Post-Earthquake Report for San Cristobal de las Casas, Chiapas: Rumor or Fact
The 8.2 magnitude earthquake shook southern Oaxaca state and Chiapas a month ago on September 7, 2017. What’s the situation in Chiapas now? I asked my friends Ann Conway, owner of La Joya Hotel, and Bela Wood, owner of Bela’s B&B, for an on-the-ground report about the state of things in and around San Cristobal […]
Sunday Tlacolula Market Meander Map For Sale
It’s Sunday in the Oaxaca Valley. Time to spend the day at the amazing Tlacolula Market. Located about 45 minutes from Oaxaca City on the Carretera Nacional–Mexico 190–between Teotitlan del Valle and Mitla, the market is the biggest and IMHO, the best in the region. I suggest you get there by 11 a.m. and stay […]
Have you been to Mexico City? Is it SAFE? Share your comments.
Hi, dear readers: I’m planning to write a feature article about Mexico City safety, and would like to hear your opinions about visiting there. Here are some ideas: Where do you live? Why did you go to Mexico City? How was your experience arriving at the Mexico City airport? What about getting a taxi to […]
Being a Oaxaca Host: Lessons for People and Nations
My friend Debbie from North Carolina came to visit me in Oaxaca this week. It was a fast three nights and two-and-a-half days. We packed a lot in as the news of the world was (and continues to) unfolding, raging, tangling itself up around us. I wanted to show her my world here. Archeological sites. […]
Oaxaca Safety and Day of the Dead: Come or Cancel?
I’m hearing about people thinking of canceling their Day of the Dead trips to Oaxaca this year. Someone said they were afraid of the Zika virus. I haven’t heard of any cases being reported here. Fear is powerful. I returned to Oaxaca five days ago. It was an easy flight from Orange County, California (SNA) to Mexico […]
Getting Ready for Guelaguetza 2016: The Show Must Go On
Recognizing the upcoming annual Oaxaca celebration of Guelaguetza, a unique interpretation of Zapotec mutual support, sharing and indigenous community sustainability, I have changed the blog banner. In show biz, the standard is The Show Must Go On when something can interrupt a performance. (I grew up just outside of Hollywood; I know what this means.) […]
Asbestos Health Risk for La Flor de Xochistlahuaca Weaving Cooperative. How You Can Help!
An Open Letter from Maddalena Forcella, textile-fashion designer I am writing to ask you to consider making a gift of whatever size to remove the toxic, cancer-causing asbestos from La Flor de Xochistlahuaca women’s weaving cooperative work space in Guerrero, Mexico. On the webpage it explains everything: the roof of asbestos that needs to be destroyed and […]
Is Mexico Safe? My Experience
Is Mexico safe? I just got back to Oaxaca after traveling for three weeks in Mexico City, Estado de Mexico and Michoacan. In Michoacan there is a U.S. State Department Travel Advisory, (I include this link to safety vs. sensationalism.) I went to Morelia, Patzcuaro and rural villages. I traveled far out into the countryside in […]
Food Alert! Guzina Oaxaca Opens in Mexico City
Casa Oaxaca is one of our favorite go-to restaurants in Oaxaca. Sit on the roof. Overlook the spectacular roofline of Santo Domingo Church. Indulge in a tamarind mezcalini. Follow this with a perfectly prepared seared sea bass or duck tacos. Each sauce that accompanies is an art form in its own right. Finish with something […]
Morocco Journal 1: What To Wear and Other Notes
The debate about how a woman from the western world is to clothe herself while traveling in the Moslem Kingdom of Morocco continues. I want to be respectful and also comfortable as the temperatures hover close to 90 degrees Fahrenheit. Cover your elbows, advises one friend. Another says, elbows are okay, just don’t show forearms […]
How safe is Mexico City for a single female traveler?
This question just came in: How safe is Mexico City for a single female traveler? This is my experience. I have been flying from the USA directly to Mexico City for the last several years. I do this to know Mexico better. Usually I travel solo, alone, single, without a companion. The Mexico City airport […]
Guelaguetza Photography Workshop in Oaxaca, Mexico
7 nights, 8 days, July 26-August 2, 2013. Our Guelaguetza Photography Workshop gives you an opportunity to capture indigenous folkloric traditions and build upon your photography skills. Guelaguetza is a magical time in Oaxaca when indigenous people come to the city from throughout the rural areas of the state adorned in their finest handmade traje (indigenous dress). On […]
Are You Safer in Mexico or America?
Should I travel to Mexico? Is it safe? What about Oaxaca? Robert Reid, Lonely Planet’s US travel editor wrote a blog post on May 10, 2012 about safety in Mexico, offering six reasons why Mexico is safe. The headline is Are You Safer in Mexico or America? The Huffington Post picked it up and published […]
Oaxaca Hosts Malia Obama, U.S. President’s Daughter
Oaxaca Times reports that Malia Obama, 13-year old daughter of U.S. President Barak Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama is in Oaxaca, Mexico, this weekend! She arrived on a commercial United Airlines jet direct to Oaxaca from Houston, and will visit archeological sites and craft villages. Even with 25 Secret Service Agents at her disposal, […]
Is the U.S. Media Complicit? Feeding the Fear Frenzy About Travel to Mexico
We are having an on-going discussion among friends who live in Mexico and in the U.S. about whether the news media in the U.S. is complicit in creating fear about travel to Mexico. On March 18, 2012, The New York Times published a story about kidnappings in Matamoros, that borders the U.S. The headline was: […]
Oaxaca: Beauty is Everywhere — And It’s Safe, Too
Oaxaca is beautiful and safe, says Elliot Stoller, who visited in December 2011. He recently wrote to me and ordered the self-guided tour map of Teotitlan del Valle to prepare for his trip next year. Elliot’s photos are so beautiful that I want to share them with you (with his permission, of course). And his […]
Mexico Travel Safety: What Tourists Say
Gotta share this! The Mexico Taxi Project! Even though this video is created and paid for by the Mexican Tourism Board, I think you’ll see the truth and sincerity behind the message. Tourists from L.A., Chicago and New York were asked about their experiences in Mexico as they returned to the U.S. from vacation. Oaxaca […]