Six months in Mexico was far from enough. And, it confirmed, no matter where we go and how much we travel, this country will probably always hold a piece of our heart and a coveted top spot in our list of favorite countries. Although we’re still undecided if we’ll buy property one day, here’s the top reasons why we’ll certainly come back to visit again and again…
1—The Color
There is just something about Mexico that emits joy simply by walking around this Crayola-land. The color prize goes to Guanajuato, and it’s also our favorite place overall. We plan to spend extended time here in the future.
Hand in hand with color goes the creative and vibrant street art found throughout the country. Some of our favorite places for art included Guanajuato, Oaxaca, and Cholula.
2—The Street & Market Food:
There’s a reason why we crave Mexican cuisine no matter where we are in the world. It’s not the healthiest cuisine but, wow is it some of the world’s best and most variable (our other favs are Ethiopian, Mediterranean, Thai and Indian). Pictured: enmoladas from Oaxaca ($40 pesos, $2.) And no, we didn’t get sick. Not once.
3–Fruit Stands:
A lot of places we go have dynamic and inexpensive produce markets, but Mexico wins notable recognition for one reason…avocados. We often got an entire kilo for $20 pesos ($1) which made it very easy to have one everyday.
Another thing we loved is the fruit sellers always ask when you are planning to eat the avocados so you can specify if you want it ripe or not. Another thing is, they kindly take the top off pineapples so you’re not lugging around useless weight. And finally, they have an endless supply of greens which are not always easy to find throughout the world.
In most Mexican towns and cities, it’s very easy to find produce within a five block radius no matter where you live
4–The Terrain:
Although many people think Mexico is one big desert, the terrain of Mexico is extremely varied. It offers beaches, mountains, highlands, volcanos, rainforests and forests.
5–The Ingenuity of its People:
Mexicans are simply hardworking and resourceful people. If they need to make money, it’s rare to see them asking for a handout with no service or goods in exchange. We have seen this innovation hundreds of times throughout our travels here. For example, they will play music at a restaurant for you, or sell you candy/gum/snacks or other goods. (Often children sadly do this too which we don’t support.) Or, if you’re sitting at a stoplight, rather than holding a cardboard sign, they will wash your windows for you, or entertain you by juggling on the street while balancing a board on a canister. They will read your palms, they will sell masks, they will hoist a very heavy cooler on their back and walk around with juice or coffee. They turn their vehicles into stores with produce or donuts. They turn their garages into street food stands or permanent bazaars (what most know as yard sales.)
This man, who had to be in his 70’s, had a mission to transport five tires down the street without a vehicle. Instead of doing them one or two at a time, he brilliantly tied them all together and pushed them down the street as one unit. So simple, but guaranteed not everyone would think of this.
Deliveries are available for almost everything and often available at a moment’s notice, which works out fantastic when you run out of hot water and need propane just in time for your shower. One example in Oaxaca, came in the form of this little gas truck, which would go up and down the streets playing a catchy jingle which we couldn’t understand other than the word “Oaxaca.”
Dona Tina was one of many entrepreneurs who turned her home into a business.
6–Food Labels:
It seems obvious, but you shouldn’t have to spend five minutes and put on reading glasses to dissect whether or not something is reasonably healthy for you or not. In Mexico, it is now required by law to put easy-to-understand food labels anything that has been processed. Labels include if a product has excess calories, sodium, sugar and saturated fats. It’s insanely helpful.
Another terrific thing the Secretary of Health has done is banned cartoon characters from packaging in order to help combat childhood obesity. Like the States, they have a big problem with obesity in Mexico as well, but at least there seem to be noticeable efforts to combat it.
7–Politeness of the People.
The Mexicans could be called the Brits of Latin America when it comes to common courtesy. Some examples include:
1) they’re alway up for a proper queue
2) if they need to squeeze by you, they always say “con permiso” (with permission.)
3) even if you haven’t interacted with them at all, they will tell you “buen provecho” (bon appetit) when leaving a restaurant and you’re still eating.
4) they almost always appreciate and acknowledge your efforts to speak Spanish.
5) the man plays a chivalrous (albeit sometimes muschismo) role and it is customary for a woman to always walk on the inside of a sidewalk.
Reason 8—the VW bugs.
They’re just so dang cute!!
9—Drinks:
From tepache to licuados to jugos to $1 local beers to mezcal to cafe de olla to craft beers to tequila to tejate to the token fruity agua del dia, Mexico is packed with thirst-quenching, buzz-producing and very affordable drink options in both the non-alcoholic and alcoholic varieties.
Greg with a giant glass of tepache, a fermented alcoholic beverage made from the peel of pineapples, and is sweetened with piloncillo or brown sugar, dashed with cinnamon, and served cold. Beyond refreshing.
10–Domingos (Sundays):
We just love waking up on a Sunday morning here and going for a walk. Church bells, empty streets and quiet (usually…Mexico is never totally quiet! ?)
11–Unexpected Surprises:
Speaking of that, Mexico is packed with unexpected surprises, so adaptability and a positive attitude are great skill sets to carry with you.
For example, this band started playing near our home in a nearby alley one afternoon around 2 pm and played until 11. The next day it did the same, followed by several hours the third morning. Welcome to a Mexican street wedding! Keep in mind, we live far from the center and are located in a “quiet neighborhood.” For the most part, it was fantastic to have this lovely music wafting through our windows, which served as an incessant reminder of where we were. It sure beat the wedding music of Ethiopia ?
12–Public Transportation:
There is definitely no need for a car in this country. The comfort, ease and cost of traveling by bus is terrific in Mexico and there are almost always local buses that take you to smaller, off-the-beaten-path towns.
13–The Weather:
We arrived in early December and it was literally 121 days until we saw our first rain in Mexico City. And even when it rains, it’s usually a passing pleasantly warm and thunderous rainstorm. That said, it is very easy to chase eternal spring temperatures in this country, which is what we tried to do.
14–Walkability:
These streets are indeed made for walking and getting your daily step count in is easy peasy. Once you arrive in most cities/towns in Mexico, you don’t even need local buses unless you want to go on day trips. As long as you’re always willing to watch your step, cities are highly walkable even if you don’t stay directly in el centro with some exceptions like Guadalajara and Mexico City.
Some of the most pleasant places for walking included: Lo de Marcos, Orizaba, Cholula and Guanajuato, which is extra special because all main thoroughfares go through inconspicuous traffic tunnels.
Reason 15–Pueblos Magicos:
Of the 132 magic towns of Mexico, we’ve barely cracked the surface of exploring them, which will be a huge motivator to return. These towns are designated by the Mexico Tourism Board to offer something unique from a cultural, historical or architectural perspective and they never disappoint.
This trip we made it to 10 new ones…Ajijic, Tlaquepaque, Tequila, Sayulita, Tequisiquilpan, Bernal, Cholula, Atlixco, Teotihuacan, and Orizaba.
16–Location, Location, Location:
As Americans, we couldn’t be more lucky to have this extraordinarily diverse and culturally fascinating country within a few hours flight. And it clearly has so much more to offer beyond the hot tourist spots of Cancun, Puerto Vallarta and Baja.
17—History:
Mexico is packed to the brim with both pre and post Hispanic history, which was once very melded with US history. Ruins are sprinkled throughout the entire country and you typically don’t have to go far to find a day of exploration at one of them.
18—Safety:
Despite what the media wants you to believe, Mexico overall is a safe country. Of course, like with anywhere, there are places you want to avoid and things you should be aware of, but there are way more places open and ripe for discovery. Mandy said she would be comfortable traveling solo in any of the places we went on this trip. Those included: Chapala, Guadalajara, Puerto Vallarta, Guanajuato, San Miguel de Allende, Queretaro, Puebla, Mexico City, Oaxaca and all the pueblo magicos.
19—Healthcare:
Fortunately, we didn’t have many runs to the doctor, but the experiences we had were top notch. Greg had to have some labs taken which were $40 or less and scheduled with just a quick email. And Mandy decided to see a couple cardiologists here for additional opinions on some issues she’s dealing with. She was able to schedule both appointments within one day and through FB messenger. The initial appointment was 1.5 hours directly with the cardiologist. This included an EKG and a very long explanation, and Q&A session about the status of her heart condition. It cost $55.
20–Affordability:
During the course of six months (December 2020-May 2021), we successfully took our previous $50/day budget to $40/day or $1300/month. Although the costs were similar to what we had experienced prior to COVID, we traveled at an even slower pace which made this very possible.
This included living in private apartments, eating out about 5-7 times a week, transportation (taxis or buses), alcohol, groceries, water, our phone, doing some day trips, and a few splurges. We’re not exactly slumming it!
