Travel Talk Sat March 14: Mexico (online, everyone welcome)

FUTURE ONLINE MEETINGS: 2nd Saturdays, except as noted

April 11: destination TBD, seeking volunteers

May 9: Valencia and Southern Spain
- I will just have been back from a week in Valencia and can share insights
- have you recently been to Spain and have stories? please RSVP and let me know in the comments

July 11: Christmas Markets planning in July
August 8: Greece, travels and tips beyond Athens

I'd like to attend.

Hello. I would like to attend also. I’ll buy longer sheets of paper so I can add on to my wishlist!
Thank you,
Kim

Another one I'll sadly miss, we will be in Japan!

Please count me in, as Mexico is definitely on my list (Mexico City to be precise)!

Thanks,
Cynthia

I'd love to join and am happy to share as little or as much as people would be interested in after living here 6 years and visiting 15 states plus CDMX.

Sign me up, thanks!

Janet, terrific, glad you can make it! kmora58608, maybe bring back some A4 paper from Europe!

Andrea, let me check, hmmm, yes, "I'll be tripping on my own travels" is on the list of approved absences. However, we will miss you!

ponygirl813, my trip starts in Mexico City. I do wish I had followed my plan for Europe to arrive a couple of days ahead. Alas, I only have half a day before the tour starts, but I have researched lots of great options!

I’d like to join.

I am sad to miss - just hits an unfortunate conflict. And I am even sadder to miss April and Valencia since I will be in Valencia in November. But I have May and August on my calendar (and hopefully July)!

Sign me up, please! And I wish I could talk about Spain on May 9th - I’ll have just done a month there but I won’t quite be home yet.

Please add me to your list. We have never been to Mexico but as others have said, it’s on the list.

Lane, I love that you will be joining! We might let you talk for the full 2 hours ;-)

I agree about wanting to hear Lane.

Do you have any leads on how to find a dinner-with-locals type of activity in Nuevo Leon?

please count me in!

Oh, Mexico sounds great! Please count me in, CW!

Where in Mexico, and when will you be there? And Avirosemail? I'm heading to Mexico City in 2 weeks? I'm not sure if I'll be around to listen in on March 14th, but sign me up as tentative.

Where in Mexico, and when will you be there?

Allan, we could very well cross paths! I will be in Mexico City beginning Feb 12th for 3 nights, including Valentine's Day! And yes, they celebrate it, restaurants were booked up months ahead when I was checking.

Are you there during that time? I'll be on a tour, so not (as someone phrased it recently) the mistress of my own time during the day, but perhaps some options after the tour days end.

This sounds interesting. Please count me in.

Are you there during that time?

No, we arrive on the 19th.

I or we hope to attend.

Let me know if you'd like me to put together a short slide show of some of the highlights of my travels in Mexico. (But no, not for the whole two hours!!!)

Lane, I think that's a great idea. What locations in Mexico would you suggest? I think you have a reasonable idea of the range of the audience, many of whom might be first time to Mexico, but not necessarily looking to go to a beach resort.

And definitely not for 2 hours, haha! Maybe 15 minutes, perhaps 20? And a bit extra if there are questions. Any more than that and eyes start to glaze over.

Everyone - please feel free to give input if there are specific locations in Mexico that interest you. Perhaps Lane has been there!

Catherine, I'm sure I can come up with a nice short presentation about three or four locations. I'd probably highlight Copper Canyon, Oaxaca, and Guanajuato, and maybe one or two of the interesting pueblos mágicos I've been to. Or I could share about the two road trips I took. But i'm happy to talk about any of the locations I've visited.

I could also share about the relocation process, although that probably has a limited audience. But I'm happy to follow up with anyone who has questions about it.

Looking forward to it.

Is this a Zoom online meeting?

Count me in! I have been to Mexico at least 10 times and we are heading to Baja in 2 weeks for gray whales.

@Allan, I will be returning late on President's Day from Nuevo Leon so no overlap with your trip.

No point in me looking for fun in the sun (as Rick calls it) since my ortho says no hot tub or soaking or ocean water for me until next season anyway. I am doing cultural stuff, including a lot of local cuisine -- frijoles charros, cabrito, the usual light fare. Ha.

Is this a Zoom online meeting?

Yes, it is. I'll send the meeting link to respondents much nearer the meeting date.

Lane, I’m very interested in Oaxaca, Guanajuato, and San Miguel de Allende (if you have been there).

Barbara, I have been to SMA, and I can share some about that as well. But because it's a pretty well-known location (on the UNESCO World Heritage List and frequently at the top of list of the world's most beautiful cities), I think there is a ton of info out there, and I'm not sure my visits there can add much insight.

Please sign me up for this one. Thanks

Amazing places here in Central Mexico, wow! I keep thinking the towns can't get any better, and then they are!

Loving all of them: Mexico City, Morelia, Guanajuato, Querétaro and now Puebla. Last stop will be Oaxaca.

Puebla's Zocalo is so lively and energetic in the evening. It's remarkable.

We loved Puebla. So glad you are enjoying the tour.

justa thought - given that The Man in Seat 61 will be on Monday Night and then that will be on U-Tubb perhaps if questions about train travel a snippet of the Monday night might be shared with the group

Hi all, our chat about Mexico should be interesting. I am safe in Puebla tonight. Our tour moves tomorrow to Oaxaca for our last stop.

Please keep any comments travel related so this thread is not deleted. No politics, please. We need this thread to keep the meeting on track.

I am very glad that I am on a tour, so that the tour company should be watching out for our safety.

avirosemail, I hope you will check in!

23 Feb 2026 850am Central Time

Our tour is continuing onward to our final stop of Oaxaca. The roads are open; the toll stations are operating; the rest stops are open for business. All is calm on our route, as we are moving away from the trouble zones.

The tour behind us had to turn around, as they were moving through / towards the trouble.

I am getting an interesting geography lesson: Oaxaca (the state) is a big place. Oaxaca (the city) is the Capitol, and not near the (current) troubled areas.

Thanks for the update, CW. I've been thinking about you.

I’ve been thinking of you (and Lane). Thanks for the update.

I've been having some trouble with posting here but if I could I would have set your minds at ease, because I was back home as of last Tuesday.

That's great news, thanks for the update "avirosemail."

Oaxaca is calm, peaceful and charming, with no signs of any unrest. The US State Department has said "the situation has returned to normal in the following areas" including Oaxaca.

I wonder whether the tour behind us will be able to pick back up with their itinerary.

good to know, CWSocial and avirosemail

Avi, how did the arm do with the luggage?

I mention some arm stuff in the trippy bit here:

https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/trip-reports/monterrey-bocadito-viajero-viejo

I've not been to Mexico but I'm always interested in where you all go, so please count me in!
And thanks!

For anyone interested in Oaxaca, I answered some questions about how we spent our tour time on this thread:

https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/beyond-europe/seeking-advice-on-oaxaca

Thinking back through everything, the tour was one of the best for value (and fun) for money.

A reminder of Tammy's trip report:

"Road Scholar Tour Best of Central Mexico-Magical Towns & Bustling Cities, January, 2024"

https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/trip-reports/road-scholar-best-of-central-mexico-magical-towns-bustling-cities-january-2024

And linked in her trip report is her photo book:
https://photos.app.goo.gl/861yFdWPcaBVTcjS8

Although she gives the food an overall C+ rating, the creamy avocado ice cream may be my favorite anywhere!

Thank you for the colorful inspiration, Tammy!! I am so glad to have traveled beyond my history of Mexican resort towns!

Reminder of the meeting this weekend and please note the earlier (10am Pacific) start time!

I am beginning to send out the meeting details. Please watch your forum messages.

I have sent everyone (above) the meeting details. There is plenty of room if others would like to join. Please RSVP on this thread.

Please note our new 10am start time!!

Thanks for the reminders here and in the messages about the earlier time!

I just got into a mess with an international zoom I host every Wednesday. Only the US & Canada have jumped the clock gun (false start in my eyes, twice you're disqualified) as the rest of the world - us in the UK, thems in Europe and Israel and bunches of the rest of the world, don't make the spring leap forward until the 29th.

So 10am PDT, 11 MDT, 12 CDT, 1pm EDT, gets 17:00 (5 pm) GMT, 18:00 Central European, and so on.

All my participants were waiting an hour for me to arrive today..... no clue, no warning, no penny dropping....

Bottom Line - if you are not in North America check your time for this meeting.

See you all there.

Looking forward to seeing everyone tomorrow to chat about travels in Mexico!

have the links gone out?

Yes they have!

Please let me know if anyone has not received yours and I will (re) send.

anybody who would like to test their connection or have some off-line chat before the meeting starts can grab a coffee in the lobby and go into the zoom room now. The door is open...

Thanks everyone for a very interesting meeting.

Always enjoy hearing about everyone's trips and CW handles the show so well!

For anyone wanting a bit of a dive into Mexico's recent history, the book Barbarous Mexico by John Kenneth Turner and originally published in 1910 is both enlightening and sad. It's on Amazon.

Thanks to all for a terrific meeting.

Cynthia

Thanks to CW for hosting, to all the presenters (Lane, Avi, and CJ) for sharing all your photos and everyone else who contributed such great info! Mexico is looking better and better so I guess it's time to start planning 2027!

Thank you, Lane and Avi, for sharing your pictures. And Tammy and Allan for telling us about your adventures in Baja and a week in Mexico City, which both sound delightful!

Here are some of the links we discussed:

https://www.roadscholar.org/find-an-adventure/23083/The-Best-of-Central-Mexico-Magical-Towns-and-Bustling-Cities/reviews/
https://www.roadscholar.org/find-an-adventure/24571/Copper-Canyon-Ancient-Culture-and-Nature-s-Grandeur/dates/
https://laneisgoingplaces.com/tips/the-best-of-mexicos-pueblos-magicos/

Thanks, CW! And here is one more link to Lane's blog he mentioned:

https://laneisgoingplaces.com/my-mexico-travels/

Great presentations by all! Definitely hungry after all those food photos, I hope when Allan perfects his mole recipe he shares with the group. My to-travel list is now populated with a lot more ideas.

Thanks, CW, Avi and Lane for sharing your photos and thanks, Tammy and Allan for sharing your impressions! I learned so much. This was an excellent meeting!

I learned a lot from all 3 presenters - things I didn't know that I didn't know.

Who knew tacos don't have cheese or lettuce and are not crisp!

It has been a long time since I'd heard of the Copper Canyon trains - I'm pretty sure that at one time in pre-history it was possible for freights (and some lucky passengers) to ride all the way from the US side of the Mexico border. I didn't get my question in so I guess it will have to be Mr inter-Webs to the rescue.

How in the world, inquiring minds want to know, did CWsocial get SO much beautiful pottery back home without breaking?? Fair do's - well done!

I didn't know anything about the whales and the opportunities - we went on a whale watching (and with the rough seas, an unscheduled whale "feeding" expedition) off Half Moon Bay in the Bay Area - this one today seemed a whole lot more fun.

I loved the photos - the buildings were really special.

I was also really surprised how clean and pure the streets and buildings were. We live and travel in Europe and I haven't seen streets so empty of any graffiti for absolutely ages. Well done, Mexico.

How in the world, inquiring minds want to know, did CWsocial get SO much beautiful pottery back home without breaking??

By Packing Light? Absolutely not! The more clothes you pack, the more pottery you can wrap in them to bring home ;-)

Here's the Stewed Chicken Mole recipe from our Oaxaca cooking class:

4 chicken pieces (thighs or drumsticks)
Pre cook chicken 1-1/2 hours on slow cook in water and salt. (Amazingly tender and juicy result!)

6 med red tomatoes (approx 500g)
2 tbsp sesame seeds (approx 20g)
3 tbsp almonds (approx 30g) rough chopped
2 garlic cloves, chopped (I put twice this much in my mole!)
1 med white onion, chopped
small bunch parsley (approx 1 tbsp chopped)
2 tbsp cooking oil
1 small cinnamon stick
2 black pepper (I guess this should be tsps?)
2 whole cloves
8 olives
5 capers
salt to taste

Wash and dice the tomatoes, saute in oil.
Fry sesame, almonds, garlic and onion in oil and reserve.
In the same pan, fry parsley and spices, mix with tomoatoes and the reserved ingredients, then blend everything.
Fry the resulting paste in oil, add pre-cooked chicken pieces.
Season with salt and sugar (Sugar? I don't see that in the ingredients) and finally add the olives.

Let the mole reduce over low heat.
Serve with cooked rice and pickled chiles.

I’ve been off line due to being in Mexico for two weeks. Sorry to have missed the meeting today.

Diane, where in Mexico are/were you?

The tour company I did Copper Canyon with has a tour coming up in October:

https://charterclubtours.com/tour/copper-canyon-adventure/

It was an excellent tour, and the owners of Charter Club (Rosie and Carlos) are excellent guides and trip leaders. Doing a tour like this would give you an opportunity to hang out with Americans and Canadians living here, which could be fun.

I don't know how the price compares with the Road Scholar tour, but $47,850 MXP comes to just under $2700 USD. The single supplement ($24,850) seems very high to me, as the extra cost for the hotel should be the only added expense, and my calculcations suggest the difference should be closer to $10,000 - $12,000. If you are interested and are a solo traveler, let me know, and I can call them and see if they can reduce that single supplement.

Hi Catherine.
I was in Mazatlan the entire two weeks. My east coast friends wanted to escape the winter weather. We didn’t take any tours inland due to the chaos that developed the first day. We were uncertain if things would escalate. It did not, thankfully.
We stayed at two different places, a week each.
Next February will be Costa Rica. I head to Croatia in October.