Enduring the winter months in Northeast USA can be rough. The snow, sleet and cold always compels me to go someplace warm. I often dreamed of having my own tropical paradise to visit whenever I wanted...although the reality of it seemed so out of reach.

[Read the rest of this article...]

In a single second, excitement, awe, terror, and fascination passed through my mind, as I began the walk across Mapimi Municipality's Ojuela Bridge, in the Chihuahuan Desert, of eastern Durango, Mexico...

[Read the rest of this article...]

About one million U.S. expats already live in Mexico, and that number can grow to five million by 2025, according to estimates based on U.S. Census figures. And healthcare costs in Mexico are approximately 70 per cent lower than healthcare costs in the U.S. Nine Mexican hospitals have already been certified by the U.S. Joint International Commission, and others are currently awaiting certification.

[Read the rest of this article...]

Aside from the small, private hospitals, often referred to as clínicas, there are four publicly funded and insurance-based hospitals in the city, as well as a hospital just outside of the city offering specialized treatment for a number of serious ailments. There is the Red Cross facility available to all, often used for emergency treatment only. The civic hospital provides free services or treatment at a modest cost based on a sliding scale respecting means. ISSSTE is a federally funded facility restricted to government employees who are members of a union. Finally, there is IMSS, a federal insurance program available to expat residents and Mexican citizens alike, with an extensive network of clinic doctors and a large hospital.

[Read the rest of this article...]

The authors tell us that "Since 2000, MedToGo's team have been touring hospitals and developing relationships with highly-recommended, skilled, board-certified, English-speaking doctors all over Mexico." One of the results, certainly to be of interest to many travelers to Mexico as well as to the large expatriate community, is the Mexico Health and Safety Travel Guide. In addition to its "Comprehensive Directory of the Best Hospitals and English-Speaking Doctors," this well-organized and highly detailed (some 640 pages) reference is filled with lots of other useful information.

[Read the rest of this article...]

Lady Gaga was in Mexico last week, reportedly taking surfing lessons in Punta Mita, a resort area just north of Puerto Vallarta. The pop star was photographed body boarding, and then standing up on the surf board, wearing a tiny black bikini. On Thursday she tweeted a photo of herself surfing, with the caption: "yeah thats me. no heels baby." LivePuntaMita.com reports that she took surfing lessons at the La Lancha break, offshore of Ranchos, and that her teacher was Josue of Tranquilo Surf. Read a report and see photos of Lady Gaga's Mexican surfing adventure on livepuntamita.com, and more photos at Daily Mail UK....Read Full Post

[Read the rest of this article...]

The venerable old Zuno residence is a historic house in its own right but was designed to teach Mexican history. So it's doubly "historic." It stands at Avenida Union and J. Guadalupe Zuno and was built in the early 1920s. The house was designed for and by artist-politician Jose Guadalupe Zuno, whose paintings are still hung in museums. He was assisted with designs and suggestions from three old pals, all prominent artists, David Siqueiros, muralist, Gerardo Murillo ("Dr. Atl"), said by many to be the father of modern Mexican art, and Amado de la Cueva.

[Read the rest of this article...]

Photo © Suzanne Barbezat I'm always surprised by the number of people who visit Mexico City and don't go to the Templo Mayor. Many tell me they didn't even realize it was there, and I can't blame them for that, because, although it's right beside the cathedral and a stone's throw from the Zocalo and the Palacio Nacional, it's easy to miss if you're not looking for it. It's not as spectacular as other archaeological sites in Mexico since it was pretty much razed by the Spaniards, who then built on top of it. It is well worth a visit, however. This was once the main temple of the Aztecs, the center of their capital city Tenochtitlan, but it was covered by other buildings until the 1970s when a fluke discovery led to its excavation. Learn more about Mexico City's Templo Mayor....Read Full Post

[Read the rest of this article...]

The Lake Chapala region of Jalisco, Mexico, (Ajijic, Chapala, Jocotepec) with its wonderful climate and large base of ex-patriate residents, has become a very desirable place for retirees, those wanting to escape aspects of "Home" (such as the winter weather), and those who desire to live and work in Mexico.

[Read the rest of this article...]

The stress reached a breaking point; it was time to take some serious action toward retirement. We decided to sell everything we owned and start living our dream five years ahead of schedule.

[Read the rest of this article...]

The haciendas were the landed estates of Mexico, some with territories as big as Belgium. For visitors to Mexico, they conjure up surreal images of ruined palaces; still possessing a faded grandeur, dominating a desolate landscape of cactus and agave. Before the revolution of 1910, when their lands were confiscated, the haciendas' collective power was enormous. Each one was a rural, autonomous social unit with its own history, and for each, myths accumulate over the centuries.

[Read the rest of this article...]

This colorful alabrije rabbit by Jacobo Angeles races across the Mexican mountain meadows. © Alvin Starkman, 2008 I taught this in a cooking class I gave last summer in Cuetzalan, Puebla, where I ...

[Read the rest of this article...]

Recently, when a friend here in Cholula went up to Cuetzalan, in the Sierra of Puebla, I asked him to bring back some allspice, which proliferates there on evergreen trees that produce fat, fragrant berries. An indispensable ingredient in several adobos (the seasoning pastes used on meat, fish and fowl) and on many regional pipians (the seed-based sauces of Central and Southern Mexico) allspice is also a requisite ingredient in the cuisine of the Yucatan. Along with cumin and cinnamon, allspice is considered one of the three most important spices in Mexican cooking. It is also the only spice that grows exclusively in the Western Hemisphere.

[Read the rest of this article...]

A specialty of the Puebla mountain town of Zacapoaxtla, this Mexican dish uses allspice leaves as well as berries in a savory chicken stew. If you can't get allspice leaves, fresh bay leaves work well....

[Read the rest of this article...]

The complimentary flavors of pumpkin and allspice come together in this easy, satisfying dessert. It is important to use genuine vanilla extract and not the artificially flavored ones. Ingredients ...

[Read the rest of this article...]