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Introduction
Spring 1999 I toured Mexico for 3 weeks with a friend/colleage of mine, also known as "Ayyt the Stud", in a rented Chevy Monza. Visited places:
Well what's to say about Mexico City. It's the largest city in the world and reknown for it's air pollution. We landed at Mexico Airport Benito Juarez at 6.00 A.M. We rented immediately our car and tried to reach as fast as possible Teotihuacan only having a photocopied drawing of the city's main roads.
The archeological zone of Teotihuacan it really very impressive. After arriving at our nearby situated hotel and emptying a bottle of "Southern Comfort" we went to visit the pyramids.
It took a quite long drive over a small and curving road to get to the base of the volcano at 3700m. The mountain releases once in every time some smoke. Unfortunately it was not that active.
After this quick visit we were on our way to drive as far as possible in the direction of Oaxaca ending in the surpisingly interesting town of Izucar de Matamoros. The holy town: Izucar de Matamoros
Somewhere in a desert like environment lies Izucar de Matamoros. No "Gringo or Gringa" can be found over there. It reminded me of the atmosphere of the movie "From Dusk till Dawn" during the beginning of the famous "Titty Twister" scene. That means very authentic and probably the most Mexican Western environment we saw.
Oaxaca is one of the most beautifull cities we've seen in Mexico. The central plaza is really the best you can find. I can recommend hotel Casa de Hespues Arnel with cosy rooms around a jungly, parrot inhabited coutryard.
Monte Alban is a 5 km drive from Oaxaca city situated on a flattened hill top. The wide views over the hills and valleys are quite spectacular. You have the best view from the Monticulo III pyramid.
Hierve el Agua is still a well kept secret in Oaxaca state because it's remote from the main Pan American Highway 190. The best way to get there is by car. From highway 190 it takes about 20 km to a junction. Turn right and an unpaved road of 9 km is leading you through really authentic indian villages to Hierve el Agua. The drive is very rewarding because it offers the best views of mountanous scenery in Mexico.
What reminds me most of Juchitan is the very moist, jungle like heat. Very few gringos can be found over here, in fact we did'nt see any. The hotel was very cheap and comfortable with airconditioning, which is an absolute must around here.
You can take a boat trip of 2 hours on the Rio Grijalva through Canyon del Sumidero near Tuxtla Gutierrez. All kinds of animals can be seen in the canyon: vultures, crocodiles, etc. The most stunning are the cliffs up to 1200 metres high rising above you. And off-course the speed of the boat is giving you some time to cool down a bit.
San Christobal de las Casas was the only place in Mexico where it was cold, about 15 degrees celsius in the morning. Expect to find many of the local indians trying to sell you all kinds of crafts like puppets, blankets, etc. You even can buy puppets depicting Zapatistan guerilla soldiers.
Agua Azul are crystal clear waterfalls in the middle of the jungle. The temperature over here is at the desired level of 35 degrees celsius, bananas are growing at the side of the road and one frequently spots tropical birds.
The waterfall of Misol-Ha is about a half hour drive from Cascadas Agua Azul. It's small, but still spectacular because of the jungle scenery. Try to jump off the rock right beneath the waterfall. I would not recommend to jump off the top of the waterfall at 35 metres.
Palenque town attract mainly attention with it's sticky heat. The ruins however are magnificent. Really beautifull is the main plaza that can be reached after walking a small jungle trail. Be sure you're taking at least one large bottle of water with you when visiting the ruins. After the visit my t-shirt was covered with salt stains from all the sweating.
Campeche is the city of the buccaneers. It was our first taste in Mexico of coastal scenery lying at the Gulf of Mexico. The town is very quiet, but has a fairly nice centre and boulevard.
The landscape around Uxmal is, disregarding some hills, typically Yucatan like: a very flat limestone environment. The ruins, however are an interesting variation in the landscape. We couldn't climb the pyramid of the magician, because it was under reconstruction. But the view over the Mayan landscape from the great pyramid was also impressive.
What strikes you most when you're in Merida is that after 10 minutes the first hawker is trying to sell you the local crafts. Every 10 minutes some hawker addresses you with the same proposal: "Wanna buy Hammock or Panama hat?". This makes Merida the perfect place for buying your souvenirs. I bet you come home with your own Yucatecan Hammock (very comfortable) and jipijpa palm woven Panama hat. I got my hammock at the shop La Poblana which offers very good value for money.
Chichen Itza is one of the best remained Mayan ruins and are amongst the most impressive ones in Mexico. Although it is hard to take a picture of "el Castillo" without some tourist on it, it is a "must see". The architecture and the carvings in rock are just astonishing.
Playa del Carmen is "the place to be" in the riviera Maya to party. With lots of bars and excellent weather it provides the perfect conditions. We stayed a week over there, staying the night in a quite comfortable cabana. Our favorite bar over there is the "Blue Parrot Inn". This is a bar at the beach with a palmleaf roof and swings for chairs. And off-couse everything is completed with a bucket full of ice cooled Mexican beer. What do you want more in life. Well, Ayyt the Stud scored a girl from Texas (he insisted me putting it this way) and I got acquinted with a good-looking German woman.
Cozumel is an excellent place for snorkling and diving. Because at that moment I did'nt have the PADI Open Water Diver certificate we had to snorkel. We booked a tour on a glass-bottom boat that took us to three snorkling places. It was really excellent! It's like you're swimming in an aquarium because of the clear water and all the tropical fish. This experience really stimulated me to do a PADI diving course in my hometown.
In Tulum we went to see the Mayan ruins situated at the tropical beach. The ruins are not so impressive, but it's the entrire surrounding that makes it quite spectacular. About 2 km from the ruins, the famous cabanas of Tulum can be found. The cabanas are Spartan like with no electricity and only containing a small matrass to sleep on. The hippies over here enjoy theirselves playing drums and guitar. Very relaxed compared to the tourist centres.
Chetumal is located at the border with Belize and is mainly suited for daytrips to this country. This was the only place where we've had some problems with an unwilling macho police officer. The rest of the people in Mexico were very friendly.
Villahermosa situated in Tabasco state is know for the La Venta Parc with the famous Olmec heads. This parc is really a must see. The parc not only contains Olmec sculptures but also a zoo with local animals.
Cordoba is a quite small colonial town, though has a really beautifull central plaza. You have a nice view over the plaza when dining in one of the restaurants with a balkony on first floor.
Taxco is a romantic silvertown in the neighbourhood of Mexico City. This really was one of the highlights of our trip. It's amazing to see all the VW Beetle Taxi's crawling like ants through the narrow streets. Expect to have a hard time finding your hotel because you're easilly lost over here. Unless, some local mexican boy wants to show you the way to your hotel for a couple of pesos. |
Mexico travel report spring 1999
