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What's New?
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We are continuing to develop a website to help you explore a stretch
of coastline which was the first on the mainland to be examined by non-indigenous
peoples. It has been largely ignored by the people of the United States, at least
since our last invasion back in 1914. It's long past time that we
end our neglect of this incredible area and learn more about the beauty and
the history. This site is intended to be a companion site
to Tom Penick's The Pacific Coast of Mexico, which can be found at
tomzap.com.
La Perla del Golfo is one of those
delightful little places, well off the beaten path, in which this page specializes.
Completely undiscovered, this remote seaside village has a lot to offer for those
seeking something completely different.
Airfares to Veracruz from major US gateway cities have been updated. Check
Vista World Travel for the current fares.
Winter Special at Camino Real Veracruz
Lower rates and more amenities!
Call Vista World Travel for details
1-800-880-8068
Around every corner in Veracruz lie people and places to stir your soul.
So>Vista World Travel to book.
Tatahuicapa, a small village
in the middle of the Las Tuxtlas mountains. Enjoy this touch of deep Olmeca.
The page on Alvarado has been fleshed out with
photos and text.
Just revised the section on the City of Veracruz,
adding a few pictures and naming more places.
There is a new re-write of the page on the lovely highland city of
Orizaba. There's also a write-up on our hosts for the
visit to Orizaba, The Grand Hotel de France.
The first of the mountain community write-ups from my May, 2007 trips is finally up.
Read about the lovely mountain town of Xico before
planning your next trip to the Veracruz highlands.
If you've been to Veracruz, you must have noticed the number of striking
statues throughout the city. This page
shows a small sampling of the art.
I've updated the scuba page with a number of
new photos as well as a link to lots more pictures.
Our friend from Hotel Costa Sol, Sr. Filiberto Rodriguez, has provided a
wonderful powerpoint display on the Las Tuxtlas coast. The powerpoint, called
The Last Jungle, was put together by Ms Maria Dolores. Unfortunately, the file
is a bit large and imbedding it here has proven unweildy. But if you're interested,
email me , john@johnzap.com; put "powerpoint" in the subject line; and I'll
gladly forward the file to you.
Earlier this year, the San Antonio Express-News featured the Gulf Coast of
Mexico in the travel section on two consecutive Sundays. The Travel Editor,
Tracy Barnett, has been kind enough to provide a link to her archived articles
here. Tracy had to miss some of the best parts, since her photographer
became ill in mid-trip. But since print media is notoriously reluctant to spring for
airfare for their travel staff, perhaps she'll be driving down again sometime soon. I'm sure that once
you've read her brilliant prose, you'll all be urging her to get back to the Southern
Third Coast.
One of our readers has provided a report on Dia de la Marina
in the lovely seaside town of Nautla, held
every June 1.
Well, it seems that uploading 1200 photos from a two week trip takes all spare
time for the next two weeks as well - and that doesn't include re-sizing, posting,
and writing - just uploading and grouping. So pay attention the next few weeks;
there will a lot of new articles and loads of new pix.
Sorry, folks, but you're going to need to register to post to the Visitors'
Comments section. If you've registered in the past, you do not need
to register again. Just log in. But if you've never registered, click
here.
There are some wonderful blogs available from folks currently living in
Veracruz state. Ester B has a site here ,
where she discusses her incredible home in Xico among other topics. Her husband
Jim also has a blogsite with more great pictures. Click
here to get in on his great
stuff. Juan Calypso offers his perspectives here.
Some of the best information on Veracruz I've found has come courtesy of long-time resident John
Todd Jr, who has consented to a link with his information. Click
here to see his site. And I've
started blogging my May 2007 trip; My blog is in the Visitor's Comments section
of this site in the Veracruz section. Go on; you can navigate there from
here.
Downtown in Cd Veracruz and needing a place to eat? You could certainly do
worse than a stop in the student district at Nautique Cafe.
Good food, good service, casual atmosphere.
I'm at my most pedantic talking about riding busses aound Mexico in Bus Trip 101.
If you're staying in the city, especially on the southside or even in
Boca Del Rio, please drop in on the Centro
Cultural de Boca Del Rio, which is a very user-friendly museum
dedicated to the ages-old history of the region. We've included a few pictures
to whet youe appetite.
Ever wonder what Maztlan was like in 1955? Or Zipolite in
1969? Don't miss your chance to be a pioneering visitor in an area that may be
even prettier? Read about the Costa Tuxtlas
and view a few photos for a faint glimpse of this incredible stretch of
coastline.
Mexico by motorcoach? I've done some research on the bus lines that deliver
you to destinations on the other side of the border. Hit
this link for a partial listing of the busses servicing the Austin,
Texas to Monterrey, Nuevo Leon route.
It's the dream of many of us to live in Mexico, especially once we retire.
Some folks make the transition with varying degrees of difficulty; some folks
never quite get the hang of it. Wise potential ex-pats listen carefully to
those who have gone before them. One of our correspondents in Veracruz has been
kind enough to share some of his adventures in paradise with the rest of us.
Jose Hongo most assuredly is one who "gets it." The first adventure he shares
, "A trip to the Mountains", relates an
adventurous trip to Oaxaca City and Huatla. The second expedition
, "Lost on an Island", has him visiting other
locales most of us only dream about.
There's a new article about Capitan Gabriel
Serrano, the dean of Veracruz diving.
Just back from a January trip and finally got some posting done. If you like
whitewater adventure, why don't you click here
for a bit of narrative and a link to a whole bunch of pictures?
My hosts for the trip were Lic. Filiberto Rodriguez Guajardo and his
lovely wife. They are the proprietors of The Hotel
Costa Sol in Boca del Rio, the southern suburb of Veracruz. I
heartily recommend their hospitality.
Part of the hospitality offered at Hotel Costa Sol included the wonderful
food and ambiance of the Restaurante Mandingo.
In a town known all over Mexico for fine cuisine, this restaurant stands out.
The best mid-week airfates from San Antonio to Veracruz are always through
Gene! Gene Marck at Vista World Travel has a
special relationship with the Mexican carriers. He can fix you up with
transportation, hotels, and so much more.
This is intended to be very much a participatory experience. We need your
input. Tell us about your trips to the Gulf Coast of Mexico. And not just the
good times you've had. We want to hear about the good, the bad, and the ugly.
We want to know where you have gotten great service and where the service has
been spotty. Tell us where you've gotten more than you bargained for and where
you felt "ripped off." Our Visitors' Comments
section is your forum to tell it all; to help you help future travelers and to
learn the experiences of others.
Gene Marck, President of Vista World Travel
in San Antonio, made a trip to the State of Veracruz around Thanksgiving, 2005,
and has kindly shared his photo files with us. Click on the link and have a
look.
. . . always something new in the Visitors' Comments
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Gulf
times since July 11, 2000.