Going to the Dentist in Mexico

by Justin Glow on

While I’m not particularly fond of going to the dentist, I don’t necessarily mind it. A trip to a Mexican dentist, however… now that’s another story. Thoughts of poorly-lit rooms dance around my mind, rooms with ancient, rusty tools, blood-spattered walls and screaming patients — stuff straight out of Dr. Giggles.

Now I’m as cheap as they come, but I can’t imagine every crossing over the boarder to get as much as a band-aid removed, even if it does save me a few grand. No thanks.

Molly McCloy recently tempted fate by traveling across the border and partaking in Mexico’s cheap dental care, and lived to tell about it in this article for Slate. The verdict? Not too bad. A few hiccups with the x-ray machine, but the doctor did a good job otherwise — “When [the dentist] was finished, the crowns looked better than my teeth had looked for 23 years.”

Riviera Maya Getaways

by Neil Woodburn on

One of the best, quick tropical getaways from my home in Los Angeles is the Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico. Unfortunately, it tends to be dominated by Cancun, an overdeveloped strip of high rise hotels, tourist dives, and drunk college students. It wasn’t until just a couple of months ago, however, that I learned about the less populated stretch of the Yucatan where hotels are few and the crowds are sparse.

The trick is to head south towards the Riviera Maya and leave Cancun far behind. In November, I spent a few days near Tulum, just a two hour drive from the Cancun airport. I was pleased with my discovery but have since learned there are even more exotic and remote locations even further south.

Secret Hotels of the Riviera Maya, a recent article in Budget Travel, explores eight such hotel “hideaways” along this (mostly) undeveloped coast ranging from the simple to the extravagant. More than half of those suggested range in cost from $70-80 while the most expensive is still a deal at $185 a night. Incidentally, the latter, Amansala’s Casa Magna, was once a private residence of drug lord Pablo Escobar.

To whet your appetite, the photograph above is an aerial shot of Hotel Tierra Maya. Sure, it’s a long 6-hour drive from Cancun (or 2 ½ hours from a small airport in Chetumal), but just look at that water! It’s sure worth the journey–as is the $80 a night rates.

Photo of the Day (2/11/2007)

by Erik Olsen on

To be honest, I’m not exactly sure WHAT this is a photo of. OK, it’s obviously a rock and, well, some more rocks, and normally, you’d just pass right by a photo like this thinking that it was either the work of a total amateur or the product of an accidental slip of the finger.

It could still be either of these things, but the fact is, I like the photo. I like the different textures here and the cool blend of colors. Taken by stinger101 apparently in Cabo san Lucas, the photo has no caption…but it’s nice.

Word for the Travel Wise (02/09/07)

by Adrienne Wilson on

You’d think I’d never traveled to a Spanish speaking country in my life the way one of my close pal from Mexico and my strict Peruvian co-worker are cracking down on the Spanish language lessons. To help prep me for my upcoming trip to the Republica Dominicana (no longer the Dominican Republic) I have been hit with tons of new Spanish vocabulary and useful phrases. Since this is a two way street; they get the enjoyment of laughing as I painfully try to get the double ‘r’ sound followed by a vowel and then another ‘r’ out right – I get to make a list of words I think I’d want to know. Considering how much I like the fruit mentioned below, I thought it would be a good one to practice on now.

Today’s word is a Spanish word used in Mexico:

toronja – grapefruit

Amerispan, Cactus Language and IMAC are all good starting points to learning abroad. A free membership at Spanish Unlimited gives you the opportunity to learn a new word everyday by email, gain pen pals and hear audio of the words. Their website is actually a good resource tool for many different Spanish related topics. I won’t even begin to list some of the texts out there that could further your studies because there are entirely too many. If you know of some language books that would be useful please feel free to list them.

Past Spanish words: escalar, cercano, realidad, enfermo, jalar, isla, timbre, viajar

Tequila Tours in Mexico

by Neil Woodburn on

If there was ever a drink created by the devil and left here on our planet to punish our mortal souls, it would have to be tequila. The mere mention of this harsh alcohol is usually enough to send a hung-over college student running for the toilet.

The thought of actually visiting the spawning grounds of where this devil juice is concocted would be like visiting hell itself. Josh Krist, writing for Lonely Planet, has done just that–only his experience was one of heavenly indulgence.

Krist heads down to the Mexican state of Jalisco–the Napa Valley of tequila–to taste the very finest brands–brands that don’t burn, brands that don’t evoke a gag reflex, and brands that are virtually unknown to college students.

Every drink has its fine connoisseurs and tequila is no exception. Krist–who is one such aficionado–introduces us to the finer qualities of the drink and tells us about the distilleries one can visit in Mexico to appreciate the subtle nuances which I had no idea tequila possessed. And here’s something novel; fine tequila is apparently meant to be sipped, not shot. Go figure!