News, Tips & Bargains : Mexico’s Floating Gardens Restored

The floating gardens of Xochimilco, the remains of an intricate agricultural system on the outskirts of Mexico City, have been reopened to the public after a four-year restoration project.

The gardens date from the 13th Century, when the Chinampaneca Indians, short of good farmland, improvised: They built rafts of reed, filled them with soil, floated them on the shallow lake and grew crops on them. The rafts became rooted to the bottom of the lake and became islands, creating 50 miles of canals.

The Aztecs conquered the area and greatly enlarged it, but today only five canals remain. The $8-million restoration project sought to reverse decades of deterioration and neglect that threatened their very existence. A sewage system and drains have been installed, canals have been dredged, and the water supply has been cleaned up.

The gardens are about 15 miles south of Mexico City and are accessible by car, cab and bus. Admission is free but there is a charge for the new Xochimilco Ecological Park: About $3.35 for adults; $1.70 for senior citizens. Children are free. There is also a new visitors center and a re-created farming area.

The most familiar sights of Xochimilco--the brightly colored, flat-bottom boats called trajineras --still provide the most popular way to see the gardens. An hour’s ride, powered by a gondolier who poles along, costs about $1.60 an hour. A boat seating 14 may be rented for about $20 an hour.

Riding the Rails in Europe in ’94

If travel by train is your cup of tea, then you may be interested in what’s new from Rail Europe and BritRail.

Rail Europe is introducing Europass, which allows a minimum of five days of train travel in three of the “big five” countries: France, Germany, Italy, Spain and Switzerland. Buy more travel days and you get more countries.

The pass goes on sale Dec. 1 for use after Jan. 1. Prices start at $280 for five days of travel, to be completed within two months.

Then there’s the company’s Eurailpass family of unlimited mileage railpasses for 17 European countries. First-class passes start at $498 for 15 days; second-class passes at $348 for five days.

For information, call Rail Europe at (800) 4-EURAIL.

New for 1994 at BritRail is the BritGerman Railpass, which combines unlimited first-class rail travel on the BritRail and German Rail networks for five days or 10 days within a month. Prices start at $359 for five days.

It is one of many rail travel options spelled out in BritRail Travel International’s “Go BritRail 1994” which is available from travel agents or by calling (212) 575-2667.

BritRail--which is holding to its 1993 prices--is also introducing a Continental Capitals Circuit, combining rail and sea travel to London, Paris, Brussels and Amsterdam.

Flying Nonstop to Montreal

Air Canada will begin nonstop weekend flights between Los Angeles and Montreal--the only nonstop service between the two cities--on Dec. 18.

Eastbound, Air Canada Flight 798 will depart LAX at 1:55 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday, arriving in Montreal at 9:55 p.m.

The return flight, Air Canada 797, will leave Montreal at 10 a.m. on both days and land in Los Angeles at 12:45 p.m. Air Canada also operates three daily one-stop flights between L.A. and Montreal, via Toronto.

For information and reservations, call (800) 776-3000

Cabo Cleans Up After the Storm

Tourist facilities in Cabo San Lucas are reportedly drying out and returning to normal two weeks after a freak storm dumped almost two feet of water on the resort community at the southern tip of Baja.

Only one hotel, the Melia Cabo Real, remained closed. A spokeswoman said the facility’s water system had been contaminated, but it is expected to reopen Dec. 1. There was no structural damage, she said. The Hotel Cabo San Lucas re-opened immediately, a spokeswoman said, and the Hotel Palmilla re-opened Nov. 12.

As of press time Wednesday, tourism officials reported that mud and water had been cleaned up and supermarkets, gas stations, restaurants and water-sports facilities were operating normally. Visitors reported that they were astonished at the speed of the cleanup effort.

Because most hotels have their own water purification systems, the drinking water supply in tourist lodgings was not affected, officials said.

Highway traffic remains slower than usual as road crews restore damaged bridges and broken pavement on the highway from the airport to Cabo. One bridge has been repaired, but others require detours, officials said. Complete repair of all highways is expected to take three or four months and $13.5 million. Travel time from the airport to Cabo is about an hour.