Packing For Your Trip To Mexico

Pack light! A camera plus whatever else you can fit in your daypack would be a great packing preparation for your trip to Mexico. Some adventurous travelors even start their Mexican vacations with only a small belt pack. Remember that you are going to an area where beautiful handmade clothing is almost free, as the street vendors say. So are colorful woven bags to carry your travel souveniers in. The less stuff you bring with you, the more stuff you can buy and bring back.

Bring along a minimum of sporty, summer style clothing. Pack t-shirts, shorts, swimsuit, sunglasses and a good pair of hiking boots. A flashlight with extra batteries is a must for exploring caves and for those nights when hotel generators are shut down early. Trust that by the time you reach the colder climate of the Mexican highlands, you will find a good selection of sweaters and jackets for sale in the streets and markets.

If you plan to visit fishing villages or remote Maya towns, especially those in the highlands where everyday life is dominated by rigid tradition, you will want to keep your clothing modest so you don’t offend the locals. No short-shorts, string bikinis, tight tops or other suggestive outfits, though all of these are perfectly acceptable attire in Cancun, or other beach resorts in Mexico. Nudity is against the law in all Latin American countries. If you want to sunbathe in the buff, find a very private place to do so. Never visit a church in shorts. Women should always wear a skirt in churches, and men should wear a shirt and long pants.

For your personal toiletries, larger towns along the Maya Route and elsewhere in Mexico carry almost everything you will find at home, sometimes at lower prices. Normal items like: toothpast, deodorant, shampoo, soap, insect repellent, skin creams, shaving cream and batteries (buy the expensive batteries, the cheapest kind often don’t work). Imported items like tampons and suntan lotions are also widely available in larger towns, though you may find that they cost more in Mexico than at home.

Because tourism is a key industry along the Maya Route and throughout Mexico, camera film is usually easy to find. However, most major tourist destinations have tourist-trap prices in places where you are likely to use up you film and camera supplies. You will find especially well stocked camera stores at Chichen Itza, Merida and San Cristobal de las Casas.

You should definately pack a first-aid kit. Include a good insect repellent, aspirin, adhesive bandages, cold capsules, vitamins, motion sickness tablets, calamine lotion or a small bottle of white vinegar (for insect bites), iodine or alcohol for disinfecting wounds, antibiotic ointment, water purification tablets, sunscreen, lip balm, diarrhea medicine and any prescription drugs you use. Anyone with a medical condition should consider wearing a medic alert indentification tag that indentifies the problem and gives a phone number to call for more information.

The illness most people encounter is diarrhea, euphemized as turista or Montezuma’s revenge, caused by food and drink carrying unfamiliar strains of bacteria. It can range from a 24-hour case of mild cramps to an all-out attack with several days of fever, chills and vomiting, followed by a lousy feeling that lingers for weeks. But not everybody gets sick Mexico. Those who stay healthy use the best defense, which is proper prevention and prepardness.

Avoid drinking tap water or ice made from tap water (commonly used in restaurants – ask first!), and don’t brush your teeth with tap water. Ask if your hotel has agua purificada (purified water). Many hotels in Cancun and in the resort areas have their own water purification system. In remote areas, motels and lodges usually provide bottled water in the rooms or will direct you to a grocery store that sells it. Always drink bottled liquids; mineral water, sodas, fruit drinks, soft drinks or beer, whenever possible. Remember, one drop of bad water can make you sick for weeks.

Eat with discretion. Consume only thick-skinned fruits that you peel yourself, such as oranges and bananas, and vegetables that are cooked through. Nuts and shells, such as peanuts and coconuts, are pretty safe also. Avoid milk products; unpasteurized milk is frequently served in Mexico. Steer clear of raw seafood; ceviche is renowned for causing turista; as well as garden salads. Even if the produce was rinsed in purified water, it may have been fertilized (in the fields) with human waste, a common practice in some parts of Mexico.

Take it easy the first few days, especially with the more piquant varieties of Mexican food. If you shock your system with spicy food and heavy liquor right away, your stomach may seek revenge. In other words, eating jalapeno chicken followed by quesadillas and enchiladas chased by tequila slammers is asking for mucho trouble.

Be careful about street food. Meat, seafood, peeled fruit used in drinks and candies on which flies have taken their siestas are risky. However, a lot of the food from stalls is delicious and very well prepared. If the facilities look clean and the food is hot off the grill, its probably okay. Be the judge and take your chances.

Many people believe in preventative medicine. Some take a slug of Pepto-Bismol before every meal; others, a shot of tequila, believing it will extinguish any threatening organisms. Some antibiotics are commonly prescribed as a preventative, although they may cause sensitivity to the sun, which is not a good thing in the tropics. Many travelers swear by using garlic pills as the best prevention. Juice of the lima (Mexican lime) is also a traditional way to ward off stomach problems.

If you take all the necessary precautions and still get hit with turista, try these remedies: Lomotil, the stopper-upper. Use sparingly. Not a cure, it’s a morphine derivative that induces a kind of intestinal paralysis. Stop the dosage as soon as symptoms disappear. Paragoric, Kaopectate, Kaomycin, Imodium AD and Pepto-Bismol help keep the cramps down. Diodoquin, Mexaform, Streptomagnum and Donamycin are stronger over-the-counter cures available in Mexican drug stores. For diarrhea with a fever, you can take Septra or Bactrium if you are not allergic to sulfa drugs. But remember that prolonged use of any antibiotic is not good for your immune system and can make you more susceptible to other tropic diseases.

Manzanilla (chamomile) tea, popular in Mexico, soothes the stomach and often works wonders. Yerba buena (peppermint) tea is also soothing. Papaya restores the digestive tract. Light, easy-to-digest foods like toast and soup keep your strength up. Lots of nonalcoholic liquids are important to prevent dehydration. Carbonated water with juice of a lima is another popular stomach soother.

Rest and relaxation will help your body heal faster than if you run around sick and wear yourself down further. The symptoms should pass within 24 hours or so, and a case of turista seems to have an immunizing effect where any subsequent bouts you may have will be less severe, and eventually your body will adjust to the foreign water. If you spend a month or more in Mexico and Central America, you may find that you have similar problems with the water at home when you first return.

In rare cases, diarrhea may be a symptom of a more serious illness like amoebic dysentery or cholera. See a doctor if the diarrhea persists beyond three days, if your stool is bloody or foamy, or if you have a high fever.

For medical care, there are hospitals, medical clinics, dental offices and other health care providers, as well as the Red Cross, in all Maya Route cities, and in a number of smaller Yucatan towns. Private facilities are generally better funded, equipped and less crowded than public hospital emergency rooms. Visits to doctors are relatively inexpensive, and hotels can usually recommend English speaking physicians. Contact your health insurance carrier before you leave to find out the extent of your coverage while travelling abroad.

Mosquitoes. Ask anyone who has spent a night in the jungle and they will tell you: The most ferocious animal is not a jaguar but a mosquito. Mosquitoes protect their territory in the Maya Route lowlands, also known as “The Mosquito Coast.” The little buzzers are thickest in rainforests, swamp areas, and along the costal bush. The best defenses are long sleeves and pants, along with a good repellent. Electronic mosquito repellent devices, which emit a sound pitched at the high edge of human hearing are good to have. Try to purchase one before traveling to Mexico.

Campers will find that mosquito netting is more important than a tent or sleeping bag. Hang a mosquito net over a hammock under a palapa in a campground like the ones at Palenque and Tical and you can sleep comfortably in paradise. Whether you’re camping or spending your nights indoors, mosquito coils will keep the bugs away while you sleep.

For mosquito and other bug bites, lime juice takes the itch out, disinfects your wounds and acts as a repellent also. Limes (limones, not limas) are sold in every village. An ointment called andatol, sold in pharmacies, also helps reduce itching. Be sure to clean bug bites daily, using antiseptic on bad bites to avoid infection.

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