Health and Safety in Mexico

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.

There is nothing like the hands-on treatment of a professional masseur to make one feel defined, relaxed and pampered - a favorite spa promotion word. Especially when it is combined with something exotic: A body wrap in seaweed or mud, an exfoliation with a mysterious sweet-smelling natural concoction that may contain coffee grounds for example, followed by a warm hose-down.

For more than thirty years the Cervantino Festival has been enthralling visitors across the globe. Set in Guanajuato, one of Mexico's most beautifully preserved colonial cities, the festival is a melting pot of culture and artistic celebration.

Los Días de Muertos (November 1 and 2) are a fascinating and bizarre time from the point of view of travelers to Mexico, and it helps to explain what it all means by allowing everyone to take part in the traditions. For example, I have asked one English friend who is visiting me over this period to bring a photo of her father, who died last year, in case she would like to make an altar for him.

Tucked away on one of the longest streets in the world, the Buñuel bookstore has been plying its business for decades. Since the till started ringing on its opening day in the early 1960s, the décor has remained almost the same. Books are stacked waist high, the air feels musty and finding anything by category is down to sheer luck.

At first glance la Navidad in Mexico seems reassuringly (or alarmingly) familiar to Yuletide in the United States. Stores are cluttered with junk and tinsel, Santa Claus (even though he has nothing to do with Mexico) is all over the place, neighborhoods are transformed by fairy lights, streets are packed with shoppers and traffic is unbearable.