Give it a flourishin g economy, public services, football, samba and glamorous beaches covered in bare buttocks. Upmarket water-sports such as shark-fishing and parachute-water-skiing are available.JEREMY ATIYAH. “Passengers for the marvellous city please embark now,” came the announcement in Portuguese La cidade maravilhosa This was the Rio hype – before I was even out of Heathrow. But apart from being a fun place to fly down to, what was Rio all about? From what I could see, it was not a promising mix. It’s touristy but apart from the odd monstrous condominium, you’ll find good beaches and a lively strip of bars and restaurants along the shore.
Tourists are tempted here en masse by the much-touted combination of Maya archaeology and beach resorts surrounded by coconut palms. The beach resorts in the Cancn area have been so swamped by tourism that they now have few if any Mexican characteristics left at all They are also the most expensive parts of the country. To call Cancn the Torremolinos of Mexico would not be a travesty. Rather nicer is the offshore island of Cozumel which offers great snorkelling and scuba-diving, weird endemic wildlife and abundant Maya remains.Pacific CoastThere is a string of ports and resorts of varying interest down this coast, and Puerto Vallarta is probably the most notable of the resorts.
Nevertheless it is a great refuge from the human-torture chamber of southern California, and the border town of Tijuana claims to be the world’s most visited city – with 35 million people crossing the border here annually. Americans come here for cheap dentistry, duty-free bargains and night-clubs, but if you are from Britain you might as well head further south to see the dolphins of Ensenada, the whales of Laguna Ojo de Liebre, or the wild, rugged interior.Yucatan PeninsulaThis great bulge of land projects north out of the southeastern part of Mexico near Belize and is one of the most heavily visited parts of the country. Set in a narrow gorge amid striking scenery, the streets of the town are so steep and narrow that kisses can be exchanged from opposite balconies in certain streets. The city also has an abundance of 17th- and 18-century churches as well as curious subterranean streets.OaxacaThis southern, medium-sized town is one of the most strongly Indian in Mexico. Come here for colourful markets and elegant old shopping arcades; the central Zcalo area is a delightful traffic-free zone full of music and dance.Baja CaliforniaDangling all the way down the west coast of Mexico, this strange finger of land is for the most part a desert wilderness. And despite the evident fascinations of the capital (see above), Mexico City offers just a tiny fraction of the total attractions the country has to offer.
