Hangovers are never fun. Especially tequila hangovers, which we all know are the kind of hangovers that feel like an ice pick has been driven into your skull over one eye because we all know that hangovers are always asymmetrical. Nothing is fun while being hungover, but some activities are worse than others. Sitting in the shower, for example, is bearable. So is watching a Will Ferrell
Jason Batansky
Pre-Urban Exploration Mexico: Hilton Puerto Vallarta Resort
I’ve spent a lot of time in hotels in my life, but all of them have been, well, built when I got there. With walls and bathroom fixtures and everything. So when I got the opportunity to visit the new Hilton Puerto Vallarta Resort to do some pre-urban exploration Mexico. Before it was finished, I decided it would be a perfect opportunity for a website with the word “unfinished” in the title, but has a shortage of articles about unfinished things.
The Hilton Puerto Vallarta Resort is just five minutes south of Gustavo Diaz Ordaz International Airport (PVR) and a ten minute drive from Puerto Vallarta’s city center. It’s right in the middle of the city’s large hotel zone, so its close to all the malls, shopping, and dining in the area. Apparently it will have a buffet and a la carte gourmet dining, limitless beverages, 24-hour room service, daytime activities, recreational amenities, and live nightly entertainment. And this is all on the beach.
Believe It or Not, I’m Zipping on Air: Mexican Style
Since we looked at birds and said, “Pffft, I can do that,” humankind has been obsessed with flight. I’m not talking about airplanes or helicopters, either. I’m talking about full-on, unassisted, Superman-style gliding. However, almost all those attempts have failed, like Icarus or those old 1900s videos of dudes with mustaches building flying machines. There is, however, one extreme sport that allows mere mortals the closest we will ever get to self-propelled flight: a zip line.
Shamans, Spas, and Mel Gibson: Spiritual Tourism in Mexico
I am not a superstitious or religious man. I believe part of what happens to us is a result of our choices. I also believe in being at the right place at the right time.
On a recent trip to “Los Tuxlas,” in what was once the cradle of the Olmec civilization, the oldest in Mesoamerica, I traveled by motorboat to the Nanciyaga ecological reserve famous for its Shamans. We passed the eponymously named Crocodile Island and an island full of a screeching monkey population that
Mexico, Beyond the Border and the Hype: Adventure Travel in Veracruz
Mexico is not getting the best press right now. We all know this. As a result, fewer of us Americans are going there, outside of the college kids and honeymooners heading straight for the American colony of Cancun. But the truth is that the bad news out of Mexico is close to the border and in isolated cities. That’s why I headed to Mexico, one, because there is a whole other Mexico that is beautiful and safe and a great setting for adventure, and two, because Mexico tourist bureaus are willing to send “journalists” like me on trips to prove it.
I arrived in Veracruz, Mexico, after a short connection in Dallas where I tried airport Texas barbecue, which turns out, is
Journey to the Present at Panama’s Embera Indian Village
The Embera Indian Village outside of Panama City is not a historical recreation. It’s not Panama’s answer to Jamestown or Plymouth Colony. There is no modern visitor center or actors dressed in traditional garb and refusing to break character for eight bucks an hour. Despite the fact that there are tours, and the Embera people are friendly, hospitable, and happy to share their traditions and culture with outsiders, the Embera Indian Village is a real village, and a real home to the Embera people that live there.
Timbuk2 – Custom Commute Messenger Bag Review
Messenger bags are a dime a dozen these days. With the rising cost of fuel, people are getting into public transportation and bicycles in a big way, and they need something to carry their stuff. The trouble is that many of the satchels and messenger bags on the market are flat out rubbish, and that’s where Timbuk2 enters the picture.
Born in a San Francisco garage and bred on the backs of messengers in the city streets, Timbuk2 still manufactures its custom bags in the heart of San Francisco’s Mission District. Timbuk2 has been building bags and accessories for
