Every vacation should include some time in the garden, right ?

The all-day, everyday, rainy, unusually cold month of July came to an end with the start of HOY’s new family themed participatory trip. The Habanera family, a family of four from British Columbia, Canada has thankfully brought, along with their enthusiastic attitudes, some sunshine. Habanera is the name invented by one of the family members just for purposes of this blog. Just because you come visit does not mean you have to agree to do publicity for us.

The  Habanera’s Came to participate in one of HOY’s participatory trips – Family Service & Fun (click here for a complete list of HOY’s participatory trip themes). One of the few voluntourism based trips around the world with a family focus, HOY’s trip is designed to accommodate the needs of a family – picky children, shy children, stressed adults, super-organized adults, those “difficult” teenage years, those impressionable childhood years.

Many families nowadays are looking to get something more out of the typical summer family vacation. While some families still prefer the organized comfort of a resort, others are being more adventurous in their destinations, looking for trips that will focus on family values in a globalized world. HOY’s Family Service & Fun Trip accommodates families with children under the age of 18, offering activities for a variety of ages.

Some pros in favor of family volunteer work are:

• Affordable family vacation!
• Activities that allow everyone to participate
• Children learn at a young age the values of travel and volunteer work
• Children learn how to travel safely
• Family dynamic building
• Brings family closer together

In this globalized world of ours, children should learn about:

• Other cultures
• How to travel safely
• Another language

Children that travel to other countries are more:

• Confident
• Outgoing
• Aware of others and other cultures
• Responsible

The Habanera family visited several of HOY’s favorite volunteer sites, including CAM (a youth outreach and foster center), Don Bosco (a school for lower class children that focuses on arts and language programs), and Niñas de Eugenia (a girls’ orphanage). The family will be spending most of its time with the children at Don Bosco working with their summer English and arts program, providing a steady project for both volunteers and participants.

Besides volunteer work, the family will have plenty of free time to explore the city of Cuernavaca, visiting museums and enjoying family dinners in the quaint, funky cafes downtown. They will also have a chance to visit Tepoztlán, a “magic” town an hour away from Cuernavaca, eat some enchiladas and work on their Spanish vocabulary.

So, for all of you families who are looking for a little something more out of the regular family summer vacation, maybe hoping to avoid long highway travels full of “are we there yet?” and “I’m bored” where one kid can participate but the other is too young or too short or too something…

Join Casa HOY for a summer vacation that your kids will want to become summer tradition.

See the next blog entry to learn about the Habanera Family’s experiences on HOY’s Family Service & Fun trip.

For more information, check out this article from Idealist.org :

The Bosque de Tlalpan is located in the southern part of Mexico City and is also known as the Bosque de Pedregal.  This huge green area was acquired by the city’s authority back in 1968 and opened its doors to the general public, short after.

As you may know, I am a nature lover, and am happy to inform that this forest is considered a protected area since 1997 and it boasts a biodiversity that includes a number of plants and animals, among which it is common to find a variety of pine trees, oaks, eucalyptus, cacti, fungi and a diversity of colorful flowers; also squirrels, opossums, birds and even snakes.

Since 1981, an association was created which is dedicated to the preservation of this place and the organization of different sporting events.   The truth is that once entering the park you tend to forget that you are actually in one of the greatest cities of the world.

In this forest you can enjoy a numerous of outdoor activities, opening from 5:00 AM to 5:00 PM.   The entrance is totally free and there are plenty of parking spaces, restrooms, several kiosks and dining areas, and many running and hiking/walking paths where you will simply admire the beauty of the surrounding.

As a bit of additional information, at one end of the parking lot, you will find the Casa de Cultura de Tlalpan (“Tlalpan’s House of Culture”), distinguished by its original architecture of Chiluca carved stone, completed in 1940, but moved inch by inch to its present site in 1975, rebuilt in 1986 and inaugurated in 1988.  Interesting!

The Casa de Cultura de Tlalpan leads temporary art exhibitions with free admission and also offers courses and workshops (a small fee is charged) of various visual arts, theater, music physical expression, among others.  It is open for the mentioned activities from 9:00AM to 9:00PM.

Both places are located on the Road to Santa Teresa in the Parque de Pedregal neighborhood, in the Tlalpan Delegation.  Nearby, you will find the Metrobus “Villa Olimpica” station.   For more information about the Bosque de Tlalpan you can call 5606-3980 and 5528-6498 and for the Casa de Cultura de Tlalpan call 5606-3839 and 5606-9002.

So if you are in the southern part of the city, I do hope you take the time to visit these places, which are not so touristy but are definitely worthwhile.

Friendly folks in Milpa Alta; One of the only StreetView drivers who waved for posterity.

Geologically the youngest delegation in Mexico City, Milpa Alta is also one of the city’s greatest escapes.

We’re almost finished with our colonia’s mapping project. Milpa Alta has been one of the quickest because the delegation is only inhabited by a select population.

Some of the wildest country, volcanoes and river systems make up a striking, flowing landscape that seems to go on forever. It’s the second largest delegation in terms of acreage, but Milpa Alta’s 116,000 residents enjoy the space. Take a look:

The famous Tehutli Volcano in Milpa Alta

Map of Towns and Villages in Milpa Alta

Milpa Alta’s 12 pueblos and part of a 13th were easy to map, (compared to Iztapalapa or Alvaro Obregon), but they’ll take you a while to get to know.You can see pretty clearly at right that more than half of the delegation is totally rural and centered around a few pleasant and friendly volcanoes.

The Wikipedia entry on Milpa Alta actually goes into quite an unchacteristically geological summary of the area. But don’t take that to mean not much else is going on.

There is a nice English language page of Milpa Alta’s foods and agricultural products here, but tourism is also not high in the Milpa Alta mindset. We suspect that Milpa Alta residents prefer it that way.

Click the image to see the final map at eldefe.com or scroll down for more of what we found there.

The football stadium on the Oaxatepec Highway is probably among the first things that folks see on the long drive south from Xochimilco.

No tent revivals here, just temporary shelter for big stuff.

This lonely house along the Highway is typical of Milpa Alta: some of Mexico City's most non-urban country.

I guess everyone's gotta go sometimes. Street view picks up some strange views sometimes.

Click here to explore the pueblos of Milpa Alta on your own.

One of Ajusco's numerous paintball ranges.

If you’ve ever flown into Mexico City and stared out the windows as the plane comes in, you were probably amazed at what seems to be a city that goes on forever.

There are buildings as far as the eye can see and more than a few skyscrapers thrown in for good measure. As we come ever closer to bringing you a different and indeed quite contrary description of what you’ll find in this never-ending city with our new customizable tour service, I wanted to take a few lines to write a little about the Ajusco.

The Cerro Ajusco, itself, is a volcano in the delegation of Tlalpan located deep in the very south of Mexico City and it’s the highest point any where within the city. Its name comes from the nahuatl words atl, xochitlco and means “watered grove.”

In wintertime, the peak of the mountain is often covered with snow. Along with the great scenery that nature offers, you’ll also likely find hundreds of families trying to get up high enough to play in the snow and – as there is only one road going in and out – getting there can be a little time consuming.

Pre-Hispanic remains – as in just about any part of the Valley of Mexico – are everywhere. At the top of the Ajusco you’ll find an altar and the remains of a pyramid and archaeological excavation continues through out the area.

We’re putting together a schedule of activities to best take advantage of everything that the area offers – that is – to bring more of Mexico City to visitors from the world over. To mention just a few Ajusco offers

• Quad rentals
• Motocross
• Mountain biking
• Paintball areas
• Horseback riding.

For those who want to keep it down a notch, there are plenty of beautiful hiking and nature walks and paths, kite flying and visits to ecological preserves and temazcals, the traditional steam baths of the area. If that is not enough, the Six Flags amusement park is also right here.

I am finalizing a couple of basic tours that can include any of the above, but of course, I’d love to know if there are any other special interests. Almost any of them can be included. Just leave a comment in the section below.

Monarch Butterflies, round trip, affordable executive class tours from Mexico City.

Have you ever heard of a butterfly sanctuary? Well it turns out that Canada, the US and Mexico share something in common regarding the subject.

The Monarch butterfly is native to the northern part of the continent and in the cold weather, between November and March; they migrate to Mexico, more specifically to the state of Michoacan.  Something very peculiar about these butterflies is that they normally live only from 4 to 5 weeks, but the Matusalén generations actually live between 7 and 8 months. It is this generation of butterflies that are able to make it across the tremendous distance – something those of us who have made the same journey by land should all be able to admire.

You can visit the most exiting part of the Monarch Butterfly Sanctuary as part of a quick weekend trip from Mexico City.  As I’ve mentioned a few times, we’re putting together some amazing outings in and around Mexico City and some of the best surrounding areas.  The tour to Michoacan, at  about 4 hours from Mexico City, includes  a fun day trip or with an overnight stay in a cottage very near to the Butterfly Zone. We’ll be driving parties of just 4 to 8 over the weekends from Mexico City and would be happy to have you on board.

A typical tour begins with a hike or horse ride to the same forests where the butterflies are migrating.  This a spectacle that nature presents to anyone willing to be there. After a trip to the forest, you’ll enjoy am authentic Mexican lunch, prepared by people from the area.  There’s plenty of time to visit the local markets where everything from clothing, to handcrafts, jewelry, pottery, and food, are all made or prepared by the locals. Our custom transportation can accommodate just about anything you want to carry back.

Tired out already? Your visit also includes a trip to a “natural spa,” mud baths, sauna, temazcal and thermal spring waters.  You can’t possibly describe this experience until you live it, and we’ll be returning regularly.

If you want to be notified by email of the next trip we’ll be making, just leave a comment in the comments section below. Your email won’t be shared and you’ll get a quick notice when we finalize dates and costs. All of our tours leave Mexico City and many include overnight accommodation and meals. We also limit them to your party of 4 to 8 or you can team up with another similar small party.

Streets of Tepoztlan, Morelos Mexico

It has been a while since I’ve posted anything here… but for a very good reason!  As we’ve mentioned a few times before, I’ve been working – planning some exciting trips especially for people who are interested in visiting not just Mexico City but all of the  surrounding areas. Learning more about the culture, sites and history of the entire Valle de Mexico -  in a not so “touristy” way and with 100% personal attention, comfort and efficiency.

We’re still working out some final details that go into planning regular excursions, but it’s time for a little taste of what you will be seeing when you join us in any one of the  outings we’re planning. I’ll be announcing not only destinations and schedules but exactly what you can expect, no matter where your coming from and also a good idea of who you’ll be traveling with and what kind of schedule you can enjoy.

• Tepoztlan is just an hour from Mexico City, a colorful town that maintains traditions, architecture and that “Mexican charm” of a small town, with cobblestone streets and markets and the perfect atmosphere for a daytrip that doesn’t stress your schedule. We’ve written quite a few times about Tepoztlan because it’s so close to the city, perfect for a solid afternoon, lunch and a coffee and Tepoztlan gives you the full flavor of “Old Mexico” without a serious road trip, and all while only barely leaving greater Mexico City.

Ajusco, Tlalpan by Day

Ajusco, Tlalpan by Night

• The pictures at right were both taken in Ajusco, part of Delegation Tlalpan, and it’s actually still part of Mexico City though in the very south. It seems world’s away when you visit.  Ajusco is another place we’ve written about a few times.

• From Ajusco’s mountainous terrain you can see the spectacular city that seems to go on and on to the north. But you still feel like you’re far away in the wilds of Mexico’s more distant country-side.

One of the things we’re always emphasizing here is that there is tons of Mexico City – the city itself – that is totally under-appreciated. That includes national parks, wildlife preserves and reservoirs and charming little towns – all still well within the city limits. And bringing you to some of them is the point of the tour packages we’re putting together.

Among the first places that visitors to Mexico City take off for is the Pyramids at Teotihuacan to the north-east of Mexico City. There are a whole variety of ways to get there, from piling into a bus full of other tourists – to one or two private but expensive car services. What we offer is custom transportation to the pyramids to you and your party and a whole variety of ways to customize the trip. Included in the same price is as much information as you want – from seasoned experts who know the area, the archaeological site and the surrounding valleys and towns.

The Pyramidas at Teotihuacan.

The picture at left was taken right from the top of the Sun Pyramid in Teotihuacan. In the bottom left corner you can see the Pyramid of the Moon – but that’s really only the start of what you can see.

We’ve designed these vacation tours to be exactly customizable for just a few people – your own traveling party – while still being affordable, and offering local expert guides who are interested and enthusiastic about providing only exactly the experience that you want – in depth or quick and easy.  There’s always time for a quick lunch or a lavish meal – no matter where we’re going.

The Iztaccihuatl Volcano to the south of Mexico City

And last, but not least… the Iztaccihuatl (Mujer Dormida or “Sleeping Woman”) volcano at right is covered in snow most of the year. It’s one of the less visited – but most wondered about sites – especially for people traveling to Cuernavaca or further on to Puebla to Mexico City’s south.

Breathtaking, right?

We won’t take you to the very top – but we can show you an awful lot of wonderful places all around the skirt of the mountain – some incredible towns and forests – and all, again – within just a short drive’s distance from the city.

Our tours are designed exclusively for people with just a little time to get a lot more out of their visit to Mexico City. Each is customizable to meet your and your party’s needs. Whether you’re in town on business or for a wedding or just on another weekend trip – but without a lot of local contacts – we can make the very most out of your trip.

Anyone who visits Mexico City knows – there’s far more to the experience than one can cover in a lifetime. Culturally rich, colorful, unique, and naturally beautiful it’s also one of the biggest cities in the world. Leave a comment if you want to be first on the list of the people we’re inviting out. And I’ll be back with news very shortly of the first few outings we undertake.

Stunning San Jerónimo Acazulco, Estado de México

San Miguel Almaya

Translated from Isaac Vasquez‘s original at eldefe.com.

January 11 of 2010 was marked on my calendar with a red pen: the return to classes, the end of the idle and disorderly life that I’ve been maintaining since mid-December. In order to sing Las Golondrinas “The Wanderers” – appropriately in this vacation season  (and to take a stand against the cold, which is lately the subject of the national conversation) I decided that it was a good moment to go to La Marquesa and to breathe the frozen rustic air.

My original plan was to return to my favorite valley in  the park (el Valle del Conejo – the Valley of the Rabbit), a deficiency at driving directions caused your servant and another collaborator from Eldefe.com an enormous error in turns ended up paying off in a little-known zone of Estado de México. Crossing mountains into the Valley of Toluca – through colorful forests, wagon towns and not at all well travelled valleys of La Marquesa, the highway towards San Pedro Atlapulco crossed ample yellow fields under an almost-summery sun, everything idyllic in tone.

Toluca in the distance from the tiny hamlet of Coamilpa

By mere whim, and the skillful management of a few bends in the road, we arrived at San Miguel Almaya, a small town in the skirts of what we suppose was a volcanic cone – today but a small mountain covered with pines. And although the villagers seemed a bit suspicious we continued towards Coamilpa, a small village with more or less seven streets and in which two friendly children with a red ball approached to see us while we enjoyed an enviable view towards Toluca from the village basketball court.

Returning to the highway, we arrived to Capulhuac de Mirafuentes, a town rather greater than it seems at first and bearing a remarkable similarity with Cuautitlán, perhaps the reason I felt rather at home. After a fast visit to the zocalo and the Oxxo and the central market  we continued on towards Ocoyoacac, passing on the way through San Nicholas Tlazala.

Capulhuac de Mirafuentes

We didn’t pause in either town but we made up for it in wonderful San Jerónimo Acazulco. It could be described as Pueblo Magico waiting to be discovered – very small, nailed to the top of its little mountain, with narrow crooked street, adorned with hanging colored papers. A church at the very top of the town and the highest tree mangled… in short, bringing together the finest qualities for the towns tiny size. The cold bit in deeper from the mountains and so we asked how to return to La Marquesa and defied a curvaceous mountain route with breathtaking views until we were again in the park. Only a few minutes later the shining Towers of Santa Fe disregarded us: such is the greeting for those who arrive in Mexico City from Toluca.

San Jerónimo Acazulco

It is curious to thing that between these two enormous cities there exists this constellation of pueblos and villages, each with its own particular enchantments whether it be a church or a view of the lake or the forest. Passing into Mexico City, each vibrates totally differently. This region of Estado de México feels like it’s left its problems hanging in the toll booth back on the highway and that it’s given in completely to the pleasures of the countryside.

Alas – it was cold as hell and the holidays have passed and the routine of normal life rebounds. But if you find the stress and anxiety of city living oppressive – a little weekend trip can do wonders. Don’t hesitate to explore – this one of the least well known place  in going into in the strangers place in Estado de México – exactly between Toluca and our fair city: a trip that can be made in a single day, nothing far but highly rewarding.

Scroll down for a map of the route and the locations of the places mentioned in this entry.

The Zocalo in San Jerónimo Acazulco

Please give us a sec while the valle de toluca map is loading up.

Opening night at the Cine Morelos – the Sala Morelos, the giant, concrete theater on the ground floor, is almost, almost half full. That’s the glass-half-full good for the cavernous room of more than 300 seats (my perhaps really- off estimate.) The kick-off movie for the “Muestra Internacional de Cine de la Cineteca Nacional” (the “International Film Selection from the National Film Archives”) is “New York, I Love You” – the second movie from the series of “Cities of Love – (the first movie was “Paris, je t’aime”.)

In a pretty much direct translation from the Cine Morelos website, …this film selection offers a panorama of the most outstanding full-length films at an international level, with multi-award winning movies that have been applauded in leading film festivals around the world.

This year, the selection included 21 movies by filmmakers such as Ang Lee, the Coen Brothers, Jim Jarmusch, Ken Loach, the Dardenne Brothers, Michael Winterbottom, Claire Denis, Bruno Dumont, Rigoberto Perezcano, Uli Edel and Enrique River.

Now, back to me…the Cine Morelos is unfortunately a little appreciated cultural center for most people here in Cuernavaca. Although some hippies and darkies share the steps of the theater with the tamale vender at night, the grandma-couch seats are usually quite empty. This film festival has definitely increased ticket sales, and adding “Hollywood” style movies like “New York, I Love You” (with a cast including Natalie Portman, Shia LaBeouf, Hayden Christensen, Orlando Bloom, Christina Ricci, etc.) has interested people that would normally not give a second glance to the theater’s coral-orange, slightly outdated façade.

Movies run until the 16^th of December, with shows at 4:30, 6 and 9 pm. Tickets are 25 pesos – 15 pesos with a student ID.

I think I just found my most favorite museum in Mexico City – The Museum of Popular Art.  Now, I’m sure this place isn’t a hidden treasure for those of you that do live in Mexico City, or even for those that know how to read their Lonely Planet guidebook right…but somehow, after several trips to Mexico City – many of them for “touring” purposes, I still had never even heard of this museum.

We found out about the Museum of Popular Art via the giant alebrijes that lined Avenida Reforma in Mexico City for a few weeks in October into November. Part of a competition sponsored by the museum, these alebrijes were very entertaining to look at – creative, colorful and fantastic. Seeking more of this vibrant art, we wandered our way down past the Palacio de Bellas Artes, and over to Revillagigedo Street #11, right behind the Sheraton Hotel on Avenida Juárez.

The Museum of Popular Art is a pristine, white, modern building amidst some fairly drab looking concrete buildings, so it’s not too hard to find. The museum is 3 stories high, and organized by salas or rooms.  The atrium reaches up all three stories with wrap-around balconies – when we were there the balconies were decorated with lively piñatas made out of traditional materials – mermaids, donkeys, grapes…all just about as unique and creative as the alebrijes.

This museum is perfect for those who might be tired of the same old broken pottery and clay figurines and historical artifacts found in most other museums in Mexico…and around the world. In these salas you can find lots of popular art with skeletons, masks, traditional decorations and more alebrijes, with themes such as “The Fantastic” and “The Sacred.”

The museum of Popular Art is open Tuesday through Sunday, 10-6, and Thursdays 10-9. The ticket is $40 pesos, and allows for all of the exceptions that regular museums do (student ID, children under 13, etc.)

Los Hermanos Aguascalientes performing in Tepatitlán de Morelos

A walk in the Cuernavaca’s centro historico always presents you with something interesting – whether it’s a different skit by the scary clowns or a new gadget the hawkers are trying to sell to you.

This past Sunday, our stroll through the hubbub and bustle got us a concert with the string-musicians Los Hermanos Aguascalientes (a name misleading even for Mexicans, as these musician-brothers aren’t from Aguascalientes but rather from San Miguel de Allende, Guanajuato).

The main plaza in front of the government building downtown is always packed on the weekend – and this Sunday evening the first half was filled with folding chairs facing an unlit stage from where our ears were caressed with the sounds of Los Hermanos Aguascalientes’ violins, guitars and other stringed instruments.

Los Hermanos Aguascalientes are the 5^th generation of musicians in their family – and one of the players is the continuation of that skill into the 6^th generation. You can tell that music is in their blood – flawless songs flew from their fingers – one after another. The playlist for the evening ranged from classical music from composers such as Ludwig Beethoven to traditional Mexican favorites such as Jose Alfredo Jimenez (maybe you know the song Ando Volando Bajo), among other moving serenades. Not only did Los Hermanos Aguascalientes offer calming, poignant music, but they also provided a bit of entertainment – little known stories about composers or musicians accompanied the songs and many a woman was serenaded throughout the evening.

Unfortunately, and ironically, although the event was sponsored by the newspaper El Sol de Cuernavaca, the musicians suffered several power-outages during their passionate playing. And although the audience was comfortably seated, we couldn’t really see the Hermanos up on the stage – there were no lights on or around them. So much for the Sol…Of course, I expect that the event of “se fue la luz!” is common enough here in Mexico, so everyone still greatly enjoyed the show…