Veracruz in Photos

If you read the previous post you know I was feeling very grateful to get here.  I've only been here a few days but have fallen in love with Veracruz and the surrounding area.  Here are some photos:

I checked in to the Gran Hotel Diligencias about 9:30 pm on Thursday, Jan 31 2019.  This was the view I woke up to the next morning.

Looking down from my window to the pool.

The hotel lobby was lovely and elegant, just as in the internet photos.  The halls and rooms were a bit worn but my room was big and very clean.

Hotel Diligencias was booked for part of my trip so I walked to see where my new hotel was.  In the next block.

Many of the sidewalks are mosaic.  Generally, they seem to be in somewhat better repair than Guadalajara and happy have cuts for handicapped.  Some of the curbs are over a foot high.  How the women in high heels do it is beyond me.

Thank goodness, they have McDonalds.  And they deliver!

The Emporio is a fancy hotel right on the Malecon (which translates to pier but is basically any walkway near the sea.)  Beer is about $1.25 and cocktails are $2.50.

After walking for a couple of hours and enjoying some disappointing shopping at the mercado artisanales (which should more accurately be called the Market of Crap from China)  I decided to take a ride on the Hop On/Hop Off Bus.  I paid the lower price (about $3.75) for the 1 hour 15 minute tour.  Spanish only.

Near the Zocolo (main square) are pedestrian streets filled with restaurants and a few shops.  This area is jammed with people every evening, with live music and people dining and strolling.  When I got back from my Sunday tour at 9:30 p.m.  it was SRO.

This photo was taken about 1:30 pm a quiet time for siestas.

There's a fairly significant police presence.  Reassuring rather than menacing.

McDonalds not enough American for you?  How about DQ?  There's also a Holiday Inn, KFC , Costco and Walmart.

This church tower came in handy when I got turned around trying to find my hotel.

One of the fortresses in the city.  Not to be confused with a much larger fort/complex called San Juan de Ulúa which I didn't have a chance to visit.  It's on an island overlooking the port city of Veracruz. 

These culinary students seemed to enjoy the break in their session, waving and yelling like crazy as our bus drove past.  All but one of the people on the bus, btw, were middle-aged women except one guy.  Yes, I consider myself middle-aged. I plan to live a very long time.

Who knew they had casinos in Veracruz?  I didn't visit.

I would love to describe in detail why the musician pictured in the statue is famous, along with the bar in the background.  But we were 45 minutes into a Spanish-only tour and my mind was drifting.  Lo siento.

Didn't think there could be a city without a Dominos did you?

This very modern looking building is the school of medicine for the local university..

Boco del Rio (mouth of the river) is like a modern suburb of Veracruz.  Only five miles and 45 minutes in horrible traffic, it has a very modern, seaside vibe compared to the historic city center.  While this stretch of beach looks deserted there were long stretches packed with people sunning, swimming and dining.

There are a number of ocean front modern hotels.  Here comes another one.  My guess is, this will be the new Puerto Vallarta.  The beaches /water look more like Daytona than Miami (grayer sand and water) but fewer crowds and lower prices.

Less than $50 a night for an ocean-front room during the week.

  

There were playgrounds and workout areas on the boardwalk that stretched for miles along the beach.

I love that Mexico encourages walking and just sitting outdoors by ensuring plenty of seats.

For about a mile between Boca de Rio and Veracruz is a stretch of non-stop restaurants, bars and places selling inflatable water toys.

I can't imagine how crowded this place gets in the summer.  Today was about 80 degrees.

Some fishing boats.

The view toward the Veracruz docs.  I was told that summer is when the cruise ships come.  Currently there are a number of freighters in port.

 In the next post - El Tajin - the pyramids north of Veracruz.

What It's Really Like to Fly Stand-by

I really appreciate that my good buddy Kyle gave me a pass to fly on United for the year.  It is a very, very generous gift.  But, as anyone on a Buddy Pass will tell you, there are challenges.

Here's the deal.  There's a United website (which can only be accessed by employees and passholders).  There, I can look at flight availability, including how many are booked on the flight, how many are standing-by and what my relative ranking is.   

I booked a flight for January 31st to Veracruz.  I chose Veracruz based on weather, hotel prices, types of local food and flight availability.  I could have opted for Fairbanks but the weather there generally stinks in January, IMHO. 

Buenos Aires has lovely hot weather in January but it's high season and the hotel rooms were pricier than I prefer.  Auckland is also lovely in January but there was the issue of hotel costs and a really, really long flight.  And, I've been there.

So Veracruz it is - nice hotel for less than $60 a night, weather around 80 and sunny and plentiful inexpensive seafood, Veracruz style.  And, 10 open seats on the flight.  That was the night before I was to leave.

I woke up early on January 31st, finished packing and did a last minute check of flight availability.  And started swearing and stressing.  The flight was now -6 seats.  Yes, that means at least six people would have to not show up to get a seat.  I figured that since flights to Houston were plentiful and there were flights to cities all over Mexico if I didn't get on the Veracruz flight, I'd get a flight to someplace warm, cheap and with good food.

During my 4.5 hour layover in Houston I contemplated where else I could go.  One of the dilemmas was that my Veracruz flight didn't leave until 6:05 pm and I wouldn't know until about 6:00 pm if I had a seat.  Then had to find a flight that departed later and had a gate close enough that I could get there.  And had seats available.  It looked like Santiago de Queretaro was the winner.  It's a city in the central Mexican state of Queretaro, which I'd never heard of.  But just before they called my flight to Veracruz I realized the Queretaro gate was too far.  Even if I hijacked one of the little airport carts, I couldn't make it in time.

I was sweating as I patiently waited to one side while they boarded the Veracruz flight.  The flight hadn't actually been oversold but seats were being held.  Normally for weight issues.  15 minutes before departure time, I was given a boarding pass. 

As I settled in to my exit row seat (yay!  leg room!)  the gate agent came on board and had a word with the captain and flight attendant.  It seems two passengers had checked luggage for the flight but were nowhere to be found.  For security reasons, they needed to either find the passengers (which meant I wouldn't be going to Veracruz) or take their luggage off the plane.

As I anxiously waited (yes, they would politely ask me to get off the plane for a revenue passenger and yes, I would politely and quietly do it while trying not to whimper) I considered my options.  The flight at the next gate had just started boarding and was heading to Chihuahua.  My sole knowledge of chihuahua is about yippy dogs, not a large city in Mexico.  But I figured I'd give it a try.  It was either that or spend the night in Houston and see where I could go the next day.

At 6:10 p.m. , five minutes after scheduled departure, they closed the boarding door.  I was off to Veracruz.

What is it really like to fly standby?  It's an adrenaline rush.  Nerve racking.  Challenging for us Type A control freaks.  And a blast.  I'm very happy to be in Veracruz.  But probably would have enjoyed Santiago de Queretaro or Chihuahua, too.