CAPITAL MEXICO CITY - POPULATION 110 MILLION - AREA 1,923,040 SQ KM - OFFICIAL LANGUAGE SPANISH
There are big bucks going into promoting 'south of the border' to the USA, and Mexico's tourism board is spending US$3 million targeting Chinese visitors. New budget carriers in 2006 began price wars that saw even more North Americans vacationing here, around tour in 10 of whom ended up in Cancun. Sure, Cancun has the Spring Break partying and easy all-inclusive hotels (many of which were refurbished after Hurricane Wilma) but there's more to explore. Try snorkeling around Cozumel or plunging into another liquid in Guadalajara, the birthplace of tequila. Personal security should feature in your plans, though, as Mexico has violent drug-related crime.
MERIDA
Most equate the Yucatan with beaches, but the best place to experience the food, life and architecture of the 'real Mexico' is a few hours inland at this lively city. Historic homes have been turned into inns, often for a fraction of the cost of Cancun resorts. The Spanish colonial centre of Plaza Grande has 16th-century cathedrals and free art museums; on weekends it hosts dance, food and parties. Day trips to five Mayan sites on the public Ruta Puuc bus loop go for about US$40, or head to the village of Celestun and hire a motorboat (US$17 per person) to see hundreds of pink flamingos in the mangroves. |
