I tried to warn you in my “Best” List—2012 was a very difficult year for sorting out the best from the very, very good. Please keep in mind that the criteria here is good, engaging writing, but ALSO very importantly, a book must bring a place to life for us. A book may not reside in the travel section of the bookstore, but it must make us want to go there. Or help us learn more about what that place is like.
When I started thinking about trains and train travel after reading Waiting on a Train, it seemed that everywhere I turned, people were thinking about trains. Here are some of the interesting things I found on the net. Continue reading Trains→
When Vice President Joe Biden warned people to stay home because of the H1N1 flu, and travel writer Peter Greenberg responded that he was going to happily travel to Mexico on empty airplanes and stay in empty hotels, we decided to ask readers if they agreed with Joe or Peter. Or perhaps they wanted to wait and see. You can see the results of the poll now, but here’s a hint. Travelers visit A Traveler’s Library.
Mexico suffered more than any other country from the flu epidemic, and their tourism industry suffered mightily. I’m thinking about Mexico now because I’m reading a book about Baja Mexico, which I will be talking about here soon. I was intrigued to see that Peter Greenberg’s newsletter (and web site) revisited the question of Mexico and the flu. San Diego announced an event to promote Baja California tourism. And the U. S. State Department dropped their Travel Advisory against travel in Mexico as of May 15.
Personally, although I live near the border, in a U.S. town that was part of Mexico until the mid 1850’s, I have not traveled widely in Mexico. One wonderful week in Guadalajara and two memorable trips to the village of Mata Ortiz in Chihuahua, which I wrote about at Velvet Escape’s Blog. That’s it. In the next few days, I want to talk about some books that I read several years ago about Mexico, and then a newer book about Baja in the hope that you have not abandoned Mexico as a possible destination.
Photograph by Giandomenico Pozzi, from Flickr.
Have you traveled in Mexico? Have you read about Mexico? Share your experiences here, please.