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THE EPILOGUE – Mexico: 23 Destinations to Spend the Winter Months

Written in Victoria, British Columbia on January 18, 2010 (almost a year after our return)

During the year we moved from Prince George, British Columbia to Victoria, British Columbia.
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First Time Reader? ......here is the background to this series of blogs:
http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/lobo/9/1233502800/tpod.html
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"As I search for the next country to visit to continue this series of “Destinations to Spend the Winter Months", I have come to the realization that there is only one Mexico.”

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Barbara just came home from work and I popped the question to her:

“Barbara, what did you like about the trip to Mexico?”

“Everything!!”

Wow, that is a pretty good endorsement of a six-week trip we relived over the course of the year by means of our blog .

For the first time the reader can now cycle through the entire trip taking in all the 23 destinations that we visited. The trip is now, with this epilogue, officially over and what a trip it has been.
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What were the highlights?

What were the disappointments?

What were the 5 places we liked best? Lobo's Choices/Barbara’s Choices

What next?
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What were the highlights? (in no particular order)

1)   the weather - Mexico’s greatest asset at this time of year – maybe any time of year

2)   our visit to the church in San Juan de Chamula near San Cristobal de las Casas

http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/lobo/excursions/1249949602/tpod.html

3)   San Cristobal de las Casas

http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/lobo/excursions/1249600855/tpod.html

4)   ascending the funicular in Guanajuato for a spectacular view of the city below from El Monumento Pilar

http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/lobo/excursions/1230600180/tpod.html

5)   The “Jardin” in Guanajuato

http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/lobo/excursions/1230601740/tpod.html

6)   Guanajuato and its beautiful “Centro historico”

http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/lobo/excursions/1230353460/tpod.html

7)   Zacatecas City – a wonderful destination

http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/lobo/excursions/1233415080/tpod.html

8)   San Miguel de Allende – a favorite expat classic

http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/lobo/excursions/1230267780/tpod.html

9)   Angangeo and the monarch butterflies on their Mexican migration

http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/lobo/excursions/1229969040/tpod.html

10) Tequisquiapan – the town – it was our the first "Destination"

http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/lobo/excursions/1230265680/tpod.html

The Posada Tequisquiapan - the best accommodation we had on this trip

http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/lobo/excursions/1230264240/tpod.html

11) Ajijic – another favorite expat classic

http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/lobo/excursions/1230707820/tpod.html

12)   Puerto Escondido – great setting, great town

http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/lobo/excursions/1231650000/tpod.html

13)    Huatulco – somewhat of a sleeper but the nine bays are spectacular

http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/lobo/excursions/1245422663/tpod.html

14)   Oaxaca – simply a great colonial town

http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/lobo/excursions/1245717371/tpod.html

15)   the “Paseo de Montejo” in Merida – European splendour in Mexico

http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/lobo/excursions/1254267919/tpod.html

16)    the beaches south of Tulum

http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/lobo/excursions/1262718476/tpod.html

17)     the Zocalo in Mexico City, especially during the holiday season                                

http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/lobo/excursions/1229319420/tpod.html

18)     the beach in Cuyutlan

http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/lobo/excursions/1231309200/tpod.html

19)     the Christmas sound and light show in San Luis Potosi

http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/lobo/excursions/1230696060/tpod.html

20)    Barra de Navidad – wow, did we like this place

http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/lobo/excursions/1240723140/tpod.html

21)   finding “Provence” in San Agustin Etla near Oaxaca – my own personal favourite, I was in heaven as I recognized Provence all around me

http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/lobo/excursions/1245717554/tpod.html

22)   meeting and talking with people all over Mexico

23)   a great First Class Bus system and if First Class is not good enough take the “Delux” buses that have three seats across for ultimate comfort and stewardess service (only young beautiful Mexican ladies need apply)

24)   Barbara’s unequivocal enthusiasm for travel and Mexico in particular

25)   The anticipation of moving on to the next destination was like unwrapping another Christmas present

26)    Writing this blog – like Hawaii last year, it has been a year of fun to relive these moments in Mexico

Disappointments

1)   I don’t think I really ever warmed up to Mexican food

2)   The trip was not as cheap as it should have been

3)   The long bus rides and my inability to sleep during an overnight bus ride

4)   Colonial towns that we missed like Morelia (Michoacán), Queretaro City (Queretaro), Guadalajara (Jalisco) and particularly Patzcuara (Michoacan) that is described as “the loveliest town in Mexico”. We selected the wrong Patzcuara and when we realized the mistake we were too far away to return. Make sure you don’t miss it!

5)   The monarch butterflies took hours to warm up and show some signs of life.

6)   Cool night-time temperatures at this time of year in the central plateau where most of the colonial cities are located.

7)   The pressure of visiting 23 destinations in six weeks meant we had to keep moving perhaps faster than we would have liked to and necessitated several overnight bus rides.

8)   Not having the time to stop and visit Uxmal, the famous archaeological site http://www.google.ca/search?q=Uxmal&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a

9)   Not spending enough time on the beach (Barbara)

10) Not enough time to shop (Barbara)

11) Not having enough time to visit Prospero and the Gulf of Mexico coast north of Merida

Lobo’s Top Five Destinations (during the winter months)

Puerto Escondido

Barra de Navidad

Oaxaca City or San Agustin Etla

Guanajuato

Ajijic

Now Barbara is sitting on the couch only two meters to my right. I have asked her to prepare her list of Barbara’s Top Five Destinations and to send an e-mail across the room with her selections. Barbara takes these things seriously and she spent quite a bit of time on Google Earth (one of her favorite Internet applications) to review her choices.

When I have finished this blog I will open her e-mail and paste her choices right here.

Barbara’s Top Five Destinations (during the winter months)

Zacatecas

Barra de Navidad / Melaque

Puerto Escondido

Oaxaca

San Cristobal de Las Casas
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What Next?

As I search for the next country to visit to continue this series of “Destinations to Spend the Winter Months” I realize that there is only one Mexico. Where else could we have visited "23 Destinations" of such geographical and cultural diversity? To further reinforce this point, the “23 Destinations” could easily be expanded to “33” without diluting the quality of the list.

Mexico reminds me in some respects of France as I remember it from many summers of bicycle touring, France is unsurpassed among European countries in the physical diversity of its various regions and the depth of its culture and richness of language.

Mexico's archaeological sites are awe-inspiring, especially in the Yucatan peninsula.

The Spanish Old World architecture of the “centro historico” found in the colonial cities is unique in the Americas just by its sheer quantity and quality.

The next three countries that I am considering will leave me with titles like:

______________________? - Five Destinations to Spend the Winter Months
 
______________________ ?- Three Destinations to Spend the Winter Months

______________________ ?- Seven Destinations to Spend the Winter Months

I think the point about Mexico has been made. Therefore, Mexico should be the runaway winner as the “Best Place for the Expat to Spend the Winter Months” but Mexico does have the dark cloud of the “narco wars” hanging over it.

President Calderon, like no other Mexican president, is fighting a valiant battle against this cancer that risks devouring Mexican society.

As an outsider one cannot imagine a society, primarily but not exclusively, in the cities and towns along the U.S. border that is intimidated and subjugated to the law of the jungle in such a brutal manner. Who among us would have the courage exhibited by “honest” police officers and the armed forces as well as some individuals in taking a stand against these unprecedented forces of evil who are intent on creating a "state within a state" resulting in such dire consequences?

I talk about “forces of evil” but it is worth noting that these forces of evil exist for two purposes and two purposes only.

Firstly, these “forces of evil” feed the insatiable addictions of drug users in North America.

Secondly, drug trafficking is a very lucrative business that creates enormous profits that for many Mexicans sure beat a “nine to five” job. In a land where there is much poverty, limited education and limited job opportunities the lure of easy money and the perceived glamour is an irresistible lure that will catch all but the most well-grounded young men in Mexican society.

The whole situation reminds me a bit of the war in Afghanistan in that it seems unwinable. On a more hopeful note, a recent surge, emphasizing electronic surveillance as its main weapon, has netted some pretty big fish in the war against drugs.

At the same time, when is the last time you have seen in Canada or the United States any major type of public campaign in the same genre as “drinking and driving” to discourage drug use. I personally have never seen one. Yes, there are the laws and yes, there are convictions under the laws but at the same time there seems to be a “wink-wink” type of attitude toward drugs. It would appear that there is almost a conspiracy of silence concerning this topic. It all seems to be swept under the carpet with phrases like the “Narco War Next Door” without taking into account what is happening on this side of “the door”.

But then again drug use for the most part is an addiction and our track record in dealing with addictions has had about the same success to date as Mexico’s record in dealing with the narco traffickers.

So the vicious cycle of drugs flowing north of the border and weapons and money flowing south continues unabated.

As an expat you are not likely to come into contact with any of this but at the same time it does leave a very negative impression crying for damage control or even better, a solution.

Is this why we are not spending our winter in Mexico?

The short answer is "no".

Fortunately or unfortunately both of us are not retired. That would imply that someone has to stay home and hold the fort so to speak and this winter that would be Barbara especially in view of the fact that she has just had a job transfer to Victoria.

As for me, the thrill is in the discovery process: the travel, the photography the blogging.

It was a blog reader by the name of "Laura" who highlighted a few sentences out of one of my blogs that summarizes my situation best.

“We perceived every new destination as an opportunity for finding something new, having the potential of surprising us, or having the possibility of being the destination that would put a stop to the endless search for that elusive goal which does not exist - the perfect destination. Yes, it may not exist but the process of trying to find it certainly is a worthwhile endeavour.”

Therefore I choose to continue with the process …….

Oh yes – “By the way, Barbara, which trip did you like best – the four weeks we spent in Hawaii two years ago or the six week trip to Mexico a year ago?”

…..after some reflection

“You can’t choose between them, they were both great trips.”

I almost have to agree with that assessment although I would slightly lean in favour of Mexico due to the difference in language and culture. Hawaii while different, still feels very much as part of the United States and therefore quite comfortable and familiar.

In addition there was definitely more of a sense of adventure in Mexico as the unexpected was never far from our consciousness, due to the same factors of language and culture.

To express this in another manner, if you want to feel just plain comfortable, secure and be awed, I would definitely opt for Hawaii.

If you are inclined towards more adventure and less predictability I would opt for Mexico.

Coming Soon:

I am leaving on January 23, 2010 (one year to the day of our return from Mexico) to start another series of blogs on “Destinations to Spend Winter Months”. Stay tuned to see which of three countries I have chosen to explore.

Finally, thanks for reading my blogs. Hopefully there is something useful, interesting and dare I say it – inspirational to be found here.

Feedback: travelswithlobo@yahoo.com