Winding our way into Veracruz

We left San Miguel de Allende heading West, our stop would be at Pachuca and we would stay with some family there. Distant family, I’m not sure how it works but the youngest of the kids there are uncles? Either way we stayed for a few nights and we were received and treated very well.

We had a tour of the city; I believe there are over 260,000 thousand people there. Its proximity to Mexico City means that people can commute South for an hour versus commuting through Mexico City for two hours. The area is mountainous and there are old buildings and an important clock tower. The town was established by the British for mining purposes and then abandoned but has some particular beauty due to the mountains and surrounding small towns that are very touristy.

Spending time with these new family members was refreshing; they are intelligent hard working and good people. I had a great time and they just about killed Deya and I with good food and attention.

After exiting the route got interesting, we somehow ended up on a short toll road and there didn’t seem to be any escape. Once off the road we got onto another route that we had been warned was very dangerous. Dangerous means curves here and we had a great time. The route was gorgeous and there was enough traffic and enough curves to keep it moving slowly. WAY safer than the maniacs on the toll roads. It was also way more interesting and you can stop just about anywhere for a break.

We stopped at a little road side café run by two ladies and had Café de olla. It was really good coffee. We chatted and they told us some of the local news about some bad stuff in a nearby town. Remember the study? Everyone talks about the bad people in the nearby town, it seems to hold true everywhere we go. As far as security goes here it is more about your regular crimes versus the Narco crimes. We did notice a lot of Police with balaclavas on, though there were also some important government officials in the area. The two ladies sent us away with two kinds of bananas, both no longer than your finger or thumb but thicker. One has a very strong banana taste which is very appealing and the other had an orange flavour and was coloured slightly orange, very cool.

We ended our day near the beach on the Gulf of Mexico, the sea was rough and the water was dark closer to shore. The day was overcast and we had very mild rain. It was cold enough all day that I wore my raingear from departure to arrival. We ate simply with some leftovers and bought a half kilo of fresh tortillas for about 50 cents CDN.

The next morning we left early, the sky was clear and it was warmer, we ended on another toll but this time it was for two bridges so I wasn’t bothered too much. The route was easy and as we left the coast, destination Coscomatepec, it became twisty and the altitude rose up to about 1500 metres. It again got beautiful with bright, natural flowers everywhere and many coffee plantations, the feeling was relaxed and the riding was grand. The area is lush and green and you can see why people will say that Veracruz is rich. They don’t mean in dollars but in land, you can throw anything on the ground here and stuff will grow. I am pretty fond of the landscape here and impressed at the weather, it’s cool and clouding in the evening and often rains at night while keeping a reasonable and warm temperature during the day.

We arrived at Coscomatepec and were greeted again by family at their bakery. We arrived sat down and were served FANTASTIC coffee and one of my favourite breads from this area. It was the best coffee I’ve had since entering Mexico and my mind was refreshed for the 20 minutes of pleasure. I love sitting at a café, a cool and light breeze, mountain air and fresh strong and hot coffee in my hands. It’s as good for me as a long easy ride and lets my mind wander. We ended the day with a great dinner, family and a plan to tour the area a bit and stay another night.