| MEXICO |
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| Mexico is the first of the Central American countries due south of the U.S.A., and has been a favourite of the Americans for many years. Because of this standards in the Hotels are generally much higher than one would expect in a Country which has struggled to remain solvent. The discovery of oil in Mexican waters made a huge difference, but the American stranglehold on its exploitation has therefore meant that the average Mexican has seen little benefit in the improvement of their standard of living. It generally remains a poor country, and each year there is a steady influx of itinerant workers crossing over the Rio Grande heading for California where they can obtain work fruit-picking. At least until the work quota is full, then the “excess” are packed on back to Mexico as illegal immigrants! The main resorts used to be centred around Cancun in the “horn” of Mexico that juts out into the Gulf of Mexico/Caribbean, and this area still attracts the “Jet Set” looking for Discos and Casinos and the high life. This contrasts stangely with the area also having the largest concentration of ruins from the Mayan civilisation. whilst the Aztecs were more centrally located in what is now the suburbs of Mexico City. Puerto Vallarta on the other hand is on the West coast bordering the Pacific Ocean and is the largest natural bay in Mexico with many miles of coastline ringed by mountains. It was a sleepy fishing village until John Ford filmed his epic there “Night of the Iguana” starring Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton. Since then this quaint town with its cobble-stoned streets, colonial-style street lighting and pastel coloured buildings, often decorated with bougainvillaea, has become a popular resort, first of all with the Americans, who “wanted to see where the film was made”, and more recently, the English, following the introduction of Charter Flights in 1995. The Hotels are excellent, - as a place to eat perhaps and sleep, but you MUST get out and about, something the Americans seem loathe to do, if you are to discover the Mexican spirit, and with luck meet some of the indigenous Indians, who still occupy the mountains, and come into town on odd occasions to barter and get supplies. Poor they might be, but proud with it! The Mexicans also have a sense of what is truly important, when the Football World Cup was on, then they might not have much of a roof over their heads, nor the wife a washing machine, but that didn`t stop them installing the largest Satellite dish available, and with a portable generator and the largest TV screen to be had, sit down at all times of the day and night to watch their favourite sport!!! We quite often went downtown in early evening to listen to the local Mariachi Band who entertained from the centrally located bandstand. Refreshments were brought round in the form of chilled coconut juice dispensed from gourds carried on a yoke on his shoulders, whilst wearing the almost obligatory white coat and trousers. A few pesos was all they would accept, any more was an embarrassment to them. Watch out for the rainy season which starts about the middle of June and lasts until the beginning of November. It doesn`t mean there won`t be any sun, there will be, but also a lot of rain in a short space of time, which explains why some of the pavement gutters are nearly two feet high! If you can, take an escorted tour inland to see some of the jungle. Growth can be so rapid here in the rainy season, that a bulldozed roadway can be obliterated within a matter of 10 days or so! Something to avoid are the souvenir sellers and hawkers who swarm onto the beach, but are not allowed to approach the Hotel areas on the beach. Avoid eye contact, and a polite “No thank you” will usually mean you are left alone whilst they pursue other targets. Do go out for a “Mariachi Night” which is almost de rigour at most of the Hotels at some time during the week. They really are excellent fun, and mixed in with a little folk culture and music, it makes for a very enjoyable evening. Here are a few of the pictures we took when we went. |
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| Contacts:- Puerto Vallarta Convention & Visitors Bureau, Local 18 Planta Baja, Zona Comercial Continental Plaza Puerto Vallarta, Jal C.P. 48310 |
| Tel: +52 (3) 2241175 Fax: +52 (3) 2240915 E-mail - conv@ocvpuertovallarta.com Web Site:- http://www.mexico-travel.com |
| ENJOY |