Aztec Trek Part 6 – Port...and Pepper!

For over 400 years Veracruz (or Heroica Veracruz to give it its full name) was Mexico’s gateway to the outside world, and its oldest European-founded city.  Taking a quick stopover back in the trendy Roma neighbourhood of Mexico City, we had chosen to cross over to the Gulf of Mexico to visit this historic and intriguing sounding port. Our first impressions were disappointing, as we checked into our dark and gloomy apartment set on the outskirts of town.  Many of the old colonial buildings had been left to decay, some taken over by nature with full size trees growing out of the doors and windows! But we were determined to find the charm and character amongst the grime…

Things improved slightly that evening when we found a little Italian restaurant around the corner, serving home made pasta and good wine.  A quick visit to the Malecon (promenade) which runs for over 20km along the coast, for some sea air (much needed as the temperatures here were hitting the mid 20’s) set us up for a good night’s sleep.

The following couple of days added to our despondency as the weather had turned grey, drizzly and humid, which left me feeling rather underwhelmed with the dirty and rather run-down city streets.

Things always look better when the sun shines, so when it eventually made an appearance, we took ourselves on a very long but enjoyable walk along the coast, watching the huge tankers queueing up to enter the port. The further south we went, the atmosphere became more resort-like and we strolled past a huge aquarium, and then several small beaches full of cafes, and vendors hiring out umbrellas and sunchairs. They were trying to make this end of Veracruz into the new “Miami” along with marina and flashy yachts and we discovered a huge US style mall overlooking the ocean, where we had a cool drink and decided we’d walked far enough for one day!

Although a busy port, we were surprised to learn that there were several small islands surrounded by crystal clear waters just off the coast.  Most were protected marine reserves, but we took a boat across to the Isla de Enmedio for a spot of snorkelling.  The reef was still in the process of recovering (possibly El Niño or pollution damage?) and there weren’t too many fish, but we did spot a congar eel, a puffer fish and couple of baby turtles.  One cute little fish obviously thought I was his mum, and followed me around endlessly while I was in the water! We almost had this idyllic island to ourselves and it felt like we had landed in paradise.  If only we could bottle it and take it home with us…

We began to get a better feel for the place as we sat in a bar surrounding the Zocalo (central square) one evening – the place seems to come alive at night.  A big Mexico City football derby was on the big screens at several cafés and the atmosphere was electric.  Musicians had also set up in some restaurants and around the square and it was an interesting spot to sit and people watch, despite the constant interruptions from vendors (some were, sadly, very young children) trying to sell their wares from table to table. Overlooked by the beautifully illuminated cathedral, the zocalo was being decorated for Christmas with a giant tree and hundreds of poinsettias and looked stunning.

The other unmissable pit stop in Veracruz was the Gran Café de la Parroquia, dating back to 1808, where you are served its famous milky coffee (lechero) by white jacketed waiters.  To order more, you simply tap your spoon against your glass to attract attention and you are served a small measure of strong coffee, topped up from a great height with hot frothy milk from a huge brass kettle.  Beats Starbucks any day!

Heading inland again, we took the bus to the university town and state capital, Xalapa (pronounced halapa).  It was once called Jalapa and gave its name to the spicy green jalapeño pepper. With its highland location, it was however nowhere near as hot as its famous produce, and we no longer needed the air con to sleep.  It was also extremely hilly as we discovered as we climbed up the very steep roads to the city centre.  It was worth the effort however, as we strolled around the lively market in the Parque Juarez, which again had been adorned with poinsettias and tinsel in preparation for the holidays.

Being a student town and situated in a renowned coffee-growing area, alongside plentiful shops, bars and art galleries, there were dozens of hip cafes and coffee joints.  I don’t think I’ll have a problem finding decent vegetarian food here!

Climbing up and down the streets to our lovely little posada certainly helped burn off a few calories, as did our trip to the nearby Jalcomulco for a spot of white-water rafting.  This had become one of our favourite pastimes wherever we could find some rapids. During the very picturesque taxi ride there, we passed fields of corn, sugar cane and acres of coffee plants set amongst the shade of lime and mango trees.

Our guide was the affable and very funny Milano, who himself had represented Mexico in world rafting competitions, so we hoped we were in safe hands!  We were a bit worried as we were the only two participants on this activity but were re-assured when this experienced family outfit also provided us with two “remadores” or rowers.  The Rio Antigua rapids didn’t disappoint as we alternately hurtled and floated down along the tranquil and very scenic jungle-clad ravine under Milano’s watchful eye.  He must have had it closed however, when we crashed into a giant bolder, sending Ian flying out of the raft into the foam for the second time.  He was promptly rescued but had hurt his back on the rock, so of course once the adrenalin had worn off, he had to have several beers on our return to “numb the pain”!

With sore and aching limbs, we both limped into town the next day wondering if we were getting too old for this kind of strenuous activity! We did finally wake up and smell the coffee – no, we hadn’t just come to our senses – but had taken a trip to the nearby town of Coatapec or “Mexico’s coffee capital”.  The weather had taken a turn for the worse and for once I couldn’t blame the locals for wearing woolly hats and puffer jackets!  After a slow (Ian was still suffering from his boating injuries) walk around this coffee-scented town, and a delicious coconut latte at the coffee museum, we headed home for shelter from the pouring rain.

I wandered lonely as a cloud…on our last day, as Ian was still finding it difficult to walk!  I didn’t see a host of golden daffodils, but the Francisco Javier Botanical Garden provided a wonderful array of tropical plants and herbs. The adjacent cloud forest was home to a huge but sadly diminishing variety of birds, orchids, funghi, frogs, snakes and iguanas.  It also provides 30% of Xalapa’s water supply, so the environmental projects that are being put in place to restore and protect it are vital. Although it was a tad chilly, I did enjoy the solitude as I walked amongst the huge bamboos and ferns.

Ian managed to hobble a local restaurant which offered decent veggie burritos and had a live band playing great rock/blues that evening, and thus ended our stay in Xalapa – another interesting and very different Mexican city.

Next stop:  A night on the tiles…