Chacala, Mexico

I really don't know why people stick with big-city beaches. This one, Chacala, a kilometer wide bay with perfectly soft brown sand, is 90 minutes' drive north of Puerto Vallarta. Twenty years ago it was a tiny fishing village you had to hike into from the highway. It's still only partly developed -- with no resorts or ATMS (or smooth roads). I liked how locals and tourists played volleyball together, musicians played to play (not for money), and a new married couple went right out into the waves -- in full wedding attire -- for photos.

San Blas, Mexico

Some 30 hours are better than other 30 hourses. Morrissey said that. And I say San Blas, three hours north of Puerto Vallarta, is worth the drive.

The beach is fine -- a dark brown sand beach with no one on it (weekdays, or when it's not Semana Santa) -- and a scrappy little town that's a hoot to spend time in. Particularly when one hour at the boozy San Blas Social Club turns to three, and the tequila bottle comes out. The bartender, Bernardo, is a tiny guy with a thick Hemingway beard, perhaps unsurprisingly considering he once was a bullfighter in Mexico City.

Much more to say, crocodiles and English poets for example, but will just sum up some of what I did in 16 seconds.

Talking Mexico on Fox News

Appeared on FoxNews.com Live this morning to discuss my pick for Lonely Planet's eight safe Mexico destinations to consider. Didn't get Puebla in. And I want to go to Puebla. See the segment here.

Go to Mexico

Nothing punctures misperception like actual travel. We saw it in the '90s for Vietnam, when Americans (in particular) worried they'd get detained or deported, then discovered a budding new ally of Southeast Asia; we see it when Middle Eastern nations shame us with their warmth and kindness. And there's ones closer at hand, like Mexico.

Despite a rise in drug violence, the news stories only tell part of the picture. And I wrote a piece for CNN.com on 'Why you should go to Mexico.' Fascinating seeing how ugly some of the reader's comments have gotten so quickly.

I also put together eight places to visit in Mexico now (safely) for Lonely Planet, all picked from the 17 of Mexico's 31 states that are excluded from any name-dropping in the US State Department's travel warning for Mexico.

Mexico, see you later this year.

Spring-Break Inspiration

Here's my Guideposts interview about some inspiring destination ideas for spring break: Mexico, Kansas, using local sports as vehicle to meet locals, and helping communities recovering from natural disasters.

World Cup opener in Brooklyn & Queens

Work is no excuse for missing a key World Cup game, like the opening game in the first-ever World Cup in Africa. I split the game in two locales: spending the first half in Brooklyn's South African restaurant Madiba in Fort Greene -- a raucous, butt-bumping, shoulder-scraping SRO scene -- then the second Sunnyside, Queens' inviting Haab Mexican Cafe, where things were already tensers as I walked in a minute after South Africa took a (surprising) 1-0 lead. Things got looser after Mexican tied it up.

76-Second Travel Show: 'How to Meet People Flash Cards'

Episode #025
F E A T U R I N G * 2 3 * B O N U S * S E C O N D S

Some spring breakers think you have to go to places like Cabo, Padre or Panama City Beach to meet people. With the 76-Second Travel Show's 'How to Meet People' Flash Cards, in this video, you can meet people anywhere.

Also see how one spring break changed my travel life.