Veracruz : Staying with Hosts
Veracruz, Mexico |
Veracruz, Mexico
I slept in a bit, after watching cable TV movie last night. Took my time this morning.
Cafe Parroquia. This is an institution in Veracruz. The place was packed last night, and it was again this morning. I thought I should give it a go. The coffee was good. Unfortunately, I had to wait almost an hour before my tortilla espanola was served. By then, my coffee’s cold. The tortilla was awful, it had too much potatoes which were cubed instead of sliced, with very little egg, and so bland. It was very disappointing!
I was reluctant to check-out from the hotel and go with a CS host. But I already committed today. I’m glad I went ahead with my host.
Couchsurfing Host in Veracruz. Met Pepe when he picked me up from my hotel. He immediately offered to take my bag. A good sign. He drove us to his house which was only a few minutes drive away. His mother, Angeles, was already waiting for us with lunch ready. Another good sign! Muy amable los dos! I immediately felt comfortable and at home. They have a big almost colonial style like house. The external walls are all ceramic tiles. The floor were also all tiles with neat design. The furnishing was also like antique – it’s like stepping back in the 1950s or something. My bed was huge! King size and double mattresses. Air-conditioned as well. Pepe said I could have just told him I’m arriving a day earlier, wouldn’t have been a problem. It was ok thought, I needed a break, time alone for myself, so it’s worth paying for a hotel room.
Boca del Rio. I can’t help myself. Despite the heat, I went to Boca del Rio, took the public bus on my own, got lost a bit. I slept in the bus, and when I woke up nobody’s in the bus anymore and the driver is about to park. Had to take another return bus. When I got to Boca del Rio, it was so hot, I just quickly walked in the main square without going any further and just took the next bus back to town. The bus dropped me off a fair bit away from the center. Helpful locals pointed me to the right bus, whose driver then kindly dropped me off right at the center of town.
Festiver: Danzon. I decided to hang out at Sanborns just at the zocalo. I am lucky because this week there’s the Veracruz festival, “Festiver”, which includes events at the zocalo. Pepe works from 8-2, lunches at 2-4PM at his house, then finishes work around 7PM. He said that’s normal work hours in Mexico. He met me at the square around 7:30PM. We watched the danzon
until around 9PM. Finally, I got to see one! It was very fascinating for me to watch. It’s like stepping back in time; it reminds me of the baile in Isabela, Philippines where my grandparents are from. Most of the couples dancing were seniors. Gives me a smile. How wonderful it is to live in a place where people love to dance even in their old age!
Playas de Veracruz. After the danzon, Pepe drove me around the seaside. It was very nice view with the citylights shimmering on the sea! There were lots of hotels, malls, clubs, pubs, restaurants and a couple of casinos. We dropped by Boca del Rio where I saw this warship which was turned into a restaurant. The place is more interesting at night. The fountains
were switched on with lights right in the square. It was dead when I got there in the afternoon.
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