Hi

As some of you know, awhile ago, I discovered I liked doing loco trips such as these. When I take advantage of my 2 months as a teacher and do these long road-rail journeys pushing south of the Rio Grande. In the past, it’s been over-land trips into Mexico, visiting places like Monterrey, Mexico City and Puebla, cities in the Bajío like Guanajuato, San Luis Potosí and Querétaro and even one year going as far as Antigua, Guatemala. Or last year to Belize, discovering Zacatecas and Villahermosa on the way. I wonder if this year’s will be the last of this variety?

This year, crossing the border at Nuevo Laredo, I stopped for two nights in Monterrey (a perennial favourite) and then explored from there on some new places: Tampico, (Heroica)Veracruz, Tuxtla Gutiérrez and the Cañón del Sumidero, the Mayan site Izapa near Tapachula and from Tapachula to my present location of San Salvador, my first time ever to the country of El Salvador. With more to come. It’s been eye-opening and pre-conceived notions are getting thrown out the window, which is great.

Happy travels! Will report back when the moments are propitious. Daniel

*Austin to Monterrey to Tampico*.
Trying to find the Turimex Internacional bus line in Austin via Uber was fun, as the address that came up first in Uber was incorrect. After the Uber driver seemed as confused as I that we ended up in an area of warehouses, I called and learned I needed to go to the Airport Boulevard location, surprisingly not obvious from Internet research. I’m always amazed how arriving at the Turimex station, whether in Austin or San Antonio, makes one feel already transported to Mexico, with business done in Spanish and passengers almost entirely seem to be Latin American.

The ride to Monterrey went smoothly, with a spanking new Customs & Immigration building when crossing into Mexico. In Monterrey, as usual I enjoyed the energy of the city staying by the Macroplaza, this time visiting the Museo del Obispado, next to the handsome Obispado; the museum gives a nice overview of Nuevo León and Monterrey history and I learned things I did not know, such as that the US under Zachary Taylor took the Obispado in the 1840s.

*My first time to Tampico*

Despite having numerous trips to a variety of places in Mexico under my belt, travelling by Transportes del Norte bus from Monterrey to Tampico left me a bit doubting myself as I would be entering a zone (Tamaulipas State) that the US State Department says “Do Not Travel”. Anyway, the ride passed through some lovely mountainous scenery (one mountain was striking, looked like a thumb!) and the surprisingly pleasant look of the Ciudad Victoria bus station was reassuring.

Well, Tampico was a treat. Arriving on a Saturday night, people were out enjoying life, watching traditional dancers in one corner of the Plaza de Armas and breakdancers in another. The delightful path along the Laguna del Carpintero had couples strolling, joggers jogging and kids playing in playgrounds and jumping up and down in bouncy castles. Pedestrian-only streets abounded with those enjoying a night out on the townz. The architecture of the Plaza de Armas and the Plaza de la Libertad surprised me in how New Orleans-like it was, especially due to all wrought-iron railings, which were apparently all in vogue during the Porfirio Diaz reign.

The next day, I went on a free tour of the stately Aduana Maritima building along the Río Pánuco, built in an English style. Taking a detour from there to my hotel, I enjoyed watching the lanchas (passenger motorboats) ply along the Canal de la Cortadura. After trying a local specialty bocolitos (reminiscent a bit of a Venezuelan arepa), I decided I wanted to see the Gulf of Mexico, so caught a cab to the Playa Miramar. The Playa Miramar had wall-to-wall palapas out with many families sitting in the shade and numerous carts selling all ilk of food and beverages. I went straight to the beautiful water, dipping my feet up to my knees in the refreshing waters of the Gulf of Mexico for the second time ever, as I enjoyed watching friends & families playing in the surf. Funny that my first time was near Tampa and second time near Tampico. Very different places, same body of water. Possibly needless to say but given the heat and humidity of Tampico, being in the Gulf breezes and the cool water really felt so delightful!

*Next: First time in Veracruz*

Tampico Pictures
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Playa Miramar
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Kiosko Monumental, Plaza de Armas
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Plaza de la Libertad
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Plaza de la Libertad

The ADO bus ride from Tampico to Veracruz has you crossing the Río*Pánuco right away, bringing one immediately into Veracruz state, whose enormity only dawned on me as I realized that for the next 8 hours I was not even crossing the entire state.*Stops included Tuxpan and Poza Rica, with the former looking more interesting by the water than the latter, but the absolute highlight for me was how from Poza Rica south, one was spoiled with pretty long stretches of road with unspoiled views of the Gulf of Mexico.

Staying at the Hotel Veracruz, what immediately struck me was the grandeur of Veracruz (the city). *The streets immediately surrounding the Zocalo were wide and the stately*architecture left no doubt of being*somewhere significant. *Outdoor dining with music and dancers in the central*plaza*provided a festive
ambience.* I knew Veracruz was a port city, but seeing the enormous Maersk and other cargo ships arriving carrying hundreds upon hundreds of crates left me with more of an impression of being in a powerful Rotterdam-like port city than I expected. *

I essentially had two full days and sadly as I was recovering from a bit of a stomach bug from something I ate in Tampico (I don’t think it was*the bocolitos), I had to be a bit circumspect with food and couldn’t really consider longer*day trips, a pity since the city is known for both its gastronomical excellence and terrific outings within a few hours. *

Nevertheless, I decided to do a short day trip,*to San Juan Ulúa, located on an island just located off the Port of Veracruz. *The naming of the island itself is interesting, since it was named by Grijalva before Cortés had arrived at Tenochtitlán (Mexico City) and due to a misunderstanding of the local language.

Although the fortress which later became a prison known as San Juan de Ulúa is in present terms almost Medieval castle-like in terms of its imposing beauty surrounded by the waters of the Gulf of Mexico, this captivating structure holds a nasty and particularly inhumane*story of human cruelty. *During its time as a jail, the guide described how prisoners (often political prisoners) were held with a metal clamp around their neck attached to the wall by a chain, forced to remain standing. *At one point in the early 20th century, US eyewitnesses*present in San Juan de Ulúa were horrified to witness the disease and smell of excrement in the prison, hearing men howling, many who had seemed to have become completely mad. *Seeing the cells*with your own eyes brought to vivid life the horrific conditions. *

Chucho del Roto, known as Mexico’s Robin Hood, was one of San Juan de Ulúa’s more famous prisoners. *Curiously enough, important*figures in Mexico history such as Benito Juarez and Venustiano Carranza used another part of the island as a Presidential Palace at times.

My last full day, I again played it safe, going to the Aquarium in Veracruz, said to be the largest in Latin America. *Plenty*of sharks, beautiful fish, otters, dolphins*and penguins are found here, but what I found most interesting was the research being done there on the life cycle of the jellyfish, showing the various stages of their life in different containers.

After, I took one of the YoAmoVeracruz City bus tours, which had a recording of a two energetic young Mexicans, one male one female describing all the sites as you passed them. *It was a good way to get an overview of the Centro’s historic buildings.

While I was mostly extremely careful with what I ate, my last day I did enjoy going to the famous original*Cafe de*la Parroquia, where I had their famous cafe con leche with breakfast my last day*where the servers pour the milk from a kettle at great height. *The consommé de pollo con arroz y aguacate at Cafe de la Parroquia I found very soothing, and I always appreciated this establishment for the musical entertainment, often with some combination of harp, guitar-like instrument and xylophone. *I did also
go to famous Güero-Güero for their famous nieves; similarly, I found this quite gentle.

All in all, seems an interesting city. *I think it might be enjoyable to visit again when my stomach is sturdier and possibly to see the weekend ambience (I was there Monday through Wednesday). *

*First time to*Tuxtla Gutiérrez and the Cañón Sumidero next*

Pictures of Veracruz

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San Juan de Ulúa
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Veracruz public beach
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Zocalo, Veracruz
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Wide pedestrian-only streets near Zocalo

Don’t know why there are so many stars in that last post! I didn’t put them there. I’ve also noticed disappearing punctuation at times.

Mmeperdu—Haha. I know; those stars give the impression that I’m trying to give importance to certain words. I was wondering if it happened when I toggle between language keyboards on my IPhone but doesn’t appear to be. And thank you, mmeperdu, Baldone and fradiavolo for reading!

*First time to Tuxtla Gutiérrez*

Moving south from Veracruz, I again was curious what I was getting myself itself into. My last time in Chiapas in 2016, there had been teacher roadblocks everywhere, which made travel extremely difficult. On my ADO bus ride from Veracruz, I was soon reminded though that the mountain vistas of Chiapas are absolutely stunning.

Arriving at Tuxtla Gutiérrez’s Plaza de las Americas, I soon realized I was in a fairly large city sitting in a sort of bowl surrounded by some not unattractive mountains. The bus station was quite modern, as was the neighbourhood around the Parque de la Marimba, which is very near the Holiday Inn Express where I stayed. The Parque Marimba was delightfully festive the Thursday night I arrived, with a Marimba band playing in the kiosko, couples dancing and probably a hundred or so spectators sitting in chairs, appreciating the show.

One reason I decided to spend two nights in Tuxtla Gutiérrez was I was curious to see the Cañón del Sumidero, a place I heard people visited near the city. I quickly called Jaguar Tours upon arrival and there was a tour the next day that I could join.

I had no idea that it would be one of those incredible life experiences! So, the tour bus brought the passengers to a launch point and safety vests were donned before we step into a lancha, a maybe 20-passenger motorboat. And off we went into the Río Grijalva.

At first, we went under a bridge and the canyon appeared low-lying but pleasant. As we proceeded though, the walls of the canyon that surrounded the river became progressively higher and higher, and I grew awe-stricken by my surroundings. Completely yellow butterflies flitted around in bursts of colour as ibis watched from the shoreline. At one point, we saw a crocodile resting on a rock and later two spider monkeys swung from branches along the river’s shores. The Cascada de la Navidad on the river shore was beautiful even though the water that fell from the overhangs did so in only a mild spray.

Then, after lunch in Chiapa de Corzo, a pleasant looking colonial pueblo mágico with a distinct style of white with red trim, we proceeded to see three miradores (lookouts) in the Parque del Sumidero, which gave views of the canyon from a high vantage point.

The views from above, especially from the highest mirador, were almost from a dizzying height. Breathtaking indeed, but I feel I need to express the feeling in stronger terms. Let’s put it this way; the vista left me as awe-struck as I was seeing the Grand Canyon many years ago as a teenager. No, indeed, while the canyon is big, it’s not as big as the Grand Canyon and the colours are verdant. But as a human being, while standing and looking, you can only behold one vista at a given time and the vista here left me similarly bedazzled.

I was expecting nice and ended up with one of the most memorable and impactful days of my life.

*Next: on to Tapachula, transition point to Central America*

Pictures of the Cañón del Sumidero
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Thanks, Baldone. If you ever make it back to that part of the world, I would recommend going to a mirador; while the boat ride was incredible, viewing the canyon from a staggering height above is interesting.

*Tuxtla Gutiérrez to Tapachula*

The ADO ride highlights the gorgeous mountainous Chiapaneco scenery. One passes through it until you get to the Pacific Coast highway and then the mountains are visible close by to the north from Tonalá to Tapachula. This visit to Tapachula, I planned two nights so I could get some quetzales (for the transit through Guatemala) and do a tour to Izapa before moving on to my next destination, San Salvador.

Tapachula is interesting in that I’d never seen so many people with African heritage anywhere else in my travels in Mexico or Central America (and even some from the Indian subcontinent). Turns out, speaking to some cab drivers, this is a blockage point, where migrants, who have flown from Africa to some point further south, get stuck. A few miles away is the border with Guatemala and those that make it across the border apparently can’t make it in further, so are busy trying to deal with paperwork to get permission to travel further into Mexico. Immigration checks are common in this area—I even had my papers examined just going to the archaeological site Izapa; thank goodness I had the foresight to bring my passport & FMM.

The Parque Central and blocks surrounding have some pleasant enough colonial buildings and pedestrian-only walkways. Not my favourite vibe as I think there’s a certain amount of angst among migrants stuck there. Hotel Casona Maya where I stayed nearby however was delightful, with hummingbirds in the greenery above as I swam in their small pool. Mostly, I was glad for a bit of rest before proceeding to the Central American leg of this year’s adventure.

Sadly, I failed in changing money (so got to deal with the money changers at the border yippee) since the bureaus de change were closed on Sunday in Tapachula. I also failed in going on a tour to Izapa since I was travelling solo—they needed more people for a tour!

So, I ended up going by cab on my own to Izapa for 200 pesos. The site was overgrown with grass, with one fellow sitting with a book at a table in the grass where you wrote your name, giving a donation if you chose to do so. I was sad to see I was one of two visitors at the moment there. Although small, I appreciated nevertheless going to the site, as it is one of the earlier Mayan sites, speculated to date from 1500 BC, with its apogee between 800 and 200 BC and lasting until 1200 AD. The volcano Tacaná is visible in the distance. I had to wait a bit for an available cab to return to Tapachula but thankfully was able to share a ride back to the Parque Central for 100 pesos.

*Next up: Tica Bus to San Salvador; First Time in El
Salvador!*

Tapachula area pictures


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Izapa, with volcano Tacaná in background
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Loved the Hotel Casona Maya, Tapachula
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Parque Central Tapachula
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Parque Central Tapachula

*Initial impressions of El Salvador*

So, the bus made an initial stop just after the border. “Cinco minutos!” the driver called out, with much excitement among the pasajeros! Two stands with women cooking over a pan; the passengers’ excitement naturally had to do with returning to El Salvador, land of the pupusa! Not really knowing what the commotion was about, I did not get off! Had I known it would be 3 yummy pupusas for $1, I would have been lining up myself!

It had become dark probably within 20 minutes after crossing into El Salvador, so I really only started to get an impression of the country once we started getting into the lights of San Salvador. What struck me most was how Americanized everything looked. The shipping malls, the gas stations, the spacious American chain restaurants.

Checking into the Hotel Villa Florencia in San Benito (or the Zona Rosa) minutes after getting off the TicaBus, I was kind of surprised that when I told the guy at the reception that I was hungry and was looking for a recommendation for a restaurant, he said “oh, there’s a Papa John’s across the street, go up a bit more and you’ll find a Wendy’s and a Pizza Hut and if you walk just a little bit further there’s a Denny’s open 24 hours”. I said “¿No hay una pupusería?” and he said probably not at that hour (8 pm). Other than the fact that it was a bit tricky crossing the street to get to the Wendy’s, I did not feel ill-at-ease, especially as I saw some young women jogging past. The Wendy’s had quite a modern and air-conditioned layout, which would not have been out of place in the continental USA except that service came first in Spanish and possibly was tidier than many I’ve seen. I ordered the 1/4 single combo and thought to myself “I was not expecting this!” I then reflected that this was the only country in Central America to use the US dollar. Could that explain things?

So, I had 5 nights and 4 days in El Salvador. My impression was to evolve over the next several days. How so?

*Stay tuned!*

Just a little interlude before I get back to El Salvador.

I was back in Tapachula last night and I just wanted to add regarding this city if you ever end up here, that the breakfast at Hotel Casona Maya was among the best I’d had in Mexico, and that’s saying a lot! You might think you’d never end up in Tapachula but it’s actually a decent spot to break a trip for those who, say, want to do a trip that is a combination of south-central Guatemala (Antigua, Lago Atitlán, Guate for example) and Chiapas sites (Cañón del Sumidero, San Cristóbal).

Waking up my first full day in El Salvador, as I ate breakfast and looked out onto busy Avenida de la Revolución, I realized that arriving in the cover of darkness had given me a somewhat false first impression. No doubt, there were a significant number of American chains in the Zona Rosa and much modernity, but the feel of the city was still unquestionably Central America and not some far-flung US outpost. What with the school buses converted into public transit, people arriving to go to work standing by the dozen in a pickup truck and needing to cross busy traffic light-less Avenida de la Revolution with a strategy of waiting for an opening, running half way, then waiting again for a second opening and running the second half.

My first stop was the nearby Dr. David J. Guzman National Museum of Anthropology, a small but educational museum on the country’s history, with a significant focus on El Salvador’s pre-Columbian history and a focus on stories of migration out of the country, some that even considerably pre-date El Salvador’s brutal civil war in the 80s and early 90s that I was unaware of (such as to Panama in the 40s).

My second stop was to arrange a tour for the next day, which I did at Nahuat Tours, based out of the Sheraton up the street. I opted for the three-hour visit to el Boquerón, a volcano overlooking San Salvador, as a starting point to make a decision as to whether I wanted to do a longer tour.

My next activity was to catch an Uber from the Zona Rosa to the Centro Historico of San Salvador, about a 25 minute ride. Uber drivers are prohibited by company policy from picking up passengers in the Centro Historico (due to it’s being thought to be “dangerous”)—so I was surprised and delighted when my driver agreed to park in a lot and walk around with me (which we did for 20 minutes) and tell me about the various attractions of the city center. After which he drove me back to the Zona Rosa.

The Centro Historico definitely provides that otherworldly (for a Canadian) air of Central American commerce, what with with wall to wall stands and hubbub selling all variety of things as you approach the main squares. The main squares themselves are quite grand, with the Palacio Nacional, the Catedral Metropolitana de San Salvador and the Teatro Nacional all providing a colonial stateliness befitting a Latin American national capital. The most meaningful moment in the Centro Historico was sitting in the cathedral for several minutes with Jhonatan my Uber driver and looking at the large portraits of the much beloved Bishop Óscar Romero, and remembering his brutal assassination during the Civil War in 1980 along with the horror of the shooting of the mourners at his funeral.

Returning to the Uber, I bought myself a horchata and Jhonatan an orange drink from a woman with a variety of iced drinks in giant thermoses for 50 cents each. My horchata was delicious and refreshing to cool
off from the San Salvador heat and I thought, what can you buy in the States or Canada this good for 50 cents? Speaking of the Centro Historico, every one seemed to agree that it was ridiculous that Uber would not allow pickups there, although I must say given the hubbub of commerce near the main squares, I’m not sure how exactly cars could get close to some locations...

*I Fall For El Salvador through day trips. El Boquerón, Zonas Arqueológicas, Lago de Coatepeque, Suchitoto to come*

Pictures of the Centro Historico
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Catedral Metropolitana de San Salvador; Oscar Romero portraits at right
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Catedral Metropolitana
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Teatro Nacional
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Palacio Nacional

Baldone— As an experienced Mexico traveler and as one who appreciates Mexico’s offerings, I think you in particular would similarly enjoy El Salvador.

I noticed in Fodor’s there’s a featured article in their news section “In a Country that So Many are So Afraid of..” and I think I laughed out loud (not judgingly, it was just my reaction) when I saw it was about Guatemala. To me, Guatemala seems practically crawling with foreign tourists compared to neighbours (including much of Mexico).

*El Boquerón*

My first trip with Nahuat Tours was to the volcano El Boquerón, a three hour excursion. *Each trip I did was with the tour guide Evaristo, all in Spanish, but there are English tours as well for those that so desire.

What a jewel the citizens of San Salvador have at their doorstep! *Well-maintained paths, colourful flowers, tropical vegetation, colourful birds and butterflies visible and best of all, remarkably cool and fresh air that made this excursion a delightful escape from the heat of the capital. *It was not too strenuous to the summit and*the views of el Boquerón were pleasant, looking like a giant bowl overgrown with greenery,*with its crater visible, almost looking like an ant hill with an x in it from the height of the mirador (lookout). *The tour is capped off by a visit to Plaza Volcán, where I enjoyed pupusas (one the classic revuelto and the other con queso y loroco) and had an amazing latte made from Salvadorean beans.

*Archaeological Sites Tour*

The second tour I did was out to Joya de Cerén and Tazumal. *Joya de Cerén (found in 1976), a UNESCO Heritage Site,*is called the Pompeii of the Mayan world as a volcano eruption in 650 AD covered this community*with ashes, so as to leave the town well-preserved. *It’s*an interesting spot in the Mayan world as it gives insight into the day-to-day lives of the Classic Mayans that would not have lasted in other locations. *There are bodegas, small homes, but possibly most interesting and well-preserved is the temazcal, a steam sauna or sweat lodge. *

Although Joya de Cerén is fascinating*for its preservation, Tazumal, which has the tallest pyramid in El Salvador*was in a way more impressive, with most structures dating from 200 to 900 AD. *The guide spoke of how groups other than Mayans were at this spot, such as the Olmecs and Pipils. *Tazumal impressed me with its water drainage system, and this community was no slouch either in terms of what it offered in terms of engravings, sculptures and earthenware. *A definite priority to see if in El Salvador!

While I pondered ancient civilization, the driver took me to what was the most beautiful spot I saw in El Salvador, the Lago de Coatepeque. *The views of the lake*from the excellent restaurant la Octava Maravilla were phenomenal. *This lake is turquoise and is 26 km in circumference, sitting in a giant volcano crater bowl, with an island in the middle that has a naturally sourced thermal spa*and was absolutely stunning! *There are apparently restaurants and a hotel on the water front as well, popular with capitalinos on weekend for water-based activities.

Two great days in my life!

*Suchitoto and Final Thoughts on El Salvador to Come*

Excursions from San Salvador:


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Temazcal (sauna), Joya de Cerén. Looks smaller than it is. Picture is from above; this structure is maybe 10-12 feet tall.
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Tazumal.
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Lago de Coatepeque.
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El Boquerón. Brown circle in center is the crater. Observe the x in the crater.

*Suchitoto*

My last day trip was to Suchitoto, a colonial town maybe 90 minutes from San Salvador. Suchitoto probably is the closest thing I saw in El Salvador to an Antigua, Guatemala in that it’s the place in the country where I saw the most foreign tourists, although Suchitoto is a good bit smaller than Antigua. A town with a Spanish language school, English-speakers were to be heard timidly trying out their Spanish at stores. Abandoned during the Civil War (bulletholes can be seen in some buildings), Suchitoto is now a tourism showpiece.

While there, as part of the tour, I did a workshop on dying cloth with indigo at the Arte del Añil next to the Parque Central, where I went through the process of dying a scarf-life cloth. Very interesting and Irma who leads you through the steps was a lot of fun. This was followed by a walk around town with cobblestone streets from the Parque Central & church to a delicious lunch at the Posada de Suchitlán overlooking the handsome artificial Lago de Suchitlán.

*Final Thoughts on El Salvador*

I would sit on a few occasions in the evening at the charming seafood restaurant Hola Betos near my Zona Rosa Hotel, enjoying the amazing ceviche or mariscada. (Indeed there were actually great restaurants and not just American chains near my hotel; maybe the hotel clerk assumed that a gringo Canadiense would want Pizza Hut?). While enjoying the incredible seafood and thinking back to each incredible day, I could not help but ponder how quickly those in other parts of the world dismiss El Salvador. Even friends of mine who are avid travellers in other parts of Latin America. Even Mexicans I met whose own region might be similarly dismissed out of fears of crime.

I can say I felt exactly as comfortable in El Salvador as I have everywhere else in Latin America. My biggest safety concern as always was not getting caught in gunfire or some such nefarious end, but getting accidentally run over by a motorized vehicle. I heard from so many Salvadoreans I met, “You see? It’s not like people say.” They know full well what foreigners think. I told them that I would sing the praises of their country to my friends and on travel sites, as a place where one can have an amazing vacation. And here I am keeping my promise. I told them I hoped that with enough word of mouth and all the great offerings (Mayan sites, ocean, colonial sites, volcanoes, stunning lakes, great food, amazing coffee fromfreshly picked beans, I could go on...) their country provides, that visitors would come. I have my doubts as sensationalist news stories reign in the minds of the ignorant, positive first-hand experiences are written off as “lucky” or “anecdotal”, but I do hope as the good people of El Salvador deserve it.

*From El Salvador, I backtracked to Copan Ruinas and Palenque. For those places, I’m making a new post on Fodor’s as these sites may attract a different audience*.

Pictures of Suchitoto


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Colonial elegance in Suchitoto
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Scarf (?) that I dyed with indigo.
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View of the Lago de Suchitlán from the restaurant at Posada de Suchitlán where I tried the delicious dish gallo chicha for the first time

I have linked this trip report to the archaeological sites report of Copán and Palenque for those who are interested.

https://www.fodors.com/community/mex...enque-1669452/

Here’s a link to my Austin trip report. The cities of Austin and San Antonio I find have a quite different vibe but I have enjoyed the time spent in both when I’ve used them as a springboard prior to travelling south into Mexico.

https://www.fodors.com/community/uni...essed-1668540/