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Renting a car in Mexico
I’ve always thought one of the best ways to avoid trouble in Mexico is to not drive there. This is solely based on the many horror stories I’ve heard of this country, like being stopped by bandidos on the highway or being pulled over by police to pay a bribe. Whether or not these stories…
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Mexican Hill Towns
Most people know Mexico for its beaches, like Cancun or Puerto Vallarta, but separating those two beaches is the Sierra Madre mountain range with its spine running through the center of Mexico. Not only do these mountain towns provide a way to escape the heat and humidity of Mexico’s beaches, they’re filled with culture and…
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I thought I’d learned how to get peanut butter through TSA in my carry-on
The excitement I feel when I pack my bag is like that of a sled dog when it’s being attached to the sleigh harness. It doesn’t matter how much I enjoy where I am, nothing can compare to the excitement of where I will be next. Perhaps it’s why I rarely experience sadness; as long…
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Tales Of Taxco
Everyone loves to see films that are shot on location in their hometown, and I’ve had the fortune to live in towns that are desirable film locations: Vancouver, Seattle, Portland, and San Francisco. As a result, I’ve had my share of star sightings and the opportunity to mentally correct many inconsistencies, like corners that are…
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What’s up dumbass?
One of the things I love to learn in a foreign language are colloquialisms, because it makes you sound more like a native speaker. When I worked at the hostel in Puerto Vallarta, the staff constantly used the expression “Que onda guey?” when greeting each other. I never asked what it meant. I just assumed…
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Use your words…to stay safe
Last summer a friend accused me of being manipulative after watching my exchange with someone. I replied that we all learn how to behave in order to get what we want. I was recently listening to a Ted talk that said “Everyone is ready to give you something in exchange for something they’re hungry for”…
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Traversing Tepoztlan
My mistake was in assuming that the women who informed me about the loop hike had actually just done it. You see, they’d passed me only twenty minutes earlier while I was enjoying a tamale from atop a rock above a dry creek bed. I met them on their return at an intersection which, on…
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A visit to the El Rosario Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve
The journey to the village where I went to see the monarch butterflies at their winter home began at the bus terminal. Heading into more remote parts of Mexico with winding narrow roads meant switching from large comfortable buses to cramped rickety minibuses. In many ways, it held similarities to my visit to Nepal. The…
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Malinalco, an Artisan Hill Town in Mexico
I arrived in Malinalco after the typical succession from big bus, to local bus, to combination mini bus. This seems to be fairly routine now that I’m visiting towns more off the beaten track. That’s not to say it wasn’t a tourist town. It certainly earned the title more than the last charlatan on the…
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