Welcome to my podcast!

After five years in a small town in Northumberland, I’m finally setting off on my travels again and my first stop is MEXICO! If you’re interested in learning more about this huge, diverse and often misrepresented country, then let`s go…

Episode 1: Mexico City

I I talk about my first week in Mexico, which I spent in Mexico City. I`ve been living in Northumberland, England, for the past 5 years and I haven`t really been anywhere else in that time, so heading off to Mexico was quite a big step! I`d never been to Mexico before, or to Central America.

NB, when I talk about buying a fake `one-way`ticket, what I meant was an onward ticket. Through a website, I made a reservation on a flight from Mexico to Guatamala, which was cancelled after 24 hours. The entry requirements for Mexico were vague and I wasn`t entirely sure they would like me arriving on a one-way ticket, so I took this precaution. In the end, it wasn`t necessary.

Episode 2: Santiago de Queretaro; Jalpan de Serra in the Sierra Gorda; Xilitla in Huasteca Potosina

In which I travel from Santiago de Queretaro to Xilitla.

1. This is episode 2, not 3 as stated!

2. The filling in my tamal was raja y queso – sliced green pepper and cheese.

3. The dance in Xilitla on a Sunday is called huapango. It was played by a trio of musicians, on violin, huapaguera and jarana huasteca (the latter two are guitar-like instruments).

4. Rabbit Home near Xilitla is owned by a Russian woman called Natasha and can be rented out. The place is full of her surrealist-inspired artwork.

Episode 3: San Luis Potosi, San Miguel de Allende and Dolores Hidalgo

Episode 4: Guanajuato, Guadalajara and Tequila

In which I visit the lovely student town of Guanajuato, then take a BlaBlaCar to Guadallajara, where I couchsurf and stay in a noisy dorm. I also go on a hilarious day trip to Tequila, and a nearby fabrica surrounded by fields of blue agave.

Episode 5: Mexico City Again

On my second visit to CDMX I couchsurfed with a family on the very edge of the city. I visited a lot more makets and museums and tried different food. I found the house where La Malinche lived while Cortes was busy trying to bring down Tenochtitlan. And in general I gained a deeper insight into what life is like for people who live in Mexico City.

Episode 6: Puebla and Cholula

In this episode I explore Puebla, the fifth-largest city in Mexico. Puebla was founded by the Spaniards in 1531, south-east of what became Ciudad de Mexico, en route to the port at Veracruz. I also visit the adjacent, much more ancient city of Cholula. Settlement here began between 500 and 200 BC and by the time the Spanish arrived it was a major religious and mercantile centre. Much of the city, including, most of its temples, was destroyed by Cortes and his army and as many as 6000 Chololtecs were killed in what is known as the Cholula Massacre.

Episode 7: Veracruz and Xalapa

This episode describes my brief trip to see something of Veracruz. I stay in the state capital, Xalapa, a university town in the highlands. And I go on a day trip to Veracruz city, the largest port on the Gulf coast and the place where Cortes first came ashore. I decide to travel by BlaBlaCar again and only just survive!

Episode 8: Oaxaca City and the Valles Centrales

In spite of more drama with BlaBlaCar, I get to Oaxaca (`WaHAca`) and set about seeing the highlights of this incredibly interesting city. I visit the extraordinary remains of Monte Alban, a city founded by the Zapotecs in 500 BC that became one of the largest cities in Mesoamerica. And I squeeze in a trip down the Valle de Tlacolula to see an enormous tree, two `petrified waterfalls`, a textile workshop and another beautiful, ruined Zapotec city called Mitla.

Episode 9: San Jose del Pacifico and Mazunte

I reach San Jose del Pacifico – famous for magic mushrooms – and San Mateo Rio Hondo, high up in the cloud forests of the Sierra Madre del Sur. Then descend in a fast minibus via a twisty road to the Oaxaca coastline: Zipolite (`the naked beach`), Mazunte (`the hippy beach`), San Agustinillo, Playa Ventanilla lagoon, and Playa Estacahuite. The highlight is a boat trip where I get a close up view of whales and dolphins.

Episode 10: The Isthmus of Tehuantepec: Tehuantepec City and Juchitan

I avoid returning to Oaxaca City to catch a night bus south and instead travel by colectivo along the coast – via Pochutla, Huatulco and Salina Cruz – to the narrowest part of Mexico.

Society in El Istmo is still largely matriarchal, and many women wear trajes tipicos – traditional embroidered dresses of the kind made famous by Frida Kahlo. Muxes – men raised as women from childhood – have long been fully accepted in Istmeno culture. The people are famous for their fiestas and for their history of resistance to unwelcome outside interference, which continues to this day.

Episode 11: San Cristobal de las Casas

In this episode I reach San Cristobal, the unofficial capital of hghland Chiapas, a beautiful colonial city surrounded by indigenous communities of Tzotzil and Tzeltal-speaking people. There`s a lot to do here. I go on a boat trip down the Rio Grijalva through the Canon del Sumidoro, with its 1000m walls, ending in the town of Chiapa de Corzo. And I visit the village of San Juan Chamula and its two-hundred-year-old church, one of the most intensely sacred places in Mexico. People come here to consult shamans and commune with the gods, with the help of candles, fizzy drinks, mirrors. music and the sacrifice of chickens.

Episode 12: Palenque, Yaxchilan and Bonampak

I have three of my best days in Mexico while staying in Palenque.

First there are the fabulous ruins at Palenque, surrounded by jungle-covered hills – my first visit to a Maya city.

Then there`s a trip south down the Frontier Highway into the Lacandon forest, to see the even more atmospheric and beautiful Mayan ruins at Yaxchilan and Bonampak. Yaxchilan in particular has an incredible energy and can only be reached by lancha (wooden motorboat) down the Rio Usumacinta, with Guatemala within shouting distance on the opposite bank.

I spend the third day feeling like a happy kid again, swimming and playing in the pools and waterfalls at Roberto Barrios. RB, by the way, was a Mexican politician and author orginating from Atlacomulco in the state of Mexico, though why the waterfalls are named after him, I didn`t discover!

Episode 13: Campeche and Merida, including Kabah and Uxmal

In this episode I reach the Yucatan Peninsula and find it extremely hot! I go to the fine colonial city of Campeche and then to Merida, the capital of Yucatan state. I couch surf with a slightly odd fellow and go on a day trip to visit the beautiful Mayan sites of Kabah and Uxmal in the Puuc region.

Notes:

1. La Malinche translated from Nahuatl (the language of the Aztecs) to Yucatecan Maya (the language of her employers). Jeronimo de Aquilar, the shipwrecked friar, then translated from Maya to Spanish, obviously – not English as I say in this podcast!

2. The square city planned by Foster and Partners is Masdar City in Abu Dhabi. It aims to be a model for sustainable urban living, based on the planning principles of an old walled city with narrow streets. It seems that, to an extent the plan has worked and the temperature is significantly cooler than the surrounding desert. Geoffrey West, in his book, `Scale`, argued that a square city was a terrible idea because cities should evolve organically, in line with the needs of their inhabitants.

Episode 14: Valladolid, Chichen Itza and Ek’Balam

In this podcast I talk about my experience in the city of Valladolid in Yucatan state, and the nearby Mayan ruins of Chichen Itza. Chichen Itza was voted as one of the `New Seven Wonders of the World` in an online poll in 2007. It was the most visited archaeological site in Mexico in 2024. I also visit the nearby, lovely,and much less visited Maya ruins of Ek` Balam.

Note: In my little rant I meant don`t cross the world to sit on a beach in Mexico, not Norway. My head is not in the game!

Episode 15: Diving at Isla Cozumel. Playa del Carmen. Diving in cenotes in Parque Dos Ojos

In this episode I describe my trip to Isla Cozumel, where I did six dives (note, the second dive was for 50 minutes, not to 50 metres!) with Barefoot Dive Centre. The dive spots were:

Palcancar Caves; Palancar Bricks; C-53 Shipwreck; Chankamaab reef; Paso del Cedral; Punta Tunich; San Clemente; Paraiso

After Cozumel I spent a couple of nights in Playa del Carmen and had 2 incredible dives in Parque Dos Ojos, in the cenotes El Pit and Nicte Ha.

Episode 16: Bacalar. Diving at Mahahual and Xcalak. Chetumal

In this episode I describe my visit to the famous (Id heard a lot about it) Laguna de Bacalar. There I decide to go diving on the so-called Costa Maya, at Mahahual and Xcalak. The latter was the more interesting of the two sites. Finally, I travel down to Chetumal, the capital of Quintana Roo, and prepare to cross the border into Belize.

Notes: There were 2 cars to Xcalak because there were 7 people in the group.

Evidemment, I was breathing through my mouth while diving, not through my nose! I settled on a count of approximately 4 in and 6 out and my air consumption was definitely less, though I took full, deep breaths.

Episode 17: Hello BELIZE! Getting in. San Pedro and Caye Caulker

I cross from Chetamul to Belize in a water taxi, which is both the easiest and most cost-effective option. I got to spend about half an hour in San Pedro and then several days in Caye Caulker. The highlight was an amazing snorkelling trip to the Hol Chan and Caye Caulker Marine Reserves. To put things in context, I also discuss some background about the history and culture of Belize.