© alex-s



Yes!

There is some really bad advice floating around on this. A friend of mine was actually told not to bother with car insurance on his trip to Mexico. Bad plan.

What do I need?

The minimum required insurance coverage to drive in Mexico is civil liability insurance. You need it to cover you in case you cause injury or damage.

And no, your American insurance won't cover bodily injury, only physical damage.

You can buy insurance online ahead of time, when you pick up your rental car or at the border if you're driving your own car there.


What can happen if I don't have insurance?

You'll get trucked off to the police station if you're caught at the scene without insurance. Yes, things will get sorted out, but you'll still enjoy the hospitality of a local jail cell.

And you'll have to stay in Mexico until you pay the damage.

OK, fine, how much will it cost me?

Six months comes to about $150 USD.

© Bombone



Everyone seems to be traveling to Mexico lately. It makes sense that there are fewer trips to Europe with the dollar being worth only 0.65 euros.

You can take your cell phone with you pretty easily, but be sure to call your provider and be clear on your options. Otherwise, you could come home to a thousand dollar phone bill. Oh, and heads up, you usually have charges for all calls that ring your phone... whether you answer them or not.

Some choices:

• Forward your calls
• Get a SIM card in Mexico
• Get a prepaid phone in Mexico

Your best option depends on how long you plan on being there. For me, prepaid phones are for longer stays. They're easy to get and, if you have a fabulous phone you're afraid to loose, you can leave it safe at home.

Anyway, happy travels.

© monterd



Bankers are building green.

In Mexico City, the main avenue Reforma will soon be home to the tallest building in Latin America, the new Bancomer tower.

It's going to be 274 meters or about 899 feet tall. The lot is 389 m² or about 4187 ft². To get an idea, an NBA basketball court is 4,700 ft².

The plans also include cutting edge technology that will reduce water and electricity use by 33%. And the economy will get a boost with the construction process expected to generate about 3,000 new jobs in the next four years. Completion date is set for 2013.

© desi.italy



I was talking to a girlfriend this weekend and we got on the topic of dry shampoo. An odd creation to be sure, but one that can come in handy when you're traveling.

Now, I had heard of using talcum powder or corn starch and combing it out, but then you have residue issues. Anyway, I jumped online to see what other options were out. I found quite a few:

• Powder Shampoo
• Conditioner (yes, to wash your hair)
• No-rinse shampoos
• Conditioner
• Body Wash
• Camel urine (OK, maybe only if you're a Bedouin. But it's an interesting bit of trivia)
  
  All natural recipies
  

What tricks or exotic solutions have you hear of?

© WTL photos



Since I posted Salmonella and Tomatoes I've gotten questions on how it is that tomatoes can be contaminated with salmonella. We usually hear of salmonella being a problem with raw eggs and poorly cooked meat.

Here's what I found. Animals infected with salmonella don't show symptoms. So when they eliminate waste, the salmonella that was in their intestines in now in the manure that unsuspecting farmers use to fertilize fields.

Usually the process of composting the manure kills most bugs. Usually... not always.

Of course, animal waste can get into fields in the form of run-off from contaminated water supply systems and infected animals that sneak in and relieve themselves.

Crops are washed after they're harvested to control this sort of thing, of course, but when they go to the packing plant, if one batch is contaminated, it can contaminate others. Especially when the tomatoes travel a long way and have plenty of time to grow more bacteria to share with the healthy tomatoes on board.

Here's a more detailed report published by Newsweek.

© Carly & Art



There has been a lot of talk lately about traces of drugs being found in our water: antibiotics, anti-depressants, birth control pills, seizure medication, cancer treatments, pain killers, tranquilizers... you get the idea.

Some scientists say it's no big deal because the concentrations are low.

But others are worried that we'll have trouble in the long run.

• Many of these drugs are endocrine disrupters... they interfere with hormone production.
• Antibiotics could cause disease-causing bacteria to become immune to treatment, meaning drug-resistant diseases could develop.
• The life cycles of several creatures, especially of aquatic life, will see even more effects than they have already.

There are several reports that elaborate on the details.

And now that there's more awareness, there's a more active dialog for testing our water and resolving the issue.

Think you're safe because you drink bottled water?

Even users of bottled water and home filtration systems don't necessarily avoid exposure. Bottlers, some of which simply repackage tap water, do not typically treat or test for pharmaceuticals, according to the industry's main trade group. The same goes for the makers of home filtration systems.

What do we do?

Keep talking about it-a lot. The squeaky wheel gets the oil.