I am tasked with the most important foreign correspondent assignment of my journalistic career.

Iraq? Afghanistan? Pakistan? North Korea?

No, those are all hot spots, but I’m taking my camera and tape recorder to where the real action is – at least the kind that Savvy readers want to know about: Cancun, Mexico!

Truth be known, I don’t get out much. Everyone imagines I party it up with the Savvy Girls and Is She Hot? winners we feature, but since the lovely Candace Rae arrived to handle the photo shoots, I mostly just sit in a room gazing at the avatars of Savvy Girls and Is She Hot? contest winners on my computer screen. Hey, it still beats digging ditches, ya know?

So I got a real, ahem, meaty assignment from the boss. Go to Cancun and get the lowdown on UjENA Jam, an event consisting of models and photographers from all over the world, plus lots and lots (and lots and lots) of bikinis. I’m hoping lots and lots of margaritas as well (but don’t tell the boss I said that, okay?)

My job: Get down there and spread the gospel. No, not that end-of-times Revelations stuff, but telling people about Savvy’s twin contests, the Search for the Million Dollar Woman and the Savvy Editors’ Choice Awards.

I am faced with using every ounce of persuasion in me to sweet talk these travelling beauties into signing up for the $1 Million model search. I’m sure I’ll really have to twist their arms (actually I’m pretty sure twisting their arms or touching them in general will get me briskly slapped, and rightly so).

The photographers, I’ll just ask them nicely. We’re brothers*; I’ve been one of them since 1990 so I speak the language of f-stops and jpegs. These are no mere GWCs** but seasoned shooters competing for awards while there.

At the same time, I’m leading the Savvy crew on an expedition into this tropical paradise to create content for our readers.

Anyway, while those of us from North America will be freezing our asses off in February (assuming this global warming stuff cuts us a break), Savvy will be running photos by some of the other photographers who are at this event and giving them and the models in the pictures some notoriety, ahem, I mean, publicity.

The first thing I did to prepare for this trip – other than that passport thing – was to call on Savvy member Adrian for some tips on not looking like some dumbass tourist in Mexico. Last thing I need is to accidentally call someone’s grandmother a prostitute while mangling my pronunciation of phrases I translated myself using Google Translator’s English-to-Spanish tool. But if I do end up in a Mexican prison, nice to know I can call my buddy Adrian to bail me out. Eh buddy? Adrian? You there, bud?

Adrian's advice was simple: "Drink Tequila."

Since this is my first trip to Mexico, I’ve been trying to read up on how to deal with everything from dollars to diarrhea. I hope my Imodium doesn’t get confiscated at the border. Everyone tells me the water at the hotels is okay to drink, but Coronas will do just fine.

So I’m packing my bags and getting ready to take this exciting journey to the land of warm white sand beaches, crystal indigo seas, a balmy tropical climate, and, of yes, dozens of hot women in skimpy swimwear.

It’s a tough job, but dammit, somebody’s gotta do it!

Watch for my blogs, video blogs and daily coverage direct from Cancun all next week. Till then, Gringo Steven signing off…

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* I say "brothers" but there are female photographers there as well.

** For those not in the know, that’s Guys With Cameras.

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On the Web:

Ujena Jam

Search for the Million Dollar Woman

Savvy Editors' Choice Photography Awards