<p>Hey – does anybody have any ideas for a week’s trip to Mexico? We want a great colonial town and then a quiet beach. Has anyone visited Oaxaca? Did you like it?
We’ve already been to Merida and beach south of Cancun, which was very nice; this time we’ll head in another direction. </p>
<p>We’re mom, dad and two college kids and we all speak Spanish. Thanks for any advice!</p>
<p>I would strongly encourage anyone travelling to Mexico to have a U.S. passport. You can replace a passport if you lose one while in Mexico. If you lose your driver’s license, good luck trying to get new one in Mexico.</p>
<p>I did the Cancun Island thing. Merida and Oaxca are next on my list, as is Vera Cruz. I understand that Vera Cruz is unlike most other regions of Mexico in that it has a distinctive Caribbean flavor to its culture and cuisine.</p>
<p>One thing about Cancun Island, the whole beach culture was too ‘Anglicized’ for me. McDonalds, Burger King etc. And very little Spanish was heard by me. Cancun City was much more interesting, and authentic.</p>
<p>Oaxaca is amazing – the art, the town, the food – but not especially close to the beach, which is actually kind of hard to get to.</p>
<p>Oaxaca is fantastic but be careful… there has been a lot of political violence there recently and a lot of animosity directed at tourists… so I’d check out current events pretty thouroughly before planning a trip there.</p>
<p>I was in Oaxaca a few months ago; it’s a wonderful place, and it’s very popular with Mexican tourists. I believe, though, that they are deep in violence currently, stemming from a teachers’ strike. One of my friends from the area said that they were on the brink of civil war. I also don’t believe there is much of a beach scene; I never went or saw one, at least.</p>
<p>For a beautiful colonial town, I recommend Guadalajara.</p>
<p>When my father was a student health physician at our flag college, he ordered immediate and massive shot of pennicillin upon learning of any studen’s visit to Mexico. No diagnostics or symptoms needed. You got the shot.</p>
<p>My D studied in Guanajuato, a very colonial, beautiful and safe Mexican town. Leone and San Miguel are nearby also. It’s not near the beach though. I think Vera Cruz would be a good choice, too, if you are wanting a beach.</p>
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I’ve been to Mexico a number of times as well as other area countries, and I’ve never needed this. Don’t be too scared, Suna.</p>
<p>we are going to Cancun in a few days, and we are nervous about it. We have never been to Mexico before. We are worried about getting sick.</p>
<p>What was this item about the penicillin shot referring to? Is this after wild college kids spring break with too much socialization, so to speak?</p>
<p>^ Enjoy your trip bookiemom. I have been there three times and never got sick. We did eat in our hotel only (and when we went to the natural parks-real tourist places, we did eat lunch within their establishments for tourists and this was fine too) , and we minimized eating fresh vegtables, and only ate fruit with thick skins. We did drink the purified water, and only in the hotel. We had bottled water when we were not in our hotel. Nobody in our family became ill. Have a great time!</p>
<p>S spent a week with a friend in Ixtapa (west coast of Mexico). It is a beautiful place right on the water. He loved it. It’s a pretty modern contemperary place with a very traditional old Mexico type town called Zihuatanejo just a couple of miles away. Zihuatanejo is the town you actually fly into. S was told not to drink the water under any circumstances, even told to use bottled water when brushing teeth. He did not get sick and had the experience of a lifetime</p>
<p>^Packmom, You reminded me-no ice cubes either. I would stay away from ice cubes at the airports, and any other places other than the hotels in Mexico (where they say water has been purified), and I would stay away from fountain drinks. I would buy a bottled beverage instead. The same goes for water and ice cubes on the airplanes in and out of Mexico, just to be on the safe side. JMO.</p>
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I own a home in Mexico (Baja, near the San Diego border) and have never heard of this at all. Have never gotten the shot, have never heard of anyone who does. I’m sure medical professionals in San Diego would advise this, if it were really necessary and I’m not aware of any who do.</p>
<p>Perhaps this relates to certain areas in Mexico? Or perhaps it’s really not necessary at all.</p>
<p>btw, what is a “massive” shot of penicillin, anyway?</p>
<p>edit after reading bookiemom’s post (and those following): agree about the water. We drink only bottled or filtered water. I do brush my teeth with tap water. Locals in our area drink bottled water as well. Other than that, I don’t think you should worry.</p>
<p>Cancun is quite Americanized, in my opinion. Moreover, the water in the modern hotels is purified, so the likelyhood of a visitor becoming ill from water is probably minimal. We too were advised to drink only bottle watter/and or soda. And no one advised us to get vaccinated.</p>
<p>One night at dinner in Cancun City, I was enjoying a drink with ice cubes when I remembered that the admonition included ice cubes. No bad result ensued.</p>
<p>In summary, don’t worry in Cancun. You feel like you’re in an upscale suburban mall when you’re inside, including your hotel room. One more thing, DO NOT utilize the snack/refreshment bar in your hotel room. It is a cash cow for the hotels as the resulting price on your room bill will be enough to make you faint. Modern supermarkets are a short distance from the hotel zone. Buy the same stuff for less than 1/2 price.</p>
<p>Bottled water and brewskis will see you through to your next Tequila Sunrise…</p>
<ol>
<li><p>Cancun is hardly Mexico.</p></li>
<li><p>Agree that Guanajuato is charming, and perhaps less touristed than some places.</p></li>
<li><p>Many years ago, we visited Patzcuaro, a beautiful fishing village in the mountains not far from Guanajuato. I don’t know whether it has changed, but it was very un-touristy, very Indian, very cool.</p></li>
<li><p>And of course Mexico DF is very sophisticated and very cool.</p></li>
</ol>
<h1>15. My post is self explanatory. I will add that prior to student health physician he was county’s medical officer. He got tired at examinations for VD as the ME, and needed a different environment.</h1>
<p>Zihuatanejo…friend’s D visited this summer and LOVED it…course she was on her honeymoon and probably would have loved any place they went. The pictures were beautiful though.</p>