The 10 most common foreign cities in which Americans are arrested

by Neil Woodburn on

Tijuana rarely makes the top of any list for any reason–unless, of course, the list happens to rank the most common places for Americans to be arrested abroad. In that case, Tijuana proudly stands as number one.

Police in the sprawling border town arrested 520 Americans in 2006, more so than any other city on the planet. In fact, according to statistics released by the American State Department and published by the LA Times, Mexico claims four of the top five cities in which the most Americans were taken into custody. Only London, at number 4 on the list with 274 arrests stood in the way of Mexican penal domination.

Of course, the statistics are a little skewed since the arrest numbers do not take into consideration the overall number of tourists. If only 700 Americans visited Mexico, for example, and 520 were arrested, I’d certainly be concerned about those odds. Thousands of Americans visit Mexico on an annual basis, however, thus turning those 520 arrests into a very small percentage indeed. Nonetheless, it’s always wise to carry a $20 bill with you just in case…

The top 10 cities you’re most likely to get arrested in are…



(Source: LA Times)

Photo of the Day (1/09/08)

by Jamie Rhein on

My first major trip on my own was when I was in the 12th grade. I had a summer job in Maine working at a kid’s camp. Great way to learn how to water ski. My mode of transportation was a bus from New Paltz, New York to Augusta, Maine. Oh, the glory of the whoosh of the door before the bus pulled away from the bay. Freedom.

Our very own Martha’s shot of someone boarding a bus in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico Puerto capture’s the essence of a grand bus adventure. Besides that, I love the mix of color and black and white.

Add your own adventure inspired photo to our Gadling Flickr Pool. (or make it just a really, really, really, great shot.)

Lady of Guadalupe Feast Day: Celebration Worthy of Note

by Jamie Rhein on

Here’s a heads up for next year since the day has passed. Still, since this is a month of holidays, I didn’t want this one to go unmentioned. December 12th is one of the most important holy days in Mexico and much of Latin America. The Lady of Guadalupe Feast Day is when people honor Mexico’s patron saint, the Lady of Guadalupe. She appeared in the 16th century to Juan Diego, a poor farmer in Mexico, and is thought to have been the Virgin Mary. His apron with her image on it remains.

Along with many church celebrations, processionals and ceremonies in Mexico and the U.S., December 12th is when hundreds of people make a pilgrimage to the Basilica of Guadalupe in Mexico City, thought to be on the site when Our Lady of Guadalupe appeared. Inside the church, the tilma (apron) that belonged to Juan Diego is on display. Several million come here every year for mass and to see the icon. By the looks of the crowds in this YouTube video, it’s quite the place to visit.

Here is another video from a church in New Jersey that begins to celebrate the feast day the Sunday before the 12th. There is an interview with the priest about the celebration’s significance and footage of the happenings. And, here is an article from today’s Courier-Journal from Louisville, Kentucky that also provides an overview about how this celebration is important to people who have immigrated to the U.S. from Mexico and those with Mexican heritage.

The photo was taken by Chantel Foster during the Our Lady of Guadalupe Feast Day procession in Albuquerque, New Mexico and posted on Flickr.

Free trip to Mexico (all you’ve got to do is win a photo contest)

by Neil Woodburn on

It’s time again to alert our fantastic Photo of the Day winners about another photography contest with big, fat prizes.

Condé Nast Traveler is once again running their Live the Cover contest in which readers are asked to submit their favorite photo that “captures a memorable travel moment” as well as a short paragraph “describing the moment and explaining what made it special.”

The grand prize for the best photograph is a four-night stay at the Palmilla Resort in Los Cabos, Mexico with airfare included. Not too bad!

You’ve got some competition, however, which can be scoped out here.

And, you’ve got to act quickly. The contest ends December 18. And sorry folks, but it’s only open to North American residents (click here for official rules).

One for the Road: Colour – Travels Through the Paintbox

by Kelly Amabile on

This book beckoned me from a front table at Artisan Books on Gertrude St. in Melbourne’s Fitzroy neighborhood. The 2006 paperback version I bought has the bold cover shown here, although I’ve seen several other versions of this book that was originally released in 2002. Regardless of what it looks like, Victoria Finlay’s Colour: Travels Through The Paintbox is a masterpiece. Just as I enjoy looking at Van Gogh’s Sunflowers again and again, so too will I delight in returning to passages from this multicolored exploration of our world.

From ochre to violet, Findlay unearths every possible facet of the rainbow. Her research takes her to Spain, for Consuegra’s Saffron Festival (yellow), to lapis lazuli mines in Sar-e-sang, Afghanistan (blue), and to Mexico, in search of the purple of the Mixtecs (violet). Finlay takes the reader along on this magical journey as she creates a spectacular canvas loaded with pigments, dyes, gems and stones. Her quest to uncover the history and origins of color reveals a rich palette that stretches to every corner of our planet. It would be wonderful to see a map painted to match the discoveries from her color expeditions.