‘Girls Gone Wild’ Restaurants Coming Soon

by Justin Glow on

Move over Hooters — Joe Francis, the man behind the $100 million ‘Girls Gone Wild’ brand, has plans to open up a chain of restaurants based on the wildly popular porn video.

The first two are expected to open in the Mexican towns of Cabo San Lucas and — you guessed it — Cancun, and there will be “no stripping, topless waitresses or filming in the restaurants,” said Francis.

I’m trying to think of some clever menu items they might have, like Trucker Cap Salad, where the greens are served in an upside-down, sweaty hat that costs $0.25, yet still is lusted over by drunk college girls. Or maybe they’ll have a deal where your meal is free if you can lick your own nipple. Who knows?

Blowing Up Judas in Mexico

by Neil Woodburn on

We’re coming up on Easter and all the celebrations which surround it. In my life, this has always been a one-day affair focusing on eating and finding eggs. Others celebrate this holiday with far more fervor.

One of the more fascinating locations to witness the spectacle of Easter is in the Mexican town of San Miguel de Allende. Like other strongly Catholic areas, the locals really embrace this holiday, celebrating with two weeks of religious goings-on that started yesterday.

Tourists flock here to witness locals carrying a statue of Jesus four miles from a neighboring town as well as the Man himself (portrayed by an actor) dragging a cross through the center of town, followed closely by Mary Magdalen and a phalanx of centurions.

The highlight of the whole festival, however, is most certainly the blowing up of Judas. Locals create effigies of the hated disciple, as well as anyone else who has earned their scorn–such as local politicians. The papier-maché figures are then strung up on a wire, and blown up with firecrackers! The Firing of the Judases occurs on Easter Sunday, the final day of the celebrations. Now that sure beats hunting for brightly colored eggs!

Crystal Cave of the Giants

by Justin Glow on

In the April of 2000, brothers Juan and Pedro Sanchez discovered what they believe are the largest crystals in the world, buried deep in the bedrock in a mine in southern Chihuahua Mexico. The cave housing the crystals is very dark and dangerous, though you couldn’t tell it from the photo above. The heat alone — over 150 degrees Fahrenheit at 100% humidity — can quickly kill. “A human can only function in this environment for six to ten minutes before severe loss of mental functions occurs,” so don’t start booking any flights to Mexico yet. For now, stick to the story and photo gallery.

Volaris to Rent iPods for $5? Ay Caramba!

by Willy Volk on

Volaris, Mexico’s low-cost airline, began loaning passengers 30 GB iPods for free on February 8. Currently, the MP3 players come pre-loaded with Mexican TV shows and popular music. Soon, the airline plans to load the iPods with U.S. sitcoms and other music genres.

Though the salty snacks and fizzy drinks will remain complimentary, the iPod rental’ll cost passengers about $5 per flight — just as soon as they can collect all the units they distributed on that last leg to Tijuana…

[Via Jaunted]

Travel the World with Oscar

by Willy Volk on

In years past, local tourist boards saw generous spikes in traffic after popular movies featured the locations they tout. For example, both Alberta and Wyoming enjoyed gobs of slack-jawed, cash-carrying visitors last year after Brokeback Mountain won all those accolades. If you want to travel to the locations in which this year’s Best Picture-nominated films were set, here’s where you’d have to go.

The nominees for best picture are:

  • Babel — To visit the locations in this whirling dervish of a film, you’d better make sure your passport is current. After all, you’ll be heading to Morocco, Japan, and Mexico.
  • The Departed — Set in Boston, lucky movie-set-hunters may also get to see where Good Will Hunting was filmed.
  • Letters From Iwo Jima — Next month, Military Historical Tours will visit Iwo Jima on the 62nd anniversary of the historic Battle.
  • Little Miss Sunshine — Road trip!!! Follow the dysfunctional Hoover family’s path along Route 66. Just be certain to have a more dependable vehicle.
  • The Queen — Filmed in Scotland, the movie mainly uses stand-ins for the locations on film, but persistent travelers can book cottages at Balmoral Castle.

Personally, I’d like to visit Uganda, but The Last King of Scotland didn’t get a nod for Best Picture. Nevertheless, the 79th Annual Academy Awards are this Sunday. You can book your travel any time you like.