The best state in Mexico (Veracruz)

Member Name: donruk

Product:	Veracruz
Date:	16/09/02 (571 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Mexico's greenest, and most beautiful state, Everything, Too many to mention

Disadvantages: The heat and humidity, Travers checks don't go very far in Veracruz

If you are thinking of going to Mexico and you want to know what is the best place, many will recommend Guanajuato, Michoacan and Oaxaca is loved, and favored by many travelers. But it is unlikely that they have seen the Mexican State of Veracruz. As for me, I would say that Veracruz is without a doubt, the best state in Mexico and along with Mexico City my personal favorite place in Mexico.
Really, it is not fair to compare Veracruz with any other Mexican state because it is unlike any other Mexican state. The image of Veracruz is not what most people would imagine when they think of the stereotypical Mexico. Instead of deserts there is tropical jungles pouring with rain. Marimba and other tropical sounds are heard throughout Veracruz instead of the mariachi. Veracruz is more comparable with Central America and the Caribbean. Like most other places on Mexico's East Coast, Veracruz is not a tourist destination, and has little in the way of a tourist structure. Veracruz is largely unknown by travelers, and therefore, Veracruz feels genuine and unspoiled by the over commercialization, which has a few disadvantages, which I will cover latter. The following is a few facts about Veracruz and for the most part an account of my experiences in one of the greatest places in Mexico. All of the names of my friends were changed in this review for protecting their privacy.

Geography
The southern state of Veracruz, with a population of about 6 Million is located on Mexico's gulf coast, and borders Puebla, Tabasco, and Chiapas. Veracruz tropical and is the greenest state in Mexico. Much of Mexico's sugar cane, Vanilla, tropical fruits, coffee, and cocoa are grown here.

Weather
The weather of Veracruz is best described as hot, humid, and with allot of rainfall, particularly in the summer. It is hot inland, but the heat and humidity is bru
tal along the coast. Being along the Veracruz coast is like being inside of an oven. To visit the Veracruz coast in the winter is to risk the dreaded El Norte Winds, which force people indoors, until it's wrath has subsided.

The People of Veracruz
More inland and away from the ocean, the people of Veracruz are of mostly indian ancestry, and have strong indian features, but along the coast, the people look different. The people of coastal Veracruz are indian with a noticeable mixture of African blood. The reason for this is because, many African slaves were brought into Mexico through the ports of Veracruz, and in old times lived among with indian slaves. The indians and Africans got together and bore children of mixed blood . The Spaniards also participated in this, and therefore, the modern day people of Veracruz have a unique look, and look different than the peoples of the other parts of Mexico. The African features are not as noticeable in the people of coastal Veracruz as in places like Cuba or Dominican Republic, but they are definitely there.

My Experience in Veracruz
It was the year 2000 when I, accompanied by my best friend, made my first trip deep into Mexico. This three-week trip was planed for over a year, and we were going to try to see as much of Mexico as possible, even if it meant sacrificing a little sleep. My best friend, Rosita has family who lives in the state of Veracruz, in the city of Orizaba. My friend told me that Veracruz would be the first place that we visited. We would be staying in my friend's Aunt's and cousin's house in Orizaba.
To tell you the truth, When I first heard that I would be visiting Veracruz, I knew nothing about the place. And I didn't know that it would end up being one of my favorite places in Mexico. But who has heard of Veracruz? It's one of those se
cret places, which once discovered; it grabs your heart and never lets go.
On the Road to Orizaba
We arrived in Mexico by plane, and took a bus from the Southern Mexico City bus station to Orizaba, Veracruz. It is about four hours from Mexico City to Orizaba by bus. Immediately upon entering the state of Veracruz, the landscape changed from forests to wet tropical jungles. This had to be the greenest place that I had ever seen. The bus took us through lush landscape that was breath taking. I could spot small ponds and lakes everywhere, and plenty of waterfalls. As the rode went up in the mountains, I saw beautiful waterfalls flowing over cliffs, and rivers beneath me. On the top of a hill, I spotted a small white shrine dedicated to one of the catholic saints.
We passed through a couple of towns that looked very exotic. I noticed that the towns and cities of Veracruz have different architecture compared to other places in Mexico. Many of the houses and buildings have a Moorish quality to them. On some of the buildings I saw tiles that have a somewhat Arabic look to them. Looking at these towns, I was reminded of what a Central American city might look like. The cities in Veracruz never disappoint; they are some of the most exotic in Mexico.
Orizaba
When we arrived in the Orizaba bus station, it was pouring rain. We grabbed a bite to eat, and then waved a taxi. The taxi driver refused to take us to our destination, because of the conditions in that part of the city due to the rain. After attempting several more taxies, we finally found a taxi driver who would take us to my friend's aunt's house. It was dark by the time we took the taxi, and some of the roads were flooded. As the taxi made it's way through the flooded roads, one of the wheels of the taxi got stuck in a pothole in the road. When the taxi driver and I got out to push the taxi out of the p
othole, the water was almost knee deep. A couple of onlookers thought that this was amusing. We finally arrived at Rosita's aunt's house. Her aunt, Maria gave Rosita and I, a room to stay in, and I went to bed. The sound of water dripping off of the roof was very relaxing and helped put me to sleep. At about 10:00 PM, I heard a voice in the distance, growing louder and louder, and than fading away. I found out latter, that it was a man selling tamales on a bike.
Day 1 Orizaba
The next morning, My friend's cousin, Felix, along with her daughter, who lives in another part of Orizaba, came to visit us and show us around. Felix knew of all sorts of good places in Orizaba. The first place she took us was a man-made pond, below a huge volcano called, Pico De Orizaba. Pico De Orizaba is the largest mountain in Mexico, and is popular with mountain climbers. The city of Orizaba is most well known for this volcano. In the man-made pond, there were paddleboats, and kids jumping in the water. We rented a paddleboat and had some fun for awhile. As I gazed up at the huge volcano, its beauty struck me. The Volcano was covered in jungle and clouds wrapped around it. The clouds gave the volcano a sort of misty look.
From there, we decided to hike in the jungles of the outskirts of Orizaba. Like many places in Veracruz, Orizaba has allot of rivers and running water. We walked along a river in the jungle, I saw many makeshift shacks, and donkeys tied up beside the road. It seemed like everywhere I looked there was a river. We came across a couple of lakes that looked beautiful among the trees and plants.
As we headed back toward the city, I saw a blue tiled altar with a crucified Christ. In the distance, there was a small light blue and white church with architecture typical to Orizaba.
I came across a beautiful plaza that was dominated by an exquisite pink church, as I headed deeper in the city. In the plaza
palm trees swayed in the wind under a cloudy sky. The benches and bandstand had that Moorish tiled look, typical of Veracruz architecture, which looked very exotic. I climbed the steps, went up into the bandstand, looked around, and took in the nice atmosphere.
From there, Felix took us to an interesting park, which looked very old. At the entrance, food stands lined both sides. There were waterways all through the park, with bright green bridges and walkways crossing the water. Steps led up a small hill that provided a good view of the city. On top of the hill were old walls and makeshift houses. As I gazed down at the city, I saw that pink church, as Cumbia music echoed through the city.
Pay close attention! The following is an example of why not to bring travelers checks to Veracruz.
Rosita and I went to downtown Orizaba to cash in some traveler's checks and U.S dollars. Downtown Orizaba is busy like most other Mexican cities with banks, stores restaurants, and all of that good stuff. We went inside of a bank to get my travelers checks exchanged for pesos, but the bank would not except them. We went to a couple of other banks but the same thing happened. I was getting frustrated because I was beginning to thing that my travelers checks were worthless, and I would not have enough money to do all that I wanted to do in Mexico. After walking all over town we finally found a small place that would convert travelers checks to pesos, but I got a bad deal. After that, I vowed to never bring travelers checks to Veracruz again. They don't go very far. You see Veracruz is not a tourist state, and the locals are not used to dealing with traveler's checks and other things of that sort. I also encountered problems with getting my U.S dollars converted to pesos. The banks in Veracruz are weird when it comes to dealing with tourists. The people at the bank checked all of my U.S bills, and ifthey found the slightest defect or the dollar was nor perfectly straight,
it was rejected. I had one of my dollars rejected just because it had a very small pen mark on it. It was almost comical. I recommend to anyone who wants to travel to Veracruz to bring only pesos. You can get your U.S dollars, and travelers checks converted at the Mexico City airport, so that you will have all pesos when you arrive in Veracruz state. Getting Dollars converted in Veracruz is just too much of a headache.



Day 2 Orizaba to Veracruz City
We awoke early the next morning and took a taxi to the other bus station of Orizaba (Orizaba has two bus stations). Next to the bus station there was an exquisite looking bridge crossing a rushing river. Steps led from the bridge to a walkway next to the river. Old rock walls with arches lined both sides of the walkway. Like many places in Veracruz there seems to be pleasant surprises behind every corner. The walls and the arch looked to be 100 years old, and along with the rushing water, made for a beautiful exotic atmosphere. After that we went into the bus station and took a bus to Veracruz City.
It is about two hours from inland Orizaba to Veracruz City, which is along the coast. And about six hours from Mexico City. To drive from Orizaba is simple breathtaking in beauty. About 15 minutes from Orizaba is a magnificent city called Cordoba, which is a major city in Veracruz. Cordoba sports some great Moorish and Caribbean architecture, and has a main plaza that looks awesome. I only passed through Cordoba, but I saw enough of it, to know that it is a truly exotic and wonderful city. This is a place that I would like to go back and discover sometime. I would recommend Cordoba to you readers also. Heck, all the cities of Veracruz are recommended. I haven't seen one city in Veracruz that looked dull or boring. There are no typical Mexican towns here. The rest of the way to Veracruz City, I spotted landscape much greener and more beautiful th
an anything that I have seen in America. Finally, we arrived in the Port of Veracruz.

Brief History of Veracruz City
Veracruz City was named "The City of The Dead" by the Aztecs, due to the dreadful heat, El Norte winds, and a tropical plague that struck the area hundreds of years ago. It was here that the Spanish adventurer, Herman Cortez and his small army landed on the shores of Veracruz. Cortez allied himself with the Totonac Indians native to Veracruz, and set out to conquer the Aztecs at Tenochtitlan,
After the conquest of Mexico, the Spanish shipped much of the wealth of the New World from the Port of Veracruz to Spain. The Port of Veracruz is also where the Spanish brought in slaves from Africa. They would throw the bodies of the dead slaves in the marshes, and consequently the city used to be filled with a foul odor. Pirates frequently hit Veracruz, and the Spanish built forts to protect it.
It was also in the port of Veracruz that American forces landed and ended the war in Mexico City, during the Mexican American war.

Veracruz City
As our bus arrived in the city of Veracruz, I was so hot that I was drenched. Even with the bus window rolled down, the air felt like a blast furnace. A good-looking Orizaba girl was sitting behind me. Occasionally I stole a couple of glances at her. She asked me to roll the window up, despite the heat. I thought, "are you crazy". It seems to me that Mexican people can handle h heat much better than Americans can.
As we departed the bus at the big Veracruz bus station, we begun exploring the city. The architecture of the city had a very Caribbean look to it. Allot of the people dressed in white shirts and small white Caribbean style hats. The people of Veracruz City are a bit darker than those of Orizaba, due to a mix of African blood. The city was crowded and very busy. Some people compare Veracruz City with H
avana, Cuba. Myself, I don't know how it compares with Cuba, because I have never been there, but the city definitely has a strong Caribbean culture.
We went inside of a Mercado(indoor market), which was near the downtown area and near the main avenue, for a good taste of local culture. There were many food stands and other shops selling various goods. The Market is big and very busy, with all different types of sounds and smells. Afterwards we decided to take a little excursion from Veracruz City and return latter. We took a bus to a small town nestled in the jungle called Antigua.

Antigua
The bus dropped us off about a mile or two outside of Antigua, near a checkpoint. Let me give you some useful advice. Never take pictures near military installations or checkpoints. The Mexican military doesn't like having their picture taken. We walked down the road until we reached Antigua.
Boy, I will never forget about this place. Antigua was founded in 1525, and was one of the earliest Spanish settlements in the New World. The town is covered in jungle and looks very old. Antigua looks almost mysterious and eerie. Like a place that time forgot. The place reminded me of somewhere right out of an Indiana Jones movie. The walls were old and damp, due to the rain, and it reminded me of what a town might look like in a poor Central or South American country. A young guide showed us a place that was said to be the remains of cortez's house, there were branches and roots growing right out of the old, damp, moss covered ruins. After that, we went to a small old plaza. The architecture looked old, and very interesting. There was an old mural of the exploits of cortez, and a very old hotel. On each side of the small plaza there were souvenir stands selling tropical fruits, Panama hats, and various religious icons. The plaza led to a long wooden bridge that crossed a long lake. The bridge moved up and down as we walked
on it, and gave a good view of the lake below. When we got to the other side we sat down under some trees and drank coconut water. There were many chickens and roosters walking around, under the trees and small huts. A guide took us on a boat ride through the lake. The jungle on both sides of the lake was beautiful. After about an hour, the boat docked on the opposite side of the shore. We walked out and came across some sand dunes. The sand was white very soft. This place looked like it was full of craters and it looked like I was on the Moon. Afterwards we got back into the boat and were dropped off near a bridge. We waved down a taxi, returned to Veracruz City.

Veracruz City
We walked around in the suburbs of Veracruz City and came upon an interesting place. It was a park, with a zoo. Inside, a train goes through the whole park. There are all kinds of animals in their cages. There is also a playground inside of the park with an altar to the Virgin Mary next to it. The small amusement park is much different than the ones in the United States. The place was beautiful, and looked like a jungle.
We then took a taxi to the fortress of San Juan de Ulua(open Tues.-sun). The fortress was used by the Spanish to guard against the many pirate attacks that the port has suffered. I spotted two Mexican navel troops with M-16s on top of the fortress. They were probably using the old fortress in order to get a good view of the city in case there is trouble. When we went to the gate of the fortress, the two navel troops approached us and told us that it was closed.
We left the fort and went to the harbor. As we walked along the pier, I spotted a Mexican navel ship with a few sailors playing chess in the front. There were Navel troopers guarding the pier, and one particular rough looking sailor standing guard in a small boat in front of the pier. He was really watching things, and I knew he was not th
e type of guy that I wanted to mess with. There is a Navel academy, and Navel museum in the area, in case you were interested. There is also a small island called Little Cancun, that can be reached by boat for a small fee. Don't ever stand under the coconut trees near the beach. The coconuts hit the ground hard. If one of those hit your head, it would be a funny thing to write on your tombstone.
The Acuario de Veracruz is said to be the largest and best aquariums in Latin America. The aquarium is located inside of a small shopping mall. The shopping mall is very nice with a fountain in the center.
I was very impressed with the aquarium, and I will never forget those strange turtles. The turtles were the weirdest things that I have ever seen. They had long snouts for mouths and weird eyes. You would have to see them to believe how strange they looked.
The Plaza de Armes is the heart and soul of Veracruz City, and said to be the liveliest in all Mexico. This place has a reputation for its love of music. The street musicians play marimbas, trios, salsa, danzon, and other tropical sounds. The party goes deep into the night. As the sun begun to set, I could hear the many kinds of birds chirping overhead. The plaza is gorgeous, and looks every bit Caribbean in architecture.
We decided to return to the plaza latter, when it got dark. We went to another plaza that was lined on both sides with souvenir shops, and benches and Caribbean style street lamps in the center avenue. The gentle ocean breeze made the palm trees sway. We walked through the stores until it got dark and then returned to the Plaza De Armes. The first thing that I heard when I returned to the plaza was the most beautiful church bells that I ever heard. The church bells rang in the form of music, which sounded like it came straight from heaven. I will never forget it that wonderful sound. The plaza came alive at night with tropical music filling the whole plaza. The Municipal Palace and th
e house of the inquisition looked awesome as it was bathed in a white light. Street musicians played Marimbas for us as we ate see food in the plaza. The seafood in Veracruz is some of the best in the world. Also, some of the spiciest. A clown performer tied a tight rope to a tree, did a Hail Mary, and then performed in front of the crowd along with tropical music.
After a great night, we left Veracruz City.


The road back to Orizaba
Always keep your passport with you at all times. The authorities can ask for it at any time and at any place.
The authorities of are not going to be as forgiving with you in Veracruz as they would in some of the more tourist friendly sates of Mexico (like Oaxaca, Guanajuato, or Yucatan).
Late in the night, on the return to Orizaba by bus, the bus was pulled over by a cop. The cop boarded the bus and questioned a few people. He asked for my passport, and asked me what I was doing here. Rosita translated for me. The scary thing was that I almost forgot to bring my passport with me that morning.

Back to Orizaba
After we got back, we hung out on the streets of Orizaba for a while. There was a nightclub, and we thought about going inside, but I was way to tired. I will check it out next time I visit Mexico. We spent the night at Rosita's cousin's house.

Day 3 Orizaba
We got up early in the morning and walked around Felix's neighborhood. There were a couple of apartment buildings with a small altar to the Virgin Mary outside. The altar flashed with lights in early morning. We took a bus and set out to explore more of Orizaba.
We came across a place hidden in the jungle, with ancient steps with the remains of an old Spanish altar on the top. There was a rushing river with the remains of an old, damp colonial wrought iron ga
te. When we returned to the top, about five wild sheep greeted us. There is always something nestled behind every corner in Veracruz.
In another area of the Orizaba outskirts we came across a high cliff overlooking a valley covered in jungle, with a violent waterfall pouring into a rushing river. The place is called Five Hundred Steps. Five hundred ancient steps lead down to the river below. As we made our way down, we got a good view of the waterfall. The waterfall is so violent that it is intimidating. Due to the rain, our path was too slippery and dangerous to continue any further. Towards the top of the five hundred steps, there are the remains of an old fountain, still dripping with water. The water makes its way down a tiny stream beside the steps.
After that, we took a taxi to downtown Orizaba. There were two elegant Colonial churches in two different plazas. The churches were awesome, and were a great example of the architecture of Veracruz.
There were many stores and shops in the downtown area. There was a guy on a speaker, selling things, with crowds in front of him, as the city was filled with a misty rain. The architecture was a great showcase of how unique the cities of Veracruz are compared to the rest of Mexico
This was the last night in Veracruz My next stop will be Mexico City.

Conclusion
Ever since I visited Veracruz, it has become a paradise in my dreams. The place feels like home. It is not spoiled by tourism, but one of the purest places in Mexico. I have been through most of Mexico, and Veracruz is my favorite Mexican State thus far. It is very exotic compared to the other places of Mexico.
To tell you the truth, I would love to live there. I strongly recommend Veracruz to anyone who wants to discover a place rich in culture, exotic, very green, and with allot of flowing water.
But for those people who want luxury, and the comforts of home, than go to
Cancun. Veracruz is not Downtown Disney, or a wimpy tourist trap. It's the real thing. As for me, when I travel to Mexico, I go with the intention of seeing Mexico as it really is. Veracruz is as real as it gets. And did I mention that Veracruz has beautiful woman?

Other points of interest in Veracruz that I have not visited

Xalapa
The capital of the state of Veracruz. This university town that features the Museo de Antropologia de Xalapa. Part of this museum is dedicated to the Olmec culture. The Olemec culture, native to Veracruz and Tabasco, is the oldest known culture in Mexico. And is famous for those huge stone heads of different styles with unique features. The movies Romancing the Stone and Collateral damage were filmed in this area. The stories took place in Colombia but were actually filmed in this part of Veracruz. Veracruz is a great substitute for Colombia, due to it's culture and tropical landscape.

El Tajin
Located in the jungle are the remains of an ancient of a pre Totanic civilization. This archeological sight features a pyramid among other ancient structures. It is recommended to anyone who is interested in pre Colombian cultures.

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