Health and Safety in Mexico

Forty-five miles along the Mexican Pacific, framing broad bays or steeply pitched coves, are known as the Costa Alegre. Departing Manzanillo's "Playa de Oro" Airport and turning north, we are in the state of Colima until halfway across the Cihuatlan bridge. The other half, and the once earthquake-scarred town, hurtle us into the state of Jalisco.

Cantona is wonderfully situated on a fortified basalt bluff called the Cerro de las Aguilas, the Pizarro volcano and Cofre de Perote in the distance, there are three roads and a rail line into the precinct, but the most beguiling is a raised causeway over a shallow lagoon, between the Jalapa highway and the carefully cultivated fields on the agricultural flats that extend to the foot of the site.

Dazzling scenery, stirring history and its poignant remains make the Alto Mixteco and its various valleys a remarkable travel experience, either for a day trip or for more thorough perusal, making use of local "albergues."

The small town of Bernal manages to hide a very, very big secret. It is not until you are almost in the outskirts of the town that the massive Bernal rock can be seen jutting 2,000 feet above the gently rolling hills and scrub brush. Second only in mass to Ayers rock in Australia, this natural phenomenon has been impressing spectators throughout history; and so legends of treasure, mysteries, and supernatural energy almost as grand as the monument itself abound.

How can you go wrong in a city full of music, hammocks and jewel-encrusted bugs? Merida, the capital of Yucatan state, is the peninsula's center of commerce and a stopover for many travelers on their way to points such as Cancun, Chichen Itza and the Ruta Puuc. It is also a destination in its own right, packed with indigenous history and colonial architecture.

There is no doubt that visits to Mexico's spas are on the rise. Although hard figures are not available, Orlando Hidalgo of the Mexico Spa Association (MexSpa) estimates the number of spa visitors in Mexico is growing at the phenomenal rate of 50 percent per year.