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Veracruz bleg
The second part of our Mexico trip will be to Veracruz. Again your suggestions are most welcome...
Posted by Tyler Cowen on December 19, 2007 at 08:20 PM in Travels | Permalink
Comments
Avoid the fish places with signage warning of the symptoms of cholera. At least that's what I remember from Veracruz twenty years ago.
Mind you, the food tastes wonderful...
Posted by: Dave at Dec 19, 2007 8:34:09 PM
Jalapa is a cool little town just north of Veracruz and the people there are known as Jalapenos. Veracruz is cool too, I've just always found the smaller towns to be a lot less touristy. Oaxaca and Chiapas are by far my favorite places in Mexico.
Posted by: m at Dec 19, 2007 8:52:35 PM
Café de la Parroquia is right by the harbor and it's one of the most traditional places in town...they have great hot chocolate and coffee of course...definitely cheaper than any starbucks...
Jalapa is indeed a cool town...
Posted by: mf at Dec 19, 2007 9:06:42 PM
Cordoba, about 100km west from Veracruz, is a nice medium-sized town nestled in the mountains, at the foot of Pico de Orizaba, the largest mountain in Mexico.
Posted by: Nonemoreblack at Dec 19, 2007 9:47:15 PM
T: I have to third Jalapa. Very nice museum there too.
Posted by: angus at Dec 19, 2007 10:02:40 PM
Veracruz is four things. Most people will suggest the Parroquia. (I say forget it - nothing special). But I would venture to La Antigua - where Cortez landed - the story is told there and very impressive. I would also go to the Aquarium - which is very special. Then I would go up the hill to Xalapa(also spelled Jalapa) and see the Santa Ana hacienda and the Anthropological museum. Both are worth going to. Finally, I would go to the small city of Coatepec (which is a pretty little city in the Coffee region) - there is a great little hotel (Posada Coatepec) run by the son of one of the Coffee families. It is wonderful - the son has a lot of attention to detail.
Finally, if you think about one more side trip there are two other places I would go. First, I would go to Laguna Alchichica (photos at http://www.flickr.com/photos/drtaxsacto/sets/72157600008612463/). I would also consider taking the road from Puebla to Xalapa (and then you could go down the hill to Veracruz) - there are some pretty little towns (Acatzingo and Tepeaca) and the famous El Perote.
There are also pictures of Puebla (including the Museo Amparo) on my flickr site at http://www.flickr.com/photos/drtaxsacto/sets/72157600005865511/
Acatzingo and Tepeaca can be seen at http://www.flickr.com/photos/drtaxsacto/sets/72157600007557893/ and http://www.flickr.com/photos/drtaxsacto/sets/72157600007297392/
Have a wonderful trip!!!
Posted by: drtaxsacto at Dec 19, 2007 10:46:36 PM
TOP 5 THINGS TO DO IN VERACRUZ:
1. GET A 'TIBURONES' SOCCER JERSY (the sharks, its red)
2. ASK WHERE "MONKEY ISLAND IS" (yes monkeys that actually live on the island)
3. GET A JAROCHO'S SCARF (like those guys have - the ones with the small guitars)
4. LOOK FOR THOSE GIANT OLEMC STONE HEADS
5. PUT MUD ON YOUR FACE & GET BLESSED BY A SHAMAN (in Catemaco - at the Indian 'ruins')
[6? visit my family in Minatitlan and tell them Im sorry for not calling them often enough - especially Tia, she can get mean!]
(don't forget the cuban cigars)
Posted by: ryan michael daza at Dec 20, 2007 12:23:48 AM
Catemaco on the cost is a great place to visit, known as the witch doctor capital of the world. There are many tourist things to do, visiting the native's villages, seeing a great natural waterfall, but best of all, going to where no other Americans are present.
There are also lagoon tours and a great virgin beach at the and of the lagoon. A local restaurant there catches your food from the ocean after you order, so it is as fresh as it gets.
the one downside is that you are treated as a bag of money at times, each person trying to beg for their cut.
Posted by: Ross Williams at Dec 20, 2007 1:54:37 AM
Tlacotalpan is very pretty. Well worth a visit.
Posted by: J at Dec 20, 2007 6:40:58 AM
Re-read the beginning of Porter's Ship of Fools.
Posted by: lrv at Dec 20, 2007 11:14:30 AM
I know the city of Veracruz well (you didn't specify whether you meant the state in general or just the city), and would say that there's plenty of ambience to enjoy in the city:
* The Gran Café de la Parroquia is a traditional stop. Go in the morning and have a lechero (strong coffee with just-off-the-cow steamed milk), tirados (eggs scrambled with black beans, yum!) and a bomba con mantequilla (a sweet bun toasted with fresh butter).
* In the evenings people congregate on the main plaza at Los Portales, a series of bars where all the tables are out on the plaza. There are always marimbas and often there will be dancers doing the traditional danzón on the plaza (I believe Thursdays and Saturdays). This isn't touristy -- it's something that's been going on for decades.
* Peanut, guava or lemon ices from the Güero Güero Güera Guëra ice cream shop, either a block east of Los Portales, or along the Boulevard (close to the Aquarium, a more touristy thing to visit).
* The well-preserved ancient Spanish fort of San Juan de Ulúa is lit up at night, and stands in the middle of one of the busiest ports in Mexico.
* La Villa Rica is a traditional restaurant with several locations for delicious seafood with local recipes. The location at Mocambo beach is the most traditional, and quite charming.
* The recommendations for the visits to La Antigua and Xalapa are solid; the Anthropological museum is a must-see, as is the Hacienda Santa Ana. On the same visit, you could go to El Tajín, an amazing archaeological site of a huge Olmec city. These ruins don't receive nearly the coverage they deserve, and the city is easily on a par with Chichén Itzá or Tulúm in the Yucatan peninsula. The Olmec culture is very well represented at the Xalapa museum.
The drive from Puebla to Veracruz is an easy four-hour drive on a recently-built toll road, so that shouldn't be a problem for you.
I'll be there over the holidays, so if you need any more suggestions, shoot me an email.
Posted by: Fred at Dec 20, 2007 12:59:49 PM
My (State of) Veracruz native wife is crying that you get to be in Veracruz for Christmas while she has to settle for Lake Tahoe!
Posted by: Scott Wood at Dec 20, 2007 3:30:45 PM
Xalapa, between Puebla and Veracruz, is a lovely hill town on the escarpment between the Central Mexican plateau and the coastal lowlands. There's a beautiful lake in the middle of town surrounded by a park full of jacaranda trees.
Posted by: Steve Sailer at Dec 20, 2007 7:44:31 PM
Being native to Veracruz I can say the whole state is beautiful and interesting to visit, from north to south. But I see that nobody has recommended you to eat the "antojitos" local to the state: if you happen to go down from Puebla to Veracruz through the highway that is called "Cumbres de Maltrata" make it a point to stop in one of the overlook points before the tunnels. There is a spectacular view of the Valley surrounded by the mountains. And then, if you decide to stop by Orizaba at night, try the "chileatole". It is like a hot soup made with corn that can be very tasty, that is very typical from there. If you happen to like antojitos and it is at night you can have "garnachas" which are tortillas fried with potato, meat and spicy red salsa. They are very tasty!...and, if it is the morning, try the "picaditas". Those are a kind of tortilla but thicker that have salsa on top (green or red) and then cheese, chopped onion and beans. There is a place near Cordoba called Fortin. And in Fortin there is a place where you can have delicious "picaditas" in the morning. The address is on Ave, 3, Centro; it is one block from the park. If you like coffee you can get inexpensive good coffee in a "Cafe" called "Kalufe" in Orizaba or Fortin and they also say coffee liquor and coffee cookies. As for the places, the "Museo de Arte del Estado" in Orizaba is small but worth visiting. Wish you a happy and exciting trip!
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Posted by: bjseeksdggc at Dec 21, 2007 3:52:43 AM
Tyler,
Here goes a list of my Veracruz favourites:
1. Best seafood: try the stalls at Mandinga, in the town of Boca del Río (right next to the port of Veracruz). Amazing shrimp, great huauchinango a la veracruzana.
2. Most interesting side trip: El Tajín. About two hours north of Veracruz, this is one of the most interesting and unusual archaeological sites in Mesoamerica, a 2,000 year-old remnant of the verypoorly understood Totonac culture. The Totonacs are among other things the producers of one particularly beautiful type of Mesoamerican artifact: the so-called "smiling face" sculptures (can anyone think of any other classical culture where the human smile was so prominently displayed?). To go to El Tajín, you have to go through Papantla, a town known for two things: the "voladores" ritual(i.e., a ceremony of dancers flying down from a high pole with their legs tied to a rope) and the best vanilla you will find anywhere in the world (outside Madagascar). It's well worth a short stop.
3. A cool historical moment: I wouldn't go to Jalapa if I were you. It is a nice town, with a great museum,lovely parks , and a good university, but it is rather unispiring and bland. But if you do there stop at Manga de Clavo, a restored hacienda whose most famous previous owner is a character well-known in US history: Antonio L[opez de Santa Anna (yes, the guy from the Alamo). From there, that most bizarre of Mexican historical figures plotted and plotted yet again his way back to power (11 times in total) and planned his less than completely succesful Texas campaign in 1836. A nice site for history buffs.
4. Most interesting architecture and urban setting: Tlacotalpan. This is a lovely town, right down south from Veracruz, on the shore of the Pánuco river. It looks like a giant and surreal wedding cake, all pastel colors in a tropical setting. And of course, Tlacotalpan is renowned for its great musicians, most notable of which was Agustín Lara, composer of some of trhe best, most soulful boleros ever written and an iconic figure of mid-century Mexico.
4. Best book to prepare for a visit to Veracruz: Bernal Diaz del Castillo's True History of the Conquest of New Spain (I'm sure you have read it, but do reread, particularly the early chapters)
Posted by: Alejandro Hope at Dec 21, 2007 9:51:51 PM
Tyler,
Here goes a list of my Veracruz favourites:
1. Best seafood: try the stalls at Mandinga, in the town of Boca del Río (right next to the port of Veracruz). Amazing shrimp, great huauchinango a la veracruzana.
2. Most interesting side trip: El Tajín. About two hours north of Veracruz, this is one of the most interesting and unusual archaeological sites in Mesoamerica, a 2,000 year-old remnant of the verypoorly understood Totonac culture. The Totonacs are among other things the producers of one particularly beautiful type of Mesoamerican artifact: the so-called "smiling face" sculptures (can anyone think of any other classical culture where the human smile was so prominently displayed?). To go to El Tajín, you have to go through Papantla, a town known for two things: the "voladores" ritual(i.e., a ceremony of dancers flying down from a high pole with their legs tied to a rope) and the best vanilla you will find anywhere in the world (outside Madagascar). It's well worth a short stop.
3. A cool historical moment: I wouldn't go to Jalapa if I were you. It is a nice town, with a great museum,lovely parks , and a good university, but it is rather unispiring and bland. But if you do there stop at Manga de Clavo, a restored hacienda whose most famous previous owner is a character well-known in US history: Antonio L[opez de Santa Anna (yes, the guy from the Alamo). From there, that most bizarre of Mexican historical figures plotted and plotted yet again his way back to power (11 times in total) and planned his less than completely succesful Texas campaign in 1836. A nice site for history buffs.
4. Most interesting architecture and urban setting: Tlacotalpan. This is a lovely town, right down south from Veracruz, on the shore of the Pánuco river. It looks like a giant and surreal wedding cake, all pastel colors in a tropical setting. And of course, Tlacotalpan is renowned for its great musicians, most notable of which was Agustín Lara, composer of some of trhe best, most soulful boleros ever written and an iconic figure of mid-century Mexico.
4. Best book to prepare for a visit to Veracruz: Bernal Diaz del Castillo's True History of the Conquest of New Spain (I'm sure you have read it, but do reread, particularly the early chapters)
Posted by: Alejandro Hope at Dec 21, 2007 9:53:27 PM
Tyler:
Top 5 attractions in the state of Veracruz in my opinion:
1) Visit Antigua, near the port of Veracruz, including the ruins of the first spanish settlement and take a boat trip up the river.
2) Visit El Tajin, one of the most underrated and beautiful prehispanic ruins.
3) Visit Coatepec, a gem of a colonial town, near Xalapa.
4) Visit Catemaco, take a mud bath and dare to endure 10 minutes inside the Temazcal, the prehispanic steam bath. Eat "monkey meat" and smoke a locally made "Te Amo" Cuban cigar
5)Visit Cuetzalan, including the market, the waterfall, a coffee plantation and the amazing caves.
Have a good trip.
Posted by: Enrique at Dec 21, 2007 11:19:32 PM
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