during the 1996 Society of American Travel Writers convention there. The earliest posts are about the Santiago-Valparaiso area more or less in the center of this long skinny country, Puerto Natales and Torres del Paine National Park in Patagonia in the far south and fascinating Easter Island (Isla de Pascua in Spanish) 2,300 miles out in the Pacific Ocean. Natural disasters (and man-made ones too) are heart-wrenching to begin with, but learning of tragendies in places I have visited adds a special poignancy.

It was with a mixture of sadness and relief that I read the following Chile Turismo summary sent to me by Gina Morgan who handles public relations and marketing for the Remota Lodges in the country.

Desert – The north of Chile was not affected by the quake and has not reported any damage.

Easter Island – Easter Island, which lies 2,300 miles off the cost of mainland Chile, a 5.5 hour flight from Santiago, was not affected by the quake. Initial tsunami warnings have been lifted and all operations are normal.

Santiago and Central Region - Santiago’s airport suffered structural damage to the passenger terminal, however no damage was reported to the runways and the airport is expected to reopen later this week. Electricity and phone lines have been restored in Santiago and the city’s public transportation including its metro is fully operational. Valparaiso and Viña del Mar have also reported damage. The annual Viña del Mar International Music festival which was underway has been suspended.

Lakes and Volcanoes – The northern part of the Lakes and Volcanoes region, around the city of Concepcion and the Bio Bio River, was most affected by the quake. Authorities are still working on assessing the full damage. Basic essential services including water, electricity and telecommunications are gradually being restored. The southern part of the Lakes and Volcanoes region was not affected by the quake. Operations in popular tourist towns including Pucon, Puerto Varas and Puerto Montt are normal.

Patagonia – The far south of the country was not affected by the quake and has not reported any damage.

Chile is a country with a history of seismic activity. The country’s preparedness, including its strict anti-seismic building codes, the rapid emergency response from the government as well as the help from a number of organizations can be credited for managing the situation and help minimize the damage. The country’s tourism infrastructure has, overall, fared well, reporting little damage.

Author Wayne Bernhardson, who has written Moon Guidebooks about Chile and Argentina and therefore has good contacts down there, has posted some more detailed news here and here on his blog, Southern Cone Travel.

When I visited briefly in 2006, Valparaiso, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, still showed evidence of a catastrophic earthquake a century earlier. The quake that struck in August 1906 killed nearly 3,000 people, and many buildings still bore cracks and scars. The fatalities appear to be far fewer, but I cannot imagine how an even more powerful quake might have affected the colorful buildings of this beauitfully located and very historic harbor city. I also wonder about the vineyards and whether the vines will be adequately watered and the wineries whose cellars are stacked with barrels and bottles of wine. I wonder whether the ski lifts at Portillo and Valle Nevado were affected. And of course, I am concerned about the Chileans who lost their homes and their livelihoods, for whom the effect on tourism is of relatively minot concern. The world reached out to Haiti with aid. The casualty toll was higher, CNN was there 24/7 for weeks and the country far more impoverished to begin with. I wonder what the world has in its reserves for Chile.

Give the Chileans a bit of time to take care of basic infrastructure needs and get aire service back to normal, and then put this beautiful country on your to-visit list. It's late summer in the Southern Hemisphere now. Harvest season is coming. And ski season will follow. Donate to relief efforts if you can, plan on visiting -- or at least buy some Chilean produce and order some Chilean wine to help the economy.

Mexican Day of the Dead, Colorado-Style, Coming Up

Merry skeletons and plastic flowers contrast with Anglo Halloween

Right after Halloween with its spooky undertones and trick-or-treating comes El Diá de los Muertos, the Day of the Dead celebrated in Mexico, in Mexican-American communities and in parts of Central America. Actually, it is two days (November 1 and 2) and is the time when families celebrate "with" their deceased relatives by visiting cemeteries, straightening out graves, leaving bread and other favorite foods and beverages, replacing faded flowers (usually plastic, because fresh don't last) with new ones and keeping a companionable vigil that includes a merry picnic with their departed loved ones. It is a respectful day but one when happy memories are recalled.

Although the holiday is a melding of indigenous pre-Hispanic and Catholic traditions, the most distinctive iconography is of skeletons in everyday clothing and common settings. Decorating "sugar skulls" is part of the ritual. It is interesting that while Anglo Halloween traditions involve going out and getting stuff (i.e., candy) from other people, the Mexican tradition is to stay with the family, living or not, and give something to the deceased.

My husband and I fortunately happened to be in San Jose del Cabo during the Day of the Dead a few years ago, so of course, we visited the local cemetery. A display on the town plaza explained what the celebration was all about, and vendors of plastic stood set up at the cemetery gates. We walked through the graveyard, watching families perform and sensing that it was wonderful for families to remember the departed joyfully and respectfully.

I'll be right here, north of the border, for the rest of the week, but "Day of the Dead Changes, Grows" in today's Denver Post reminded me that we don't have travel from Colorado. "As it traveled north from its rural Mexican roots, the Day of the Dead has evolved from a simple Memorial Day-type family picnic to honor loved ones, into a lively public celebration of art and culture," wrote reporter Kristen Browning-Blas.

She also provided some background on the celebration and listed local places to see and get a taste of it. I think I'll try to get to the Longmont Museum & Cultural Center (right) and/or CU's Museum of Natural History to check out their displays. Longmont's collaborative exhibition was done with Ciudad Guzmán, its sister city in Mexico, and includes a series of special events, most were last week and earlier this week, but a couple, including a family celebration on November 1, are still to come. Check the museum's calendar for details.

In "Celebrating the Day of the Dead's Delicious Side" in today's San Francisco Chronicle by Gaby Carnacho, who grew up in Tijuana, who wrote, "Brightly colored tissue paper cutouts, or papel picado, decorate cemeteries as well as the homes of the deceased person's family as a signal to the soul that festivities await them on earth. The most significant offerings, though, are the food and beverages that people put on the altars; the deceased's favorite beer, candy and street foods are put on display while those keeping vigil often enjoy more traditional foods."

Maybe I'll be in Mexico or perhaps San Antonio or El Paso sometime in the future, but meanwhile, celebrations and displays right here in Colorado will hold me.

Marooned at Machu Picchu

Heavy rains triggered mudslides that cut off Cuzco-Machu Picchu land connections

In the great scheme of recently world catastrophes, Tuesday's mudslides between Cuzco and Machu Picchu are small potatoes. After all, compared with tens of thousands of fatalities, grave injuries, wildspread hunger and a capital city destroyed in Haiti's earthquake two weeks ago, the suspension of train service, the five to 10 deaths (reportedly including one guide and one tourist) and somewhere between 800 and 2,000 stranded tourists are no big deal. Record rains have fallen in this region.

Despite heavy weather, helicopters evacuated hundreds of marooned tourists near the famous Inca ruins at Machu Picchu. Beyond the tourist impact, Preuvian authorities estimate that 10,000 people have been affected by the rain and some 2,000 homes destroyed in and around Machu Picchu.

I've been wanting to see Machu Picchu for years, but I can't say that I'm sorry not to be there right now.

Patagonian Luxury Resort Offers February Value Packages

Remota's 4-for-3 and 7-for-4 packages offered during the Southern Hemisphere summer

I am in the Lake Tahoe area right now, reveling in abundant snow. But if I wanted to go to South America, now would be the time. Remota, a specatular luxury resort lodge on the outskirts of Porta Natales near Chile's even more spectacular Torres del Paine National Park, is offering February specials at hard-to-beat prices -- especially considering that this is during the summer season. En route to the national park in 2006, I visited Remota just for a look at this breathtaking place with a philosophy of luxury and comfort against a design backfrop of Zen-like simplicity and some of the best scenery on the planet.

I don't know whether it is a slowdown in the world economy that instigated such a generous, last-minute offer, but guests can get four nights at Remota for the price of three (US $1,548, regularly $1,980 per person, double occupancy) or seven for the price of four ($1,980, regularly $2,988) for lodging, meals and daily excursions. Hurry up, because this value deal is valid for travel during February 2010. The fine print: "subject to availability upon booking" and "some restrictions may apply."

If you've got a lot of frequent flyer miles, now might be the time to try to use them up. LAN Chile Airlines is a partner on American Airlines' OneWorld frequent flyer program. Current roundtip air fares to Punta Arenas start at $1,363 from Los Angeles, $1,468 from New York and $1,486 fom Miami.lus taxes. It's counter-intuitive that fares would be higher from New York than from Miami, but in this age of yield management, LAN probably has more passengers from Florida. If you're traveling that far, check about a stopover in Santiago, Chile's fascinating capital.

In the unlikely event that you want to write to Remota, the address is Ruta 9 Norte, km. 1.5, Huerto 279 / Puerto Natales, Patagonia, Chile. You are more likely to contact them or book online or even more likely, to call their tollfree number, 866-431-0519.

San Miguel de Allende'sBotanical Garden

Charco del Ingenio showcases Western Hemisphere cacti in a protected landscape

The roughly 154 acres occupied by the unique botanical garden called Charco del Ingenio outside of San Miguel de Allende is reportedly second most important collection of cacti in Mexico, after Mexico City. That would rank Cacti Mundi that my husband and I visited in San Jose del Cabo several years ago number three or less. The Chacro del Ignenio is a pirvately funded ecological preservation area that began 18 years ago with 60 species now dispays some 550 cacti varieties from native habitats that stretch from Patagonia to Canada, but mostly species that grow in Mexico.

Mario Hernandez is knowledgeable passionate about the plants under his care. He is still awed by cacti's ability to store water and yet transform CO2 into O2 He points out that cacti are edible, and have religious, medicinal and spiritual value as well. And did I mention that they are great to look at too? He didn't bother saying that. I think he realizes that is self-evident.

Below are just a few examples of the varied and wonderful cacti growing at the Charco del Ingenio Botanical Garden.

The botanical garden includes flat dry land, a canyon, spring-fed wetlands and even a lake. The section nearest to the entrance is laced with easy paths. The natural area across the canyon is largely wild and includes the ruins of an old hacienda. We didn't have time to go look at that.

Cactus "buds" and cactus flowers.

When the Dalai Lama visited Mexico in 2005, he came to Charco del Ingnio and blessed the Plaza of the Four Winds, a ceremonial and scenic gathering place designed by architect Enrique Pliego and honoring local indigenous groups.Built with inlaid colored stones,wasinspired by the 16th-century Chichimeca-Toltec codex, the plaza is designed with four outer circles that indicate the four cardinal directions and corresponding figures that evoke the four natural resources (earth, water, flora and fauna) in traditional pre-Columbian colors. Reached by a smooth, flat but unpaved trail, it is one of the few places in San Miguel Allende that is wheelchair-accessible.

The Charco del Ingenio is open for self-guided visits, with 2 1/2-hour guided tours presently given on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 10:00 a.m. The cost is 50 pesos.

Guanajuato's Mummies: Halloween-Style Fright

36 Mexican mummies touring US museums, starting in Detroit

When I was a child, I once had a skeleton Halloween costume. It was a one-piece black garment with bones printed on the front and sleeves. The back was all-black. I can't remember why I wanted it at the time. Even as an adult who accompanied many a grade-school field trip to the Denver Museum of Natural History (now the Denver Museum of Nature & Science) and other displays of dinosaur bones, skeletons of long-extinct animals don't bother me. But mummies give me the willies. I don't really like to see their exhumation, unwrapping and examination on television documentaries, and when I visited the Egyptian Museum in Cairo earlier this year, I had plenty to look at without going to the mummy room.

Needless to say, I was less than excited to learn that one of the supposed highlights of a tour of Guanajuato included the city's Mummy Museum.
The museum backs against the municipal cemetery, where relatives could pay a one-time high fee for the grave or pay a lower fee each year. The mummies displayed were "evicted" from their crypts when their survivors or other relatives (if there were any) could not or would pay a tax or fee for the continuing occupation of the grave. The mummies displayed date from between 1865 and 1958, when the grave-tax law was changed. They are known as "the accidental mummies," because natural conditions created mummification, rather than a deliberate intention of mummifying human remains.The museum collection comprises 119 mummies, some standing, some lying down, some erect, some contorted, some clothed, others not. But to me, they were all creepy.

I managed to hold it together until I reached the room with the small children and babies. Then, I snapped one photograph and fled. Those small mummified bodies really creeped me out.

The parking area in front of the museum is lined with small businesses. Early in the morning, this "Mummy Sweet Shop" was not yet open.

Numerous souvenir stands sold all the regulation Mexican tourist schlock-- plus skulls of various designs.

According to the Mummy Tombs website, which describes mummies in various lands and is clearly maintained by someone who does not share my antipathy to mummies, 36 Guanajuato mummies started touring the US on October 10 and will visit seven museums before they return to Guanajuato. Some have reportedly never been on public view before, even in Guanajuato. The Detroit Science Center is the first stop for "The Accidental Mummies of Guanajuato" exhibition, which closes there on January 31, 2010. I haven't had any luck finding out which other six cities is is supposed to visit. If one happens to be Denver, I doubt I'll go to see them.