Days 13 to 15: Veracruz

The ride to Veracruz is a straight 3 hour shot. The city. 500 years old this year, is called "heroica" after surviving numerous pirate attacks over the centuries. Francis Drake was here, so they say---also for different reasons, Alexander von Humboldt the polymath. Veracruz is not pretty but a modern, working port and I like it that way.

The waterfront seems to have been cleared of clutter and offers impressive views of the harbour and I'm pleased that pedestrians are allowed to wander along the mole. As the pelican flies, San Juan de Ulua fortress is less than a mile away but a taxi ride the long way round is five times that. The 19th century statesman Benito Juarez was imprisoned here before he became president. Not sure about Otis Redding but to sit on the dock of the bay, there are few better places.

Elsewhere the backstreets lie in pleasing decadence that would give Havana a run for its money. But instead of ancient Oldsmobiles and Buicks, you may come across a beaten Beetle, a survivor from the Volkswagen factory in the city of Puebla.

Like so many places in Mexico, Veracruz has a lively market and I update my wardrobe with a T-shirt simulating a "guayabera", the cotton shirt with pleats, pockets and lapels so popular on the Gulf coast---and that includes Cuba as well.Read more