Initially, I thought Kolobok was a local place, serving traditional or regional Mexican food. But as it turns out, it’s actually a family restaurant run by Russians from Kazan, Russia. And they serve the most authentic Russian food in town, which, truth be told, you don’t really see often.

Found at the Santa Maria la Ribera section along Salvador Diaz Miron, Kolobok is usually very popular with the hipster crowd, and surprisingly little tourists. But what a great discovery if you happen to end up eating here as the restaurant offers one of the best tasting empanadas to sample in Mexico. Their other popular dish is the Kotlety meatballs, which is basically like traditional meatballs with grounded meat, bread crumbs and seasoning. Prices of the food are really so affordable but Admittedly, many of its food choices are nothing of the extra-ordinary but Kolobok prides itself in serving the most flavorful dishes.

Expect several fusion dishes as well, as its main clientele are Mexicans, hence a lot of the food have that distinct Mexican flair, with lots of peppers and spices, despite it being Russian in origin.

Since Kolobok is a business run by a family, don’t expect to get five star service. Sometimes the staff tend to work slow, but that’s not to say they are inefficient. However, they do welcome guests with warmth and a friendly, accommodating service, it feels like you’re dining at a friend’s house.

And speaking of which, the restaurant’s ambience do feel cozy and comfortable. The whole place is fits just enough number of people, and the mood here is always warm and lovely.

Enchiladas are made with corn tortillas filled with different kinds of ingredients such as meat, cheese, vegetables or beans. These are then combined and put together and covered with a flavorful chili sauce. Enchilada is actually derived from the word enchilar, which means “adding chili pepper to” an ingredient. The chili the dish is, the more the one eating will appreciate it.

Enchiladas are known as street food in Mexico. But the ones you find on the streets, although these are in their simpliest form — as in just the tortillas with the chili sauce and minus the fillings — are still flavorful.

But there are plenty of ways to prepare or cook enchiladas, and their kind are primarily classified according to the kind of sauces and fillings used.

For instance the Chiladas con Chile Colorado is enchiladas prepared with the traditional chili sauce which is based with tomatoes, red chili peppers and other seasonings. There is also the variety with green chili sauce, aptly called echilada verdes.

If you’re in San Luis Potosi in Mexico, you can try eating their cheese-filled enchiladas with masa. In San Miguel, the enchiladas are prepared by searing the tortilla in the frying pan first and then it is served with guajillo chilies.

You can also find enchiladas which come with cream based or milk based filling, such as those with Bechamel sauce. But these are derivatives from Mexican immigrants that make use of milk and cheese in their daily dishes.

Mexico City, as it is, is already bustling during the daytime. The night time brings so much more, as activities doesn’t seem to slow down. The restaurants and clubs are usually packed with guests, diners and party goers. The weekends are especially full.

Mexico City has some of the fanciest and most happening bars at the Zona Rosa, which is found in the Chapultepec area. The site is actually where you can find most high end stores and luxury shops, and the atmosphere here is very elite but not uptight.

You can find most any kind of bars here featuring soft music, jazz music, dance music, live bands and rock and roll.

The El Imperial is one of the city’s best music sights and it’s found in a renovated mansion. The place is big, hence the name, and it’s the preferred site for some of the best musical acts of the country. The club provides two different types of atmoshere and music — you can listen to the live band or sit by the lounge area, listening to you own type of music.

Black Out is another popular night time hangout. It has been inspired by the bar scene of New York City. Fast food is served here, along with the usual cocktail drinks. The bar has three levels, with the top usually reserved for VIPs.

At the Jardines Del Pedregal is a bar called The Circus, which is a swanky place that plays the latest in dance music. It received its name because the place is actually built on a circus tent and has quite an upscale clientele.

The rates of these bars and competitive and selections are usually varied and updated.

The name El Tapatio actually makes me think of the restuarant, but there is actually an El Tapatio hotel in Guadalajara that is located near Plaza de Toros and Plaza Armas, some of the most accessible shopping sites in the area.

The hotel is not hard to miss, as you will immediately notice its colonial structure. What’s more, the place is enhanced by its cobblestone streets, truly bringing that old city feel. The place is surrounded by lush trees and a garden which helps keep the ambiance of this hotel really cool and so relaxing.

It’s only small hotel and is considered as a 3-star establishment. But the hotel offers a business center where there are small rooms for conferences, workshops and other business meets. Service includes wireless internet connection and secretarial assistance.

There is a banquet hall, a ballroom space and an exhibit area, big enough to do showcases or hold weddings and other events. The place also has its own restaurant, serving authentic Mexican food.

Guest rooms are located in a different part of the building and is accessible by outside corridors. Each room, by the way, has a balcony offering a good view of the city. The rooms are spacious and comfortable, as well as well-kept and clean, with a great bathroom, television with cable, coffee maker and complimentary toiletries as well as water bottles. The hotel accepts children in the establishment, and you can actually request for a crib or an extra bed for them.

There’s also an outdoor pool, a tennis court and a jogging path. I love this small hotel because it can still be luxurious place to stay and relax, but it is also very intimate and personal.

Huatulco’s landscape and body of waters is such that, there are plenty of bays to explore and check in this island. As a result, you can see a lot of bay tours in Huatulco, with different prices and offering different add-ons to the tour package. Some of these additionals you may need to experience but there may be others that only also add-on to the cost. So you before you sign up for any tour package, make sure you need all of what’s being offered to you.

Basically, a bay tour means that you and your group get to go aboard on a lovely boat or yacht that will take you around the coast of Huatulco. The trip normally lasts the whole day and because there are at least seven or nine bays to check, the trip is well-worth it.

The bay tour will take you to the Oaxaca coasts and the rivers all around the island where you can enjoy the sights, or stop over to go dipping and swimming in the water, or snorkel and discover marine life under it. The tour also includes food and drinks, and there are restaurant stops that have been arranged, as part of the package, so you don’t have to worry about where to eat.

Guided by a very capable tour expert, who speaks Mexican and English really well, the tour also serves as an educational trip, which children will find very useful and entertaining. Going on a tour is one of the fastest and most pleasurable ways to enjoy Huatulco. So when you do get to visit this island, do not forget your swimsuit and suntan lotion with you.

Puesta Del Sol is found inside a villa where guests can book accommodations at a more affordable price. One of the most beautiful points of this restaurant is that it stands on top of a cliff and has a lovely, overlooking view of the Zihuatanejo Bay. The setting is indeed a romantic escape which is why many couples, newly-weds and those who have grown old together, are often seen dining at the restaurant. The best seat in the house are in fact by the balcony, which you can reserve in advance, at the front desk. We suggest to go there before the sun sets, so that you can enjoy one unforgettable experience.

This is a luxury restaurant, mind you, where prices are a bit higher than nearby establishments. But every second you spend here is well worth it.

The service is excellent and truly worthy of a first class treatment. Interestingly, if you order flambe the chef comes to your table to prepare most of what you order. So you can see all the ingredients used, which are mostly fresh choices. Having the chef prepare your food in front of you is part of the entertainment. It’s a gastronomic show you don’t really see in many of the other restaurants. Plus points are in order because the chef seems to love what he is doing for diners.

The food is commendable and the portions are as what you would expect from high end restaurant. Suggested dishes to try include the beef flambe or its steak, or any of its seafood choices such as the tuna with bacon. There are also specials offered, good enough for two persons to finish. Don’t forget to sample the soup and salad choices as well, because they are as good and filling as the rest of the dishes.

Generally, baseball has enjoyed more popularity among the natives of Mexico than possibly any other sport happening in the country. And if a promising star chooses to take that sport to even greater heights, he becomes the stuff of legend. Talking of paradigms we say that the person was at the right moment at the right time. The right time was the 80s. The right moment was with the Major League Baseball and the Los Angeles dodgers, and Mr. Fernando Valenzuela, giga talent as he was, took his country’s honor to new heights. Fernandomania is just a name of the cult following that he garnered..

Fernando Valenzuela Anguamea, born on November 1, 1960, was a man of charm. Whats more, he was a man of immeasurable talent. In the Dodgers, he amassed 21 wins by being a top class pitcher and his signature Ruthian physique (after Geroge Herman Ruth, star player for the Major Baseball league during the 1920s). Fernando started his career in the late 1970s and by the 80s, had polished his skills enough to be called a star in his own right. And he was. His screwball moves were legendary. The Rookie of the year in 1981, Fernando proved to be a favorite among baseball teams and fans alike.

Another nickname t Fernando’s talent came in the form of El Toro which means the bull in Spanish. In 1986, he achieved the pinnacle of his career by leading his league to a 12-11 win. One interesting thing about Fernando was that he knew very little English and he never actually tried to learn it. Instead, it was one Mike Scioscia who, being a rookie catcher, took pains to learn some spanish and hence became a sort of “personal catcher” to  Fernando. Linguistic problems notwithstanding, Fernando’s career may have declined after 1987, but his long legacy in evident in Fernandomania and El Toro, remains immortal..

Member of the elite club of Megadiverse nations of the world (among 17 others ). The richest country in reptile species (some 707 of them). Second richest country in the case of mammals (438 species, for heaven’s sake!).  Fourth in amphibians and floral variety, with 290 and 26000 species respectively (and respectfully..). Think of it. 2,00,000 different species crammed in a small country. Mexico, dear traveler, is richly blessed in biodiversity. You better come prepared..

The Mexicans are well aware of their country’s rich storehouse of nature’s bounty, and the government has had effective legislation to provide safety to more than 2500 species. This is for good reason too, because, as a way of feeding you with still another fact (a fat one at that), Mexico has the second largest ecosystem in the world and the fourth largest variety of species. Unfortunately, in the recent times (and we can blame the ever ending growth of population for that), deforestation has taken a serious turn in the country and as a result the biodiversity of Mexico has suffered a setback. The good news, however is that the Mexican government realized this threat in the 1990s, and as of now, there exist many programs for general awareness for the native people of Mexico, so that they have a better idea of their country’s revered biodiversity. The Comisión Nacional para el Conocimiento y Uso de la Biodiversidad, as a result, has secured 1,70,000 sq. Kilometers of land as protected regions.

For the traveler’s pleasure, there are 64 national parks, 34 reserved biospheres, 26 segregations of protected Flora and Fauna, 17 natural sanctuaries, 4 protected natural monuments and 4 areas of natural resource conservation. Do visit these places, take a view of the national symbol of Mexico (the absolutely majestic Golden Eagle)  and immerse yourself in nature’s lap, away from the dust and noise of crowded cities. Guaranteed, you’ll find true Nirvana.