‘Mexico’

I’ve had the opportunity to travel from the north of Mexico to the south. These are a few articles on some of the highlights of those trips.

A few hours by bus from San Cristobal de las Casas are the Mayan ruins of Palenque. These ruins contain some of the finest examples of Mayan architecture and art and are surrounded by steamy jungle with refreshing streams for a dip and abundant wildlife. No, that’s not a jaguar you’re hearing roar in the jungle…it’s a howler monkey. You’ll hear these fascinating primates as you make your way around the ruins. Read the rest of this entry »

As previously pointed out in part one of this trip, Guerrero Negro is the halfway point on the trip to the southern tip of Baja California. It’s a quiet little  one road town with a population of around 15,000. We stopped in for a quick bite to eat but Guerrero Negro was not our final destination for the day, Ojo de Liebre or Scammons Lagoon was. Read the rest of this entry »

I don’t know what it is but there are certain places I get excited about when I’m traveling in my VW bus. Places like the state of California and San Fransisco come to mind because of their ties with the hippies and surfers. Baja California also makes its way onto that list probably because the name itself contains California but it’s also one of those classic sojourns that you want to do in a Volkswagen. Colin, a friend of mine from Vancouver, had some time off so he agreed to meet me in San Diego and the two of us were going to drive the 1500 km’s to the tip of Baja and back again.

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A days bus ride from Mexico City and you’ll find yourself in the refreshingly cool highlands of Chiapas, one of my favorite Mexican destinations and a place that I will return to time and time again. My two favorite destinations, highlighted in this article, are San Cristobal de las Casas and the Mayan ruins at Palenque. Read the rest of this entry »

Mexico City is big, very big. It’s also polluted and busy and crowded and, at times, dangerous. That’s not to say it should be overlooked though. With your wits about you and some care you can still see some of the wonderful sites and museums that this megalopolis has to offer. Read the rest of this entry »

San Blas, located a few hours south of Mazatlan or a few hours north of Puerto Vallarta, is a quiet, seaside fishing community with affordable accommodation, a quiet zocalo and a beach with waves large enough to surf. The atmosphere is very friendly with locals smiling and waving or just walking up and sitting next to you on a park bench. I would have to say that I received more smiles in San Blas than any of the other towns and cities that I had visited. Read the rest of this entry »

A couple of hours west of Chihuahua in Northern Mexico is the Copper Canyon or, Barrance del Cobre, as it is known in Spanish. This canyon rivals Ameria’s Grand Canyon in that it is 3 times the size and deeper than the Grand Canyon. The canyon is also home to the Tarahumara indians, the name deriving from “rahumara” or foot runners. Read the rest of this entry »

Northern Mexico, with the exception of overnight drunken binges into Tijuana by underage college students, is often overlooked in favour of the beaches and jungles of southern Mexico. For the somewhat adventurous traveler there is still plenty to see and do, especially if your interests include hiking and history. The city of Chihuahua offers plenty to see and do if you have a couple of days. Read the rest of this entry »

A friend of mine, Colin, flew into San Diego from Vancouver and we took off for Baja California. I wanted to take a break from shooting video and I really wanted to get to a beach and enjoy some sun after the freakish cold weather the U.S. had been experiencing that winter. The adorable girl at the start of this video is Father Haydens (Jim) niece letting us know what a VW bus is called in Mexico. Read the rest of this entry »

This has to be my most viewed video over at youtube. Last time I checked there were almost 25,000 views. This shot was a complete fluke and it was my buddy Colin’s idea to turn it into something funny. I had wanted a nice shot of the bus going up and down over a few hills with the heat rising off the asphalt. You get a cool effect when you zoom in and compresses the depth of field. I know, it’s cliche but it had to be done. Colin setup the camera and I drove the bus back over the hill for the shot. As I started rolling a truck came around the corner behind me but I had nowhere to stop and turn around so it blew the whole shot. I was pissed but went back to do another take which worked out well. It was Colin’s idea to edit them together showing the dream of owning a bus, the freedom of the road and the beautiful landscape and then show the reality of driving these vehicles, mainly getting passed and having people ride your ass all the time.Here’s the video with the second shot first. Read the rest of this entry »