Mexico City Joins the Skyscraper Race

by Iva Skoch on

It’s not just China, Malaysia, Dubai and New York battling for the world’s coolest skyscrapers anymore. Now, ladies and gentlemen, Mexico City joins the party.

The center of Ciudad de Mexico should be home to Latin America’s tallest skyscraper in 2010, which is the 200th anniversary of Mexico’s Independence. The developer, Grupo Danhos, hired the Dutch star architect, Rem Koolhaas to design the 300m (900ft) tall Torre Bicentenario (Bicentenary Tower).

The development, however, is getting dramatic with some claiming it is simply illegal. IHT reports that the legal core of the debate is the site’s zoning, which is now limited to commercial buildings of just five stories. The site cost the developer just $18 million, far less than if zoned for a high-rise.

Needless to say, the taller the buildings, the higher the bribes.

Pair Travel Writing and Photography at a Yucatan Retreat

by Jamie Rhein on

Every once in awhile I hear about a trip that makes me think, sure, I can go. That is until reality sets in. If this trip was just a week later, I could probably talk myself into swinging it. The dates don’t work for me, but perhaps they might for you.

From December 4-11, 2007, there is the Travel Writing Workshop in the Yucatan lead by a husband and wife team, Judith Fein and Paul Ross. She’s a travel journalist; he’s a photographer. Their company, Global Adventure is one I wish I was running. With what time, I have no idea, but they look like they have a rip roaring good time traversing the world and taking people along with them on journeys geared towards learning and self-improvement. Plus, they live in Santa Fe, New Mexico when they are not on the road. What could be finer than that? Sorry, Columbus. Sorry, Ohio.

Judith has written articles galore for many major publicatations and had been a frequent guest on NPR’s, now defunct, Savvy Traveler. Paul’s vita is also extensive. While Judith captures their travels in words, he snaps the photos. Being that they are experts–and they pass on their know-how, going on a trip with them sounds like a blast.

The one in the Yucatan centers on little known archeological sites and Mayan villages during the days. Nights are spent at Rancho Encantado, an eco-tourism type resort that includes candlelight dinners and massages. Here’s a link to comments about Judith’s and Paul’s trips from people who have taken them. Now that I’ve read about this trip myself, it sounds like my perfect dream vacation, and I didn’t even know I had one.

Budget Travel’s 10 Best Undiscovered Locations

by Neil Woodburn on

It’s that time of year again when Budget Travel reveals its Best Places You’ve never Heard Of.

Every year the editors of this fine magazine interview 10 travelers and ask them to “reveal the places they’ve recently discovered.” The underlying theme here is that these are very cool places which most people have never heard of before, but may some day become popular tourist destinations when word gets out.

True to form, nine of the 10 suggestions this year are places … I’ve never heard of! The lone exception is the city of Wroclaw, a rather nondescript Polish town I visited 12 years ago and found exceedingly boring. Things, however, have apparently changed — at least according to traveler Walter Lowry, who touts the city as having the “prettiest plaza in Poland and perhaps in all of central Europe.” He also applauds Wroclaw for its fine shopping.

As for the other nine cities, here they are. Click, discover, and enjoy!

• Castelmezzano, Italy
• Caraiva, Brazil
• Baranja Region, Croatia
• Estacada, United States
• Yirgalem, Ethiopia
• Puerto Angel, Mexico
• Jura Region, France
• Jomsom, Nepal
• Sangkhla Buri, Thailand

Gadling’s own Leif Pettersen is traveling through another not-so-well-known location: Ia??i, Romania.

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Monarch Migration: A Collaboration

by Jamie Rhein on

Before I headed out with my son this past Saturday on our own excursion to experience the life of a monarch butterfly firsthand, I was writing a post with about where to go to see monarchs in action and monarch migration. This is the time of year that they are starting to gear up for their journey south. As Sarah, the director of the Blendon Woods MetroPark in Columbus, Ohio, and an expert on monarchs told me, monarchs either will travel south or they will reproduce. Those that reproduce live for about 30 days. Reproducing poops them out. Those that make the journey to Mexico, or places in between, live for about 9 months.

Here are places that celebrate monarchs. If you see a monarch in your own travels, look to see if there is a band on it. There are programs where monarchs are tagged so their journey can be traced and documented.

At the website Monarch Watch, a University of Kansas community-wide (think as big as the world) research and conservation project, you can find out all kinds of info about the monarchs and their migration. On September 8 there is an open house and a tagging event on the 15th. There is also a link to a forum where you can learn about monarch habitats and how to create your own.

Here’s another project, digital monarch watch, where people can document real-time monarch migration.

If you are in Texas, here’s information about where to track monarchs. For everyone else, there’s a good description of the migration process.

California is one place monarchs pass through. Here are two places I found where you can see monarchs in October.Pismo Beach, California. Monarchs will start showing up here again in November (although it could be earlier) Pacific Grove, California (This site says they arrive in October)

The photo is thanks to icyshard who took this shot of monarchs mating at Coronado Butterfly Preserve in Ellwood, California.

If you want to go on a monarch tour in Mexico, check out Gap Adventures.

If you have a monarch migration event where you live, let us know and provide a link if possible.

Tijuana Cracking Down on Corrupt Cops

by Neil Woodburn on

There is nothing that says “Mexican Holiday” more than paying a bribe to the local police. In fact, paying off corrupt cops is as common as tacos and cervazas south of the border. College students heading down for Spring Break, for example, all know to keep an extra $20 bill in their pockets for the inevitable shakedown.

I’d like to say this is all urban legend, but I have too many friends who have had to fork out the dough or face a night in a Mexican pokey.

One of the most common places for the shakedown is along the five mile strip of road between Tijuana and the nearest beach towns. This well-traveled highway is frequented by numerous tourists heading south for the holidays, or perhaps just a weekend at their beach house. And all seem to be speeding no matter how slow they drive.

Concerned that such a horrific reputation was pissing off tourists and damaging further foreign investment in the region, Tijuana officials have announced that they initiated a crackdown in the region against bad cops. Not only have some of the worst offenders have been transferred elsewhere, but an all-female battalion has been stationed in the area to promote good will and reassure tourists crossing the border.In a novel move, local officials have gone so far as to make the entire five mile strip of highway leading to the beach a No Pull-Over Zone in which local police are prevented from pulling over anyone with foreign plates whatsoever.

Now that’s a novel approach! But don’t get too excited. Cameras will still monitor the highway to make sure that gringos don’t start taking advantage of the No Pull-Over Zone. And don’t worry; there will be plenty of Mexican cops elsewhere in the country to provide you with that authentic south of the border experience.