Savvy travelers know this is the time of year when deals are popping.

Just after the kids return to school — and before the big year-end holidays are under way — airlines look to fill seats, and hotels and resorts need to fill beds.

Here is an ideal example of tremendous savings for those lucky enough to be able to get away now versus later, when prices reach their yearly high.

Code-sharing American Airlines and Mexicana Airlines are offering a bargain round-trip rate of $128 to either Cabos San Lucas-Los Cabos or Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, on trips finished on or before Dec. 31. The rate inclusive of all taxes and fees is $346.94.

RIVIERA NAYARIT CLASSIC, Punta Mita Club de Golf (Pacifico Course), Nayarit, Mexico – This was the second event postponed earlier this year due to the Swine Flu outbreak.

It is a new event on the Canadian Tour and will be the final stop of the 2009 season.

Just nine of the top 20 players from Canadian Tour’s Order of Merit are scheduled to be in the field this week.

PUERTO VALLARTA, Mexico — Two Canadian men were shot to death in execution-style slayings outside an apartment building in the Mexican resort of Puerto Vallarta, authorities said Monday.

Witnesses told police that a gunman approached Gordon Douglas Kendall and Jeffrey Ronald Ivans outside the building they were staying in and shot Kendall, according to Jalisco state prosecutor Guillermo Diaz.

The gunman then chased Ivans to the pool area and shot him. Witnesses said two other gunmen arrived minutes later and repeatedly shot the dead or dying Canadians, Diaz said. The men fled and no arrests have been made.

Diaz said Ivans was carrying a handgun, though he apparently was not able to use it before he was shot. It is unusual for people in Mexico, particularly foreigners, to carry handguns. It was not clear if Ivans had a permit.

Diaz said police have reports that the men were involved in real estate developments in another nearby resort area, Bahia de Banderas.

Investigators have not determined a motive for the killing.

Sgt. Bill Whalen of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police said the service’s organized crime and gang units suspected Kendall and Ivans of being in the drug trade in the Canadian province of British Columbia.

“We were aware of who they were, that they were in Mexico and that they were involved in the drug trade,” said Whalen, an officer in the RCMP’s Combined Forces Special Enforcment Unit.

A nice video from the Puerto Vallarta Tourism Board, couldn’t find one with better resolution though…

Fun video, makes you want to run out and travel the world with your kids, not sure I’ll take them to eat at a taco stand on the street…

The Grito de Dolores:

In the early hours of September 16th, 1810, Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla, a priest in the small town of Dolores, Guanajuato, rang the church bell to gather the townspeople. He called for the people of Mexico to rise up against the Spanish Crown, thus initiating Mexico’s War of Independence. The country did not achieve independence until 1821, but it is this event, known as the Grito de Dolores which is commemorated every year in town squares across Mexico.

Independence Day Festivities:

The largest Independence Day celebration takes place in Mexico City’s Zocalo, which is decorated from the beginning of September with red, white and green lights and Mexican flags. On the 15th, at 11 pm the President of the Republic goes out onto the central balcony of the National Palace (Palacio Nacional), rings the bell (the same bell Hidalgo rang in 1810, brought to Mexico City in 1886) and cries to the people gathered in the square below, who enthusiastically respond “¡Viva!”

The words of the Grito may vary, but they go something like this:

¡Vivan los heroes que nos dieron patria! ¡Viva!
¡Viva Hidalgo! ¡Viva!
¡Viva Morelos! ¡Viva!
¡Viva Josefa Ortiz de Dominguez! ¡Viva!
¡Viva Allende! ¡Viva!
¡Vivan Aldama y Matamoros! ¡Viva!
¡Viva nuestra independencia! ¡Viva!
¡Viva Mexico! ¡Viva!
¡Viva Mexico! ¡Viva!
¡Viva Mexico! ¡Viva!

At the end of the third ¡Viva Mexico! the crowd goes wild waving flags, ringing noisemakers and spraying foam. Then fireworks light up the sky as the crowd cheers. Later the Mexican national anthem is sung.

Get some ideas about where to celebrate “El Grito” on September 15th.

The celebrations continue on the 16th with civic ceremonies and parades – the largest taking place in Mexico City, but perhaps the most touching festivities are those in small communities in which school children of all ages participate.

Independence Day Foods:

Like most festivities, certain foods are considered representative of Independence Day. A favorite is pozole, a soup made of hominy and pork. Other foods have the colors of the Mexican flag – red white and green, like chiles en nogada. And of course, it just wouldn’t be a party without plenty of mezcal and tequila!

See pictures of Independence Day celebrations.

Celebrate Mexican Independence Day in the Southwest US.

See more Festivals and Events in Mexico in September .

Just so you know next time , useful info on the main Mexican Holiday.

Some nice photos from the malecon in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico.