Need travel tips to Mexico

[szaza]

Hey everybody!

I just heard I'm going to travel to Mexico for work in October. Decided to stay a few days longer because if I'm there I might as well go see something [emoji6] I'll be in Guanajuato from October 24-26 and after that I have some travel days until I fly back on November 2nd or 3rd.
Any tips/recommendations are very welcome!!

[emoji3]

 

[earlene]

I have not been to Guanajuato myself, although my husband & I took an extensive road trip through several of the states in Mexico in the 1990's 2001. Guanajuato is a very large city, so just be careful of what parts of the city are safer and if you rent a car be very careful to obey the traffic signs. If you don't have to, I would advise against a car rental, in fact as I find walking and public transportation in large cities is more fun and usually easier than finding my way around in a car in a city with which I am not familiar even with GPS.

Get to know as much as you can about the transit systems available to you, what routes to take and utilize whatever mapping program you have available on your mobile device if you use one. But also keep close tabs on your devices as you walk around, maybe a wrist strap and ear plugs to hear directions.

Will you be alone or will you have a companion for the few extra days you will be staying? I travel alone a lot myself, but have never done so outside my own country, so don't have much advise about being solo in Mexico. My daughter-in-law was with us when we traveled to some remote areas, which turned out to be very good for us. We were stopped by a group of militia, serched and questioned. Following my DIL's advice, anything I did not want them to search or confiscate, I wore on my person because she told me they would not touch a woman or anything the woman wore. So my camera, money, etc. was in a bag I could don quickly.

Oh, one other thing, use travelers cheques whenever possible. And keep money in two separate locations on your person, one for larger bills and one for smaller bills. We had to pay a bribe to get out of being taken to jail in Mexico City, and I used my money purse with only small bills (US $1.00 bills) and travelers cheques; he wanted the whole wad of money, but it wasn't a lot, so I'm glad it wasn't $100.00 bills in that wad. My husband still brags about how smart I was to carry two money purses. One money purse in my bag, the other well hidden.

Just so you know, it wasn't a big deal. My husband accidentally turned into a one-way street and immediately turned back around. But in spite of the fact that it was obviously accidental and immediately remedied, a cop stopped us and threatened to take us to jail if we didn't give him a large sum of money immediately. I told him that was all I had except for traverler's cheques, so he took the whole wad of money that he saw me pull out. Travelers cheques can be cancelled and replaced, so that's probably why he wouldn't take them. Anyway, you can see why I advise against renting a car if you don't need one.

 

[szaza]

Thanks @earlene! One of the things I was a bit worried about was traveling alone. I'm trying to find a companion, but don't have one yet. I've traveled alone in Uruguay, Argentina, Rwanda and Taiwan, so I generally don't mind (and actually really enjoy) traveling by myself, but I really don't know anything about Mexico and how save it is. I won't be renting a car as I don't have a driver's licence and I have 2 purses: one travel belt with stuff that I really don't want to lose and one small purse that I can carry in front of me for my camera, phone and small money that I can keep an eye on at all times. It's really good to hear your experiences and how you dealt with it! (And it's always fun to hear cool travel stories)[emoji4]

 

[earlene]

My husband just confirmed that we went in January or February 2001, not the 1990's. And that we did not visit the city or the state of Guanajuato.

If you've done that much solo traveling outside your own country, I don't think I'd be too worried about traveling alone in Mexico. It's a beautiful country and there is so much to see. The people are generally wonderful, friendly and very helpful and kind.

The women were always so very kind to me and the men as well. In restaurants and at roadside eateries, we were always treated with such kindness and respect. And the food was really very good. If you like coffee, you may find it's a bit different in some parts of Mexico than you may be used to, but I don't know about in Guanajuato. Many small restaurants & cafes only served hot water and a jar of Nescafe instant coffee. But some high-end type restaurants did prepare brewed coffee and espresso, so that might be interesting depending on what your like and are used to. Small neighborhood bakeries are fun to visit and the pastries are very good, but not on the sweet side, which I prefer. I'm not big of sweets, so I was very pleased that they were not overly sweetened the way pastries in the US are. Each region of Mexico has it's own cuisine, which I guess is really the same all over the country, so I can't really say what to look for specifically in Guanajuato, but I am sure you will find that out before too long.

 

[Alfa_Lazcares]

As one of the mexicans here: i feel i should have a bit of advise, but i’ve never been to guanajuato nor surrowndig areas, i usually travel south. But in general the same advise of street smarts, dont have to much cash on you and keep it different pockets. Guanajuato is quite a turist place so they are used to tourist. Do try the coffee, its been quite a while since the last time I saw people serving hot water and nescafé. Also i am not sure about travelers checks, personally i wouldnt do them. Use atm’s attached to banks only. And I think thats all I can think of at the top of my head. If you have questions tell me and I’ll try to find out.

 

[szaza]

Thanks for the tips! I'll remember to only use ATM's attached to banks.
I love trying out different types of food and drinks. Is there anything in particular I shouldn't miss out on? I'm a bit afraid being vegetarian might be difficult in Mexico or is that a misconception?

 

[BattleGnome]

The tip my dad swears by for travel: drink a cup of water then take an antacid a minute or so later. Supposedly this will let the local microbes hit your immune system but the antacid will help nullify any sick feeling quickly.

Don’t know how well it works though, he told me this after I got sick from the water in Mexico when I was 15. Your mileage may vary.

We were in Cancun for that aforementioned trip and I remember salads on every menu while we were in town. We rented a car one day to travel to a temple but I don’t remember where or what we stopped for to eat.

 

[Alfa_Lazcares]

Well, the thing is, most traditional dishes in Mexico have some sort of meat in them being beef, chiken or pork or anything that comes from them so it depends on how strict vegetarian you are because a lot of things will have cheese, or milk or manteca or eggs in some form. That being said, vegetarian food will be found, you’ll just have to dig on the menu or choose places that cater to vegetarians, as said, Guanajuato is quite turisty so you ought to find something good. There are some enchiladas that are tipical from that region, they are called enchiladas mineras but they do have cheese as the filling. As for drinks there is a traditional beberage called mezquite that comes from the tree of the same name, they make a few drinks with it.

 

[KiwiMoose]

As fate would have it - I used to live in the state of Guanajuato. Guanajuato township is the most adorable little town you will come across. Most of it is walkable. Make sure you go up the the lookout over the township, it's amazing!
I would also recommend a short bus trip to Leon ( about 20 mins from memory) - the leather capital of Mexico - get yourself some shoes, a handbag, a leather jacket, a scorpion inside a resin casing for your belt buckle....
I used local buses, went to local restaurants, talked to local people and never had any problem whatsoever. Being able to speak Spanish helped immensely. Most people are very friendly - but many will assume you are rich, which of course you are compared to them. At the markets, don't pay the first price, you can talk them down considerably.
Travellers checks are pretty much unheard of these days and I wouldn't use them - most smaller vendors are very suspect of them.
Being vegetarian is fine - we managed to find some solely vegetarian restaurants when we were there. My partner at the time was vegetarian and he got along fine. Be cautious with refried beans if you ever have any - they are often 'refried' in pig fat. I was going to suggest to eat lots of tacos el pastor but I guess that's outta the question as a vego. However my partner used to order a quesadilla instead with the cebolla (onion) off the top of the 'pastor' and some cheese - that was still good.
Please PM me with any more questions - happy to help : )

 

[KiwiMoose]

Oh - and as yummy as it is DON'T eat the yoghurt from the little street vendors or 'superettes'. I used to have a cup of yoghurt, fruit and cereals every morning - it was sooooo yummy. After a month I ended up in the Red Cross with a drip in my arm :-(

 

[Alfa_Lazcares]

Ha! I was just gonna add that: quesadillas. Yes, a lot of then have beef or chicken as filling but there are also quite a few veggie options like Huitlacoche, flor de calabaza, hongos. You can skip the cheese.

 

[szaza]

Luckily I'm vegetarian not vegan. So eggs and cheese are fine! [emoji6] Sounds like a lot of good things to try!! [emoji16] And thanks for the warning about yogurt.. probably would've bought some if I didn't know! Last time some of my colleagues went to Mexico almost all of them got sick so I'll definitely be careful about food and water. Is there anything in particular to watch out for except yogurt?

 

[KiwiMoose]

Luckily I'm vegetarian not vegan. So eggs and cheese are fine! [emoji6] Sounds like a lot of good things to try!! [emoji16] And thanks for the warning about yogurt.. probably would've bought some if I didn't know! Last time some of my colleagues went to Mexico almost all of them got sick so I'll definitely be careful about food and water. Is there anything in particular to watch out for except yogurt?

The corn with lime and mayonnaise from the street vendors was fine. Nom nom!
I ended up at the dentist in Guanajuato because I broke a tooth at the cinema eating 'palomitas' (popcorn). Not a food problem other than my teeth are too brittle and I got a hard bit of popcorn. :-(
As long as you use common sense - I think most things are fine. A lot of people can be over cautious which means you miss out on a lot too.

 

[TAS]

Guanajuato is one of my favorite places. It has grown immensely and the streets are really narrow and crowded and noisy but fun. The people are great and Guanajuato is especially lively because of the university. Be prepared to take lots of pictures - the houses/buildings are colorful and unique. Consider going to the University area - always something to see and it is fun to strike up a conversation - get some advice as to where to eat, what to see. Lots of tourist sites - Las Momias (the mummies), Diego Rivera museum (his birthplace), something like 28 churches, etc. If you stay close to the center of town you won't be bored but it is loud. Above all wear good shoes and have fun.

 

[earlene]

Thanks for the tips! I'll remember to only use ATM's attached to banks.
I love trying out different types of food and drinks. Is there anything in particular I shouldn't miss out on? I'm a bit afraid being vegetarian might be difficult in Mexico or is that a misconception?

When I went in 2001, as a vegetarian, I found it a challenge sometimes. But in restaurants, I had no trouble getting food without meat. Of course that meant no re-fried beans, and also tortillas are often made with lard as well. I see others who have actual knowledge of the city, so their advice on food is better than mine. The fact that there are restaurants that cater to vegetarians is good news.

When we were in Palenque, Chiapas, we found a lady who made vegetarain tamales that were to die for. My son & DIL lived in the same town, so that's how we found her. And often I found that in restaurants they are willing to make slight adjustments to how a dish is prepared, that is if the food is not made until you order. Not so much in a place where the food is made ahead of time.

Oh, and there is always lots of fresh fruit at the markets, so you can purchase some to keep on hand for a snack in between meals; maybe pick up some dried fruit to carry in your bag as a pick-me-up when you need a quick bite.

As far as getting sick in Mexico, that only happened to me once in Mazatlan in 1987, and not during any other trips before or after, so don't really expect it. But to be safe, we did stick with bottled water for drinking water, even when we stayed in nice hotels, but for the most part we did not stay in the high-end hotels on our month long road-trip in 2001 and just were careful to drink bottled water and to wash fresh produce before eating. Neither of us got sick.

 

[TAS]

Additional thoughts -ATMs charge fees and a lot of places take credit cards but you should check with your CC about the international rates they charge. Some companies charge a higher fee, others charge a fee but will reimburse your account. Get some peso before you go. We found a bank in Boulder that does not charge for exchanging dollars to pesos or vice-versa. I love Mexico! Wish I was going with you!

 

[szaza]

Thanks everyone! I'm really happy to hear getting sick is not something to be super worried about in Mexico, it must have been bad luck that the whole crew ate something that gave them food poisoning. I'm generally not the overly careful type so if someone is going to get sick it's probably me[emoji28] though I feel being a vegetarian saves me some of the risk, at least of getting food poisoning from bad meat or fish..

@TAS those pictures look lovely! I'm very much looking forward to the trip and seeing those streets and colorful houses in person! [emoji16]