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February - March 2019
One month in Mexico Read more
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  • TravelerMexit
    Day 1

    Day 1: London to Mexico City

    February 6, 2019 in Mexico ⋅ ☀️ 23 °C

    One way to escape Brexit in Britain is to do the decent thing and make my Mexit. Mexico has something in common with the subject of my previous trip, Morocco, both countries beginning and ending with the same letter. That's about where the similarity ends. Mexico is almost 2 million sq. km. (750,000 square miles) in size and like many other big countries, is actually about 20 rolled into one. The north is mainly desert but as one travels south, the climate gradually becomes more moist until reaching the south-east, which retains some rain forest. There's also the height factor: some of the mountains are snow-capped but the coast can be steamy and sultry at 35C plus. Although the official language is Spanish, there are dozens of indigenous languages, some spoken by over a million people. Mexico is carpeted with the remains of ancient cities built by the Aztecs, Mayas and others but the Spanish legacy has left hundreds of beautiful churches up and down the country.

    I have travelled to Mexico several times and this time have decided to confine myself to a relatively small area, starting in the capital and moving overland to the states of Veracruz and Oaxaca to the south-east. It's a direct overnight flight from Heathrow to Mexico City. The flight is scheduled to land there at 5 a.m. but as fate would have it, the head wind is light and I arrive an hour early. Much too early to brave the city so I kill some hours in the departure zone. It's not all sit and wait however and there is some culture to enjoy: an excellent black-and-white photographic exhibition entitled "Afroreggae" by one Daniel Taveira based on young musicians in a favela (slum) of Rio de Janeiro---which as it happens, I visited less than 6 months ago.

    When dawn breaks, it's still too early to check into my accommodation so I use the time getting a taxi to the northern bus terminal to buy an onward ticket. From there I take to the Metro. The system, built in the 1970s, is a bit rough and ready and there is a 10-minute walk at one interchange station but for 5 pesos (20p), who can grumble? And so by 10 a.m. I am safely indoors and half an hour later, breakfasted at Any's, a hospitable guest house in the Roma district.    Read more

  • TravelerMexit
    Day 2

    Days 2 & 3: Mexico City

    February 7, 2019 in Mexico ⋅ ☀️ 23 °C

    Any's have given me a huge room with one double and one single bed, a table and kitchenette with fridge as well as the bathroom. This part of the building probably goes back to the Porfirista period, named after the dictator who ruled the country from 1884 to 1911. Whatever one may think of his politics, this period left a legacy of pompous vaguely French-looking buildings; high ceilings, flowery cornices, chandeliers and creaking floorboards are standards.

    After a lie down I start to explore the neighbourhood. The streets are named after other Mexican states so I feel half-way to Oaxaca and Veracruz already. I have the good fortune to be there just after the release of the film "Roma" which is named after this quarter and I make a pilgrimage to Calle (Street) Tepeji where much of the filming took place. Roma is an up-and-coming neighbourhood with quiet, leafy avenues, bars and restaurants, and reminds me of San Telmo in Buenos Aires and Barrio Brasil in Santiago.

    The next morning Daniel prepares huevos rancheros, which are so good that I have them nearly every morning in Mexico. They're fried eggs bulked out with spicy "picante" sauce, sitting on tortillas (not the Spanish ones, these are prepared from maize and look like small pancakes) and the indispensable beans. And here, beanz meanz not Heinz but refried black or brown! There's a pleasant family atmosphere downstairs. The TV is showing videos of Latin American pop songs. Shakira is shimmying across the stage floor, leaving little to the imagination. Does she still do this or was this video made years ago?

    It's a day for the city centre. Although huge tracts of Mexico City are dirt-poor, the nucleus is sophisticated as befits a 20 million strong city. In a former bank I visit a brilliant exhibition by Graciela Iturbide, who photographs in black-and-white, the subjects mainly of ordinary Mexican people, either at work or in carnival mode. Nearby, the main Post Office is a fantastic creation recalling the late Spanish Gothic period and it's worth the entrance just to buy stamps for my postcards. The service is amiable but at the time of writing, the second half of March, the cards still haven't reached their recipients; in contrast my brother sent me a card of a Maya site in the Yucatan which arrived home in a week---because he posted it in the USA. Outside there's a profusion of people in army uniforms playing the mournful sounds of barrel organs but I prefer the rock group round the corner, thumping out 1960s classics. Try to imagine "Born to be Wild" with a strong Mexican-Spanish accent!    Read more

  • TravelerMexit
    Day 4

    Days 4 & 5: Papantla

    February 9, 2019 in Mexico ⋅ ☁️ 14 °C

    After only 48 hours Mexico City has already come to feel like home and I'm glad to have booked a return just before this trip ends. Meanwhile I'm heading for the city of Papantla towards the Gulf of Mexico and a 45 Metro ride takes me back to the northern bus terminal, one of four in the city.

    Mexican land transport is generally good. The intercity buses are classified, with the first and second classes sometimes located in separate parts of the city, or under one roof as here. Transport is privatised and the main player in the south and east of Mexico is ADO. The staff, neatly kitted in red and white uniforms, are courteous and efficient. To confirm the transaction, they read back the destination, date, time and seat number. Security is efficient too: the terminal staff do two baggage scans and an ADO man photographs all the passengers in their seats.

    Four hours after departure, I'm in Papantla. It's an unremarkable city of about 50,000 people; there are sometimes dancers in the main plaza and the cathedral lists an intriguing number of Ps and Qs to be minded: crossing one's legs is disrespectful! What makes Papantla special is the spectacle of the "voladores". This is a team of five men wearing indigenous costumes; one of them plays a small flute while the others encircle a metal pole about 100 feet high. Then they climb the pole; at the top the musician continues with his flute and a drum. Meanwhile the others coil ropes around themselves and gradually pay these out, rotating round the pole in ever-increasing circles until they reach the ground. I'd rather them than me but it's a great spectacle, repeated hourly.

    A few miles outside Papantla lies the pre-Columbian site of El Tajin. This city flourished around 600 to 1200 A.D. before the Aztecs and covered an area of 10 sq. km. (4 square miles). Among the wealth of pyramids lies the Pyramid of the Niches, with 365 of them for each day of the year. It's nice to be visiting a little known site; there are a few hundred visitors but I seem to be the only foreigner.

    And it being a Sunday, El Tajin too hosts an hourly voladores display.    Read more

  • TravelerMexit
    Day 6

    Days 6 & 7: Tlacotalpan

    February 11, 2019 in Mexico

    It's Monday morning and I'm on the move again, to Veracruz. Here the first- and second-class bus stations are side by side so it's easy to transfer to the service to Tlacotalpan. What's not always easy however is to find out in advance about local routes but my fears are allayed by a plentiful service to Tlacotalpan. It's often the way with accommodation as well, and some people---even young technocrats---rather than prebooking, prefer to seek lodgings when they arrive, claiming that lots of it isn't on line. However my prebooked hotel is one of most charming of my stay in Mexico.

    Tlacotalpan---shall I call it Tlackers?---is a sleepy, lazy town of about 10,000 people. Lying on the equally hard to pronounce River Papaloapan which is 200 m. wide here, it was once a significant port until superseded by a railway and then the roads. A few boats chug contentedly across the river but it was largely forgotten until becoming a UNESCO World Heritage site. The colourful, colonnaded houses are reminiscent of Cuba which perhaps isn't surprising given that the land of Castro is just across the Gulf. The swampy locality suggests mosquitoes---worryingly, there is a town nearby called Mosquitero---but these are combated by a man with a roaring insecticide pump who patrols the town centre in the evenings.

    I have arrived just before 6 p.m. to enjoy the "golden hour" of mellow late afternoon light washing the buildings with a much softer glow than the harsh overhead conditions of midday. Tlackers boasts no less than 4 attractive plazas and one of them has 2 churches. And one of these carries the message "You don't need a mobile (cellphone) to talk to God". Absolutely!

    Tlackers is small enough to enjoy without excessive walking. In the morning a group of men are raising small flags, Iwo Jima style, denoting other UNESCO towns in Mexico. Most of these---Guanajuato, Zacatecas and others---were not ports but mining centres in Colonial times. And later I come across some people who have found a snake, possibly a python, in the grass. Maybe the dogs in the town are nervous but I hope the people will give Monty a safe home somewhere.    Read more

  • TravelerMexit
    Day 8

    Days 8 & 9: San Andres Tuxtla

    February 13, 2019 in Mexico

    Once again the bus service on the ground exceeds that predicted on line and I am on a single stage service to San Andres Tuxtla. This is another place little known outside Mexico. The town itself is not particularly remarkable but its chief interest is its lying in a tobacco growing region. So if Cuba is inaccessible, SA Tuxtla is a substitute. The Santa Clara factory offers free tours, showing a fascinating display of how the cigars are hand-rolled. Founded in 1830, Santa Clara strangely shares a name with a cake shop chain (founded 1924) which also serves fantastic chocolate milk shakes. You can either get a smoking habit or boost your waist inches---take your choice!

    SA Tuxtla is as good place as any to observe traditional Mexican practices. If you hear a high pitched whistle in the street, it may herald the approach of a knife sharpener (see below). A harsher whoosh sound may denote the presence of the man selling sort of roast chestnuts, the noise emerging from the chimney.

    A team of musicians is tuning up in the plaza. They are delighted to pose for me although I realise later that they're heading a funeral procession. But in Mexico the lines between the living and the departed are more blurred than they are here and it's not the mournful occasion that one might expect. And to finish on a happy note, the 14th February is approaching and gifts, toys etc. marking the big day are everywhere!    Read more

  • TravelerMexit
    Day 10

    Days 10 to 12: Catemaco

    February 15, 2019 in Mexico

    The short journey to the lakeside town of Catemaco leads me to the Posada Bugambilias. It's not very conveniently located, outside the town centre and away from the lake but Chepina the owner gives me a warm welcome. She knows a lot of local people and sets me up with a trip to a nature reserve, the Benito Juarez, named after the 19th century Mexican president. We stand by the roadside and presently the transport she has ordered rolls up. It's a "rural mixto", a small truck so-named for carrying goods---on the roof---and people. There are two rows of seats in the cab but I sit on one of two inward-facing benches in the trailer. I haven't much clue where this is heading but after following the lake for a dozen miles, the road leaves the shore and rises to a small village where they let me get off. There a man walks me to a house where my guide (on the right in the picture) takes me to the reserve. She leads me through some fields and then the foliage closes in until we're in the last swathe of jungle in these parts. The atmosphere becomes sticky and oppressive but is easily compensated by the beautiful waterfalls. I'm pleased not only that despite the dry season the water is running, and I can hand hold the camera for 1/8 of a second.

    Catemaco is quite popular with visitors at weekends so it's no trouble to join a boat party on the lake. It's not short of wildlife and swimmers must take care because of crocodiles. Their usual prey however are birds, other reptiles and mammals like the spider monkey if they fall in!

    In the continuing weekend euphoria, a threesome (two pictured here) serenade the tables where I'm having dinner. Music while you eat!    Read more

  • TravelerMexit
    Day 13

    Days 13 to 15: Veracruz

    February 18, 2019 in Mexico ⋅ ☁️ 25 °C

    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

  • TravelerMexit
    1
    Day 16

    Days 16 & 17: Oaxaca

    February 21, 2019 in Mexico ⋅ ⛅ 23 °C

    I'm up before dawn for the taxi to the first-class bus terminal. The taxi driver jumps all the lights but Veracruz is quiet at 6 a.m. The bus takes a roundabout route to avoid the highest mountains but suffers a puncture on the motorway. Fortunately ADO does a good job and the driver contacts some other services to offload the passengers and the net delay is only an hour.

    Oaxaca (pronounced Wahaca like the restaurant chain) unlike Veracruz, IS pretty and is popular with tourists and expats alike; I see more gringos in an hour than in the 3 days in the Gulf port. But besides its beauty, Oaxaca enjoys a pleasant climate, still hot (up to 30C) by day but fresh at night.

    Oaxaca lies in a more traditional part of Mexico and there is a large indigenous population, some of whom speak the original languages. It's also the quintessential market city with covered arcades, some of which have performing musicians inside. The street stalls spill on to the central plazas (two for the price of one, corner to corner by the Cathedral). The colours are extraordinary. A bit surprisingly for a country where the mural was perfected (Orozco, Rivera and others) there's less street art than in some Latin American cities but the hotel where I'm staying boasts a pretty one.

    On my second afternoon while stopping to buy a snack, there's a commotion outside of drums, brass and cheering. I rush outside to witness a street parade, one of many in the run-up to the pre-Lent Carnival. In 3 minutes it's all past but I look forward to more later, and wonder if the dancing girl was the model for the painting in my hotel.    Read more

  • TravelerMexit
    Day 18

    Days 18 to 21: Mazunte

    February 23, 2019 in Mexico ⋅ ☀️ 31 °C

    I arrive on the Pacific coast of Oaxaca state. The roads are too narrow and twisting for full-size buses but there's a regular minibus service. Because of the winding road, some of my companions, medical students at New Jersey who stayed up till 3 this morning, are decidedly queasy. I wouldn't swap their condition for mine, Mexican flu or Mexicold as it is. Also the minibus is cramped; if this were a prison, 6 hours of knee-to-chin seating would have me confessing to anything within minutes.

    No matter: my lodgings are run by a delightful Italian couple. Marco speaks English; Roberta only Spanish (apart from Italian) but they both like my public school accent. A French couple have just arrived from the Yucatan and weren't very impressed; I hope it hasn't changed too much since my visit 2 years ago.

    Oh well; the beaches of Mazunte and San Agustinillo are pleasant enough. Unusually, the Pacific actually IS Pacific here and it's good for swimming. I get a "girl from Ipanema" photo and one showing an itinerant beach vendor, a thankless job in this 30C heat. And---pure joy---cacti! These specimens can reach 20 feet and are a reminder that the dry season in much of Mexico is long.

    Mazunte is a town of a few hundred inhabitants. Beach supply shops mingle with general stores (abarrotes). Access to one of them is via steps leading over a wall; there must be flooding threats sometimes. The VW beetle picture shows how supplies---tortillas here---are transferred. Mazunte's chilled out vibe attracts all manner of beads, beards and braids. Hangouts have names like Dharma and Siddhartha and I wonder why people into alternative cultures don't seek out some indigenous Mexican ones. After an unsuccessful first evening chewing on an "artesanal" (craft) beef sandwich, I breakfast the next morning at the nearby Cafecito. It's an unassuming, almost apologetic place that's much more than a cafe. The huevos rancheros fill me until dinner and the bistec milanesa napolitana, while steeped in mozzarella, has a Mexican twist with spicy tomatoey sauce and if necessary would last 24 hours. Including a couple of beers for £5. I'm not likely to lose weight here!    Read more

  • TravelerMexit
    11
    Day 22

    Days 22 to 26: Oaxaca again

    February 27, 2019 in Mexico ⋅ ☀️ 24 °C

    I'm back in the state capital, after another roller-coaster ride with a driver who thinks he's Lewis Hamilton. In the morning I ditch the huevos for a day and have a superbly healthy Herbalife breakfast. The evening meal is not so successful---chicken tikka masala, would you believe---and I resolve to go back to Mexican the next day. Which is a blow-out with chilaquiles---tortillas stuffed with chicken and cheese, not forgetting the picante sauce.

    The never-ending circus in the Zocalo ramps up around sunset and tonight they invite dancers to take the floor to the sounds of mariachi (northern music with lots of strings and sometimes an accordion) and cumbia (a characteristic Afro-Latin beat imported from Colombia and very popular here). Carnival season is getting properly under way and while I had considered staying in Veracruz for its famous one, I'm getting to enjoy the more folksy processions elsewhere. Rather than performing on a large stage, the revellers parade the city streets to make you feel part of the jollifications rather than a spectator. The costumes are fantastic and many people wear masks, often representing death or the devil, to frighten evil spirits. Then those incredibly good people, the giant puppets, come on as late substitutes. It's been a satisfying day.    Read more

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