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LIVING & TRAVEL by andrew dean nystrom First in a Series Index Entry 2: March 15, 1996 Entry 3: March 27, 1996 Entry 4: April 3, 1996 Entry 5: April 8, 1996 WEB TOOLS Surfing at Puerto Escondido U. of Guadalajara Server Mexico's Indigenous Homepage Ejército Zapatista de Liberación Nacional The Zapatistas in Cyberspace Mexico Map Pacific Coast Map Huatulco Coast Map Puerto Angel Map Huatulco Oaxaca Oaxaca City Puerto Angel Puerto Escondido San Cristobal Villahermosa Zipolite Escondio

Entry 1: Wednesday, March 13, 1996 Have you ever treasured a travel guide for directing you to an untrampled paradise? Or cursed one for out-of-date advice that stranded you in a strange city's red light zone? Over the next seven weeks, you will be able to follow my progress as I travel on a bare-bones budget, on assignment for the Berkeley Guides. I will be filing weekly reports from Southern Mexico about the trials and tribulations of budget travel writing. Rejoice in the trials, pity the tribulations, take the stories I tell as food for thoughtful travel. My seven-week itinerary will take me from San Francisco to Mexico City, and on the road less traveled through the southern-most states of Oaxaca, Chiapas, and Tabasco. Currently these primarily indigenous areas are being subjected to a covert campaign of low-intensity warfare. The Zapatista rebels (EZLN or Ejército Zapatista Liberación Nacional) are engaged in a series of peace talks with the Mexican government. Despite recently signed peace accords, reports of human rights abuses constantly emanate out of the jungle. I hope to send back first-hand accounts of the reality behind the situation in this volatile region, explore the fascinating myriad indigenous cultures, and explain why now is a most advantageous time to travel to Mexico. My itinerary, beginning Monday, March 18, is roughly as follows: Week 1 - Mexico City -> Oaxaca City -> The Mixteca Region Week 2 - The Pacific Coast -> Puerto Escondido -> Puerto Angel -> Zipolite Week 3 - Isthmus of Tehuantepec: Huatulco -> Salina Cruz -> Juchitan Week 4 - Chiapas: Tapachula -> Guatemalan border -> Comitan Week 5 - Tuxtla Gutierrez -> San Cristobal and environs Week 6 - Ocosingo -> Ruins of Palenque -> Misol-Ha and Agua Azul Week 7 - Tabasco: Villahermosa -> Tabascan Coast Look for one more column before I depart this week -- ideas for last minute alternative spring break ideas. If you're the planning type, then now is the perfect time to start thinking about alternative summer vacations. Andrew Nystrom is a 21 year-old Geography-Linguistics student at the University of California at Berkeley. Currently on sabbatical, he has been working as a freelance editor/travel correspondent. Previous travels have taken him to Indonesia, Scandinavia, Ireland, and Guatemala. When he is not on the road, he enjoys cooking, reading, and bicycling. He was most recently the editor of the Berkeley Guide to Central America for 1996.