Everyone wants to go swimming in May, when temperatures in western Mexico soar. People either head for the beach or for a balneario (water park), both of which are likely to be overrun by crowds of like-minded people desperate to cool off.

University of Guadalajara botanists recently announced the discovery of a new species of white poplar or alamo tree inside the Bosque la Primavera Protected Area, located immediately west of the city.

There are no hedgehogs in Mexico, you say?

Now that the temperature is rising and the weather report predicts zero percent precipitation, why not dust off your tent and spend a night communing with the crickets and counting the stars?

El Sauz de Cajigal is a pueblito – population 120 – located 100 kilometers east of Guadalajara. Never heard of it? I can’t blame you, because I couldn’t find mention of it on any map I consulted.

Waiting for Telmex to come fix your non-functioning landline telephone offers all kinds of hidden benefits: no more wrong numbers asking to speak to Rosita; no more pesky calls from Sky trying to sell you (for the 100th time) a more expensive package you’re not interested in; no calls at all, in fact.