Jun 30, 2011

Catemaco Message Boards

updated 5 october 2011
from early 2010

There is no message board in beautiful downtown Catemaco. I operated one beginning  in 2003 but gave up after a lot of hassles and insults.

So now I am stuck with reading Mexican message boards for amusement. There are dozens. But the only ones that count about Mexico in general are:

Lonely Planet  *recommended -  moved up 2 - because there usually is some new blood.
This is for newbie travellers, and it helps them. Do not depend on their guides, they are full of errors.

Expat Forum *previously recommended
The pedantic editor took a vacation and came back with a much better attitude. Seems to be growing.

Mexconnect *previously recommended  - Too many of the same people talking to each other)
Free for all, with all the same gringos as on other boards. (Actually 5 or 6 years ago they charged to post).
Best board for research on Mexican laws and foibles.

Mexonline
Dying on the Line, or so it seems. Yep, it's even deader now

The boards are cyclical, heavily trafficked during the winter months, and asleep during the rest of the year.
Judging by these boards, there are only about 2 people travelling through Mexico at any one time.
But there are dozens of supposed residents fighting over answering their teeniest question. Generally, the more teeny the question, the more functional is the response just before, too often, some "pendejo" hijacks the message thread to proclaim his penchant for violence in Mexico.