Out of the approximately 2.5 million U.S. visitors to Mexico in the first half of 2009, at least 126 Americans died of non-natural causes, according to U.S. State Department statistics. The Los Angeles Times points out that, of these, there were: 36 homicides, and 22 drownings. The balance of the non-natural deaths resulted from accidents [...]
Posts from ‘November, 2009’
My 3 Best Kept Travel Secrets
My friend Sonya who writes the blog traveling greener nominated me to share three of my best travel secrets on Travelojos. Sonya’s nomination is part of the Travel Base blog’s Trip Base Blog Tag, in which “the final list of Top Bloggers’ Best Kept Travel Secrets will be published in a special blog post and [...]
Seven Country Songs About Mexico
Having spent most of my life in close proximity to cities, I’ve never acquired a taste for country music. But that hasn’t prevented by teenage daughter from doing so. With cross-over successes like Taylor Swift or former American Idol contestants such as Kellie Pickler on the radio, country music is finding its way onto more [...]
Creative Pros Share Skills, Shape Futures in Guatemala
When I hear the word “voluntourism,” I imagine myself swinging a hammer in a third-world country. But if I’m being honest about my skills, carpentry ranks near the bottom of the list. Closer to the top would be writing, legal research and project management. The question is how to leverage these first-world skills to help [...]
Another Lonely Planet Author Weighs in on Peru
Another member of the Lonely Planet tribe has condemned the disparaging statements about Peru made by Jens Porup, that the coordinating author of LP’s Colombia guide. Commenting on Travelojos was Sara Benson, the coordinating author of Lonely Planet’s Peru guide. She disagreed with the notion that other LP authors agreed with his statements. She says: [...]
12 Things You Didn’t Know Were Banned in Venezuela
Looking to avoid trouble on your next trip to Venezuela? For starters, don’t show up in your Halloween costume drinking Coke Zero. Also, leave your golf clubs at home, remove those Family Guy episodes from your iPhone, and forget about booking your trip from Israel. Oh yeah, if you have a daughter named “Apple,” you [...]
Venezuela Bans Video Games, Toy Weapons
Venezuela recently outlawed the sale of video games and toy weapons. Violators will be subject to a prison sentence of up to five years. The new law continues the steady drumbeat of strange news coming out of Venezuela. Last month, the country nationalized a Hilton hotel on Margarita Island in what President Hugo Chavez characterized [...]
‘Paraiso Travel’ Shows the High Price of Immigration
Paraiso Travel, a movie about a Colombian couple’s illegal passage to the U.S., was released on DVD earlier this month. It’s also available to watch instantly on Netflix. The film set box office records in Colombia and won awards at multiple film festivals in the U.S. I would rank the movie somewhere between Maria Full [...]
Navigate Mexico Via Google Maps, Street View
On Monday, I mentioned that Google Maps was available in Mexico, but I couldn’t find Google Street View. I should have consulted the Google Maps Mania blog. It has some navigable Street Views of Mexico City, Monterrey and Guadalajara. Street View is a feature on Google Maps in which you drag a little man icon [...]
Intrepid Traveler Dispatch: Argentina
In this Travelojos Intrepid Traveler Dispatch, Linda Tabb tells us about her trip to Argentina in July. She reminds us that July means winter in Argentina. It also was the height of the H1N1 or Swine Flu epidemic. But Linda and her group managed to escape illness and enjoy themselves in Buenos Aires. On a [...]
