Scrapbook: Under the Radar in Mexico

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Concerns about drug-related violence, coastal algae blooms, and the closure of tourism promotion offices discouraged some Americans from traveling to Mexico in 2019, those that ventured south of the border found a wealth of culture and nature. Come with me for a weekend to La Paz, in Baja California Sur, then to lakeside Valle de Bravo in the south-central part of the country, two hours southwest of Mexico City. I’ll be speaking at a conference, but we’ll have time for a look around. You won’t regret it.

 
 
 

You may be wondering where in the world I’ve taken you now. Pues, estamos en México! We’re spending the weekend in Baja California Sur. The state capital, La Paz, is the jumping off point for all sorts of active natural adventures, and fronts the Gulf of California, also known as the Sea of Cortez. Listos?

 
 
 

Beaches: beauts! Waters: like Windex, but all-natural! Wildlife: cuddly! When the gray whales are away (they’re only here from about January through March, to have babies) the stars of the sea are the sea lions, or lobos marinos (“marine wolves”). While snorkeling we swam through shape-shifting schools of sparkling fish and spent 10 minutes watching a juvenile sea lion play with a small branch and turn somersaults. These are thankfully protected waters and most operators enforce regulations, especially concerning wildlife. Rule of thumb: Don’t approach them and do as your guide says. And kudos to ours from Tuna Tuna Tours, who went out of their way to pick up a floating piece of garbage. Espiritu Santo, Baja California Sur.

(In case you need convincing of the value of spending time in nature, particularly bodies of water, read Blue Mind, by Wallace J Nichols, which I recently re-read for a story I’m writing.)

 
 
 

Road trip: Inland into the Sierra de la Laguna Biosphere Reserve, a región of incredible diversity (20 percent of plants and 10 percent of animals are endemic) to visit with a family of rancheros. Ricardo Duarte also works to protect this fragile ecosystem, the principal source of water for the region, by constructing retention walls, participating in a bat monitoring project, and hosting travelers from responsible adventure tourism operators such as RED. Our lodgings, you ask? As you can see they’re on the fancy end of the camping spectrum.

 
 
 

Casa de campo: Here, milk, cheese, and tortillas don’t come encased in plastic. Sierra de la Laguna Biosphere Reserve.

 
 
 

The road was washed out from recent rains so the jeeps couldn’t get us to the original trailhead. Our three-hour hike took more than six hours. The heat was intense in parts. I got stung by a bee. But it was beautiful country and the guides were great. And it ended with a hearty bowl of posole, which made everything more than all right. Sierra de la Laguna Biosphere Reserve.

 
 
 

Cambio de paisaje: We’re now in Valle de Bravo, west of México City. It’s a colonial-era pueblo centered around the manmade Lake Avándaro and a popular weekend retreat. I’ll be speaking on responsible travel trends, and gender issues in tourism, tomorrow at ATMEX 2019. But today, I’m enjoying my remote office, co-working with pal Jennine.

 
 
 

Wonderful to see so many companies and destinations in Mexico eager to embrace tourism that protects rather than extracts, regenerates rather than diminishes, and gives back rather than consumes. In the end it comes down to people and communities reimagining tourism as a means rather than an end. Thanks, ATMEX 2019, for the warm welcome and the opportunity to share my thoughts.

 

Photos © Norie Quintos