Mexico
Mexico Visit
Mar 15th
Last week I had a very quick trip to Mexico City to meet up with Global Traveler‘s representative, Fernando Palacios Oaxaca, a great guy and a real champion for GT. It was a fantastic trip; and I stayed at the beautiful and brand-new St. Regis, perfectly located on Paseo de la Reforma, right on the circle of the statue of the Angel of Independence. On Sundays, Paseo de la Reforma is closed to automobile traffic to encourage pedestrians and bicyclists.
One of my meetings while I was in Mexico City was with Adolfo Crespo, senior vice president of customer service and corporate communications with Mexicana Airlines. Adolfo and I had begun communicating when the readers of Global Traveler selected Mexicana “Best Airline in Mexico” in 2009. We discussed the exciting menu changes that Mexicana has made to its menu under Master Chef Enrique Olvera (featured in Global Traveler‘s “Bon Vivant” November 2009). We also discussed the exciting wines from Mexico that Mexicana added to their menu under Sommelier Sandra Fernandez. While we were talking with Adolfo, he arranged a meeting with Sandra at her restaurant Tierra de Vinos in Mexico City.
It was wonderful to meet with Sandra while she introduced us to the oldest vineyard in the Americas, Casa Madero (1597). Casa Madero has several wines on the menu exclusively created for Mexicana — Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Tempranillo blend and Chardonnay-Chenin Blanc. In September, Mexicana will serve wines exclusively planned since 2006 for Mexicana to celebrate the country’s bicentennial. Only 200 cases will be made for Mexicana, and Sandra will have 100 cases for her shop/restaurant.
It is worth a visit to Mexico City to take in the culture and enjoy some fine Mexican wines!
– Fran Gallagher, publisher and CEO
Outbreak Hype
May 4th
As if the economy is not causing enough trouble, we now have this over-inflated threat of swine flu. Even the Vice President of the United States (often known for winning the foot-in-his-mouth award) has suggested avoiding the subway, crowded places and other people. He particularly fears flying. Hogwash!
In order to gain more viewers, TV news channels have made this the hot topic, while people continue to suffer from lack of travel and even more reduced spending. Now that’s a great stimulus plan, Mr. Biden!
This panic for naught has caused great hardship. GT‘s local representative in Mexico City tells me that some of the resort hotels are at 10 percent occupancy rates. People who need to work to feed their families are now in a serious situation. How does this help our border situation?
I am shocked that I have had very intelligent people ask me about flying or wearing a mask while on a plane!
Five to 15 percent of the U.S. population will contract the regular, everyday influenza in a typical year. 30,000 to 50,000 people in the United States will die from the flu every year. Wow, so why are we up in arms over swine flu, which appears to be far weaker? It’s hype!
And as far as travel is concerned, I’ll take the flip side of the argument. The cause of the pandemic flu of 1918-1919 was isolation. Anywhere from 20 to 50 million people lost their lives globally — 650,000 in the United States alone. Lack of travel keeps people isolated and keeps bodies unfamiliar with foreign strains. The more exposed we become makes us stronger and less likely to succumb to these unfamiliar strains in the long run. Perhaps we should be applauding global travel as the reason this swine flu outbreak is not more deadly.
-Fran Gallagher, publisher and CEO
Locked Up Abroad
Apr 3rd
Have you ever seen the show Locked Up Abroad? I stumbled upon the program while channel surfing the other night. I caught a few minutes of the National Geographic Channel show, which centered on a guy who went to Peru with a woman he met at a bar. Unbeknownst to the young man, the woman was attempting to pay off a loan shark by smuggling cocaine (two suitcases full) back into the U.S. While she eventually took the blame, the young man was tied up in legal nightmares for several months.
It was a very interesting show, and if anything, it will put a fear of being arrested abroad in you! Other episodes of the show have taken place in Chechnya, the Philippines, Colombia, Bangladesh, Brazil and more. It is on Wednesday nights at 10 p.m. The show also offers harrowing looks at people kidnapped while abroad — which is an even scarier prospect.
This is certainly a concern for travelers, and preparing yourself, knowing what to do should something serious occur, accidentally or otherwise, is important. Global Traveler covered the topic in a special feature in our July 2008 issue. Click here to read the story.
Of the top 10 places where Americans are most likely to get arrested, six of them are in Mexico — Tijuana (1), Guadalajara (2), Nuevo Laredo (3), Mexico City (5), Merida (8) and Nogales (9). The other top spots are London (4), Toronto (6), Nassau, Bahamas (7) and Hong Kong (10).
A movie that came to mind while I was watching Locked Up Abroad was Brokedown Palace, with Claire Danes and Kate Beckinsale. It is about two best friends, recent high school graduates, who take a trip to Thailand. After meeting a cute Australian, they follow him to Hong Kong but are arrested in the airport for drug smuggling.
The U.S. State Department’s Web site has information for Americans arrested while abroad, with their rights and a guide to what assistance they can expect from the embassies and consulars.
-Kimberly Krol, eFlyer editor, circulation and public relations executive
Mexico, Here I Come!
Jan 5th
Following up on Patty’s blogs, I am hoping to make it to Baja this year and check out the St. Regis Punta Mita. I plan on playing golf for a GTee golf review and then swinging by Veracruz for a World Trade Center meeting.
I hear (and see on the Web site) that the St. Regis Punta Mita is absolutely beautiful with a magnificent golf course, the Punta Mita Pacifico Golf Course. It features a “19th hole” that is only accessible at low tide!
The resort itself also looks wonderful with a large pool overlooking the Pacific Ocean. Guest rooms and suites appear to be roomy and luxurious and there are a host of restaurant options — thankfully none of them are the chain chefs like Michael Mina and Wolfgang Puck. Am I the only person who has had enough of the sameness around the world? I believe in using local talent rather than exporting chefs, but that is for another blog!
Before or after my visit to the St. Regis, I plan to join the international annual meeting of the World Trade Center in Veracruz on the Gulf. I will meet with our friends from the World Trade Center of Greater Philadelphia and they will help me introduce Global Traveler to other organizations around the world who can work with us in the future.
Mexico, here I come!
-Fran Gallagher, publisher and CEO
