Xalapa Vacation

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Trip Start May 12, 2008 Trip End May 27, 2008 Next
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  Xalapa, Mexico
Wednesday, July 2, 2008

4 May, 2008
It's been over 20 years since I've been to Mexico. I fell in love with Mexico the first time I went to Acapulco in 1975. My next trip was to Cancun in 1985. Cancun was still a small place and easy to navigate so I rented a VW bug and made the trip to Chichen itza. This trip to Mexico was going to be to an area where a Mexican friend of mine was from, Cempoala in Veracruz state. My wife insisted on going with me, even after telling her Mexico only allows one piece of luggage and it has to be a carry on, no suitcases. She hemmed and hawed for about a week and then relented.
It was a long three hour flight. Yucky food, crying babies and no room to move at all. But we made it, now to go thru customs. Getting our passports stamped and visa approved went real well. We then proceeded thru inspection and the inspector stopped me. He insisted I go to the ticket line and buy a plane ticket

Papantla

. I finally convinced him we had no suitcases, only our medium size handbags. It was obvious they didn't like me, I was the only one they searched for AK47s and rocket launchers. After that ordeal we headed for the buses at the far end of the terminal. At the ticket counter I learned that no one speaks English. Unlike Acapulco and Cancun where even the dogs and cats understand English, here they just look at you with a blank stare. Fortunately I know enough to get by on but it would be very difficult for someone who only speaks English to travel this part of Mexico. The bus to Puebla leaves right from the airport but it's not an ADO bus, it's a smaller bus with less leg room. That's really hard on my 6'2" esposa. We were glad to be on the bus and heading out of D.F.. The landscape reminded me of Arizona, lots of cactus and sand. We finally made it to Puebla, the bus dropped us off at the central bus station. The other bus station is called CAPU or Norte bus station and it's on the north part of town. We stayed at the Holiday Express Hotel on the 7th floor. The bed was as hard as a rock and the air conditioning didn't work. We had supper at the Presidential Palace hotel next door and it was very good.
 
5 May, 2008
The next morning we got a taxi to CAPU, it has to be the largest bus station in North America. I bought us ADO bus tickets to Xalapa, buses leave for Xalapa every hour

Tepitlan

. The bus system in Mexico is really great, nothing like it in the United States, sorry, Greyhound doesn't even compare. After buying our tickets I couldn't figure out where to go to catch the bus. I finally asked this old man in my broken Spanish and he told us to follow him. He led us down this hallway to one of the numbered gates and then said goodbye. That was really nice of him. It was a nice bus ride with plenty leg room and very clean and comfortable. After climbing up into the mountains it started turning green. We knew we were getting close to Xalapa when the traffic increased. By the time we reached the bus station we knew we had made a mistake by coming here. The bus station was easy to navigate so we made our way to the taxi stand. The ticket agent told us all Hotels in central downtown were full. So we picked up our bags and walked down one block and got a hotel room at the Hotel Emperatriz, it was a dump. The next morning we took a cab and went to the Salmones Hotel, found out the hotels were not filled.
 
 
6 May, 2008
May 5th is not celebrated like some of the other holidays. The hotel room was on the third floor and had a balcony with a great view. Because of the haze in the air you could not see that far in the distance, the farmers were burning the fields causing the smoke screen

Xico

. Well, we came all this way to see this noisy, hilly and dirty city so off we went to explore and me and the wife were to experience Xalapa. Wow, right away we realized it was not as bad as it first appeared. We found the Zocalo or park across from the big catholic church. For such a big city the park was clean, the people friendly, and the hills reminded me of Tennessee where I was born. There was symphony music coming from the building across the street.
Got to thinking of my banjo, I don't think they know what a banjo is here in Mexico. We strolled up and down the streets, went to the Mercado and stopped at a good coffee shop. They had real coffee, not the instant Nescafe. For some reason most everyone prefers Nescafe and at most restaurants that's all they serve. What a cultural experience, we were filling a lot better about Xalapa and enjoying the sights and sounds of this new city, even the sounds of the roosters and car horns. We had lunch at the Salmones hotel, Veracruzano (fish) and it was very good and not expensive. After lunch we called our Mexican friends who live here in Xalapa. They had just moved back to Xalapa after living in Athens, Tennessee for a number of years. They were fixing up their old house and hired a maestro to do the tile work, plumbing, electrical, the old man was really good at his trade. Marcelino picked us up at the hotel, we hopped into a cab and was on our way down cobblestone streets, around in a circle at this central gathering place and then back up the hills to his place. Marcelino and Elvira's la casa is the typical Mexican cinder block home that you see occupying the hill sides in Xalapa and all over Mexico.

 It was a simple one bedroom home, power was 110 AC with a 40 amp fuse box with two 20 amp fuses in it. A cement washboard that drained into a open sink next to it was the way she washed her clothes. We climbed upon the roof and I took a few pictures of the beautiful hills behind his house. For such a big city I am finding Xalapa to be really beautiful, yes the traffic can be really heavy in lots of places but in minutes you can be in a beautiful park or into the hills that surround the city in every direction. This evening we watched beautiful birds fill their bellies with fruit and enjoyed the 72 deg F. breeze and got eat up by mosquitoes.
 
7 May, 2008
This morning Marcelino and Elvira showed up and it was off to Xico to see the waterfalls. The chicken bus dropped us off across from the burro and a sign that said "Cascada de Xico".

We started walking down the cobblestone road towered the falls and no taxi's. We walked for over a mile taking our time and enjoying looking at the flowers and all the fruit trees along the way. After we arrived at the falls Jo and Alvira stayed at the little restaurant at the entrance, Marcelino and I headed down one of the trails to explore another falls back in the jungles. After taking a few pictures we had a cerveza (beer) to cool us off and headed back to meet the girls. After a nice lunch at the little outdoor restaurant we spotted a cab waiting for us. He took us back to the little town of Xico and dropped us off at a deserted street corner and told us to wait for the bus. After about 30 seconds a chicken bus showed up and it was off to Coatepec. They were having a fair in Coatepec so we jumped in a cab and across town to the fair we went. If felt like it was 100 deg F and it didn't take long before we were exhausted. It was time to go back to the hotel so we could rest up for tomorrows adventure. Jo was so tired she couldn't get up to eat supper.
 
8 May, 2008
After breakfast we took a cab to the bus station and got tickets for Papantla. It was a four hour trip but the ADO bus was very comfortable. The ADO bus station in Papantla is small and so is the town. We got a cab to drop us off at the Totonacapan Hotel. The hotel room air conditioner worked really well, thank goodness because it felt like 100 deg outside with the humidity at 98%. The hotel has an adjoining restaurant so we had lunch. "Crema de Champinones", "Arroz Rojo", "Pollo En Adobe" and a quart size jug of papaya juice for $7.00 u.s.. Jo stayed in the hotel room while I looked for the ATM machine. Three blocks up the hill I found the ATM machine right across from the zocalo or central park. I promptly felt good about using the ATM machine in a foreign country for the first time. I know enough Spanish to get me through it. Fantastic, I though, it's in English, give me $200.00. It gave me two hundred, Pesos, not dollars. Big dummy, this is Mexico, give me $2000.00, this time I got it right. At my age I have to remember every morning to put my pants on and then my shoes, not the other way around. After getting my money and exchanging greeting with the federalies (police) I headed back down the hill where I had passed a Mercado. I found a couple of sombreros for me and Jo for $5.00 u.s.. That evening we walked halfway up the hill to an internet café and sent the kids an email to let them know we were not robed by bandito's or kidnapped. Kids always fear the worst and listen to horror stories from people who have never even been out of the town they grew up in, sad but true. We then headed up to the zocalo and sat and people watched. The kids were feeding the squirrels and the old man was selling dried vanilla beans that Papantla is known for. The street vendors were selling ice cream, corn on the cob and the Taqarias stayed busy selling their tacos. So far our stomachs have survived despite everything we have had to eat and drink. It's really hot so tomorrow we are going to El Tajin early in the morning.
 
9 May, 2008
We had bacon and eggs for breakfast, that was not bacon, don't want to ask, afraid to know. El Tajin is only about five minutes from Papantla, Taxi drivers drive really fast, not sure why, must be their custom. It cost $4.80 u.s. each to get in to see the ruins. The ruins were incredible, they were different from Chichen Itza and with the surrounding jungles it made for good photos.

After an hour of walking and taking photos it was getting really hot so we headed back to the entrance where the bathrooms were. It cost 2 pesos and we each got enough toilet paper to wipe once and twice if your careful. That evening we couldn't resist eating at this corner taqaria, it was always busy. I stopped at the taqaria yesterday morning and took a good look at what they were cooking. The cook asked me in Spanish if I wanted something to eat. I was looking for eggs and toast so I said to him, "no huevos". Him and his helper died laughing, as I walked away it dawned on me what I said. I wont make that mistake again. So this evening we tried their tacos. Fantastic, .20 u.s. apiece, we stuffed ourselves, Jo had eight tacos. With the two sodas the total for the two of us came to $3.20. u.s., what a bargain. That evening Jo stepped up onto a curb and something in her leg popped. I helped her hobble back to the hotel room which was close by. We had planned to leave the next morning to go to the beach but now we had to decide what to do.
 
10 May, 2008
The leg was still sore so the beach trip is off. I decided it would be best to let her rest for at least two days and then try to make it back to Xalapa. I asked the maids if they would do our laundry. They did a good job and asked for $2.50, I gave them $5.00.U.S.
 
11 May, 2008
Jo's leg is doing better this morning so we had breakfast at a sidewalk café next door to the hotel. The owner was a talker and wouldn't shut up, wanted to practice his English, told us he lived in Los Angeles for three years. After breakfast I walked to the ADO station. I could have taken a cab but really enjoyed waking down the side streets. It was a good thing I decided to buy our tickets a day early, there was only two seats left and only one bus a day to Xalapa.
 
12 May, 2008
We took a cab to the small bus station and our bus finally arrived. I was the only one they patted down looking for AK47's and rocket launchers. It must be my American macho bandito look, the sombrero made me look like Clint Eastwood, I'm sure that's what it was. The bus made it's way out of town and it wasn't long before we could see the Gulf of Mexico. The bus drove along the coast and past Cempoala, the place that got me interested in Veracruz. We made it back to Xalapa and went directly to Marcelino and Elvira's la casa. She was washing flowers she had pulled off a cactus plant, I think, and mixed them in with the scrambled eggs and onions. A little salsa, eggs and onions with flowers  on a corn tortilla, very good. After eating we took a ride in the back of his small pickup truck thru the busy streets of Xalapa to Lupita and Neto's la casa. We were to spend the next few days at their house.
 
13 May, 2008
We had Pan and of course instant Nescafe for breakfast. Around 9am Marcelino and Elvira showed up and off we went about ten miles back into the hills and jungles. The country side is very beautiful and the property is expensive around here. I looked at a one acre corn field that was for sale for $40,000.00 u.s. Too expensive for me, the farther out from town the cheaper it got. That evening we went to a nice seafood restaurant in Xalapa which was very good.
 
14 May, 2008
I think this is the hottest day so far, about 95 deg F., I thought Xalapa was supposed to be cooler than this. Marcelino and Elvira showed up with their pickup truck, five of us crowded into the back and off to Naolinco we went. Marcelino must have taken driving lessons from the taxi drivers, flying up and down the hills like there is no time to waste. I thought the Mexicans were supposed to be slow at everything they do, what a myth. We passed an army checkpoint and they waved us thru, they didn't know I was carrying AK47's and rocket launchers. We made it to Naolinco and it was hot, hot, hot. It was a neat little town and we had lunch before we headed on down to Tepetlan. It was about 10 miles down the winding mountain road to Tepetlan but we finally made it. Elvira's mother lives here and has a Tienda (store) at the end of one of the small streets. The streets are cement paved, clean and the town is small with a small zocalo in the center. A mountain stream with waterfalls flow past the town and with the towering mountains in the background, it was really pretty. Mama Mia (Elvira's mother) made us lunch and one of her sisters, who owns a bakery, had baked a cake for us that was delicious.

Mama Mia is 73 years old and still going strong. We looked at a house next door that was for sale. It was a six bedroom two story house for $25,000.00 u.s., I just might buy it. We really had a good time but it's starting to get dark and it's time to head back to Xalapa.
 
15 May, 2008
Got up this morning and was feeling dehydrated from the heat. We jumped into the back of the chicken truck (Marcelino's pickup) and Jo got to visit Walmart, made her day. There has been no rain the whole time we have been here and it's been really hot. We said our goodbye's to Marcelino and Elvira. You couldn't ask for better friends.
 
16 May, 2008
Lupita and Neto walked us down to the main road about a block from their house and we said our goodbye's. Took a taxi to the bus station, buses to Puebla were leaving every hour, got our tickets and we were off to Puebla. We arrived at the Norte CAPU bus station in Puebla and made our way back to the ticket counter. I bought two tickets to the International Airport in D.F. We then took a cab to the NH Puebla Hotel for a much needed rest.
 
 
 
17 May, 2008
We made it back to the D.F. airport the next day, flew back to Atlanta. Took the Fastrak bus to our car and found our car covered with small dents, hailstones no less. We made it back to Cleveland, Tennessee and glad to be back home.
 
One week later
Jo decided she really likes Mexico and that six bedroom house in the photo's I took really look good. We are planning our next trip and plan on renting for a least a year while we look around and enjoy Mexico. We have friends in Comitan, Chiapas. This might be our next adventure.

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