Go, fan, go! Cool me!
I'm in Veracruz tonight, with a sort of sick brother and two parents who may or may not be sick but are feeling mostly okay for now.
I drove again today, on what were for once a) actual toll roads and b) sometimes actual 4-lane, well-paved highways. Those 250km went by a whole lot faster than yesterday's, let me tell you! Also, there wasn't as much traffic and most of the driving was along the coast, so not as many twists and turns.
Exciting driving moment #1: an iguana scuttled across the road just in front of us, no doubt heading for the sea which was off to our left.
Exciting driving moment #2: a bird lost its balance right in front of me and it fell and hit the corner of the van.
In Veracruz we traipsed around in unbearable heat, looking for a hotel. We found a nice one, and they even have a water-cooler downstairs for their patrons. After we had settled in and taken a little nap, we took a cab down to the zocalo.
Downtown Veracruz is a pretty place, with roaming mariachis and vendors all over the place. A stage was set up in the centre of the plaza and we watched some folk dancing and listened to some music after our supper.
To get back to our hotel, we did the logical thing and took another taxi. Only this time, we were stuck in a traffic jam for several minutes. When it finally got sorted out, our driver raced us to our hotel in record time. It was kind of like traffic in Vietnam, only from a different angle; the taxis here are all little Nissans, so you're *really* close to the ground. My family, not having experienced Vietnam's Highway #1, was quite impressed.
I drove again today, on what were for once a) actual toll roads and b) sometimes actual 4-lane, well-paved highways. Those 250km went by a whole lot faster than yesterday's, let me tell you! Also, there wasn't as much traffic and most of the driving was along the coast, so not as many twists and turns.
Exciting driving moment #1: an iguana scuttled across the road just in front of us, no doubt heading for the sea which was off to our left.
Exciting driving moment #2: a bird lost its balance right in front of me and it fell and hit the corner of the van.
In Veracruz we traipsed around in unbearable heat, looking for a hotel. We found a nice one, and they even have a water-cooler downstairs for their patrons. After we had settled in and taken a little nap, we took a cab down to the zocalo.
Downtown Veracruz is a pretty place, with roaming mariachis and vendors all over the place. A stage was set up in the centre of the plaza and we watched some folk dancing and listened to some music after our supper.
To get back to our hotel, we did the logical thing and took another taxi. Only this time, we were stuck in a traffic jam for several minutes. When it finally got sorted out, our driver raced us to our hotel in record time. It was kind of like traffic in Vietnam, only from a different angle; the taxis here are all little Nissans, so you're *really* close to the ground. My family, not having experienced Vietnam's Highway #1, was quite impressed.