Veracruz
Friday night in Veracruz is not exactly what we were looking for. The Gulf coast city is oppressively hot, lacks beach access and activities, and is filled with Mexican tourists that jam the central square. To escape the tourist trap places you have to take a confusing bus 30 minutes south, where megaclubs for yuppies make you feel like you’re in Miami.
But we made the most of our evening and day there. The coast was beautiful by night. The food was good. The fortress where Cortes first landed was fascinating. The strong Cuban influence was interesting.
But unless you have a hankering for souvenirs or sweating, Veracruz is not a place to plan for an extended stay.
Shoe shines and tamales outside the Veracruz bus station.
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The Naval training starts young—a marching band practices downtown.
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People flock to the square on a hot Friday night.
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Couples bow after a danzon dance performance—an elegant style that originated in Cuba.
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The audience takes a turn.
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After the performance, a dancer fuels up on fish at a restaurant—owned
by a self-stylized carnival king
[his photos in each year’s procession line the walls.]
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Walking along the gulf coast.
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The nouveau riche flock to one of the many fancy clubs in a Veracruz suburb.
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The beach was inaccessible, but the view was still fantastic.
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Views of the fortress of San Juan de Ulua, on a peninsula that is still an active port.
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This is where Cortes first landed, opening up Mexico to colonization and trade.
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It later became a prison, with moats surrounding a labyrinth of sections.
Many people died here.
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The fortress is now a major tourist destination, despite
[or in our case, because of] its state of decay.
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A tour group poses on a ballast.
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Looking out onto the port.
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Impatiently waiting at the bus station.
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