After we returned from Metepec, Stephen and I boarded a bus to Veracruz. Margarita had decided that Oaxaca was too far away (and she was concerned about us driving a car in Mexico--she was probably right). She recommended Veracruz, and we were so glad she did!
We made arrangements to stay at Hotel Bello, and enjoyed a taxi ride from the bus station. Our driver, a true Jarocho, as the natives of Veracruz are known, told us about the changes to his city since he was a little boy. The folks at Hotel Bello were very kind, and gave us an excellent room with a view of the ocean. Although few people that we met at the hotel spoke English, all were very patient with our limited Spanish. We shared the hotel with about 100 small children who were in town for soccer (futbol) tournament. We had lots of time to interact with our fellow guests because, we were going up and down the elevator with all the buttons pushed! (Another bit that transcends language and culture, apparently.)
We enjoyed the air conditioning in the room because the drastic change from the dry air of Puebla to the very humid atmosphere of Veracruz was a bit of a shock. We had noticed the terrain changing--and the mountain drop-offs along the road (Yikes!), but didn't think about the humidity until we stepped out of the bus station.
Our visit to this city included important places, like the Acuario, the fort, and the Gran Cafe de la Parroquia. We also found time for relaxing in the zocalo, strolling along the beach and the malecon (the official boardwalk-type sidewalk), and visiting the mall for Rainey's haircut.
The fish at the Acuario were beautiful, and some were VERY large. We remembered those fish when we went swimming at the beach the next day. (Hmmmm...everything we saw in THERE is also in HERE with me....)
We took a harbor boat tour, and in addition to being boarded by a "pirate," we passed the famous sites of the city such as the huge Pemex building, the Isla de Sacrifios, and San Juan de Ulua fort. We saw some of the Mexican navy (a Navy "residence" is here) in a group near the Pemex building. We also saw some truly enormous ships and watched a special crane transferring cargo containers from ships to waiting tractor trailers. Now that's skill.
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We had breakfast at the justifiably famous Gran Cafe. The service was impeccable, and the waiter who did not speak much English, was kind to me about my Spanish. I really enjoyed the black bean omelet he recommended for me, and Stephen was thrilled with his feast. The high point of course, was the cafe lechero, served in a glass with coffee and hot milk poured into it with great style. As enchanting as the food experience was, Stephen was delighted to be able to communicate with the waiter enough to learn that his dream was to someday visit the United States.
As we walking or riding in a bus or a taxi, we saw several of U.S. fast food chains. Although the signs lead us to believe that they might be a bit different from what we've seen in the U.S., we were not tempted to partake. And yes, apparently Dominoe's delivers in Mexico too.
Although we saw many people swimming in their street clothes (the beaches we went to were as much for the locals as for us), we did use just our swimsuits when we went swimming. As we lay on the sand, various vendors offered us their wares: mangoes and other fruits, raspados and gloriosas (snowcones and snowcones made with milk), cartoon figures made with pipe cleaners, and rubber chickens, just to name a few.
On the bus back to Puebla, we saw large sacks of coffee beans for sale along the side of the road. Truly, the road back is lined with just the sort of geography that looks like it should grow coffee: fertile, green, and very steep.