2000 - 2001
Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
We are writing this on Christmas Day and we have spent a day sight-seeing in Fortin de las Flores, and then downtown Orizaba. These two cities are halfways between Puebla and Veracruz. We are the only people in the campground which is part of a Hotel which is also unoccupied at this time. The dining room is also closed today, but we had a large meal near the Mercado. Chris had a Seafood Soup, and I had a fillet of sole. It was very good.
Fortin de las Flores was disappointing as we expected to see nicer gardens and flowers as it it known for this, but we thought the town looked a little shaby - or we have seen others that were more delightful, colorful and better maintained. We did get a very good view of Mount Orizaba,which is the third hightest mountain in North America. It is a dormant volcano and has a permanent snow cap. We took a taxi to Fortin and then took the local bus back.
Orizaba’s center was busy with families and people going to church, market or eating in restaurants or on the sidewalks. The little Indian ladies were selling their vegetables along the sidewalk and their merchandise is so cheap. The Balloon fellow was in the plaza and the children who had new toys were playing with them - some had new scooters. This is not a tourist town but rather an industrial city with cement plants, bottling plants, and a brewery. We saw large dealerships for VW, Ford, GM, Nissan and Honda. In fact we are going to the Ford dealership tomorrow to have our truck checked out as the “check engine light” came on twice and we want to make sure there is no problem. Chris always likes to have these things checked as soon as possible so we do not have a problem when there is no dealership in sight.
We have spent the majority of our time along the Gulf Coast, where we encountered high winds, rain and more rain. Down here they are called “el nortes”. The mid winter has a lot of this type of weather so later in the spring would be a more desirable time to visit. We have spent time with our camper beside the Gulf, overnighting at a Pemex (gas station), beside an ancient archeological site, in the jungle at a very basic site with trees dripping with manderin oranges and tropical birds feasting on the fruit. We also staying on the street in a picture-book pretty town called Tlacotalpan. We are now inland and working our way to the west coast.
New Years Eve
The last few days we have been travelling into the city of Puebla. It is the fourth largest city in Mexico and 7,100’ above sea level. Coming from sea level we can feel the change in altitude. The city is built on a plain so there are no hills to climb and the street in the inner-city are all on the square so it is easy to find your way around. The city is known for all the different tiles that cover the buildings and it looks quite Moorish.
We thought we would go to a local theatre for the play “Grease” in Spanish “Vaselina” but it was quite amateurish and we left at the intermission. The tickets were only $4.
Yesterday it rained actually it just poured while we were downtown, but it was not only rain it also rained ash from the volcano Popocatepetl. I had hung my wash under the awning before we left so I was really lucky because the truck and camper were quite black with ash when we arrived home. There has been some coming down today also.
We spent today walking up the largest and highest pyramid in the world. It is located at Cholula which is close to Puebla. Cortez built a church on top of the pyramid and it has recently been damaged by an earthquake. Before going home we went to the market to buy some fresh fruit and it was really congested with venders, shoppers and vehicles that we were glad to find our way out. The colors of the market were unbelievable - from bright flowers to snow white shining onions of all sizes.
Jan 3 Wednesday
Yesterday we stayed in a cow, pig and goat pasture. Actually they just came down to drink and then went back home. We were parked near a restaurant, by a lake not too far from a little village. The birding was excellent.
Today were travelled through mountains to Tepoztlan and on to Cuernavaca. This is a large city and is very busy. It was difficult finding the campground, so tomorrow we will take the bus downtown as it is supposed to be quite beautiful.
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