Added a last few pics.
See my Mazatlán, Mexico 2008 photo set on flickr.
Adios.
El Centro in Maz is great. But I don’t like Mexico, in general.
That country is getting far too affluent for me. Too fat.
Literally, in 2008, seems to me, there are more obese Mexicans, even, than obese gringo tourists. The downside of making economic gain.
Through my websites, people have bought hundreds, perhaps thousands of Lonely Planet guidebooks. They reinvented the genre, in my opinion. Never buy any other company without first comparing against LP.
Sadly, for the past 6-7 years I’ve started to notice problems.
LP author Thomas Kohnstamm has a new book coming out this week:
THE Lonely Planet guidebook empire is reeling from claims by one of its authors that he plagiarised and made up large sections of his books and dealt drugs to make up for poor pay.
Thomas Kohnstamm also claims in a book that he accepted free travel, in contravention of the Melbourne-based company’s policy.
His revelations have rocked the travel publisher, which sells more than six million guides a year – guides that generations of tourists have come to rely on.
Mr Kohnstamm, whose book is titled Do Travel Writers Go To Hell? said yesterday that he had worked on more than a dozen books for Lonely Planet, including their titles on Brazil, Colombia, the Caribbean, South America, Venezuela and Chile.
In one case, he said he had not even visited the country he wrote about.
“They didn’t pay me enough to go Colombia,” he said.
“I wrote the book in San Francisco. I got the information from a chick I was dating – an intern in the Colombian consulate. …
These days I am more likely to buy from other companies: Moon and Footprint, for two.
BBC recently purchased controlling interest in Lonely Planet. BBC has their own problems, however. I’m not sure LP can recover.
Our catamaran trip to the Na Pali coast, Kauai, Hawaii.
Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube:
2min
It’s a special day over at the Mason house. …
The 2wk anniversary of their return from Hawaii.
I’ve got many of my best photos from their 2 week family holiday posted on flickr now. (I tagged along as official photographer.)
It’s almost impossible for the family Mason to organize big holidays away. (I’m shocked they pulled this one off.) And it turned out GREAT.
Jane forever has been trying to organize a big holiday with her life long friend Monica.
Monica’s daughters had plenty of fun too. This trip worked for everyone.
Henry had his birthday on the island.
One day, not so far in the future, the Masons will look back on Kauai as one of the best family trips ever.
I feel lucky to have been with them there.
More photos from Kauai on my Mason photo set. Or see all my photos sets.
The best beach on the island, I thought, was remote Polihale. At the south end of the Na Pali cliffs. As far as you can drive west.
all my Polihale photos – flickr
My favourite campground, too.
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The pretty spider we saw many times on the island. Some call them “garden spiders”.
The view from my Centro Historico home away from home.
11 bedroom, 12 bath with pool. (OK, I only get 1 room, 1 bath)
Own Mazatlan’s premier address and have the ocean and storied Olas Altas Boulevard at your feet. Enjoy sea vistas, city views and sunsets from one of four gracious terraces, or luxuriate in the privacy of the large verdant garden with its 50 square meter swimming pool. Entertain lavishly in the 1500 square foot Sala Grande or the 700 square foot formal living room. Imagine glittering parties around the home’s centerpiece: a breathtaking spiral staircase with a stained glass canopy.
It could be yours for about $800K.
My room ($45/night) is in the same building as Mexican Dental Vacations. The dental work finished. … For now.
We were doing my most visible teeth, the top front.
BEFORE:
MIDDLE:
AFTER:
All 6 front top teeth are fakes. Five of those new.
LONG TERM GOAL
As you can see, I have a long way to go. But I’m happy my teeth are in better shape than they’ve been since the last time I had dental insurance: 1993.
And I am happy with Mexican Dental Vacation. (details and prices)
Actually, my original dentist Dr. Mackey departed, apparently due to health reasons. Happily, the first time replacement Dr. Hernandez worked out very well. It was an interesting contrast for me. The veteran, American authoritative man contrasted with the young, recently-trained Mexican female. Both were good. But in different ways.
Leave a comment if you want to know more about Mexican dental vacations. I am a big fan.
UPDATE:
Do your homework before you walk into any medical facility:
… numerous complaints about so-called “medical clinics” in the Golden Zone that profess to deal with emergencies. …
Pacific Pearl newspaper
Pretty pictures from our short visit. Almost all the flowers are introduced species.
all my Botanical Garden photos – flickr
PS
Flickr just added video clips up to 90sec in length. I will stick with YouTube, for now.
The first thing one REMEMBERS about the Hawaiian island of Kaua’i is “chickens”.
Chickens are everywhere.
original – flickr – noremorse42
They add to the rustic charm of the place. (If they don’t keep you awake.)
… they don’t resemble any chickens you’ve ever seen. These are the Hawaiian Moa (Ornamental Red Jungle Fowl) now considered a protected state bird introduced to the island centuries ago by the Polynesians on their travels across the pacific – although since that time these birds have been intentionally and unintentionally cross bred with many other species of chicken, from fighting birds to wild fowl. …
Kauai Country Inn
Actually, there are all kinds and colours of chickens. Many were freed by Hurricane Iniki in 1992.
Kauai is known as an expensive holiday destination. That’s not true if you tent. And shop prudently.
But it IS true if you are looking for inexpensive accommodation.
Here’s what Lonely Planet has to say about the only two hostels:
… due to consistent user complaints about safety, drugs and cleanliness, they are not included in this book.
If the shoestring guidebook won’t list the cheapest options ($25-30), they must be REALLY bad. I took this as a challenge, arriving at Kauai International Hostel. The boss man Mike greeted me suspiciously. Within 60secs accusing me of being a “dirty old man” and questioning whether I had an airline ticket off the island. I’ve never had a colder welcome to a hostel in the hundreds I’ve stayed at.
Perhaps Mike is trying to improve the horrific reputation of his place. I dunno. I left.
Arriving at the “other” hostel, Kauai BeachHouse, I was informed check-in was only done at 6 and 8PM. No big deal. But when I returned at 8PM the guy in charge (also named Mike, I believe) was gone to a Harley biker festival.
Since neither hostel had free wireless internet, I left there too. Camping on the beach ($3-$5) was much preferable to either.
Hey, to be fair, Maikiki General Manager, at Kauai International Hostel, has most of the many rules he rudely outlined to me posted on the website. As well as his outrage at others like myself who complained. Maybe I am a dirty old man.
