Rating: 
Summary: Loving Mexico for what is is
Review: Because my wife, Esperanza, is from a tiny village east of Juan Aldama, Zacatecas -- I had made a few trips to Mexico before having purchased this book. I truly wish I'd bought it before the very first time. Carl Franz humorously takes you through many typical venues and situations encountered in Mexico. In addition to being quite entertaining, these illustrations and anecdotal stories provide great insight to understanding the subtleties of Mexican culture. Carl Franz's love for the people, history and customs of Mexico come through in his writing. I can vouch, through my experiences in Mexico, that Carl is "right on the money" with his travel suggestions and understanding of the Mexican people. This book will give you the proper mindset for Mexican travel, leaving our preconceived notions at home, eager to take in all that Mexico has to offer and loving the country and people on their own outstanding merits.
Rating:
Summary: Too bad these guys haven't lived in other countries!
Review: Excellent guide to Mexico. We found this to be the best and most readable of many guides on topics that included just getting along; driving, eating, etc. Very readable, humorous. Too bad these guys don' t have similar books for other countries in the manner of the 'Moon' handbooks, Eyewitness guides, etc.Much of the information is old, based as it is on the authors trips to Mexico for the past several decades. Doesn't make the book any less valuable or interesting. If you're going to Mexico on anything other than the sanitized tourist package, you should get and read this book.
Rating: 
Summary: Too much story-telling, but otherwise a great guidebook
Review: First, Carl Franz has for decades been trying to fill a void in the Mexican guidebook market. Most English-language guidebooks to Mexico operate under the assumption that English-speaking tourists will be going to Mexico under circumstances similar to the circumstances in which English speakers travel to India or Japan: they will be arriving by plane, using buses, taxis, and maybe a rent-a-car to travel, and will be leaving be plane. As a result of this orientation, these books ignore large parts of the country and assume you wont ever need to know how to get your car fixed in a small town. Such an orientation might be justified for an Australian guide publisher like Lonely Planet. Even though many Americans fly to Mexico and would never think of driving in the country, enough of us drive across the border every day (and keep driving south from there) to justify the need for a more detailed, culturally astute guidebook taking you through the practicalities of "surviving" in rural and urban Mexico. This book tries to fill that void. Carl Franz has been driving to Mexico for decades and has a lot of practical wisdom to share with would-be road warriors. With that said, there are several criticisms to make about the book:
1) over 50% of the pages in the book are filled with stories, not all of them very good or amusing. In his defense, a few of the stories Carl Franz writes are quite amusing, but I would have liked them better if I did not feel like he was using his guidebook as a vehicle for pushing his amateur travelogue narratives onto readers...
2) The stories over all set a tone which borders on the culturally condescending at times. The sub-theme of many of the stories is "Oh those silly little Mexicans do things so backwards and silly me for assuming they should do things the way I would do them; the culturally sensitive attitude I should have is to revel in their backwardness (and tell my friends about it when I get home)." This sort of attitude is tedious at best, offensive at its worst. Mexican society has faults (some very big) and there is nothing wrong with citing them as faults. But some American travelogues identify as faults of Mexican society quirky differences which are neither faults nor virtues (the cliche favorite seems to be complaints about Mexican traffic cops... even Carl Franz can't resist a few dull predictable stories about paying traffic cops in the street for fines real or invented)
3) the "Wherever you go, there you are" attitude, though congenial to some, rubs me the wrong way. While wandering haphazardly from town to town with no point or purpose other than the experience itself might sound adventurous, it really doesn't make for very rewarding vacations in Mexico. Even if you want to avoid the high rise beach hotels, there is value in planning a visit to a certain town on a specific day to experience the town fiesta or turning off the highway at a certain spot to visit the ruins of a historically significant ex-hacienda. The Franz travel philosophy seems to border on the Kerouac-ish it its celebration of aimless wandering. For the traveler with an interest in history and culture, Franz's style will not work well. This book is worth reading, just skip the stories when they get dull, and be sure to complement it with more destination-oriented guidebook unless wandering aimlessly from town to town until you find something you like is your idea of good travelling.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent Resources, Tips & Advice
Review: I take this every time I go to Mexico, as it always seems to have something more to offer. My copy is beat up & worn out but I love it.
Great tips, advice and information - highly recommended for anyone interested in getting beneath the skin of what Mexico has to offer.
Rating:
Summary: This is a must read for anyone planning to drive through Mex
Review: I was living in Mexico for 6 months and feeling absolutely miserable when someone finally gave me this book. It was utterly indispensible in explaining the people and culture and helping me to adjust. If you plan on spending any time in Mexico, get this book. What was really great was the Spanish slang in the back of the book that helped me understand some of the words I was hearing. Another good book by the same author was Mexico Disconocido, which was about backpacking in Mexico.
Rating:
Summary: the journey is the destination
Review: I'm planning a trip to Central America and a friend lent me a 1986 version of the book which I found to be funny and informative. I think the criticism from Cued (an earlier reviewer) is a little harsh. The stories bring the information to life in a way that dry, factual guidebooks can't even begin to approximate. The knowledge Franz imparts throughout the book is very useful for travelling in ANY and EVERY country. I enjoyed Franz's lively writing style and his "Adventures" reminded me of similar experiences I'd had backpacking in the Middle East, Europe and Asia. On several occasions it had me laughing out loud and reciting passages to my girlfriend (and travel-companion) as we remembered going thru exactly the same ordeals in other countries. I agree with Cued when he says that the book should be used with a guide (like Lonely Planet or Rough Guide) that can give you location-specific advice for more organised travel itinaries. All-in-all I was so impressed with the book that I bought the latest edition to keep handy while in Central America. The low-budget travel tips alone make it indispensible. It is a must for first-time peregrines or people who are new to "keepin'-it-real" travel...
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Summary: Mexican Magic
Review: I'm planning a trip to Central America and a friend lent me a 1986 version of the book. I found it to be funny and informative...The stories bring the information to life in a way that dry, factual guidebooks can't even begin to approximate. The knowledge Franz imparts throughout the book is very useful for travelling in ANY and EVERY country. I enjoyed Franz's lively writing style and his "Adventures" reminded me of similar experiences I'd had backpacking in the Middle East, Europe and Asia. On several occasions it had me laughing out loud and reciting passages to my girlfriend (and travel-companion) as we remembered going thru exactly the same ordeals in other countries...the book should be used with a guide (like Lonely Planet or Rough Guide) that can give you location-specific advice for more organised travel itinaries. All-in-all I was so impressed with the book that I bought the latest edition. The low-budget travel tips alone make it indispensible. It is a must for first-time peregrines or people who are new to "keepin'-it-real" travel...
Rating:
Summary: Hilarious Stories and Great Information
Review: If someone is planning a trip to the real Mexico, not just the hotel zone of Cancun or Puerto Vallarta, this is the book to read. The travel tips and information are very useful and the stories of their experiences are not only hilarious and entertaining but very helpful in understanding the differences in Mexican culture and traditions. I loved the story about the the fiesta for John the Baptist they accidently encountered, where everyone in town runs around throwing buckets of water on each other. This is a fun book to read even if you are not planning a trip to Mexico!
Rating:
Summary: A Classic Classic
Review: If you're going to Mexico, especially if you have even the slightest interest in Mexicans as human beings and not just a backdrop to your vacation - a rare virtue in some North American circles - and you're planning on getting out of the usual gringo mainline, you simply must read this book. There is no better book on Mexico available. It's funny, it's informative, and best of all, it's simpatico. It won't tell you about specific places in Mexico to visit, but it will tell you what you will need to know in order to function on the ground anywhere in Mexico - eating, drinking, camping, hotelling, what to look for when you buy things, dealing with the police, insuring your car - in general, how to be a minimally offensive gringo. You'll thank yourself for reading it, and you'll thank Mr. Franz for writing it, after you get there.
Rating: 
Summary: OK, but then again...
Review: It's a very enjoyable read, no doubt about that. What you WON'T find is a bunch of addresses of hotels and restaurants, no maps, and now bus schedules. What you WILL find is a very long series of amusing tips and hints about travel in Mexico. However, the book is a little dated, and it's been many a year since Carl Franz travelled through Mexico in the style here related--his current guided trips through Sonora will cost you in the thousands, which is certainly not what this book was all about!
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