RGVP Trip Day 6 - Veracruz to Tampico

We got up at 6 this morning, showered and headed to the bus where we got on the road by 730. The highlight of the day was our stop at Tajin. A very large ruins site, it has largely been uncovered in the last 20 years, and it appears there is still quite a bit to uncover.


We toured the site, and I will post some pictures later, but it was quite nice. We ate lunch at the site as well, and saw Voladores de Papantla - a group of five men who climb a large pole (Mario said 74 rungs tall). Four of them tie them selves to ropes which are wrapped around the top of the pole. While the fifth guy plays a flute and drum, the other four hang upside down from the ropes and swing around the pole which unwraps the ropes and lowers them to the ground. Then the fifth guy slides down one of the ropes to the bottom. We bought Mexican vanilla and Vanilla Liquor while were were there.


We then got back on the bus where we headed to Tampico. We got in to Tampico around 9:30 and are basically done for the evening. We are both exhausted and not looking forward to 10-1/2 hours on the bus tomorrow ... There should not be much else to talk about, and as soon as I can I'll put pics on these last two days.

Until the next trip.

RGVP Trip Day 5 - Veracruz

Today was a relatively quiet day. Our tour guide Juan agreed to take us on a 1 hour walking tour of the city closest to our hotel. We had breakfast in the hotel and met him out front. Most everyone showed up. (Of course it was at 10 am instead of 6 - which makes a difference.)

He told us lots of interesting stories - none of which I remember now of course ... We went inside the Cathedral which was big but not anything outstanding. We then walked down the square to the store where the phrase Güera Güera Güera started. Quera is basically "blond" and it is what they should to get you to come into their store. It means that you are "better" and if you go in the door of the one crying Quera, he gets a penny or two because you did.

From there we walked on down to the pier, where he pointed out the customs house and the fort (which should have been open but because of Carnaval, Juan assured us it would not be). There was Cafe Parroquia where Cafe Lechero was invented. I had three ... I love that stuff, and we bought some coffee to take home.

We then walked back to the hotel and basically crashed most of the afternoon. The group was having a costume party at 6, so we inquired and walked 3 blocks down to the fabric store where we bought some purple and green fabric to make sarongs ... A number of people commented on our originality, but a clown won, and Juan the guide showed up in his angel costume. REALLY?

Like I said, it was a quiet day.

RGVP Trip Day 4 - Mexico City to Veracruz

This morning was another early one ... wakeup call at 6, breakfast at 7, and on the bus and headed to Veracruz by 8. We stopped somewhere in the middle of nowhere for lunch. There were several restaurants there, and about half the group went to one and the other half went to another. The one the first group chose was really really bad. The second groups decent food, but was very slow ....

We got to Veracruz about 4, and basically had time to get into the room and change clothes. We are staying at the Hotel Veracruz.


We then headed out again for Carnaval. The celebration - very similar to Mardi Gras - is celebrated in the state and city of Veracruz more so than anywhere else in the country. Part of our tour package was the 50 peso (about 4 bucks) bleacher seat. We were there about 3 hours, and left about 15-20 minutes before the parade was over so we could get back to the hotel.



From there, Mario and I went down the street where I could have Cafe Lechero and breakfast food ... and from there, he has gone out with a number of folks from the group and I'm just typing this up and getting it ready for publication. Tomorrow we get to sleep in (til 845 anyway).

RGVP Trip Day 3 - Mexico City

Today, we decided NOT to do the group tour thing so we ignored our 6 am wakeup call (we had tried unsuccessfully to cancel it I guess) and woke up instead about 9. We hopped the subway and went to Parque Chapultepec and went to see the Catillo de Chapultepec and the monument there to the Niños Héroes. The monument is in memory of the cadets - espeically 6 key ones - during the Mexican American War on 13 September 1847 in the Battle of Chapultepec. As the battle appeared to be going to the US, one of the cadets went to the top of the castle, took down the Mexican flag, wrapped it around himself and jumped to his death to keep the Americans (ok Norte Americanos) from taking the flag. Most of the furnishings in the castle today are from the period when Maximillian was in residence there in 1864. A number of stained glass windows run throughout the castle and there is a beautiful garden on TOP of the castle.


From there we took the subway to the south of Mexico City - Coyoacán where we ate sushi. We then walked another 10 or so blocks to the Blue House (La Casa Azul) of Frida Kahlo. Frida, while a well recognized artist today, was not nearly as famous during her life as her husband, artist Diego Rivera. There is a very good and apparently at least somewhat factual movie about her called Frida (starring Salma Hayek). It is a very moving movie about her life - her early years including a very serious bus accident which nearly robbed her of her life and almost that of her ability to walk, her original meeting and subsequent marriage to Diego Rivera, and their own on again off again relationship that lasted the rest of her life. Some of her work, some of his work and some of his pottery collection are on display there.


From there we again took the subway (now VERY full although still not packed) to the Palacio de Bellas Artes, the premier opera house of Mexico City (and probably all of Mexico). Next to it is the Torre Latinoamericana which was the tallest building in Mexico City when it was built in 1956 until it was eclipsed in 1984. We knew the weather was changing and the ran was coming as we watched the rats in the park in front of both buildings digging into the soil and trying to get out of its way.


From there, we walked about 10 blocks to the Zocalo where the Mexican equivalent to the whitehouse - Palacio Nacional is. There was a really cool church there as well (Catedral Metropolitana). While on the way there it had begun to rain - not hard - but enough - and COLD ... Crossing the Zocalo to go back to the subway, we noticed a group of young boys (teens to twenties) dressed similarly with their arm bands, Mexican and swastika flags, posing for a picture doing their Heil Hitler. No matter how much the world changes, I guess some things just stay the same. They had folded up their flags before I could get a picture ... I guess they didn't want the flag to get wet.


We caught the subway and came back to the hotel. We had a group dinner this evening - that was part of our package ... We went to a nice Italian restaurant just a few blocks from the hotel and the fool was exceptional. Back to the room ... Mario headed out to the bars, and I'm typing up this blog and headed to bed very very soon. (Another 6 o'clock day tomorrow.)

RGVP Trip - Day 2 - San Luis Potosi to Mexico City

Day 2 began with the dreaded wakeup call at 6 am. We were out and downstairs before 7, so we walked back up to the plaza and took a few pictures.


Then we went back and boarded the bus for another VERY long day on our way to Mexico City. First major stop was in Queretaro where we to the Convent of Santa Cruz where they are infamous because of the trees they grow and sell the branches of because they have forms in the shape of a cross. Our guide within the convent was a friar who Juan says has been there "forever", is probably in his late 80's or early 90's and speaks 5 languages fluently.


From there we were back on the bus to the pryamids outside of Mexico City - Teotihuacan. We ate lunch at one of numerous places there to do so and we were entertained by a number of groups. We then embarked to parking lot #4, where our group shot was taken (picture to come later), and then began the trek to the Pyramid of the Sun 63 meters high and some 248 steps ... my knees will NEVER be the same - but I can say I'm glad I've done it ... (I've also crossed the great pyramid in Egypt off my bucket list). As always for me, going up is not too bad ... except for the thin air (1-1/2 miles high in altitude) and the steps that are 6" deep and at times 12-14" high. But I must admit that climbing it in 70 degree weather is significantly easier than climbing Chitzen Itsa was a couple of years ago in 110 ... but it still takes a toll on the body ... Of course, as I started to say, going up for me is not the hard part - it's coming down ... in one piece ... without rolling .... Some of it I did backwards to avoid looking down, and the rest I did sitting on my ass and bumping down one stair at a time. I'm sure it was funny to watch - but it let me do it. There ARE apparently balloon trips you can take - 5000MN for a couple (about 400 US). THAT might be worth doing on a repeat trip ... maybe .... From there we hiked back to parking lot #5 (note the different parking lot which one person in our group missed that piece of info but we eventually found him) where we caught the bus and headed into Mexico City.


Our welcome cocktail party that night was in David and Wayne's room where we had their version of "Sex on the Beath" - Blue Parrott coconut rum and pineapple juice ... very good and very lethal ... just the way I like my cocktails. We then went out and walked around the Pink Zone - a very open minded area where you say 2 guys walking hand in hand. Our hotel - Best Western Royal Zona Rosa is located in the pink zone and we had dinner with several others from the group at Sanborns, back to the room and crashed again.

RGVP Trip - Day 1 - McAllen to San Luis Potosi

Actually, I'll start with Wednesday evening... The group was meeting in McAllen for dinner at Joel's house. We were planning to do the dinner and then return to Reynosa to catch the bus Thursday morning, but with the unrest on Monday, we decided it probably made more sense to just catch the bus with the rest of the group in McAllen. (It also meant we would not be looking for a cab at 630 in the morning.)

Most of the group was there, plus some more folks that were not making the trip coming to wish us Bon Voyage. There was salad and lasagna for dinner, cheese cake and a Bon Boyage cake as well. After that we went to Target and Walmart to buy junk food provisions for the trip. Mario went out and I watched a bad movie and went to bed. We woke up at 600 so we could shower and get out of the room to get back to catch the bus.

The bus was running about 15 minutes late, but we made good time crossing the border. Juan (our tour guide from Viva Mexico Tours) claims he told them we were all missionaires - who knows if that is true or not - but we only spent about 5 minutes crossing and then another 10 at the aduana and we were on our way south. Once we left the aduana, the group served us fresh fruit and pastries for breakfast. We traveled via road #2 to Victoria and had lunch there. We actually went into Sorianna, where the group spread out a nice feast of croissants, ham, turkey, beef, cheeses and salad. We all bought our drinks from the local vendors (who I guess were happy to get THAT much business out of us). Before eating, Mario and I ran into Sorianna to the farmacia to buy me some Dramamine. I'm not sure how much of it is the steroid drops the eye doctor has me using right now - or if it's just that fun 2 week period I seem to experience every year (although usually in the summertime). For the past week or so I've been having problems (I was actually blaming them originally on Animal Crossing - who knows) - but for sure the bouncing bus was not doing me any favors either.

After lunch, the dramaine pretty much knocked me out ... We watched a movie (Ray) during the trip as well which helped to pass the time, and there were a number of door prize drawings along the way as well.

FINALLY, about 630 - some 11 hours later - we got to San Luis Potosi and the Hotel Panorama - really nice. There was a welcome cocktail party at Bob and Harvey's suite - and then Mario and I walked around a bit - had dinner at a little restaurant down the street from the hotel. We had the local speciality - Enchiladas Potosinas - bowls of Crema de Elote Sopa - and I tried Chocolate Atole (which tasted familiar who knows from where) - and went back to the room where we quickly crashed.