Most people think of me as a solo traveler. But on this trip to Ixtapan I’ve been in the company of eight friends. Five of us were born in 1951 and are celebrating our 75th birthday this year. Trust me, that number is a shock to all of us. But if you were born in 1951 and keep having birthdays, … Read More
Ixtapan de la Sal, Mexico
Ixtapan is a quiet town with set rhythms and customs. I love it here, but don’t come expecting anything innovative or exciting. Well, I was wrong. This weekend the town hosted a three-day Balloon Festival. When I first heard about it, I pictured hot-air balloons drifting peacefully over the countryside. The only puzzling part was that the festivities began after … Read More
Ixtapan de la Sal, Mexico
The spa at Ixtapan de la Sal has become one of my favorite places to disappear for a while. Life here is blissfully uncomplicated. Nowhere I need to be. Nothing pressing to do. Meals appear, my bed is made and room tidied, and nobody cares what I wear. All of this surrounded by lush tropical greenery. The toughest decisions I … Read More
Mexico City – Day Five
My plan was to spend the morning exploring, check out of the hotel, then head to the airport to meet my friend Judy and continue together to the spa in Ixtapan de la Sal. Great plan. Then Judy’s flight was seriously delayed. In the morning, I walked to the Zócalo, where three enormous tents had been erected showcasing arts and … Read More
Mexico City – Day Four – Xochimilco
There aren’t many tours I choose to take twice. Culinary Backstreet’s food tour of Xochimilco is an exception. The town of Xochimilco is one of the last remaining bits of the lakes that once covered most of Mexico City. It’s only about seventeen miles from Mexico City’s historic center, though getting there feels longer. Mexico City traffic rivals New York … Read More
Mexico City – Day Three
The Museo Soumaya’s architecture alone makes it worth a visit, even if art museums aren’t your thing. The windowless, metallic six-story building looks a bit like a surrealist hourglass covered in thousands of gleaming silver tiles. It’s impossible to ignore. It’s the centerpiece of Nuevo Polanco, a very modern, very wealthy section of Mexico City that’s still growing. The museum … Read More
Mexico City – Day Two
If you collected many of my favorite things, folk art, outrageous color, quirky objects, and wonderful craftsmanship, and out them into a museum, you’d have the Museo de Arte Popular. It’s one of my favorite museums in Mexico City, and I have several. Though relatively small, I can spend many happy hours there. On this visit, there were two special … Read More
Mexico City – Day 1
There’s something exhilarating about flying into Mexico City. As the plane descended yesterday, the city seemed to stretch forever, a vast carpet of buildings spilling toward the mountains. Mexico City is enormous, one of the largest metropolitan areas in the world, but from the air what struck me that unlike New York, relatively few skyscrapers puncture the skyline. Instead, enormous … Read More
100+ words — Sulawesi, Indonesia – People
In 1992, I took a three-month sabbatical and spent most of it wandering through Indonesia. With more than 17,000 islands to choose from, narrowing an itinerary wasn’t easy. But of all the places I visited, the one that captivated me most was Sulawesi. My destination was Toraja, high in the mountains, remote enough that simply getting there felt like an … Read More
100+ words — Vintage Bangkok, Thailand
I first visited Bangkok in 1990, and it immediately became one of my favorite cities. I’ve returned many times since, watching it reinvent itself. Much has changed since that first visit. There was no mass transit, traffic was legendary, and a tuk-tuk ride that ended up on a major highway left me gasping from exhaust fumes, eyes watering and wondering … Read More