Travel Mexico

 

Despite the many bad news you hear in the news about Mexico I think its still one of the most beautiful places to visit. I recommend doing plenty of research and getting yourself informed of the places you visit. I have created a spreadsheet and chart to survey if you would still consider a vacation in Mexico despite the recent attacks on tourists. Or would you travel to a different place. You will be able to edit anything you want. Thank you

Cabo San Lucas 2011

In September of 2011 I celebrated my birthday in Cabo. I have included a slide show of some of the places we visited while in Cabo. We stayed at Fiesta Marina Hotel and the location was excellent. It was very close to all the main attractions and walking distance to the beaches. If you ever go to Cabo try and book your hotel near the Marina. It will save you lots of money because you will not need to take any taxis until you come back home. I put a picture of a restaurant called the Giggling Marlin. The place has excellent food and drinks. At night time the place gets very busy and crowded but you will have a good time.

Book Report

Social Media for Trainers

By: Jane Bozarth

Published Date: September 7, 2010

The book that I read talks about the growth of Web 2.0 technologies and how it has made social media and social networking grow at an alarming rate.  The author concentrates a lot on how Web 2.0 technologies can help trainers in the workplace. The author feels that the training department needs to use social media tools in order to remain viable and credible and to enhance the development of the employees. It opens up by comparing Web 1.0 to Web 2.0 and how a person 10 years ago that wanted to create a simple web page with pictures, links, and video needed to have some experience with programming and graphics. Nowadays if you have basic computer skills you can setup any type of social networking account and add pictures, videos and links with a few clicks of the mouse.

One of the most popular is facebook which has two hundred million people that check in daily. One of the main reasons that it’s so popular is that is so user-friendly. The author thinks since so many people check facebook that it can be an advantage for trainers. They can put instructional materials and have employees access it from work or home. The disadvantages that this can bring are the many games it offers and the constant amount of content that is thrown at us every day.

Twitter is a tool for sharing quick ideas, links and articles. This is a communication tool that can help trainers by getting their information quick and to the point. The author compares it to a virtual water cooler. Since it has a 140- character limit that teaches people to be concise and get to the point. These are some of the advantages. Now for the disadvantages, some people get very frustrated with the character limit of 140. But Twitter accommodates people with the need of speed. Get to the point and make it quick.

Blogs are free, easy to create and update. The tools are easy to use for adding pictures, videos and links. Many blog sites offer options for audio and video posting. This is a great way to hold meetings and conferences with employees. Blogs can be password protected and viewable only to those to whom the instructor gives access. The many setting that it has can be used to notify the instructor whenever a comment is made to the blog. Now for the people that are not good writer’s blogs can be very challenging. The comments are usually longer than facebook and twitter.

Wikis are very easy to learn and anyone that has access to them can edit them. Wikis are a good tool for workers that work out of the office or even if they work out of the country. Its password protected and the owner can approve users and set access levels. The great thing about Wikis is that anyone can edit it but that can also be a disadvantage for some. It can become disorganized very quickly. Some people also have a hard time editing someone else’s work. But the instructor usually is responsible for creating the final product.

The author feels that many of the tools are not being used in business to their maximum. Social media allows a better connect with employees and making better used or the time and sometimes makes it easier to present the information.  I was not a social networking person until I took this course and read the book I have found facebook to by my favorite because you can connect with people all over the world. You can search by your home town and even by your college or high school. I have found myself viewing and reading more blogs. The author really describes the Web 2.0 applications very well. Gives you a very good understanding of each one and gives you the advantages and disadvantages it has. The only weak points I have is that the author really pushes for social media and social network in the work place. I believe we are heading towards that but we still have lots of people that do not have basic computer skills. I work in customer service and I have people that have trouble creating a username and password. But the newer generation will definitely be ready for all the social outlets we have because we are surrounded by them. We have computers, tablets, smart phones and we even have them in our vehicles. Overall the book is very well written and gives many examples of the Web 2.0 applications and its uses.

Puerto Peñasco

Puerto Peñasco is a city located in the northwest of the state of Sonora. Very close to the Arizona border. It’s a small place that joins the peninsula of Baja California with the rest of Mexico. For my Las Vegas people if you drive it’s 514 miles. Good place to go for like a 3 day weekend. The word Puerto Peñasco in English means “Rocky Point”, and has been nicknamed  “Arizona’s beach “ because it’s very close to the major cities of Phoenix and Tucson. Only recently has Puerto Peñasco become a tourist spot. But Mexico has put in lots of money to try to develop it into a hot spot for tourism. They have developed better highways to make the drive shorter for people driving from California and they have started to receive planes from Los Angeles International Airport.  New Hotels and restaurants are starting to also develop.  If you want to avoid places with big crowds then Puerto Peñasco is a place for you. About the only time when you can expect big crowds is during spring break. For the nightlife do not expect too much of it. This place is popular with retirees. But if you need to get away from the big city and relax on the beach and eat some good food then give Puerto Peñasco a try.      

Ensenada, Baja California

Ensenada is a coastal city on the Baja California Peninsula. It is located 78 miles south of San Diego. Ensenada is known as a cruise ship destination.  It is also the heart of the wine country regarded as the best in Mexico and the Americas alongside Napa Valley.  Ensenada is a perfect place for sea food lovers.  Fishing accounts for a large part of the economy.  The most important are tuna, shrimp, lobster, abalone, and sardine. Many great restaurants are situated along the coast and offer fresh fish and cooked to your desire.  Some that I recommend are the fish tacos, shrimp tacos, and ceviche.  The beaches in Ensenada are also a good place to go and relax and do some water sports. But The Ensenada Carnaval is one of the largest and thousands of people gather in the streets for 6 days and nights. Lots of shops full of souvenirs, taco stands, and lots of beer and tequila.  This festival comes around once a year and it usually in February. Next date is February 12^th, 2013. Mark your calendars.  Another major attraction is called La Bufadora. La Bufadora is a marine geyser or blowhole. The spout of sea water is the result of air, trapped in a sea cave, exploding upwards.  La Bufadora is one of the largest blowholes in North America often shooting upwards of more than 100 ft. This phenomena repeats every minute or so.  So if you are looking for a quick gateway Ensenada is a nice place to go and relax.

Mazatlan

Mazatlan is a city which is located in the Mexican state of Sinaloa.  This place is well known for its sandy beaches.  This place also has many churches and many other tourist attractions.  The city has been called the Pearl of the Pacific.  One of the most popular attractions in Mazatlan is cliff diving. I enjoy watching the cliff divers but I don’t have enough courage to attempt it. If you like the beach like I do then you will like the water activities. They have jet skiing, water skiing, surfing and other related activities.   They also have El Mercado which is one of the most important market places that you could visit. They have everything from local handcrafted items and clothes and many Mexican traditional items. If you like Spanish music called "Banda" then you are in the right place. Mostly every corner will have musicians ready to play some tunes for you. Of course for a price.   For the nightlife in Mazatlan is very good. They have places like Valentino’s and Senor Frogs that you can enjoy some dancing and drinks.   I recommend flying to Mazatlan or some of the cruises make a stop in Mazatlan.

Puerto Vallarta

Puerto Vallarta is located in the state of Jalisco. It is situated on the Pacific Ocean's Bahia de Banderas. One of the reason I enjoy traveling to Puerto Vallarta is you can catch a direct flight from Los Angeles or San Francisco. Very big for College students that go during spring break. This place offers everything. You have the great restaurants that are along the beach. One of my favorites is grilled Mahi-mahi served on the beaches and at some taco stands - the meat is skewered and cooked over coals then served with hot sauce and lime. And it goes down good with a nice cold Corona. They offer lots of excursions like snorkeling, whale watching, and zip line and much more.

Cabo San Lucas

Cabo San Lucas and San Jose del Cabo are located in Baja California peninsula. There are lots to do for everyone. The flight is a very short one from Las Vegas. One thing that I enjoy about this place is the town is not too big and few crowds. The nightlife is very exciting but for the most part you go to Cabo to enjoy the beaches. It has a very large marina and an amazing bay where the Sea of Cortez meets the Pacific Ocean. Cabo is also known for the stone arch, called El Arco. If you Google Cabo San Lucas that is one of the first things that comes up is El Arco. I recommend taking a one of the many tours they offer and they will take you to all the great tourist attractions. But like any other place in Mexico you can negotiate these tours. Their will be many people offering so many packages that you can buy but remember you can wheel and deal with them. Another great thing about Cabo is the variety of the all inclusive hotels and resorts for any budget. I would try to stay close to the Marina and this way you can avoid paying taxi cabs and you will be close to everything like shopping and restaurants. Now you can also take a cruise ship to Cabo but being in a cruise ship you will not be able to enjoy much of the nightlife being that you need to be back in the boat by a specific time. When I went to Cabo I noticed lots of police presence constantly everywhere. So if you want to be a beach bum on your next vacation and have a low budget vacation this is the place to go.

Travel Mexico and feel safe

I have traveled to many parts of the country but one of my number one spot is Mexico. I have enjoyed some the best beaches I have ever seen. It has lots of history in almost every big city you go to the smallest town you can find. I know some parts of Mexico you want to stay away from and I recommend doing lots of research before you go. But there are lots of very popular tourist locations that are very safe and the government has put in place lots of security to make the people feel safe and enjoy their vacation.