Affordable Travel

In the San Andres Valley of Mexico, you can escape into a geographical and cultural world that is able to draw you back into previous centuries, in the same way that a good book by Mexican novelist Carlos Fuentes can, by invoking the vivid colors, smells, tastes, and complex history of the place. The people here are down to earth, friendly, and proud of their long heritage in the San Andres Valley. Tourists can explore for days or weeks, and in the words of Hector Diaz, a Puerto Rican national and celebrated chef “the place is so alive and romantic, just like the people who live there.” You can find the legendary cigar factory by the name of Te Amo here. In Spanish, Te Amo means “I love you”, and in the cigar world, the name is also another term for excellence in hand made long filler cigars, like the style of cigars that made Cuba famous for its Havana smokes. You can also find the world class and famous tequila known as Patron here, named after Don Patron, the senior member of a family whose skill at making fine tequila has made it the most renowned in all the world. Although the spirits are made in small batches and there is a limited supply produced each year, it remains the “cream of the crop” of all the world’s tequilas, selling for as much as $15 an ounce in some bars. The cuisine is spicy, exotic, and tasty, and one woman’s recipe for a simple meat dish so inspired Hector Diaz that he included it in a list of his favorite recipes from around the world, adding that when he prepares the dish for his own patrons, it steals their hearts.

Photography in Mexico and Guatemala’s indigenous regions is some of the best in the whole world. The native Mayan costumes are worn by residents on a daily basis; and the people are for the most part very warm, friendly, and photogenic. Tourists are especially fond of taking photographs of children, churches, and ceremonies, because of the obvious attraction of the subjects. But in recent years especially, some photographers have made the mistake of taking photos without first asking if it is okay, and for some this has resulted in violent confrontation and even death.

There are some rural dwellers in these regions who are highly suspicious of outsiders, and they have good reasons to be. In San Cristobal, for example, in the Chiapas mountains of Mexico, many residents were slaughtered during a confrontation with government officials who were representing large business corporations who forcefully entered the Chiapas area in order to establish factories on the indigenous people’s land. And in Guatemala, 30 years of genocidal war that began in the 1950s has left people highly suspicious of outsiders, because outsiders used to come and kidnap their children.

When taking photos, always ask first, and make sure that the people you ask understand the language you are speaking (many don’t speak Spanish or English but other dialects). Once you have permission, you can capture some wonderful portraits, but beforehand, be respectful for your own sake and the sake of those you wish to photograph.

The Mayan culture of Central America, known around the world for the magnificent stone-stacked temples still standing in the middle of the rain forest jungles of Mexico and Guatemala, is the oldest indigenous culture in the world. As other civilizations have come and gone across the march of time, Mayan culture has not only withstood those who tried to conquer it, but has absorbed them into its ever-widening cultural heritage. The modern-day Mayans make the most intricate and colorful textiles in the world. Anthropologists and historians study the culture the Mayans celebrate in rituals of song, dance, culinary arts, and music, with both amazement and profound respect.
But few know the simplest beauty secret of the Mayans, and those who do tend to guard it for themselves. Read on, as we reveal it to you in all its sweet and natural simplicity.
In Central America, sugar cane is grown and harvested both as an exported cash crop and for local use in cooking. While visiting the ancient city of Antigua, Guatemala, a town renowned for its 500-year-old Spanish Colonial architecture and active volcanoes, we met a native woman with skin so perfect that she looked 10 years younger than her actual age. She was more than happy to share her beauty secret, and we were delighted to find out that it was not only simple, but that the necessary products were practically free, and available at every grocery store, coffee shop, and restaurant on the planet.
She taught us that the Mayans have used granulated sugar, particularly raw sugar, for hundreds of years, to exfoliate the skin in an organic way. So if you want to enjoy fun in the sun of Central America, but don’t want your skin to wrinkle, take a hint from the hosts, and add some sweet tonic to your skin.

The national beer of Guatemala is Gallo, a straightforward, somewhat dry, inexpensive brew that is made in batches small enough that the beer if not available for export. People who drink beer are not surprised that when they sit down in a bar in Guatemala, the server doesn’t ask if they’d like to order a beer or cerveza, but instead just asks “Would you like a Gallo?” because everyone assumes that if you want a beer, you want a Gallo beer.

The beer comes in brown glass bottles or in aluminum cans, with its logo of a black rooster – the Spanish word for rooster being “gallo” – and many people use up their entire quota of exportable duty free alcohol when leaving Guatemala, not on rum or tequila, but on cumbersome bottles of Gallo. You can even enjoy this beer at room temperature, the way Guinness is meant to be served, although it is best served ice cold in a chilled beer glass. Gallo is also available on tap in some bars, and is worth seeking out, because if the beverage is good from a bottle, it is phenomenal from a fresh tap.

So if you are looking for a good excuse to take a vacation, and are one of the many who enjoys a good beer in a tropical climate, then make your way to the land of perpetual sunshine, springtime, and great national beer, and find out why so many people go to Guatemala and then never return home again.