Showing 1-8 of 8 results
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Soccer Sharks & Bands in the Stands – Veracruz, Mexico
Blog: Trans-Americas Journey - 13 March 2011
As we pulled up to the Hotel Playa (one of the best budget accommodations in Veracruz because it’s right on the waterfront and rooms start at 300 pesos) we immediately bumped into Juan, the hotel’s owner. He very kindly gave us two tickets to see the local soccer team, the Tiburones Rojos (red sharks), take on the Cancun’s Atlante team that evening. Despite the fact that we had nothing red to wear, we took him up on his offer. Giant cups of beer and the non-stop playing of fans who form bands in the stands ensued.
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Pico de Orizaba, Tlaxcala, Cacaxtla & Xochitecatl Ruins – East of Mexico City
Blog: Trans-Americas Journey - 10 March 2011
We’re addicted to Mexico City and all it has to offer as we’ve previously documented in this blog–from Mexico City’s museums to the varied Mexico City neighborhoods to the tacos of Mexico City and so much more. But if you can tear yourself away from the city’s urban charms you soon find yourself in a very different (but equally engaging) world of soaring peaks (18,490 foot Pico de Orizaba), tiny towns (Tlaxcala) and unusual murals (Cacaxtla) and oddly round ancient pyramids (Xochitecatl). Totally worth the two hour journey.
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Beyond Carnaval – Puerto Veracruz, Mexico
Blog: Trans-Americas Journey - 12 June 2010
Sure, sure. Puerto Veracruz puts on what many consider to be the second largest Carnaval celebration in the world (right behind Rio). And we’d love to see it. We’ve tried twice to attend and failed both times. However, we did finally make it to Puerto Veracruz and even without parades and half naked women and copious drinking in the streets the city showed us a good time. Right off the bat, the city feels extremely Caribbean–the people are darker and even quicker to smile. The music makes you want to swing your hips, not just stomp your feet.
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Cortés the Settler (welcome to the first town in the New World) – Veracruz State, Mexico
Blog: Trans-Americas Journey - 7 June 2010
One of our all-time favorite songs is Neil Young’s Cortez the Killer–especially when it’s performed by Warren Haynes and Scott Metzger (who also happens to have written the Official Trans-Americas Journey Road Trip Theme Song which you can listen to on our homepage). Anyway, in Veracruz State we got to see another side of legendarily brutal Spanish conquistador Hernan Cortés when we visited two of the first areas he settled in what was then called New Spain. First we drove through Villa Rica de la Vera Cruz where Cortés landed in 1519.
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Oui Oui? Si Si! – Jicaltepec, Veracuz State, Mexico
Blog: Trans-Americas Journey - 31 May 2010
In Veracruz State, just inland from the Costa Esmeralda, lies a big surprise. Delicate terracotta roof tiles, muted colors, planned gardens, real bread. Why? Because the town of Jicaltepec has a uniquely French history. A new boutique hotel brings the area’s French flavor to life, but we’ll get into that a little later in this post.
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The Other Coast – Costa Esmeralda, Veracruz State, Mexico
Blog: Trans-Americas Journey - 17 May 2010
The Pacific Coast of Mexico is well-known for its beaches and tourist destinations like Acapulco (currently in the midst of a re-birth) and the emerging Costalegre. The Gulf Coast of Mexico, however, remains a mystery to most except for the Mexican tourists who flock there. A brief but stunning section of the Gulf coast has been dubbed the Costa Esmeralda (Emerald Coast).
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Rio Rafting – Jalcomulco, Veracruz State, Mexico
Blog: Trans-Americas Journey - 10 May 2010
Poor Veracruz state. While other areas of Mexico inspire at least some recognition around the world, most people (us included) don’t know much about Veracruz except that it’s biggest city, Port of Veracruz, hosts what some claim to be the second largest Carnaval celebration in the world after Rio de Janiero (and we’ve met Mexicans who didn’t even know that much). Sadly, we didn’t make it to the city of Veracruz in time for Carnaval.
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El Tajin Archeological Site – Papantla, Veracruz state, Mexico
Blog: Trans-Americas Journey - 5 May 2010
This part of the world is, of course, lousy with archeological sites and ruins and general and sundry piles of very, very old rocks and we’ll be taking you to plenty of them. El Tajin (admission 51 pesos) is specials in a number of ways. It’s a pre-Columbian site that’s estimated to have been inhabited at least as far back as 5,600 BC. El Tajin is also believed to be one of the largest and most culturally diverse settlements of the era.
Showing 1-8 of 8 results
