Hello friends. I’ve written this blog for a few years now, and it’s a real pleasure to see all the visitors I’ve had: where they’re from, what they click on, and what they searched for that brought them to this blog.
My life can be chaotic. I go through periods of lots of work, mostly teaching and translating, often 12+ hours a day, riding all over town on my bike to schools and private lessons and then coming home to big surprise late-night translations.
Writing the story is the easy part. Then you have to research the magazine, read back issues to see what kind of stories they publish and what they’ve already published, and finally write that perfect query letter to the editor.
And then wait. And then do it again.
But please don’t think I’m complaining. I get about 4 months a year of vacation from the university, in summer and winter. So I get big chunks of time to travel all over southern Mexico and Central America. Most of the stories on this blog come from those trips.
And although I write all the time while traveling, I don’t bring my laptop with me and I don’t always have Internet access. So I put the blog on the back burner, until I come home with notebooks full of notes, observations, and half-finished stories in my near-illegible handwriting.
But then between these busy times of work or travel, the transition periods are much more chill. A semester may start in one school, but not yet at the other. I may not have so many private English lessons yet. So during these times, like now (I just got back from the Oaxaca coast), I can work on my writing and post to this blog.
A couple days ago I was looking for some information about South Africa. I know nothing about South Africa.
What’s the major airport? Where are some cool places to see in the country – cities and nature? How do you get around, by bus? How much is a cheap hotel?
I found that it wasn’t easy to find the answers to all of these questions in just one place.
Not even Lonely Planet was simple and comprehensive enough for me, the potential traveler looking for the most basic information, someone who doesn’t want to use a travel agency or, much less, the dreaded all-inclusive guided tour.
It made me think about my blog. While about a month ago I compiled a bunch of stories and information about Mexico in one post, Do Not Visit Mexico Until You Read This, it was mostly stories about specific locations in Mexico. There’s a lot more to say about independent travel here.
I realized that I should write what I was looking for about South Africa – a simple explanation of what independent travel in Mexico is like.
Independent travel in Mexico is easy, safe (if you take the right precautions), inexpensive, and vastly rewarding. And, if you are from the U.S. (like me), it’s just one country down, perhaps even closer than another part of the U.S.
Don’t you want to get to know your neighbor?
So, I promise, over the next month or so I will write entries for the following topics:
- When to Go
- Transportation
- Hotels
- Safety
- Money Matters
- Destinations
- Food and Drink
- Culture
- Useful Local Phrases
I may think of more. Any suggestions?
My plan is to eventually have a no-nonsense guide to independent travel to Mexico on this blog.
So please stick around, join my email list, check back in a few weeks, leave a comment, and come visit! You’ll love Mexico, wherever you go or whatever you do while you’re here.
Thanks and keep in touch.
