Souvenirs
Holidays in Mexico will be remembered for a long time if you buy a couple of souvenirs:
Alcohol
Men will definitely like local alcohol – classic tequila or something more exotic, for example, rompope
Pottery from local craftsmen
Coffee from Veracruz
traditional hammocks
Bijouterie and silver jewelry
Women will not remain indifferent to bijouterie or silver jewelry, which are inexpensive here.
figurines
From the classic you can bring figurines of skeletons, Indians, gods and bizarre animals
Masks and national costumes
Lovers of Indian culture should buy masks or national costumes
Guatemalan dolls
Guatemalan dolls are colorful
Clothing
Souvenirs for everyone are comfortable sombreros, ponchos and panama hats or men’s guayaveras shirts
Plaids
For the home, you can bring bright blankets made from local fabrics.
Designer clothing
If you want something more European, then here you can buy cheap designer clothes, for example, from Louis Vuitton
Wooden vases
Very interesting wooden vases are sold at craft markets
Candles
Very attractive handmade Mexican candles
Knives
Weapon lovers will also love the handcrafted Mexican knives.
Sweets
Children can be pleased with mango or cactus sweets
Spicy sauce
If you like spicy, then be sure to grab hot sauce from Mexico
Remember that it is forbidden to export cacti and sea sand, as well as souvenirs made from turtle shells and alligator skin.
Visa and customs
According to Countries and Shipping Rates, a visa is required to enter the country. If you have a US visa, you can enter Mexico freely. It is allowed to stay in the country for no more than six months per trip.
In reasonable quantities, you can import cigarettes, alcoholic beverages and personal items.
It is forbidden to transport fruits and vegetables, plants, soil, fresh meat, dangerous items and substances. They are especially strict about drugs.
It is forbidden to export archaeological valuables, antiques, rare birds and animals (including stuffed animals), precious metals. Alcohol is exported without restrictions.
How to Get Around
By plane
Since Mexico is on another continent, the only way to get there is by plane. There are direct flights of Aeroflot and Transaero to Cancun – it will take 13 hours to fly. Many flights with transfers in European cities or even in New York. On holidays, direct charter flights fly. The flight is quite long and expensive – a direct one-way ticket costs from 20 thousand rubles.
Transport
Between cities, it is most convenient to travel by bus – they are quite comfortable and clean, and in fact they are the only affordable way to travel even to the most remote points in Mexico. There are many domestic flights, but plane tickets are not cheap. There are almost no railways in the country – only special tourist routes.
Buses are also popular in cities – they are comfortable, but often crowded. Tickets are bought from the driver or at kiosks. Mexico City has a fairly large subway, trains run about every minute. For women and children separate from men the wagon.
There are always fixed-route taxis at popular resorts, but you can also order a private taxi – most of them are in Mexico City. Taxi drivers love to cheat, so you need to bargain and find out the fare in advance, regardless of the presence of a meter in the car.
The conditions for renting a car are standard – age over 21 years old, international driving license in English and driving experience of three years.
Money
The official currency is the new peso, which is denoted MXP or NP. In large cities, American dollars are accepted, but at an unfavorable rate. By the way, the 10-tipes coin is considered the most beautiful coin in the world.
It is better to exchange currency in special exchange offices, or in banks – the exchange rate is unfavorable at airports. The best exchange rate to the dollar, so it’s better to take them with you. Bank cards are accepted almost everywhere.
Souvenir sellers like to deceive, naming prices in non-existent Mayan pesos, the course of which they somehow determine themselves. They reveal their deceit only when the tourist is ready to buy the goods.
Cuisine and restaurants
Holidays in Mexico will be incomplete without local cuisine, which has incorporated Spanish and Indian traditions.
Mexican cuisine is famous for its spiciness – chili and spices are added everywhere. In cooking, about a hundred types of peppers of different tastes are used. Sauces such as salsa or guacamole are also popular.
The most popular national dishes are:
- Tacos are corn tortillas. Often they are wrapped with different fillings.
- Tamali – “stuffed cabbage” in corn leaves
- marinated fish
- cactus salad
- Bean salad with salsa
- Tomato soup
- Goulash Olya Podrida
- Pork with vegetables
- Something like chicken tobacco – mexicali
- Pork skewers “Tacos al pastor”
Desserts in the local cuisine are also very tasty. Fruits are especially good, as are puddings and muffins. Tourists like fried sugar cane “canas asadas”, bread with dried fruits “rosca de reyes”.
Drink here mostly freshly squeezed juices and coffee. A popular local soft drink is rice horchata. Alcohol is, of course, mezcal, made from blue agave, and especially its variety, tequila. Local beers are also popular.
If you do not like spicy, then in a restaurant you need to firmly tell the waiter several times. At the same time, be prepared that the dish will not be completely fresh.
