Day of the Dead

From an article on MexExperience:

One of Mexico’s most important religious holidays is celebrated on All Saint’s Day (Nov 1) and All Soul’s Day (Nov 2): Dia de los Muertos (sometimes called Dia de los Fieles Difuntos) – Day of the Dead. Traditionally, November 1st honors deceased children and November 2nd honors deceased adults.

Far from being a morbid event, Day of Dead emphasizes remembrance of past lives and celebration of the continuity of life. This acknowledgement of life’s continuity has roots which go back to some of Mexico’s oldest civilizations: Olmec, Zapotec, Maya, Purepecha. The Aztecs, too, celebrated Day of the Dead, although earlier (August) on the current calendar.

Day of the Dead is celebrated passionately throughout Mexico, and especially so in smaller provincial towns and cities.

One of the culinary highlights of the season is “Pan de Muerto” (Bread of the Dead) which is a semi-sweet sugar-coated bread made from eggs and infused with natural citrus fruit flavors. It’s traditionally taken with hot chocolate that has been mixed with cinnamon and makes for a perfect blend on a chilly November evening.

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Would you fly with the flu?

From an article by David Wilkeningon TravelMole.com:

A majority or 51 percent in a TripAdvisor.com poll said the high costs of change fees would make them go ahead with an airline trip despite being ill.

"While the thought of paying a $50 to $150 ticket change fee may cause heartburn for many travelers, we strongly recommend against flying while you're sick with the flu, both as a courtesy to yourself and your fellow travelers,” said Bryan Saltzburg, TripAdvisor general manager of new initiatives. He added:

"If you're worried about getting sick this season, you may want to take a look at trip insurance for flights being booked during peak flu months.”

He added, however, that participants should sure to read the fine print in the policy to make sure it covers the flu, though, as some only offer reimbursements for major illnesses.

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Hanal Pixan, Maya Day of the Dead in Pac Chen, Quintana Roo

From an article by Jane Ammeson on Mex Connect:

The monkeys, they tell me, are asleep in a cave across the lagoon. But other than that disappointment, my trip to Pac Chen, a micro sized Maya village in the jungle of the Yucatan Peninsula, is the perfect way to step back in time.

To get here from Playa del Carmen, our home base, we traveled the bustling four lane coastal highway to Tulum and then headed east towards Coba, one of the many archaeological sites that dot this region where the Maya empire reigned supreme centuries ago. Northeast of Coba, the road turned into a paved path that seemed endangered of being encroached on either side by the jungle. We passed a smattering of thatched wooden huts, but the villages that we had seen on the major roads had all but disappeared. So far, we had been traveling for two hours and the sophistication of Rivera Maya, with its cruise ship ports, shopping plazas and restaurants, seemed even further away.

"When you see the tall palm tree, take the first road to the right," instructed my friend Jeanette Rigter. The road to the right, which rose and dropped through lush, impenetrable looking forest, took us even further from civilization. There were, I noted, no electric lines.

"Pac Chen won't be getting electricity until the end of the year," Jeanette informs me. Needless to say, my cell phone screen reads "no service."

At first, Pac Chen looks to be almost abandoned, thatched roofs over stick sided buildings seem empty of people. But after parking and walking a long narrow stone path, we come to the heart of this village, perched on the edge of a lagoon that is ringed by jungle growth and chit palms with their fan-like fronds.

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Hotel Eco Paraiso to participate in Wild9 Congress

From a news release issued by Hotel Eco Paraiso:

CELESTUN, Mexico— Hotel Eco Paraiso, located within the Special Biosphere Reserve of Celestun on the northern Gulf of Mexico, in the State of Yucatan, will be taking an important part in the Wild9 Congress (9th World Wilderness Congress) that is going to be held from November 6th to November 13th in Merida, the State capital of the Yucatan.

During the month of July of 2009, the non-profit organization CAMBIOS went on an expedition to the Yucatan Peninsula, visiting its Biological Reserves and National Parks in order to measure the impacts of the Global Warming in the Peninsula and to verify its impact on the local flora and fauna. One of the first locations for the CAMBIOS expedition in the Peninsula was on the Celestun Biosphere Reserve, visiting the Celestun Inlet and the North area of the Reserve where Eco Paraiso Hotel has become established as one of the ecological lodges of more relevance in the Peninsula. A Special Biosphere denotes a zone of one or more eco-systems unaltered by man. The area is a main feeding ground for the Pink Flamingo and many other sea birds as well as a breeding ground for sea turtles.

During the Wild9 Congress, the members of CAMBIOS expedition are going to show the results of this expedition and the case of Eco Paraiso Hotel as a sustainable ecological hotel in the Celestun Biosphere Reserve.

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Where is everybody? Not in Mexico

From an article by Tim Carman in The Washington Post:

These days, you could have Isla Mujeres all to yourself

My wife and I had the cabbie drop us in downtown Isla Mujeres so we could polish off some croissants and a plate of chilaquiles, that Mexican breakfast staple, before wandering over to Playa del Norte, the island's most popular beach. As we sat at the outdoor cafe, the early-morning sun still formulating its plan of attack on our cubicle-pale bodies, we couldn't help noticing that aside from the wait staff and the steroidal lobster lolling in a nearby tank, we were about the only creatures around.

Our sense of being the last tourists on the island only intensified as we walked those few quiet blocks to the beach. The narrow streets, crowded with shops and restaurants and hotels, were almost deserted, too. The browned, weather-beaten men and women who stood vigil outside their stores viewed us, I felt, less as tourists than as sheep that must be trapped, and not released, until sheared of our wool.

The come-hither hustle, of course, is nothing new to Mexican tourist centers, but the relentlessness, even desperation, of these street pitches underscored a sad truth about Isla Mujeres this past August: The place was dead, and merchants had far fewer opportunities to make a buck. The European backpackers who usually descend upon the island at that time of year were mostly absent. So were diners at some of Isla's finest restaurants, including Casa O's, where one Friday evening we were the only two customers sitting beneath the circular palapa with the gorgeous sunset views of Mujeres Bay. And Playa del Norte? We had the run of the sugar-white beaches once we made it through the gantlet of street hawkers.

It wasn't hard to pinpoint the troubles afflicting the local tourism industry, but I still wanted to hear it from shopkeepers' mouths. Everywhere I went, particularly if I didn't have to converse in my embarrassing pidgin Spanish, I'd ask the owner why the island was so devoid of tourists. Their answers were always the same: the global economic downturn and swine flu.

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Destination spotlight: Balamku

From Balamku's Web site:

Balamku is a new concept of hotel in the Costa Maya region, one of Mexico's hidden treasures.

We are in the southern area of the Yucatan Peninsula, just south of a little fishing village, Mahahual in a natural, unspoiled environment with a community of friendly people.

At Balamku, we have created a beautiful setting that respects the natural surroundings.

We are committed to providing comfort and quality services using the resources of nature without abusing the environment.

Our respect for the environment, focus on ecotourism and intimate surroundings, will suit travelers who want a change from the large resorts

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8th Festival de Aves, Yucatán, Nov. 19-22

From the festival announcement on YucatanBirds.org:

The Yucatan Bird Festival “TOH” takes place in a state which has traditionally served as the region’s cultural center. It’s a perfect place to combine birds with visits to Maya archeological zones and rural indigenous communities. Join us for well-packed three days of birding in company of local guides. Yucatan is home to 445 of the 548 bird species registered for the entire peninsula.

There are exhibits and conferences in the colonial city of Merida prior to going afield. An important and fun part of the festival is the birding competition for all levels of abilities called xoc ch’ich – word in maya that means “bird count”.

The festival is just a part of the local birding activities taking place this year in Valladolid, which includes workshops for children and adults, bird marathons, bird and song recording for guides. The travel agencies are actively participating in offering festival packages, as well as alternatives for pre and post tours.

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Mole and other things you haven’t tried

From a post on Mexperience.com:

A notable thing about Mexico is the great variety of foods and dishes that can be easily identified with the country. Most of the traditional foods are available all year round, although certain dates and holidays are associated with particular dishes.

September, the Mes de la Patria because of the Independence Day, brings chiles en nogada, hot green peppers filled with walnuts and raisins, covered with cream and sprinkled with pomegranate, and pozole, a broth with large grains of corn, red or green chili, chicken or pork, radish, and other trimmings.

Christmas dishes include bacalao, specially prepared codfish, and romeritos, dried shrimp and rosemary sprigs in mole. Tamales are eaten all year round but traditionally at Candlemas, on February 2nd. October is when bakeries bring out the “Pan de Muerto” bread for the All Souls Day celebrations, although some start selling it in late August to avoid wasting commercial time, and the Rosca de Reyes cake is cut at Epiphany (Three Kings Day) on January 6th.

For newcomers to the country, some local dishes, particularly spicy ones, take a while to get used to, and some people at first turn their noses up at the different tastes and smells. Quite understandably, many Mexicans are astounded someone wouldn’t like pozole, or mole, or some other dish that people here get excited about, and they assume you haven’t tried it. If you say you have, then obviously “no has probado el que hace mi tía” - you haven’t tried the one my aunt makes.

Perhaps one of the most acquired tastes in Mexican food is mole. This sauce is made from dried and ground chile peppers mixed with other spices and ingredients - famously chocolate used in making mole poblano (from Puebla) or black mole of Oaxaca.

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2010 doomsday: Hollywood hype

From an Associated Press article by Mark Stevenson posted on Newsday.com:

MEXICO CITY (AP) — Apolinario Chile Pixtun is tired of being bombarded with frantic questions about the Mayan calendar supposedly "running out" on Dec. 21, 2012. After all, it's not the end of the world.

Or is it?

Definitely not, the Mayan Indian elder insists. "I came back from England last year and, man, they had me fed up with this stuff."

It can only get worse for him. Next month Hollywood's "2012" opens in cinemas, featuring earthquakes, meteor showers and a tsunami dumping an aircraft carrier on the White House.

At Cornell University, Ann Martin, who runs the "Curious? Ask an Astronomer" Web site, says people are scared.

"It's too bad that we're getting e-mails from fourth-graders who are saying that they're too young to die," Martin said. "We had a mother of two young children who was afraid she wouldn't live to see them grow up."

Chile Pixtun, a Guatemalan, says the doomsday theories spring from Western, not Mayan ideas. . . .

The Mayan civilization, which reached its height from 300 A.D. to 900 A.D., had a talent for astronomy

Its Long Count calendar begins in 3,114 B.C., marking time in roughly 394-year periods known as Baktuns. Thirteen was a significant, sacred number for the Mayas, and the 13th Baktun ends around Dec. 21, 2012.

"It's a special anniversary of creation," said David Stuart, a specialist in Mayan epigraphy at the University of Texas at Austin. "The Maya never said the world is going to end, they never said anything bad would happen necessarily, they're just recording this future anniversary on Monument Six."

Bernal suggests that apocalypse is "a very Western, Christian" concept projected onto the Maya, perhaps because Western myths are "exhausted."

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A must-have guidebook for archaeology addicts

From a post by John Mitchell on Mexico Premiere:

I confess that I’m a ruins junkie. I just can’t seem to get enough of exploring ancient Mayan temples and climbing Aztec pyramids. Year after year, the mystery and stark beauty of Mexico’s pre-Hispanic ruins keep me coming back for more.

Over the decades, I’ve accumulated a large stash of archaeology guidebooks to feed my habit. But the one I always reach for first is Archaeological Mexico: A Traveler’s Guide to Ancient Cities. The author, Andrew Coe, is the son of two well-known anthropologists, and he grew up visiting Mexican archaeological sites.

Coe provides historical and touring information about popular sites such as Chichen Itza, Teotihuacan, and Monte Alban, along with dozens of less-visited ruins throughout Mexico. However, what is really outstanding about this book is how Coe examines the archaeological record and attempts to cut through questionable myths that have grown up around many of Mexico’s pre-Columbian civilizations.

Each chapter of the book highlights a different geographical region, and Coe ranks archaeological sites by assigning them different numbers of trowels. For example, Four Trowels indicate “a world-class site, a must for every visitor,” and One Trowel denotes a site for the “indefatigable archaeological tourist.” Coe also includes useful maps and sidebars on special topics relating to Mexican archaeology.

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Watch Turtle Festival closing ceremony online, Oct. 17,5:30 pm

A note from Paul Sanchez-Navarro, executive director of Centro Ecológico Akumal (CEA):

Watch the 7th Annual Sea Turtle Festival closing events in Akumal this Sunday on a live feed at WWW.RIVIERAMAYATV.ORG - it's going to be fun (we hope; it's the first time in Akumal and all the CEA staff are working very hard to make it happen)!!!!!!

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Sustainable living workshops in Playa del Carmen

From an announcement on Playa Maya News:

Starting October 24th, 2009 Ak Lu'um International School will be hosting a series of Sustainable Living Workshops in coordination with BambuSur; a locally owned, ecologically responsible building company. This is an excellent opportunity to learn about sustainable building techniques, materials, and eco-friendly systems.

The cost of each workshop is $250 pesos per person including a vegetarian lunch. Child care and activities are available for $100 pesos per child. (ages 3 and up)

To reserve a place, email Stacy at bambusur@yahoo.com. This email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it or call 984-128-1765 (English and Spanish spoken)

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Festival de la Tortuga Marina, Oct. 16-18, Akumal & Tulum

Friday, Oct. 16, 16:00–19:00, Casa de la Cultura de Tulúm: Opening – Murals – Drawing Contest – Sea Turtle Season Information – Cultural Performances – Quelonios Ak, Visual Art Exposition

Saturday, Oct. 17, 07:00–14:00, Playa Pescadores, Tulúm and Akumal Bay: Beach Clean Up – Sand Sculpture and Kite Contest. 18:00, Xcacel: Live Music – Performance – Fire Dance – Symbolic Hatchlings Release. Parking at Xel-Ha.

Sunday, Oct. 18, 10:00–20:00, Akumal: PET Contest – Drums – Mayan Ceremony. 19:00, Symbolic Hatchlings Release.

For further information please contact:
Alma D. Boada S. Comunication Coordinator.

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Campeche, the spirit of Mexico

From an article by Sophie Cook in The Guardian (UK):

Mangroves and lagoons stretch along the northern half of Mexico's Campeche coast, home to countless flamingoes, while to the south the narrow bands of white sand beaches have always been cordoned off for turtles, not tourists. In the aftermath of the swine flu outbreak, Cancún, on the opposite side of the Yucatan peninsula, has been missing its usual planeloads of holidaymakers. But Campeche has never courted vast numbers of visitors and, while welcoming the few that come, can get by just fine without them. Lacking the Yucatan east coast's turquoise seas and sweeping beaches, this ruggedly beautiful western coast epitomises independent spirit. It's certainly safe again to bring your body here for healing winter sun; but more to the point, this area has always provided a unique medicine for the soul. Its inhabitants are justifiably proud of their abundant wildlife and rich cultural inheritance, while Campeche city itself is one of the most beguiling places in Latin America.

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Hotel Akumal Caribe, an eco-friendly resort

From the newsletter of Centro Ecológico Akumal (CEA):

Hotel Club Akumal Caribe, an eco-friendly resort, located on Akumal’s main bay is breathtaking, inviting and un-crowded. It’s the safest bay for children of all ages.

Close to archaeological site of the mysterious Mayan civilization and many other attractions.

Make Hotel Akumal Caribe your home base for your Mexican Caribbean adventure. You’ll feel more like a guest at a friend’s beach house than a customer at a resort.

This intimate and charming resort has something to appeal to everyone:

•Akumal Dive Center - a PADI training facility featuring certifications, tours, and equipment.
•Budha Gardens Spa - full menu of treatments in a garden setting on the beach
•Kid’s Club
•Super Chomak – Full service grocery store, and two boutiques; Mexicarte and Boutique Lamanai.
•Restaurant and Snack bar Lolha – The best food in town. Varied menu. Personal service, great ambiance, and the best view of the main bay!

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Akumal, an aquatic paradise of the Mexican Caribbean

From a post on Villa de Ayora:

Akumal is a quiet destination, ideal paradise for those who practice water sports. It is a beautiful bay that is located only 37 kilometers from Playa del Carmen in the Mexican Caribbean.

Its name means, in Maya land or place of turtles. And this is not a name chosen at random but that is because this is the place chosen by these animals to spawn every year. Thus, the chance to see adult species, swim with them and appreciate the birth of their children, is a show suitable for those coming to enjoy these beautiful beaches.

But of course, beyond that, its white sand beaches, clear, calm waters and coral, Akumal offers a number of attractions for all tastes. Thus, you can visit the museum created by the CEA (Centro Ecologic Akumal) whose purpose is to educate, inform and, above all, create environmental awareness in all who visit.

Meanwhile, amid so many natural wonders, a little history is present. This is so because these havens were populated by the Maya and, there stands a temple on an island of rock in the creek Xaac.

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Urinating tourist attacked by crocodile in Mexico

From an article orginally at dailymail.co.uk and posted on Eturbonews:

A U.S. tourist got more then he bargained for when he was attacked by a crocodile while attempting to answer the call of nature in the Mexican resort of Cancun this week.

According to Mexican police 20-year-old Andrew Dales, from Dallas in Texas, confessed that he had been on a mission to relieve himself at the edge of the local Nicupté lagoon , in the popular tourist resort of Cancun, when the crocodile suddenly snapped at him.

He suffered ‘multiple bite wounds’ to his leg and neck and was also left with a head injury after the reptile knocked him to the ground, a police spokesman said.

Cancun is one of Mexico’s premier holiday destinations for UK and U.S. tourists.

Cancun's crocodiles (principally American crocodiles, Crocodylus acutus) are non-aggressive species that feed on fish and other small wildlife.

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Travel tips

The latest travel tips from the World Heritage Alliance:

Traveling to World Heritage sites is rewarding! It is about exploring unique environments, engaging with cultural splendors, experiencing a different way of life, and building lasting memories. Follow these great travel tips to enhance your trip AND benefit the World Heritage sites you visit.

More than twenty-five sites lie within Mexico.

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