city at night

city at night

Saturday, March 7, 2015

My Dad's Trip to Mexico (Part Two)

 
(A continuation of my previous post in which I describe the trip my dad and I took in 1975)
 
 
After several days in Mexico City, we headed east in a rental car.  Back in those days there were very few four-lane highways in Mexico.  Most of our journeys were on two lane roads.
 
We went to Cholula, two hours from the capital.  Here I had attended the University of the Americas a couple years before.
 
 
 
Me at the campus of my old school
 
 
 
Dad in front of the Pyramid of Cholula
 
 
We went to the nearby town of Tlaxcala and spent a couple days with a family that I had met during my student days.
 
 
The beautiful Basilica of Ocotlán in Tlaxcala
 
We then continued eastward to the city of Jalapa, the capital of the state of Veracruz.  The wife of one of my Spanish professors in Ohio was originally from Jalapa, and we visited her family there.
 
 
 
Dad looking at the dahlias in the garden of a former coffee plantation outside of Jalapa.
 
 
Dad really enjoyed visiting these places that were off the typical tourist route, and he was really impressed with the warm hospitality that my friends showed us.  He didn't speak any Spanish, so I was kept busy acting as interpreter.
 
From Jalapa we made a long journey on twisting roads westward until we reached Taxco, an old, colonial, silver-mining town.  We wandered the cobblestone streets on foot, and visited some of the many silver shops.  Dad bought a silver ring with his birthstone, a ring which I still have and frequently wear.
 
 
 
Dad on the terrace of our cliff-side hotel in Taxco
 
 
He was impressed with the colonial architecture of Taxco, especially the ornate Church of Santa Prisca, built in the 1700s by a wealthy silver mine owner.
 
 
From Taxco we headed south to the resort city of Acapulco.  This was long before the modern four-lane highway that now runs to Acapulco. 
 
 
 
We stopped along the way to take pictures of the enormous cacti by the road.
 
 
Back in those days, places like Cancun and Ixtapa did not yet exist.  Acapulco was the most famous beach resort in the country.
 
 

 
We stayed at this high-rise hotel, Hotel Caleta, which back then was a very nice place.
 
 
 
Dad went parasailing while we were in Acapulco.  For him, it was no big deal, since he was a paratrooper in World War II.  He tried to convince me to go parasailing, but I was chicken.  I told him that I would just stay on the beach and take pictures of him.
 
We flew home from Acapulco.  It was a great experience for both of us, and I had a chance to show my father the Mexico that I had grown to love. 
 







10 comments:

  1. I remember Mexico well in 1974. Aren't we lucky to have had these experiences early on? I treasure the memories.

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    1. It's hard to believe that I have been traveling to Mexico for over 40 years! Sometimes that first trip seems like it was just yesterday!

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  2. That sounds like a wonderful trip with your father. Thanks so much for sharing your wonderful memories.

    Saludos,

    Kim G
    Boston, MA
    Where we'd have liked to see Mexico before it became so 'modernized.'

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    1. I can remember back in the day when it was not uncommon to see a burro hitched up along the street in Cholula. Now Cholula is a suburb of Puebla. In some ways I sort of miss the "old" Mexico.

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  3. What a fantastic trip with your dad! And what an adventurous spirit!

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    1. My dad really enjoyed the trip, and I'm glad that beyond the tourist side he also got to see the real Mexico.

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  4. I just stumbled upon this. What a nice piece of nostalgia! I love it that those pics have survived the years!

    In your experience as a long-time visitor, how has Mexico changed over the years?

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    1. Oh my, it has changed so much in 40+ years! It was definitely a more third world country back then. The cities have grown enormously... I think Mexico City back then had a metropolitan population of 12 million. Everything is much more commercial now. I don't know if you are familiar with Chedraui, but back then it was ONE store in Jalapa. And of course, Walmart, Sam's Club etc., didn't exist in the U.S., much less in Mexico. The country has progressed in many ways, but I still sort of miss "old Mexico".

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  5. Hey I was there with my Dad too, from 1970 to 74. Did you ever take any classes with Bank?

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    1. I was at the University of the Americas during the winter quarter of 1973, but I don't remember anyone by the name of Bank.
      Thanks for visiting my blog, and for taking the time to comment.

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