Need New Year’s Eve ideas? Crash some plates!

by Tom Johansmeyer on

I assure you that when the ball drops on the last day of 2008, I will not be in Times Square. I will be nowhere near Times Square. So, unless you like the thought of being shoulder-to-shoulder with people you’ve never met while freezing and lamenting the lack of public bathrooms in that part of town, take a look at some of the choices you have this year.

Chomp twelve grapes in Spain
Think of it as a drinking game without the fermentation. Every time the bells toll-12 times in total-eat a grape. This should ensure a sweet year. But, if you cram into Madrid‘s Puerta del Sol (see my thoughts on Times Square), listen carefully for your cue to chew.

Slam china in Denmark
Wait for the queen to finish her annual 6 PM New Year’s Eve address to the Danes. Then, join the locals in a big meal. On a full stomach, throw plates at people’s houses (typically, this is done to friends). The thrown plates are expressions of friendship. I have to assume that a direct hit on a window or expensive glass door is not. Again, just guessing.

Wait for Pinocchio in Ecuador
Ecuadorians burn effigies to prevent their real-life counterparts from stopping by, and people run around the block 12 times while wearing yellow, which they say is lucky. I do hope that they aren’t wearing only yellow … that would look funny.

Mexico: Another place to run around the block
Wear yellow if you choose (and only if you choose) while carrying your luggage around the block in Mexico. But, only do this if you want the year to bring you many travels. Investment bankers, management consultants and attorneys: don’t bother trying to resist it. You’ll be on the road anyway.

[Thanks, IgoUgo]

Cabo San Lucas: Oh No They Didn’t

by Brenda Yun on

If you have just the slightest clue what the title of this article refers to, then you will also know how I feel about the subject. I guess you could say there are two subjects in this case: Cabo San Lucas as a celebrity hotspot and Speidi getting married. Neither subject is a pleasant one in my opinion, but just the thought of the second makes me want to wretch.

Yes, they did. Spencer Pratt and Heidi Montag of MTV’s “The Hills” fame eloped this weekend and got hitched at the One and Only Palmilla Resort. For those of you who don’t follow “The Hills,” this basically means there is no chance in hell that Lauren and Heidi will be best friends again, but did we really want that to happen anyway?The Palmilla appears to be the celebrity resort of choice in hot and heavy Cabo San Lucas. Britney escapes there, Christina Aguilera had her bachelorette bash there, and Eli Manning (the New York Giants quarterback) got hitched there in April. So, I guess it would come as no surprise, really, that the shallowest couple on the face of the earth would also choose the Palmilla as the locale for their secretive nuptial.

What really has me stumped, though, is the appeal of Cabo San Lucas. Based on all of the tropical and romantic destinations in this world, why does Cabo stand out for celebrities? Maybe it’s close enough to Los Angeles that celebrities can make it a weekend getaway, but I would certainly fly an extra hour or two to experience something authentic (like to Hawaii, for instance?) rather than Cabo, which is like a hot Disneyland for adults (and when is that ever fun?). I just remember spending a day there last month on what must have been the hottest day of the year and thinking I was going to sweat to death. I actually wrung out my clothes from all the sweat that day.

There are, of course, two redeeming things about Cabo and maybe just one with regard to Speidi:

  1. The famous “El Arco,” which is a natural rock arch formed by crashing surf is a sight to behold if you make your way to Lover’s Beach.
  2. Zippers, a surf break located about forty minutes by car from the Cabo San Lucas Harbor, is one of the best breaks in Mexico if not the world.
  3. I can look forward to jubilation upon hearing the news of Speidi’s breakup/divorce; it’s bound to happen.

Mexico City airport adopts Japanese man

by Grant Martin on

A Japanese man named Hiroshi Nohara has decided to take full advantage of his tourist’s visa in Mexico City and has moved into the airport. He’s been living there for two months, and the initial avoidance from the locals has recently turned into a curiosity.

Nohara, who can’t explain why he decided to live in the city airport, has been getting by on free donations from local fast food stands and kind visitors. Apparently he was gaining so much notiriety with the local media that he’s even being sponsored by a few of the stands who give him free hats and shirts to wear. Now, as a tourist attraction in and of himself, people stop by the airport just to take their picture with him.

Meanwhile, Mexican officials can’t do anything to remove him from the airport as it’s a 24/7 facility and technically he’s there legally. His tourist visa runs up in March.

Until then, make sure you stop by on your connection to Acapulco and get your photo taken with Mr. Nohara. It’s a limited edition engagement so your photo will be worth millions on Ebay someday.

Why are these the world’s best airports?



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Rick Steves Talks Up Tijuana

by Josh Lew on

In a recent syndicated column, European travel guru Rick Steves explains why Tijuana is a worthy travel destination. He admits that, at first, he was down on the border city because of its reputation, but had never visited until recently.

So what did the author and travel show host with the unlikely voice (“he sounds like my Grandmother” a friend once told me) think of life on the other side of the wire? Well, it is definitely not Tuscany: “Bars that feel like saloons come with cheap prostitutes wearing down their stiletto heels at the doors.”

But Steves notes that things were not as raw as he expected: “With this thriving economy comes a thriving culture: music, arts, and an impressive cultural center. The city, while architecturally dilapidated, is extremely clean. The streets were free of litter.” It seems that, despite the recent cartel shootouts, the local government seems to be delivering on its promise to spiff up Tijuana. Sure, the city has gained economically from rubbing against the US, but it is still on the outside looking over the fence. As Steves point out though, there is far more than cheap prescriptions and free flowing agave-based alcohol to this border town.

Mexican Border Cities Becoming More Dangerous

by Josh Lew on

The US State Department has added the border town of Nogales to its growing list of Mexican cities that are becoming more dangerous because of violence. Drug cartels have been clashing in an attempt to gain control of lucrative smuggling routes. Daylight firefights have taken place in major border cities like Juarez and Tijuana.

More than 1,000 people have been killed as a result of the fighting this year in Juarez alone.

Cartels have also clashed with the Mexican police and army. These shootouts resemble war combat more than they do gang shootings. Both sides are armed with automatic weapons, and cartels are deploying grenades and rocket launchers. Some of these battles have taken place near popular shopping areas, putting the general public in the line of fire. Thus far, the State Department warning has not stemmed the flow at the Nogales border crossing. According to customs officials, there are more than 40,000 per day crossing into Nogales from Arizona. That’s about average for this time of year. Perhaps people just don’t take the warnings seriously. Meanwhile, Mexican officials are trying to get the cartel problem under control by deploying army units to the area.