Cancun Wonders Blog Articles, Stories & Advice Travel & Tours

Archivo de diciembre de 2008

The shopping scene in Monterrey is excellent. You’ll find many international labels and designer houses in the upper-end malls. There are two artesanal cooperatives that cater to the tourist souvenir market (one on Morelos near the Macroplaza, the other on Hidalgo near the Holiday Inn Centro), as well as UPS stores in several major shopping malls.

The upper-end malls consist of four very large, modern malls. These malls are not unlike malls elsewhere in the world, and they’re usually anchored by both Mexican (Liverpool, Palacio del Hierro, etc.) and U.S. (Sears, JCPenny) department store chains. The major malls in Monterrey include:

* Galerias Monterrey
* Plaza Fiesta San Agustin
* Galerías Valle Oriente
* Plaza Cumbres

Morelos, also known as the Zona Rosa, is a pedestrian friendly street lined with busy shops, small malls, shopping arcades, and filled with street vendors and musicians.

Local character is on display on the Carretera Nacional, heading out of the city towards the Cola de Caballo. A 1-mile stretch of highway near the town of Santiago is lined with small open-air shops, restaurants, and marketplaces. You can get great deals on rustic furniture, clothing, household goods, homemade food products, and just about anything else you can imagine. Parking can be difficult on weekends, but the selection is at its best and the atmosphere is the closest thing you’ll find to the big outdoor markets boasted by cities in the rest of the latin world.

Although Monterrey is not known for any specific types of popular folk art, their regional candies are widely sold throughout the city and make excellent gifts to bring back home. Look for any kind of “leche quemada”, especially the deliciously carmelized “Glorias”, crusted in chopped pecans.

Tijuana-General Abelardo L. Rodtríguez International Airport (IATA: TIJ) is served by the two Mexican legacy carriers, Aeromexico and Mexicana, and also serves as a hub for the growing low-cost airline market in Mexico. Carriers such as Volaris and Interjet offer low-cost products similar to U.S.-style low cost carriers. Previously international services were very limited until 2007, when Aeromexico began services to East Asia adding Tijuana as a stop on its Mexico City-Tijuana-Tokyo (Narita) flagship route. In 2008, this route was augmented by a Mexico City-Tijuana-Shanghai (Pudong) flight. The flights serve as routes not only as flights between four of the world’s most populous cities, but also as the link for the significant East Asian-Mexican community in the Northern Pacific areas of Mexico.

The Airport is located parallel to the USA – Mexico border line, only a few miles east Tijuana Downtown and San Ysidro International Border Crossing, and 1 mile west of Otay International Border Crossing. The Airport is used as a transit point for travelers wishing to visit San Diego and L.A. as well.

You can take an authorized taxi cab, sedan or van, at the Airport. Buy a ticket in one of the boots at the exit of the airport. They have fixed and official rates; It will cost you about $200 Pesos to Zona Rio (15 min ride), or $250 Pesos to Zona Centro (25 min ride), or $300 pesos to the Gran Hotel (30 min ride). US Dollars will be accepted.

You can take also public transportation from the Tijuana airport all the way to city downtown and it will cost you $ 6 Pesos, less than 1 US Dollar. Go outside the airport and take the blue and white bus, heading west. It has the legend: “Centro” or “Plaza Rio”. US Dollars will be accepted.

The airport has international coach transportation to San Diego or the major destinations in south California and transfer to the Gray Hound, Some airlines provide their own coaches to/from major San Diego destinations, including Lindbergh San Diego Airport.

– Please note that even though the Mexican Peso is the official currency in Mexico, US Dollar will be accepted every where in Tijuana and the whole Baja California State, despite the fact MXP/USD interchange rate changes daily.

Perfidia is located at María Adelina Flores and Cristóbal Colón, 3 blocks east from the cathedral. A good space to relax and listen to great music, get the party started with a few tequilas, mojitos, or other cocktails, or visit a local art exhibition with a diverse mix of people who live in San Cristobal de las Casas. It’s the best spot for tourists to really interact with locals and the many people from all over the world who have come to San Cristobal de las Casas and decided to stay. The bar occupies a beautiful old house, which is registered as a historical landmark, with three different rooms, each decorated with elaborate stencils by a local artist, and a garden patio (which is beautiful at night).

Perfidia has many great specials, including pitchers of Mexican beer for only 50 pesos and 2-for-1 drink specials until 9 o’clock, way past normal happy hour, free live music and exhibitions, and very cheap, gourmet Mexican bocadillos (snacks). In April 2008, Perfidia started salsa lessons with a very popular teacher (from when the space used to be called La Pera). And on May 31, 2008, Perfidia featured the gallery opening “Intercambio Frontal: Tijuas-San Cris,” a dialogue through installation art, photography, painting, and stencil between the Tijuana artist Alejandro Zacarías and San Cristóbal artist Luther Blissett.