The road from El Tajin toward Xalapa was perhaps the worst road we've ever driven. I wish I could show the car-sized potholes we avoided, but we didn't stop. I should have run along side as we only drove about 2 km/hr for quite a while and I could have photographed the car moving without any blurring.
Once on better roads the drive up to Xalapa was spectacular--mountains, mists, and a tropical wonderland of plants. Again no pictures as there was no place to pull off the road and lollygag.
Once in Xalapa, we got lost again trying to find our hotel. Xalapa is a city of half a million people, all of whom drive fast and aggressively along narrow, unmarked streets. Not naming any of them made my navigation unreliable, even though I had a rudimentary map of the city. It also didn't help that street names, when they did have a sign, change every few blocks. We did eventually find our way (with the help of very good Mexican directions) to the hotel I'd chosen from our guide book only to discover that it had changed hands and had changed what it offered in services. We have now moved to quite a conveniet place which is even cheaper and are touring the city by foot and cab. What a joy to park the car. I'm sorry about the complaints. We did know that Mexico would be a challenge to drive in, especially by us with our rudimentary Spanish, but we wanted the car for later and so we deserve what we get.
This driver got us lost as well. Our friends, who travel a lot in Mexico warned us that we would often be lost. Prophetic! Perhaps this will be the theme of this trip, "Kedls Perdidos."Here's the obligatory mural, albeit not by Diego Rivera, but by Mario Orozco Rivera, a son perhaps. It doesn't seem up to the father's standards. Note the skeleton near the bottom, just right of center. The first of many on this trip, I hope, as I enjoy the many references to death that the Mexicans are so good at. This photo is about one third of the whole, which wraps up the stairway in the Municipal Palace--almost exactly like those in Mexico City.
Below is a very Mexican shrine to Bergman and Antonioni. It's in the lobby of the little movie theater attached to the Museo del Arte Contemporano.
And an art work made in 2007 in the same place.
