After much thought I decided to write a column called “Ask a Mexican”. Not only will I be writing about tourism but also explaining cultural or social facts about the country. The idea is also to answer questions from readers, any kind of questions. Vickie loved the idea and the column was moved from Travellinx to the main GSA Magazine.
You see, I find that despite Mexico being such a popular tourism destination for Canadians, there are many, trust me on this, many misconceptions or myths about the country and its people. For example the issue of drinking purified water and a legendary unanswered question: can I drink the ice? Or the assumption that 5th of May is Independence Day, or that people take “siestas” in the middle of the day. You see where I am going with this? In some other cases I will be happy to talk about more serious topics such as safety, passport requirements for Canadian citizens or residents, current political affairs, etcetera.
Of course I cannot take all the credit for this idea because it comes from a regular column that first appeared at the LA Times. Even in California where there is a huge Mexican community Americans make many assumptions and do not know much about Mexican culture. A Mexican-American editor took matters into his own hands and decided to help correct misconceptions and explain why Mexicans do things or act in a certain way.
Only a few days after the first publication I was happy to receive an inquiry from a travel agent in Edmonton about restaurant options in Puerto Vallarta. Since Vallarta is my home town, I was excited to be able to answer her question with suggestions tested and approved by me, my friends, and family.
In case you are also interested in hearing about good restaurant options in PV I will be sharing the link to this publication once the issue is published.
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