They noted that although there has been much coverage by the US media of the crime situation in some areas of Mexico, millions of US and Canadian citizens visit Mexico each year, and many live there year-round.
California Native's Lee and Ellen Klein pose with other travel professionals and writers in sculpture for Pan American Games.
A few weeks ago we traveled, as guests of the Mexican Tourist Board, to the city of Morelia, Michoacan, to attend the 2nd Annual Feria Mundial De Turismo Cultural, a world tourism and cultural trade show which featured tourism vendors from all over Mexico, as well as international tourism representatives.
Fireworks light up the sky over the cathedral in Morelia, Michoacan, Mexico.
In Morelia, the show attendees included tourism professionals, travel agents, press, and photographers from all over the world. Along with the trade show, we attended cocktail parties which featured local gastronomy and music, and were treated to a special performance of the Ballet Folklorico de Mexico.
During our time in Morelia, the city celebrated the birthday of José Morelos, for whom the City is named. Morelos was a priest and revolutionary rebel leader who led the Mexican War of Independence movement after the execution of Miguel Hidalgo, in 1811. Four years later he was captured by the Spanish and also executed.
The city holiday is celebrated with parades, festivities, balloons, streets closed to cars, and families celebrating everywhere. The day is capped off with a dazzling pageant and fireworks show at the Cathedral.
We then traveled to Guadalara, which was was buzzing in preparation for the Pan American Games, a competition held between athletes from major countries of the Americas every four years. It is the second largest multi-sport event after the Summer Olympics. Everything was decorated—there were ticket booths, public art, banners, and sculptures about the games everywhere.
From Guadalajara we followed the Tequila Route to the town of Tequila, visiting the fields of blue agave and some of the distilleries, where we learned all about how the libation is made and the fine art of drinking it—which we diligently practiced for several days to make sure that we truly had the technique down (pun intended). We also visited the cellars of the Jose Cuervo distillery and drank some of the “Family Reserve”—some of the best tequila we’d ever tasted. Stay tuned for a future blog with the whole Tequila story.
What did we learn on this trip? That Mexican tourism is alive and well and the value for our U.S. and Canadian dollars is great. We never gave a thought to safety—we felt comfortable everywhere and we ventured on our own by local buses to nearby towns. We learned of so many new places we’d love to visit in Mexico, and we hope to introduce them to you, our California Native travelers, in the near future.
The film, “Mexico: The Royal Tour,” premier in Los Angeles.
Last night we attended a VIP Reception and Premiere showing of Mexico: A Royal Tour, a film by Peter Greenberg for PBS.
In the film, President Calderón takes Greenberg on a tour of Mexico—but not your average tour. It’s a spectacular visit to many beautiful and unusual places with lots of adventure, including zip-lining, scuba and more. The President and his family clearly enjoy being the tour guides, and showing off these fabulous and interesting places, well-known and not so well-known. There is also discussion of the current security misconceptions. In the end, you will want to get on the next flight south.
California Native President, Lee Klein, and Mexican President, Felipe Calderon.
We arrived at the JW Marriott at LA Live in downtown LA, were given wrist bands, checked off several security lists, then passed through a metal detector and into a small ballroom. We enjoyed drinks and conversation with other celebrities such as Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, Mexico’s Secretary of Tourism, Gloria Guevara, other dignitaries associated with both Mexico and the film, and entertainment icons including George Lopez, Russell Brand, Lionel Richie, James Caan, and Cindy Crawford. Then there was a buzz, lots more security, and the arrival of President Felipe Calderón and his wife, Margarita Zavala. After the camera flashes subsided, we were able chat with the President for a few minutes—our second meeting.
California Native’s Lee Klein and Mexico’s Secretary of Tourism, Gloria Guevara.
We moved on to the movie theater, and found seats with our names on them directly behind the President, the Mexican dignitaries and Greenberg, and next to the film’s director. After some speeches, the film began and we were entranced.
Afterward, talking to the Director, we learned that Mexico’s Copper Canyon was to have been part of the tour, but there were some weather issues on the days slated for filming so they did not film there. From previous conversations with President Calderón, we know that Copper Canyon is one of his favorite places in Mexico.
California Native’s Ellen Klein and singer Lionel Richie.
The movie premieres on Thursday, September 22, 2011 on many local PBS station (check listings for time) and will air several times in the next couple of weeks.
After the movie, check out our website and join us for a wonderful adventure in Mexico.
A group of young monks are happy to greet California Native visitors at a monastery in Bhutan.
Bhutan is an exotic and strange destination. But of all of its unique characteristics, none seems more peculiar to us than the history and legends of the great religious teacher and holyman, Lama Drukpa Kunley, known throughout Bhutan as “The Divine Madman.”
Drukpa Kunley was born in Tibet in the year of the wood-pig in the eighth cycle—or, as we would call it, 1455.
As a child he was extremely precocious and had full memory of his previous incarnations. After his father was killed in a family feud, he became disillusioned with the world and dedicated himself to a religious life, eventually becoming a monk. In his early twenties, he gave up his robes and became a mendicant, wandering throughout the country and gaining mastery of the spiritual arts and magic.
As he traveled through Tibet and into Bhutan, he purposely spurned accepted ways of behavior as a method of calling attention to the hypocrisy, selfishness and greed of the world and thus lead people to adopt honest and spiritual lives. His unorthodox methods of religious teaching seem most peculiar from our frame of reference because they were based on a very ribald and debauched life style. The great lama spent much of his time singing and drinking with young ladies and deflowering virgins.
Reading the legends of Lama Drukpa Kunley is like reading Rabelais—both relying on the idea of divine excess. When he is not drinking chung (a sort of Tibetan beer) or making love to a maiden he is using his “Flaming Thunderbolt of Wisdom” to strike down evil demons. He is totally irreverent and ridicules the establishment, especially corrupt and self seeking priests. He performs magical feats—what the Judeo-Christian culture calls “miracles”—blessing or damning families, based on their moral treatment of others, turning tiny quantities of tea into amounts sufficient to quench the thirst of thousands, exorcising evil spirits, reforming demons, and instantaneously transporting himself to far off locations. In some of the stories he slaughters animals for their meat then, from their bones, restores them to life and sends them on their way.
He is adored by the Bhutanese who, despite being a very conservative society who never show affection in public, protect their homes from evil spirits and promote fertility by painting cartoon images of flying phalluses on the outside walls of their houses.
Near the town of Punakha, Drukpa Kunley founded a monastery dedicated to fertility. Each year hundreds of people come from all over Bhutan to pray for children. In the temple they are blessed by a monk holding a symbolic phallus.
Tucked away in the green valleys of the Himalayas, Bhutan is indeed an exotic country, so different from ours, yet the Bhutanese people make us feel welcome and invite us to try and understand their ancient and tranquil ways. The more we see of their country the more we want to return.
In the village of Kirare, in Mexico's Copper Canyon, a Tarahumara man helps his wife with her chores. The California Native has been a leader in tours to Copper Canyon for almost 30 years.
Anthropologist Carl Lumholtz predicted that the Tarahumara Indians would disappear within a century. A hundred years later, these gentle people, who inhabit Mexico’s Copper Canyon, continue to be the most populous indigenous group in northern Mexico.
Spanish explorers had entered the Sierra Madre Mountains by the mid-16th century. Gold and silver were soon discovered and mines began operating. The Indians were pressed into the labor force, often enduring the harshest conditions.
The Jesuits established their first mission pueblo in 1611. Although many attempted to ease the burden of the Indians, a great deal of prejudice existed. An early Jesuit wrote, “They are inclined to idleness, drunkenness and other vices. They are ungrateful, dull and stupid…very cunning and alert in evil things…They have no sense of personal honor nor the honor of their daughters.”
Forced to live in artificially-created communities, the Indians were susceptible to a variety of diseases, and epidemics swept the area. As the demand for labor increased, the Spanish raided the mission pueblos. The Jesuits managed to protect some of their charges, but many Tarahumara fled, hiding deep in Copper Canyon. The expulsion of the Jesuits from the Americas, in 1767, ended their efforts to protect the Indians, and the Franciscans, who succeeded them, were not as effective.
Mexico attained independence in 1821 and soon established huge land grants in Tarahumara country. The Indians were uprooted again, and fled, often onto lands of other indigenous people. Fighting often resulted.
The Revolution of 1910-21 resulted in the re-creation of the pre-hispanic communal landholding system known as the ejido. The Tarahumara received some benefits from this, as much of this land has economic potential for lumbering, agriculture, and tourism. Around 60,000 Tarahumara still inhabit caves and simple dwellings in Copper Canyon.
The California Native has for many years assisted these people, donating clothing, school supplies and money. Some of our travelers have returned to volunteer in local clinics. Tourism is a positive factor, and visitors gain a new appreciation for these noble people who have survived and thrived despite Lumholtz’ dire predictions.
The economies of the world’s countries are slow. Travel and tourism are down. Hotels have plenty of space. Crowds are down. Now is the perfect time to take that trip you have been dreaming about for so long. Travel now before the crowds come back and the prices go up. Join us on a trip to one of the exotic destinations around the globe that we specialize in. Whether it’s Mexico’s fabulous Copper Canyon, the magical Himalayan Kingdom of Bhutan, or the rainforests of Costa Rica we are ready for your call.
Always wanted to come eyeball-to-eyeball with a flightless cormorant or a giant tortoise? Then the Galapagos is for you. How about enjoying a fantastic cruise through the Straits of Magellan, hiking on a glacier and sipping whiskey over-the-rocks of ancient glacial ice? Patagonia is the place, or travel back in time to visit the mighty empire of the Maya—the Yucatan is your destination. Perhaps you prefer to stroll or bicycle through the green hills and friendly villages of Ireland? These are just a few of the adventures that we have lined up for you.
Wherever your dream destination is, now is the best time to travel. When the times are slow it’s time to go.
The valley of Paraiso del Oso, located just outside of Cerocahui, is named for its rock formations, one of which looks like Yogi Bear.
Nestled in a picturesque valley surrounded by Mexico’s magnificent Sierra Madre Mountains, is the little village of Cerocahui, the most beautiful of all the mountain villages of southwestern Chihuahua State.
Cerocahui, with its old mission church, was founded in 1680 by the Italian Jesuit, Juan Maria de Salvatierra. It is said that Father Salvatierra, who founded many missions in the area, considered this to be his favorite.
Over the centuries, the 300-year old church, with its lovely stained glass windows, fell into disrepair. In 1948 it was extensively reconstructed. Services are now held there for the towns people and the local Tarahumara Indians, and the church also operates an Indian orphanage and boarding school.
School girls and a visitor stroll by the old church in the Sierra Madre village of Cerocahui.
Walking around Cerocahui, which has a population of around 1500, you can find people with skills which seem to belong to a bygone era. There are cowboys, prospectors, blacksmiths, and a man who makes rawhide lariats.
Just a mile from “downtown” Cerocahui is the Paraiso del Oso Lodge, located in a picturesque valley, surrounded by large rock formations. The lodge is owned and operated by American Doug Rhodes, who takes pride in the delicious Mexican food served at his lodge and in the fine horses he offers to guests who wish to ride.
Autumn is a beautiful time to visit Cerocahui on your trip through Mexico's Copper Canyon.
From the lodge, Doug offers a one-day tour down to the bottom of the canyon and the old silver mining town of Urique. Established in 1612, Urique was active eight years before the first pilgrims landed on Plymouth Rock.
Join us on one of our trips to Copper Canyon and enjoy the hospitality of this unique little village nestled in the Sierra Madres.
Throughout Costa Rica’s plentiful rainforests, beaches and mountains, visitors are enchanted by the number and variety of butterflies. Costa Rica boasts over 1000 butterfly species, more than the entire continent of Africa.
Flitting from flower to flower the butterflies are enchanting to watch, the brilliant colors of their wings lending joy to the day. These delicate wings are covered with tiny scales which reflect light passing through them to form bright colors and patterns. They serve to identify the butterfly to members of its own species as it seeks to carry out its sole mission in life, mating. The colors of some species, such as the Monarch, which are toxic when eaten, warn predators that these butterflies are not dinner.
The male butterfly spends his short time on earth cruising around looking for a female. With his antennae he can smell her perfume (pheromones) from over a mile away. At the back of his abdomen—remember, butterflies are insects so their bodies have three sections, a head, a thorax, and an abdomen—is a set of “claspers” to grab on to his lady love. When couples mate they face in opposite directions with their abdomens locked together. The female, if startled during the conjugal act, will fly up into the air carrying aloft her attached Don Juan. During her short lifetime she will lay about 100 eggs. Some species lay their eggs in clusters while others lay each egg on a different plant.
Upon hatching, the tiny caterpillars go into the world to eat. As adult butterflies are primarily sex machines, caterpillars are primarily eating machines, munching the night away, and remaining motionless during daylight hours to camouflage themselves from predators. The growing caterpillar sheds its skin four times, then searches for the perfect spot on the underside of a leaf to attach itself and prepare for the miraculous change from a crawling eating machine to a glorious flying butterfly.
The butterfly’s life is short, varying from species to species, but averaging about three months—two weeks as an adult butterfly.
Join us on a California Native tour to beautiful Costa Rica and witness this bounty of butterflies for yourself.
In 1610, the Viceroy of Mexico and Peru ordered a fort to be built on a hill overlooking the town now known as El Fuerte, the first stop on California Native tours of Copper Canyon.
In 1610, Juan de Mendoza y Luna, the Viceroy of Mexico and Peru, ordered that a riverside fort be erected on a hill overlooking the town of San Juan Bautista de Carapoa, to defend it against attacks by fierce Mayo, Zuaque and Tehueco Indians, and to guard the rich haul of silver from its many mines. Founded fifty years earlier by the Spanish conquistador Don Francisco de Ibarra, the town was renamed El Fuerte, “The Fort.”
In successive years, El Fuerte became a major trading post for gold and silver from the mines of Urique, Batopilas, and other Sierra Madre settlements and a station on Spain’s fabled Camino Real trade route. In 1824, after almost three centuries as the most important commercial and agricultural center in northern Mexico, El Fuerte became the capital of the territory which now makes up the Mexican states of Sinaloa and Sonora, and part of Arizona. After a few years, and a few wars, its administrative functions were taken over by Culiacán, Hermosillo and Phoenix.
El Fuerte today, with a population of around 30,000, is a quiet, picturesque colonial town, but the old fort still looks down on the quaint cobblestone streets as they wind past its historic church, mansions and shops, many dating back to colonial times. El Fuerte is also the starting point for most of The California Native’s journeys through the spectacular Copper Canyon.
California Native's Lee and Ellen Klein in the ancient city of Dali in China's Yunnan Province. Dali was an important stop along the Tea Horse Road.
“My grandfather dipped his silver bracelet into the water, to make sure it was not poisoned,” related Chen Dong Mei, her eyes sparkling as she told us stories of her grandfather who drove horses along the historical Tea Horse Road. Mei was our guide in Lijiang, an ancient city in China’s western frontier province of Yunnan. It is in this area that the Tea Horse Road began, thirteen centuries ago.
Driving the horses and mules from Yunnan, China, through the high mountain passes of the centuries-old trail to Tibet was a dangerous occupation. Bandits were a constant threat and it is said that they would poison the streams where the drivers obtained water for their campsites. The silver in the bracelets, which the ethnic Naxi people still wear, would change color when exposed to the poison.
Tea was introduced into Tibet during the Tang dynasty, and a trade developed where the Chinese bartered tea for Tibetan war horses. The Chinese stopped buying horses from Tibet in 1735, but the trade in tea continued to grow.
The road starts near the tropical city of Jing Hong, where the famous Pu’er tea is grown. It then passes through Dali, Lijiang, Zhongdian (in 2001 renamed Shangri-La, in the hope that the name will attract more tourists), and onward to Lhasa in Tibet.
A second route begins in Sichuan province, the site of Yacha tea production, and leads up through some of the most treacherous passes in the world to Lhasa. From Tibet, branch trade routes led south into Myanmar (Burma), Nepal and India.
Even before the Tang dynasty, in the 7th century, the trail was a major route for migration and cultural communication, and ancient tombs along the way have been determined to be almost 5000 years old.
The Tea and Horse Road again became a critical transportation link during World War II, when Japan blocked highways from China and Burma to India. More than 25,000 horses and mules were used to haul everything from sewing machines and canned goods to whiskey and cigarettes over the ancient trails.
Today, the Tea Horse Road is a special route for many indigenous people in the region, which includes the greatest number of ethnic groups in China. Naxi, Dai, Bai, and Thai all have mountains in the region which are sacred to their various religions.
California Native’s tours of Yunan Province follow much of this ancient route.
