Table of Contents
1 Traveling in Mexico 21
Planning Your Trip
A Travel Routine
Where to Go
How to Get There
Travel Packages: Too Good to Be True?
Tours
Traveling with Friends
Traveling Alone
Traveling with Kids
2 The Best of Mexico 51
Wherever You Go …
A Mercifully Brief Lesson in Geography and Climate
The Seasons
Baja California
Copper Canyon
Pacific Beaches
Central Mexico: The Colonial Heartland
The Gulf Coast
The Indian Highlands: Oaxaca and Chiapas
The Yucatán Peninsula
The Ruta Maya
3 Getting Around 114
Buses
Trains
Rental Cars
Taxis
Colectivos
Navigating in Mexico City
Air Service
Ferries
Boats and Beasts
Hitching
A Ride to Remember
4 Driving 147
Why Drive in Mexico?
Why Not Drive?
Driving Overview
Hazards
Churpa's Driving Story
Road Conditions
City Driving
Night Driving
Traffic Signs
Toll Roads
Cops
Surviving Mexico City
Steve's Bypass Operation
Police Roadblocks and Highway Checkpoints
Parking
Finding Your Way
Ferries
Green Angels and Breakdowns
Gas Stations
Rip-Offs
Preparing Your Car
Buying a Car
Living in Your Vehicle
Do-It-Yourself Camper
Car Repairs
Travels with Woody and Sonny
5 Accommodations 206
Hotels
Renting a Place
House Hunting
Wood-Fired Water Heaters
Living with Mexicans
Maids and Gardeners
6 Camping 246
Camping with Children
RV Motor Homes and Trailers
RV Caravans
Van, Pickup and Car Campers
Rent-a-Car Camping
What Will It Cost?
Privacy
Where to Camp
Is It Safe?
Where to Be Careful
Exploring
Camping and Kitchen Gear
A Traveling Kitchen
Food from Home
Odds and Ends
Camping Skills
7 Packing Up 280
Clothing
Travel-Light Packing Suggestions
The Hidden Pocket
Health Information and Insurance
Useful Travel Accessories
Odds and Ends
Gifts and Trade Goods
8 Mexico: A to Z 295
AA and 12-Step Meetings
Addresses
Banks and Money
Bank and Legal Holidays
Bathing
Bathrooms
Business Hours
Computers
Consulates and Embassies
Electricity
Email and Cyber Cafes
Fuels
Laundry
Meditation
Post Office and Mail
Taxes-IVA
Telegraph Service
Telephones, Cell Phones, Online Calling and Fax Services.
Time and Zones
Tipping
Tourist Information
Vegetables: Purifying
Volunteer and Aid Groups
Water
9 Staying Healthy 324
Prevention
Got Sick Anyway…
Health and First-Aid Kit
Remedies and Cures
Secrets of the Maya Revealed!
10 Safety 360
Is Mexico Safe?
The Accidental Tourist
Drinking and Drugs
Valuables and Rip-Offs
Swimming and Lifeguards
Parasailing
Revolutions and Guerrillas
11 Red Tape and the Law 370
Tourist Cards
Vehicle Permits: A Step-by-Step Explanation
Yachts and Private Aircraft
Pets
Guns and Hunting
Fishing Licenses
Car Insurance
Accidents
Official Documents and Checkpoints
Mexican Customs Inspections
Tourists and Mexican Law
12 !Viva Mexico! 401
Customs and Traditions
Superstitions
Celebrations and Fiestas
Holiday Calendar
Festivals, Fairs and Circuses
Beggars and Con Artists
National Lottery
Machismo
Brothels
The Bullfight
Mexico: A Brief History
What the Hell Is That?
Saints' Days
13 Shopping 454
Shopping and Souvenirs
Haggling
Imports: Fortune or Fantasy?
Shopping for Arts and Crafts
Steve's Shopping Tips
Parrot Fever
14 Restaurants and Typical Foods 478
The Joy of Eating
Types of Restaurants
Street Food
Mexican Fast-Food Tips
Ordering a Meal
Paying Up
Tips
Vegetarians
What You'll Eat
Beverages
15 Booze and Cantinas 521
Drinking Customs
Vino or Wine?
Beer
Tequila and Mezcal
Hard Liquors
Pulque
Home Brews
Bars and Cantinas
16 Markets and Stores 538
Markets and Tianguis
Ins and Outs of Haggling
Shopping Suggestions
Stores
The Shopping List
A Typical Marketing Trip
Market Days in Mexico
Market Days in Guatemala
17 Our Favorite Mexican Recipes 588
Valuable Cooking Tips
Our Favorite Mexican Recipes
18 Speaking Spanish 619
It's Worth the Effort
Greetings and Salutations
Hand Signals
Formalities and Titles
A Typical Polite Letter
Slang
Nicknames
The Mexican Media
Speaking Spanish: Where Do I Start?
19 Live or Retire in Mexico 645
Don't Burn Bridges or Make "Pink Cloud" Decisions
What Will It Really Cost?
A Few Words from Friends and Readers Living in Mexico
Disconnecting from the "Real World"
Can a Tourist or a Foreigner Own Land?
If You Want to Read More …
20 Back to the U.S.A 659
Searches
Is It Legal?
Declare Your Purchases
Duty-Free Limits
Mail It Home
Pets and Plants
Last but Not Least
A Typical
Border Crossing?
21 For More Information: Websites and Book Reviews 672
Mexico Guidebooks and General Information
People's Guide to Mexico Website Highlights
Discuss Mexico and Latin America Online
The Best of Mexico: From Baja to Central America
Archaeology, Anthropology and Ethnology
Booksellers and Sources
Border Crossing: Before Leaving Home
Border Crossing: Mexico (Red Tape)
Border Crossing: U.S.A. (Back to the U.S.A.)
Children
Culture: !Viva Mexico!
Driving
Food and Recipes
Gay and Lesbian
Health
History, Novels and Nonfiction
Hostels
Live or Retire in Mexico and Central America
Maps and Sources
Media
Meditation
Money
Movies
Music
Natural History Newsletters
Outdoor Activities
Packing Up: Travel Accessories and Gear
Pets
Phones
Photography and Photo Galleries
Public Transportation: Getting Around
Real Estate, Rentals, Vacation Properties
Research, Archives and Libraries
RV and Camping
Shopping
Spanish Study
TV and Radio
Volunteer and Social Action Groups
Weather, Climate and Hurricanes
Women
Working in Mexico
Appendices 734
Index 747