Blog | Wandering Earl

Is Mexico Safe To Visit?

Posted on April 4, 2013 by Wandering Earl

Is Mexico Safe to Visit

“Is Mexico safe to visit?” is a question that not only am I asked quite often but a question that I see popping up all across the internet as well. And due to the fact that, just about ten days ago, I finished leading my two-week Wander Across Mexico tour, a tour that involved me taking a group of ten fellow travelers around this very country, I figured this would be a good time to bring the topic up on my blog.

During those two weeks that we were in Mexico, our group visited approximately ten different destinations located in four different states. We slept in six different towns and cities and we covered a distance of around 2000 kilometers (1200 miles) from the starting point, Playa del Carmen, to the ending point, Oaxaca. Basically, we traveled across the entire southern part of Mexico.

And while I could write an entire post telling you that Mexico is much safer than you imagine, assuming you don’t wander around the far northern areas where the overwhelming majority of the drug violence occurs, I decided that I would ask the travelers who participated in my tour to share their thoughts instead.

Asking the Group – Is Mexico Safe to Visit?

Keep in mind that even though everyone was on a ‘tour’, there was plenty of free time mixed in to the itinerary and this group would often wander around in smaller groups or simply on their own, without me around at all, in just about every place that we visited. They went out during the mornings, afternoons and yes, even late at night, throughout the tour.

Now you might have also noticed from my previous posts about this Mexico trip that the majority of the group were females. As a result, I figured that their input would be especially valuable considering how many people, both males and females, feel that traveling to a country such as Mexico would be quite dangerous.

So, I made the following request, via email, to everyone on the tour a few days after it came to an end: “I was wondering if you could provide a few lines just about Mexico in general and whether or not you felt unsafe at any time in that country.”

And this is what they had to say…

Michelle
Maybe it was the smiling children, or the Mayan woman who invited us into her home for lunch, or the friendly greetings of “Hola, como estas, buenos dias” everywhere I went…..but “dangerous Mexico” is not a concept that I encountered, especially in the region we traveled. Don’t believe everything you hear….get out there and decide for yourself!

Rashelle
I’ve already been asked several times since my return if anything dangerous had happened. It just goes to show the level of propaganda people take so seriously is hugely misleading. I’d be MORE than HAPPY to SPREAD THE WORD THAT MEXICO IS SAFE!! Obviously you didn’t take us to the parts we shouldn’t go to where it is known for being dodgy, but you can generally cover a broad part of the country, visiting city after city without having to worry about anything. Not once did I feel threatened. Mexico was incredibly friendly and laid back, I never sensed any danger even when it was a few of us walking back home from a late night out. Anastasia and I went for a walk in Playa, it was after 9 (which isn’t that late) but we walked to parts where it was deserted and not once did I feel like someone was going to jump out of nowhere and attack us. I saw regular people out with their families and friends, people with their partners or on their own having a good time without hurting anyone. You can walk the streets of Mexico, smile at someone and get a genuine smile back without having to worry you may have rubbed someone the wrong way.

Queenie
During the time I was in Mexico, I think I told at least 5 people I was with that I felt safer walking around the streets there than I do back home (Northern California). There was not a single point during the tour that I felt unsafe.

Anastasia
As for personal safety, I felt safer in Mexico at night than I do in Denver. People are friendly, respectful and polite. At no time on this trip did I feel threatened or unsafe. It has to be mentioned that I did not wander into the deep neighborhoods of the outskirts looking for drugs or weapons. And regardless of where you are traveling one should be aware, cautious, prepared and use some common sense! The areas of Mexico that we traveled to are not a threat to anyone’s life or health.

Alison
Mexico has a reputation for being dangerous and unsafe, but after spending about 3 weeks there in a few different places I feel this is quite undeserved. At no point during my travels did I ever feel unsafe. To the contrary, I was surprised at how safe it was and how relaxed the atmosphere felt.

Ken & Heather
During our entire trip in Mexico we did not feel concerned about our safety. We did note the policia made their presence clearly known. We live in Los Angeles, so we are used to being fairly vigilant and guarded against the deluge of clinically insane people wandering the streets here. While visiting various towns on the tour, we noted a strong sense of community. Families were out enjoying themselves even late at night, and many families had hand crafted gifts for sale. When we could not locate a restaurant or lavanderia, getting help with directions was fairly easy. Of course, the directions were not always accurate, but locals seemed happy to offer assistance any way they could.

Lisa
As far as safety in Mexico, I can only repeat what I have told a few friends and that is that I felt safer in Mexico than I do walking around in many parts of Minneapolis. The people were so warm and friendly, and everyone was so helpful. I think the kindness shown to us by so many Mexicans we encountered set an example that all the rest of us could follow.

Cindy
I have really enjoyed my time, 20 days so far, in Mexico. I must stress that never have I felt unsafe during my stay. To be honest, I felt safer walking down the main streets here than I have some places at home in New Zealand. As a blonde-haired, blue-eyed female, the only extra attention I ever had was somebody taking a second look at me out of curiosity. I never got hassled, even when walking alone. From Oaxaca to Playa del Carmen, I might have stuck out like a sore thumb sometimes but the way I was treated was with respect and warmth, just as they do with any other person. The people here are really relaxed and so is their way of life. I love it, and I wish I had given myself more time here.

There you have it, all of their responses, copied and pasted straight out of their emails. And I must say that I fully agree with everything they said.

If you’ve been to Mexico, did you feel safe? If you haven’t been, do you think it’s a dangerous place to visit? Any questions?

Posted in Mexico | 39 Comments

A Little Human Connection Goes A Long Way

Posted on April 1, 2013 by Wandering Earl

Human Connection

It happens to all of us when we travel. We walk down a street and before we know it, people are approaching us, locals who are trying to sell us something we don’t need or trying to convince us to eat there or sleep here or to join a day trip somewhere. Maybe they want us to exchange money at their shop, have our shoes shined, eat their street food or buy their blankets. You get the idea. Foreigners are targets and as a result, we often have to deal with people trying to convince us to part ways with our money.

Our typical reaction when we encounter these situations is to often put our head down and keep on moving, ignoring the pleas and sales pitches and promises. We tend to label anyone who is trying to sell us something as a nuisance and as someone that we need to avoid. We distrust such people so easily, perhaps because they appear to only be interested in getting our money, or perhaps because of the assumed differences between us.

We fear what we don’t know and when a woman wearing a traditional village dress or a man who is talking to us in a language we can’t decipher approaches us, we just don’t know how to react. Our natural tendency is to grab onto the fact that since they are trying to sell us something, it’s okay to just walk away.

But wait a minute…

Who cares if they are trying to sell us something? Who cares if they are wearing jeans or a traditional dress or speaking in Hmong?

At the end of the day, we really aren’t so different from the people we come across, no matter what they are wearing or what their language might be or what they are trying to sell.

The important thing to realize is that almost everyone we encounter is a fellow human being just trying to survive in this world, exactly like you and me. And as a result, such fellow human beings deserve to be treated with respect. Instead of ignoring them or getting frustrated by their presence, we should look them in the eyes, we should say ‘hello’ (in the local language of course!), and we should acknowledge them with a smile or a polite ‘no, thank you’.

I’m not saying we should buy something or even engage in a conversation with every single person that approaches us, but a little acknowledgement certainly never hurt.

The point of travel is to connect with foreign lands, cultures and, yes, people and the only way to achieve this is to treat others with respect and to recognize that we all need to earn a living, we all need to feed our families and we all want to improve our lives as much as possible. In the end, this is why we all go to work each day as well and that is why those trying to sell you something on the streets of Delhi, in the markets of Bangkok or in the lanes of Cairo, deserve to be recognized as fellow human beings, not as anything less.

(During my recent Wander Across Mexico Tour, our group was often approached by people selling things wherever we went. And I was happy to see the members of the group usually look people in the eyes and say ‘No, gracias’ instead of just turning away. It might sound silly but even these small gestures make a difference.)

I had a very good friend during my University years who would always hug people whenever she saw them or said goodbye. It had a lasting effect on me as, since then, I have always tried to shake as many hands and offer as many hugs as possible, or at least touch someone on the shoulder while speaking with them. It adds a greater degree of human connection and I have noticed a major, and positive, difference in how people react when I do these things. (Thank you Angela!)

Such simple actions help create a bridge between people and cultures, even if it is a tiny bridge, instead of widening the gap that already exists between foreigner and local. And once you start doing it, I’m certain that it will become as positive an experience for you as it has been for me and I am also certain that those you interact with will be very appreciative.

Not only do people hassle me less when I look them in the eyes and say ‘no, thank you’, but often times, they put aside their interest in selling me something and we end up having an actual conversation. Over the years I’ve ended up having tea and meals with people who were originally trying to get me to open up my wallet, and I even once spent the night at the home of a tout who had been following me down the street in Delhi trying to get me to book a room at a crappy hotel that his ‘friend’ owned. We became friends and he ended up showing me around the city for two days as well.

A little human connection goes a long way.

With all of this said, I’m a realistic guy and I understand that sometimes it is indeed annoying as heck to have a group of people mob you while walking down the street, everyone trying to get you to shell out a few dollars for their low-quality goods. But, we are visitors to their country after all, and the idea is to not let that frustration ruin your day or stop you from interacting with locals at all.

If we can always remember that we are all connected, then we can bring ourselves to look people in the eyes, to smile, to touch their shoulders and to say, ‘not today, thank you’, instead of automatically walking away with our head down, widening the gap between us in the process, a gap that we should be helping to close.

What do you think? How do you handle people approaching you while traveling? Any other pieces of advice or good stories to share?

Posted in Perspectives | 80 Comments

I Bought A Zoo While Traveling In Mexico

Posted on March 29, 2013 by Wandering Earl

I Bought a Zoo
I don’t buy much while traveling.

After all, I don’t have a house or an apartment to call my own and so, where would I put things if I bought them? I’m certainly not going to lug everything around with me everywhere I go and at the same time, I usually don’t see the point of buying something only to put it in storage.

With that said, over the past 13 years, there have certainly been times when I simply couldn’t resist. I saw something and I wanted it and even though I knew that it was going to end up in that one box I have in a closet at my mom’s place in the US, there was no stopping me.

And that, my friends, is how I ended up buying a zoo while in Oaxaca, Mexico just a few days ago.

Yup.

I bought a zoo, sort of.

While wandering around the Mercado de Artesanias (Artisan’s Market) in the center of Oaxaca, I stumbled upon a small shop that sold some extremely colorful handmade crafts. And I’m a sucker for bright colors. So as soon as I stepped foot inside, I knew right away that I wasn’t leaving without a bag full of stuff.

And that’s how I ended up with an…

Octopus

Elephant

Cactus and Bird

Lizard

Porcupine

Basically, I bought a zoo’s worth of animals that day, and for a mere $50 USD too! Those were the only things I bought during the entire month I spent in Mexico, and even though these aren’t exactly traditional cultural items, I found them to be irresistible (just look at that octopus!) and had no choice but to buy them all.

Of course, when I leave the US in a couple of weeks again, into the box they shall all go until the time comes for me to unpack them and place them on a shelf in a house or apartment that I can finally call my own. I’m sure it will happen one day!

So, my question for you is…

What do you buy while traveling? Do you think you would buy a lot or not much at all if you were traveling long-term?

Photo credit: Zoo entrance by Jim Moore

Posted in Everything Else, Mexico | 70 Comments

A Recap Of My Wander Across Mexico Tour

Posted on March 27, 2013 by Wandering Earl

Mexico Tour - Wander Across Mexico Group

Yesterday, my second Wandering Earl Tour came to an end. And I must say, it was a strange feeling to say goodbye to another group of splendid people, people whom I was fortunate to get to know quite well over the past two weeks.

I would absolutely love to continue traveling with everyone, to continue sharing experiences, to continue engaging in interesting conversations and to continue learning about each other and the places we visit.

But of course, such a trip must finish eventually and after fifteen days of wandering across Mexico, from the beaches of the Caribbean coast all the way to the central state of Oaxaca, while stopping in a variety of destinations along the way, the time has come to part ways with this group of ten fellow travelers.

However, in order to keep the memories alive (and to provide others with what I think is a great itinerary for a Mexico tour), I shall now give an outline of the route that we took during this Wander Across Mexico excursion. This will be a basic summary as I plan to write several posts, with much more detail, about this Mexico trip in the near future. There is just so much I do want to share!

Playa del Carmen

White sand beaches, turquoise waters, soaking up the sun, and unfortunately some rain…that sums up the first two days of this tour as we hung out in the laid-back, international beachfront community that is Playa del Carmen. Of course, we also ate at many of my favorite restaurants all over town, where we sampled alhambres, tostadas, empanadas, enchiladas, chilaquiles, tacos al pastor and other fine items, while often washing them down with a few beers, an activity that had a tendency to lead late into the night.

Akumal

Tanned and ready to hit the road, we then left Playa in two rented vans early in the morning of day three. Our first stop would be the tiny town of Akumal where we all jumped in the water to snorkel with the sea turtles that swim around just off the shore. Luckily, we arrived at 7:30am, far before the crowds, and as a result we had the beautiful beach to ourselves, and every person in the group managed to see some turtles.

Tulum

From Akumal, we continued south to Tulum, the Mayan ruins that are more well known for their impressive location atop a cliff along the Caribbean Sea than they are for the actual structures to be found there. We spent a couple of hours walking around the site before relaxing on the tiny idyllic beach located at the bottom of the cliff face.

And then we were off to Valladolid…

Valladolid

We spent two nights in this beautiful town, with its colorful pink, green, yellow and red buildings, cobblestone streets and lanes, picture-perfect cathedral-backed zocalo (main plaza), excellent local food market and Mayan chocolate shops, not to mention its friendly people, many wearing their traditional Mayan dress as they go about their daily business.

And just a few miles from the center of town lies the cenotes of Samula and X’Keken, which are underground water-filled caves that visitors can enter and even swim in. We went over to Samula and I think everyone in the group except for me jumped into the chilly water…

After leaving Valladolid on day five of the trip, we took the country road to Chichen-itza, probably the most well-known Mayan ruin site in Mexico, where we spent over three hours exploring the various groups of structures despite the extreme daytime heat.

Izamal

We popped into a roadside restaurant for a quick, and delicious, lunch of roasted chicken, before we were back in our vans and back on the nearly-deserted, one-lane road that cuts through dozens of tiny Mayan villages in the Yucatan Peninsula. Two hours later we pulled into Izamal, the small town where just about every single building is painted yellow. It’s quite a sight to see and it amazes me that more travelers don’t spend time in this unique community.

While in Izamal, we walked around the streets, visited the old monastery (which is also yellow), hiked up to the top of the Kinich Kak Mo Mayan pyramid that sits at the edge of town, sipped some coffee in the main square and ate a variety of local Mayan dishes at one of the few sit-down restaurants.

The following day was a long one as we drove back to Playa del Carmen, a drive of about three and a half hours. And once we arrived, most of the group went straight to the beach for the afternoon before we all met up again at the bus station for our overnight bus to the town of Palenque, located some 12 hours away in the state of Chiapas.

Palenque

Luckily, the bus, as is common with Mexican buses, was incredibly comfortable, with wide seats, plenty of leg room, two bathrooms and a relaxing environment that made it quite easy to catch at least a few hours of good sleep, which was a bonus considering that we arrived in Palenque too early in the morning to check into our hotel.

Instead, we just dropped off our bags, freshened up a bit and went straight back out, catching a colectivo (shared van) over to the Palenque ruins, another Mayan site dating back some 2200 years and set amidst the thick Chiapas jungle.

And in the end, despite being tired from the long bus journey and despite being in the midst of the busiest couple of days of the trip, I think just about every person in the group enjoyed Palenque more than the other ruins we had visited. It was actually my first time there as well and I thought it was the most impressive Mayan site I’ve seen…perhaps due to the fact that you are still able to climb up many of the temples, and as a result, marvel at the perfect views over the other ruins and the jungle below.

We only spent one night in Palenque and since there wasn’t much to do after visiting the ruins, we all had an afternoon rest followed by a local dinner in town and a nice little gathering on the roof top of our hotel where we had a few drinks, once again, well into the night…

San Cristobal de las Casas

The following day involved a late start in order to catch up on sleep before we boarded another bus, this time to take us on the 5.5 hour journey to San Cristobal de las Casas.

And once in San Cristobal, we all happily threw our luggage down in our rooms at our hostel, ready to spend the next four days exploring this town and the surrounding region.

While in San Cristobal we wandered all over this “Pueblo Magico”, embracing it’s colonial, lively atmosphere, climbing to the top of hills, visiting its most well-known cathedrals and historical sites, spending time at a local cultural museum, eating in a variety of restaurants, watching the concerts and dance performances in the main square and simply enjoying what has to be one of Mexico’s most beautiful and livable towns.

Of course, we also took a couple of day trips, including a boat ride through the massive Sumidero Canyon….

….and a visit to the fascinating Mayan communities of Zinacantan and San Juan Chamula. If you haven’t read my post about San Juan Chamula yet, check out “The Most Amazing Church I’ve Ever Seen & Can’t Show You” in order to learn about the intriguing, secretive religion that is practiced inside of the main church.

Finally, on the fourth day of our stay in this beautiful region, and after everyone had a chance to roam around San Cristobal one last time, we went to the bus station to catch our overnight bus to the city of Oaxaca.

Oaxaca

Oaxaca was the final stop of this tour and it was a great place to wind things down. It’s a vibrant, attractive colonial town that feels a little more European than the other places we visited. With its large bustling markets, atmospheric, tree-lined parks, highly-regarded local cuisine, trendy cafe culture, traditional mariachi bands in the main square, unique local crafts, beautifully lit cathedrals, pedestrian-only avenues, endless street performances and infinite number of food stalls, it’s no wonder that most visitors label Oaxaca one of their favorite destinations in all of Mexico.

We spent our first day here trying to do, see and sample all of the above, not to mention partaking in another Oaxacan activity, mezcal tasting at a local mezcal bar. Oaxaca is famous for its mezcal which is an alcoholic drink derived from the maguey plant. It should therefore come as no surprise that once the mezcal session was over, a session that involved several strong shots, we all magically found the courage to munch on some chapulines (local specialty of fried crickets) before our evening meal.

The next day, we somehow managed to wake up early and venture over to Monte Alban, home to a series of ancient Zapotec ruins perched above town on a small mountain. We spent a couple of hours roaming around the site, but we were struggling the entire time, due to both the heat and the very late night we had the night before (yes, another late night!).

After the ruins we stuffed our faces with tlayudas (massive fried tortillas covered with beans, cream, cheese, vegetables and for those who want, meat) in the local food market, had a much-needed afternoon rest and then went out for our final group dinner at a restaurant overlooking the main square.

And then we hit one last rooftop bar in the historic center for a quick farewell drink before the time came to start saying goodbye to each other.

All of a sudden, my second Wandering Earl Tour was over.

Before I end this post, I would like to thank every single person – Michelle, Lisa, Ken, Heather, Rashelle, Cindy, Queenie, Anastasia, Laura, Alison and Anil – for participating in this Wander Across Mexico Tour. I had an incredible time over the past two weeks and, as I sit here at the Oaxaca Airport about to board my flight back to the US, I have already begun to play our trip over and over again in my mind. And I’m smiling the entire time. You will all be missed greatly and I have no doubt that I will be talking about this tour for a long, long time!

Gracias everyone!

Posted in Mexico, Wandering Earl Tours | 35 Comments

The Most Amazing Church I’ve Ever Seen & Can’t Show You

Posted on March 22, 2013 by Wandering Earl

The Most Amazing Church

Yesterday, our Wander Across Mexico group visited the town of San Juan Chamula, a community of 95,000 Tstozil Mayans that lies approximately ten kilometers away from San Cristobal de las Casas. And during that visit, yes, we entered what I can only describe as the most amazing church I’ve seen in all my travels.

Let me give you a little background…

The Tsotzil Mayans live in their own autonomous region in the Mexican state of Chiapas, a region that Mexican police and military are not allowed to enter. These Mayans, in order to maintain their culture and traditions, have extremely strict rules and practices and when any member of the community rebels or doesn’t adhere to these cultural rules, they are expelled, simple as that.

In addition, the Tsotzil believe that when you take a photograph of someone, their soul is taken away and so, visitors to the town are generally not allowed to take photographs directly of people, especially any civil or religious leaders. If the local police, who walk around wearing white fur ponchos and holding long black sticks, catch you taking a photograph of something they don’t want to be photographed, the punishment can range from a verbal reprimand to having your camera confiscated or even being fined or tossed in the local jail.

And the most sure-fire way to end up in that jail would be to take photographs inside the town’s one church, the Church of San Juan, a simple-looking church that sits at one end of the main square. This church is the center of Tsotzil life as this is where every member of the community practices their unique religion, which is an intriguing mix of traditional Mayan customs and Spanish Catholicism.

Photography is strictly prohibited in this building, simply because, as you’re about to find out below, what actually takes place inside the sole church in this community is unlike anything else you will ever see in any church on the planet…

Inside the Church of San Juan

I can only try to explain what I saw as best I can. But believe me, you really need to see this place for yourself (as is the case with most things) in order to truly appreciate it.

The church has no priest. It is open 24 hours per day. Members of the Tsotzil community can enter at any time. When they do visit the church, they walk through the large hall, which has no pews, and they find an empty spot on the floor, which is completely covered in fresh pine leaves. The Tsotzil then set up a variety of candles in front of them, candles of different colors that each represent a specific type of problem that they need to be solved. When we visited, some people had a few candles in front of them and others had almost one hundred, creating a scene in which there were well over 5,000 candles in total burning inside this church.

Once the candles are lit, the Tsotzil pray, in their local Tsotzil language, to one of the dozens of Catholic saints whose statues line the sides of the main hall, or to the large statue of John the Baptist encased in glass at the far end of the room. Sometimes they pray for a few minutes, other times for hours on end. They are free to remain inside for as long as they wish until all of their issues are dealt with.

Once they have finished their prayers, and especially when they are suffering from a more serious problem, the Tsotzil consult one of the medicine men or medicine women who are wandering around the inside of the church. The shaman comes over, lifts up a live chicken (which the praying Tsotzil had brought with them) and rubs the chicken against the afflicted person or persons. Every now and then the shaman checks the person’s pulse until they determine, through the pulse somehow, that the problem they are praying about has been transferred to the soul of the chicken.

Then, the Tsotzil takes the chicken and wrings its neck so that the problem disappears forever.

Finally, the newly ‘freed’ individual or individuals take a giant shot of ‘posh’, a local sugar-cane based liquor, and often a long swig of Coca-Cola as well, until they begin to burp. Once they burp, they believe that they have been fully cleansed of the evil that had been haunting them, allowing them to end their prayer session and head back outside.

Now, in summary, just imagine an entire church hall, eerily lit and full of Catholic saint statues and thousands of burning multicolored candles on the floor, with dozens of traditionally-dressed Tsotzil families, couples and individuals sitting on a layer of pine needles, praying on their knees, chanting in ancient tongue, drinking homemade booze, burping out loud and killing chickens.

The scene was fascinating and I am certain that every single member of our group could have stayed inside watching it for a long, long time. I have never seen anything like it and I’m not sure if I ever will.

Again, taking photographs inside this church is completely prohibited and so I have no real proof to back up the above. However, if you ever travel to the state of Chiapas, Mexico, or more specifically, to the town of San Cristobal de las Casas, you absolutely must venture over to San Juan Chamula so that you can also experience this community for yourself.

Only then will the above actually seem real.

Have you been to San Juan Chamula? What do you think about their unique religious practices?

Posted in Mexico | 54 Comments

Are You A Messy Traveler Too?

Posted on March 19, 2013 by Wandering Earl

Messy Traveler

Whenever I am living in one place for a good amount of time, let’s say a few weeks or more, I tend to be quite a clean and orderly individual. I always make my bed each morning, I keep my clothes in a closet or in drawers and I make sure that everything is in place before I head outside. If I cook some food, I always clean the kitchen soon after (sometimes even before eating) and after taking a shower, I make sure the bathroom floor is dry and spotless.

I enjoy a clean room or apartment. It makes me feel good, especially when, at night, I climb into my bed after another long day out and about. Knowing that the space around me is in perfect order helps my mind remain calm and orderly as well.

But…

When I pack up my backpack again and hit the road, it’s an entirely different story.

If I’m staying in some short-term accommodation, maybe a hostel or hotel or guesthouse or a room in someone’s house, I tend to destroy the place. I don’t exactly graffiti the walls or pick up the chair and smash the lamps and tables to smithereens, but in terms of my possessions, I can’t seem to keep them from scattering all over the room.

And usually, it takes approximately three minutes after my arrival for me to turn the room into such a disaster area.

I don’t know exactly why this happens. I can only guess. Perhaps it’s because if I was organized in these kind of places, I would feel too settled. It would start to feel as if I was staying long-term and of course, the more comfortable I am in a hostel or hotel, the harder it is to leave, naturally. But sometimes I want to leave and having to take my newly organized room and place it all back into my backpack becomes a difficult task.

By creating a disaster zone instead, it becomes very easy to just pack up and take off to the next destination, even on very short notice. There’s no attachment, in the form of comfortable and organized surroundings, to my room at all.

And this is why, only five minutes after arrival, my current room at the Rossco Hostel here in San Cristobal de las Casas, Mexico, the hostel where the Wander Across Mexico tour group is staying, looked like this…

So, are you an organized traveler or a messy traveler? If you haven’t traveled, what do you think you would be? And what does it all mean?

Posted in Everything Else | 71 Comments

What Happens When You Drink Tepache in Mexico

Posted on March 14, 2013 by Wandering Earl

This is what happens when you let your friends drink tepache.

Some people really like it…

Some people are not so sure how to react…

Some take the drink quite seriously…

Others need to be fed the stuff…

Some find the taste quite pleasant…

Some people even look quite bad-ass drinking it…

And a rare few seem to be in excruciating pain while the drink goes down…

Tepache is a simple Aztec creation (at least in this part of the world) made from the fruity flesh and the rinds of pineapples that are mixed with brown sugar and left to ferment for a few days. But since the fermentation time is so short, it doesn’t quite turn into alcohol and it ends up leaving behind what can only be described as an interesting taste.

You can buy this drink from street vendors who ride their bicycle carts around towns and cities all over Mexico. You just flag them down, place your order and then the vendor uses a ladle to scoop up the tepache from a big barrel or bucket and places it into a plastic bag. It typically costs 5 pesos (40 US cents) for a couple of scoops.

And just about everyone on my current Wander Across Mexico Tour all had a swig or two, or in some cases, nineteen, of this stuff yesterday while we were walking around the beautiful town of Valladolid. I just couldn’t let the vendor roll by without giving everyone a chance to try it out.

So, the question is this…

If you saw a guy pedaling a rusty cart down the road trying to sell you a plastic bag full of a gooey brown liquid that has been swishing around in a bucket, would you stop him and order some of his intriguing drink?

Or would you gladly step aside and watch him keep on pedaling down the road, perfectly content to let someone else try the mysterious beverage?

Let’s see how adventurous you are!

Posted in Mexico | 44 Comments

How to Make Your Money Last Longer While Traveling

Posted on March 11, 2013 by Wandering Earl

Make Your Money Last Longer

If you want to travel the world, you need money. That’s a fact. Of course, as I try to point out often on this site, the amount of money you do need isn’t nearly as large as most people imagine (How Much Money Do You Need to Start a Life of Travel), but you still need a little cashola in order to achieve your travel goals.

At the same time, your ability to travel long-term (or short-term) is not fully dependent on how much money you earn. You can always make money all over the world. It’s what you do with that money that really matters.

Even with myself, I know perfectly well that had I not learned a few very valuable lessons early on in my own travels, lessons about how to save and avoid wasting my money, there’s a good chance that I would have been forced to stop traveling a long time ago.

Let’s take a look at some of the factors that can help you make your money last longer while traveling…

Staying With Friends

Every now and then I receive an email or comment telling me that I’m a fraud because I sometimes stay with friends in different countries for a few days or even a couple of weeks, and therefore do not pay for accommodation during those times. I am told that this is ‘cheating’ and that I should admit to my readers that I save a great deal of money by staying with these friends. First, I certainly don’t hide the fact that I stay with friends. And second, I don’t see it as cheating. When I first started traveling, I really didn’t have any international friends and I definitely didn’t know anyone who I could just call up and ask to crash at their place for a while.

It was only natural that the longer I traveled, the more friends I made around the world, friends who would kindly let me sleep on their sofa whenever I was in the area. The good news is that the same would happen to any traveler. The more you travel the world, the more people you will meet and in the end, you’ll have great friends in every corner of the globe too that will offer you a place to stay. And not only do you get to spend time with your friends, you do get a chance to save some money on accommodation, something that can definitely help a person stay on the road much longer.

Flexible Destinations and Dates

The more flexible you are (flexibility with travel planning, not yoga flexible!), the cheaper your travels will be. For example, if I am thinking of flying to Thailand and the airfare is $800, I might start looking at other destinations that I’m interested in visiting. Maybe I’ll find a $400 flight to Cairo and so, I’ll go there instead and save Thailand for another time. If you’re flexible with your dates as well, you can really shop around in order to find the cheapest possible flight to any destination that appeals to you. I’ve saved thousands of dollars over the years as a direct result of being flexible with my plans.

Almost Zero Monthly Payments

I don’t own a home, I don’t have a car, I don’t pay for utilities each month and, apart from health insurance (here’s a post I wrote about how I’ve handled health insurance over the years), I don’t have any other major expenses that I must pay on a regular basis. Even my mobile phone is on a plan that allows me to stop paying whenever I’m outside the US. Just think of how many thousands of dollars all of this saves, freeing up the money I do earn to be spent directly on my travels and again, keeping me out there wandering the world for many more years that I once thought possible.

Slow Travel

By staying in some locations for long periods of time, such as 3 or 6 months, or even longer, I am able to pay far less money for accommodation by renting a local apartment at local rates. Spending 30 nights in budget hotels while traveling around Mexico could cost $1200 USD but I could stay in my own studio apartment near the beach in Playa del Carmen for one-third that amount if I stay in that same town for a month or more. I also save on transportation by not having to travel long distances during these periods and I can save even further by using the kitchen in my apartment to cook my own meals. Staying put in Mexico, Romania, Thailand and other locations over the years has played a major role in helping me keep my dream of indefinite travel alive.

Embrace Technology

Some people love technology, some hate it, and I find myself right in the middle. If used wisely of course, technology can reduce your travel costs drastically, simply because you can usually find the cheapest airfares, cheapest accommodation rates, cheapest everything, online. (This isn’t always true and it does depend on your style of travel, but for the most part, the internet does allow you to search around and make more educated decisions that will save you money. It also allows you to get real time information about travel costs from bloggers or other travelers who are currently in the destinations you are about to visit.)

Always Saving Money

After deciding that I wanted to try and travel indefinitely, I remember sitting down one day and making a list of all the things I needed get in order. On that list I wrote something like “Always save money” and I have stuck to that rule ever since. No matter how much money I’ve earned over the years, I’ve always saved a portion of it each month and I’ve always made sure my bank account never went below a certain level. If it started to approach that threshold, I knew that it was time for another cruise ship contract or time to find some way to fill my account back up again. And as the years passed, I began increasing that limit in order to make sure that I was saving more and more money. This way, I’ve always had some extra cash in case I hit a rough patch at some point at a time when I am still not interested in giving up my traveling lifestyle. This savings plan has really forced me to be disciplined and the result is that I never found myself completely broke with no money for a place to stay or no money for my next meal. This goes a long way in keeping me motivated to continue my travels as I’m not sure I would have carried on exploring the world if I was barely surviving day to day.

No Set Plans

As I mentioned above, being flexible with dates and destinations is key, but being flexible once you arrive in a particular destination is as equally important. I’ve talked to many travelers who plan out their entire six-month trip beforehand, pre-paying for accommodation, transportation and activities, only to discover that once they arrive, they no longer want to follow their original plan. Sometimes we learn about places we had never heard of before and want to head there instead or sometimes we meet some new friends that we now want to tag along with. And changing our pre-arranged plans at this point can be costly. I learned early on that locking myself into a plan had some serious risks, mainly that I would waste money by paying for things in advance that I would no longer want to do once I arrived in a particular country. Things change and going with the flow allows me to change with them without throwing my hard earned money out the window, money that I would rather use for my new plans.

As you can see, achieving your travel goals is not only about earning money. It’s about making smart travel decisions, some of which are quite simple, that help you spend your money wisely, or in some cases, save your money when it doesn’t have to be spent. As I mentioned above, had I not learned these lessons myself, I would not still be traveling right now. I would have burned through my money at some point and given up, forcing myself to return home and admit defeat. Instead, I managed to make the money I did have, and that I did earn, last much longer, something that naturally lead to more opportunities to not only earn more money, but to continue traveling the world as well.

What did I miss? What other decisions have you made that have helped you spend wisely or save money while traveling? If you haven’t traveled yet, what do you think of the above, does it make sense?

Posted in Perspectives, Travel Costs | 51 Comments

Would I Live in Playa del Carmen, Mexico Again?

Posted on March 7, 2013 by Wandering Earl

Live in Playa del Carmen

During my lengthy stay back in 2010/2011, I had nothing but positive things to say about the town of Playa del Carmen, Mexico. It was as ideal of a destination as there could be for someone like me who prefers warm climates, beautiful white sand beaches, a laid-back environment, diverse food options, a town that is walkable, a location that is easily reachable from the US and a region with plenty of options for day/weekend trips to interesting sights.

To live in Playa del Carmen was living a dream as far as I was concerned, which is why I called it my ‘home’ for over 1 year.

Fast forward to last week…

I returned to Playa del Carmen for the first time since June 2011, wondering whether I would find the same ‘perfect destination’ as before. If I did feel the same way, I knew that I would have a hard time leaving and that the chances of me using Playa as my base once again where extremely high. On the other hand, there was always the chance that I would discover a completely different place this time around, one that no longer appealed to me as much as before.

One week into this visit and I still haven’t reached a conclusion.

The Beaches

Oh, they are still made of pure white sand and the water is still as turquoise and as mesmerizing as ever. The beaches do seem a bit more crowded during the day than I remember, even for high season, and it is harder to find a nice stretch of empty sand, something that wasn’t difficult at all a couple of years ago. But hey, whenever I do step foot onto the beach, and glance out at the Caribbean Sea and the island of Cozumel in the distance, I feel that same sudden ‘whoosh’ of calmness overcome me, just like when I lived here, and any negative feelings or bad mood instantly disappears. The beaches of Playa are still some of my favorite beaches on the planet.

(I managed to take a photo from above using my brilliant XShot Camera Extender!)

The Cafes

This might not seem like something that is important but for someone who works online and prefers not to sit in my apartment all day, having a nice variety of welcoming cafes to use as my ‘office’ is something I do take into consideration. When I was here before, there were about six cafes on my circuit, all of which offered comfortable seating in an air-conditioned setting, fast wi-fi, good coffee and staff who didn’t mind if I sat there for a few hours on my laptop (I would buy something every hour or so). Well, I was sad to see that out of those six cafes, only two remain these days. And after asking all of my friends who live here, many of whom work online as well, I have yet to find any other suitable replacements. (The cafe Ah Cacao is still my top choice to get some work done and it is now almost my only choice.)

The Costs

Without a doubt, this is the biggest change since 2011. While you can still live cheaply in this town, it is significantly harder to do right now. For those looking to spend long periods of time here, consider this…my 2-bedroom apartment that I rented for around $800 USD per month in 2010/2011, now goes for $1500 USD per month. Where $500 per month used to get you a very nice one bedroom apartment, that amount will generally get you a studio these days, and most likely not in the exact city center. There are exceptions of course but it is more challenging to find such good deals at the moment. And of course, costs for just about everything else have gone up as well – hotels, food and drinks (some restaurants and bars have raised their prices by 50% in 2 years), activities and just about anything else you need to spend money on. Playa del Carmen is no longer a dirt cheap paradise unfortunately, catering more towards those who have a good amount of extra cash to throw around. It’s not impossible to eat, drink and play cheaply, but you really need to ask around to in order to find the ‘out of the way’ places that don’t cater only to tourists.

The Food

For the most part, all of my favorite eateries, some ‘out of the way’ and some not so much, are still here and are still serving up the dishes that I couldn’t get enough of during my previous stay. From Dona Mary’s tostadas on Avenida 30th (where I made a video about how to actually eat a tostada) to El Fogon on Avenida Constituyentes, to the no-name quesadilla, salbute and panucho eateries scattered around, to Mr. Kiwi’s tortas and the always delicious breakfasts at La Cueva del Chango, among many others, I’ve been reliving my dining escapades from when I lived here. And if you do stick to the restaurants around Avenida 30th, you can still have a filling meal for around 40 pesos / $3.50 USD, keeping your food costs way down. (Buying food from the supermarket seems to cost about the same as before and is a great way to save money if you live down here.)

The People

Overall, Playa does have a different feel than I remember. I always used to state that despite the tourism here, it was still possible to go for an entire week without seeing another foreigner if you stayed in the more local areas of town. These days, that seems somewhat impossible as vacation rentals have spread into so many more neighborhoods and tourist-oriented restaurants and bars are now found in much greater numbers away from the main 5th Avenue. And with what appears to have been a massive increase in the number of foreigners now calling this town home, either long-term or for a few months, the time has definitely come to classify Playa del Carmen as a tourist town. Is it still possible to live here and stay somewhat away from the mass tourism? Yes, absolutely, but at the same time, being a part for the tourist culture is no longer completely avoidable.

I do want to note that the locals living in Playa have so far been as welcoming as ever and even on 5th Avenue, which is a 1.5 mile long pedestrian-only stretch of tourist shops, restaurants and bars, the atmosphere is still quite relaxed, with local vendors not nearly as aggressive as in many other similarly popular tourist spots around the world. People here are laid-back and for the most part, helpful and kind. While I have heard an unfortunate story or two from others living here, most of what I hear confirms that Playa has maintained its reputation as a friendly destination.

One other thing I do need to say is that on several occasions, I have been absolutely shocked by local people who have actually remembered me from 2 years ago. So far, there have been five instances when I have walked into a cafe where I used to spend time working on my laptop or into a local restaurant that I used to frequent, and one or more of the staff members immediately yelled out “Derek!” (they don’t know me as Earl). And I can’t even explain how that makes me feel considering that it has been 20 months since my last visit and that most of these cafes/restaurants have hundreds of ever-changing customers every single day. It’s really incredible and it has blown me away each and every time.

The Conclusion

As far as what I look for whenever I’m thinking of staying put for a while or as I continue my search for the ‘perfect home base‘, there is no doubt that Playa del Carmen offers just about everything I could possibly want. I’ve had a blast this week running around to all my favorite spots and the time spent on the beach and in the water has so far been nothing but therapeutic.

Does everything feel as comfortable as it did when I lived here? No, and that’s why I have yet to reach a conclusion as to whether or not Playa really is the perfect location for me.

Perhaps it’s just that I’ve been gone for so long that I feel more like a stranger right now. I don’t know many people here these days and it’s hard to ‘settle in’ when I know I’ll only be here for just a short time at first.

Or maybe it’s simply because things are rarely the same the second time around. As travelers, we often revisit certain places in the hopes of reliving our previous experiences but rarely do they prove to be as rewarding as the first time.

Of course, I’ve only been back here for a week. So it is possible that after a few more freshly-prepared tostadas, watching a few more sunsets while floating in the Caribbean Sea and making a few more new friends, I could very well find my groove again and make the decision to call this beach town ‘home’ one more time.

(Note: This post looks at Playa del Carmen as a place to live for a while, not as a place to visit short-term. I will always love this town/region as a travel destination and I absolutely cannot wait to share my favorite spots with the group of 10 cool individuals who are arriving in a couple of days to join my Wander Across Mexico Tour!)

Photo: Playa del Carmen Beach (Wiki Commons)

Does Playa del Carmen sound like a place you would want to live?

Posted in Mexico | 43 Comments

108

The Dumbest Things I’ve Done While Traveling

Posted on March 4, 2013 by Wandering Earl

Dumbest Things I've Done

The idea for this post came about after I mentioned one of the “dumbest things I’ve done while traveling” on my Facebook Page the other day. The result was not only having my kind readers confirm that what I had done was indeed quite stupid, but also a long list of tales from others who were willing to share some of their not-so-brightest moments from their own travels.

I figured I’d move that discussion over here by adding a few more examples of how I can be a little, well, ‘slow’ at times. Luckily, however, I’m fairly confident that every single traveler out there has had plenty of similar moments, which hopefully we’ll soon discover!

Let’s start with the dumb moment I mentioned on my Facebook Page and go from there…

Mango incident: I was in India, someone handed me a mango for the first time in my life and I had no idea how to eat it. So, I just stuck the entire thing, with the skin on, in my mouth. The man who gave it to me looked horrified and asked “What are you doing?”. Sensing that I had done something stupid, I just said, “This is how I eat mangoes.”

Eating a rat: While in Vang Vieng, Laos, two other travelers and I decided to visit the local market one evening. The idea was that we would each purchase some kind of food item to bring back to the guesthouse and share with the group for a nice local dinner. So, I bought a rat from a woman who was selling whole rats that were sliced open and grilled over a small fire, complete with rat nose, rat eyes, rat toes and rat tail still in place. When we returned to the guesthouse, the others were not too thrilled with my choice and so I was left to take a bite out of it myself (see above photo). After taking a bite, I looked a little more closely at the rat only to discover over a dozen maggots moving around in the flesh. I vomited. And then I felt extremely sick to my stomach for a good couple of days afterward.

Wrong airport terminal: This one’s a classic and has probably happened to many people….I once waited at the wrong terminal at Bangkok’s old Don Mueang International Airport for over three hours for a friend of mine who was arriving from Australia. Had I spent one second reading all of the information on the huge “Arrivals” screen I would have clearly seen that her flight had arrived at Terminal 1, not Terminal 2 where I had been waiting. I ended up leaving the airport completely worried and confused as to why she hadn’t arrived, and naturally, my friend had left the airport completely upset as to why I wasn’t there to pick her up. This tale did end well though, with a crazy story of how we finally managed to meet up in Bangkok.

Nearly frozen to death: Combine -20C temperatures, a massive snow storm, sidewalks covered in ice and my occasional stubbornness and you get a very dumb decision on my part. It happened during the winter of 2012 while I was in Bucharest, Romania and I had just finished meeting up with Niall Doherty for some afternoon shisha and good conversation in the old city center. After parting ways, I tried to hail a taxi to take me back to my friend’s apartment where I was staying, but every taxi I asked either wouldn’t take me or they wanted an exorbitant price because of the snow storm and resulting road conditions. I refused to pay the inflated rate and so, despite being in jeans, t-shirt, light winter jacket and running shoes, I decided to walk the 4 kilometers back to the apartment in protest since that was my only other option. By the time I arrived, my face was a block of ice, I couldn’t feel my feet or hands and I was about to collapse, feeling quite sick as I stumbled through those final steps. When my friend opened the door, I just looked at her and said, “I’m going to die.” Later that evening, after telling my friend the story, she simply stated, “Why didn’t you just take the metro? You walked past three metro stations”.

(Here’s a video I made that shows you exactly how to survive an Eastern European winter!)

Blood for nothing: I was working on my first cruise ship when, one evening during my second week on board, I wanted to get some fresh air and just stand on the outside deck for a while. But since my work was finished for the day, I was no longer wearing my uniform and so I had to sneak through the ship in my shorts and t-shirt in order to reach the main outside deck, hoping that I wouldn’t get caught. Eventually, I found a large door that led outside and I pushed it open, only to have a huge gust of wind push it straight back, causing the bolt of the door to slice open my thumb. As blood started to pour out, I quickly ran inside to the Reception Desk to get help and they called the nurse and had me taken care of. The next day I had to meet with the Hotel Director and I assumed that I would get in trouble for being out of uniform in the passenger areas. Instead, he just looked at me and said, “You do know that we have an entire outside deck just for crew members?” Oops.

Bucket shower: In India, many budget hotels only have cold-water showers and if you want to take a hot shower, you need to ask the hotel staff to heat you up a bucket full of water. The first time I did this, the owner of the small hotel brought me the bucket of hot water and I went into the bathroom, where I scooped up some water with a small bowl. I then dumped the water straight over me. It never crossed my mind that the steam coming out of the bucket was a result of the water being extremely hot and that the proper method was to mix that water with some of the cold water from the actual shower. I just poured a bowl of near boiling water on myself instead. Oh yeah, it hurt.

I’m sure at this point you know what’s coming. It is indeed time to hear about your own ‘not so bright’ moments during your travels, whether they happened overseas or in your home country. So, what’s some of the dumbest things you’ve done?

Please help me feel better about my own dumb moments by sharing yours below!

Posted in Everything Else, Personal Stuff | 108 Comments