The other Cloud Forest

Another nice trip we had a chance to get in was the Puebla Cloud Forest, specifically the town of Cuetzalan, for New Year's. Cuetzalan is situated relatively close to Xalapa, but since there are high peaks in between, you have to go around to the State of Puebla and turn back to get to it! The best part is that most of the road is Toll freeway, but there are very narrow stretches up the passes on the mountains that might seem a little bit daunting. Of course all these mountains make the setting incredibly dramatic and there is no lack of waterfalls, caves and other interesting adventure spots. We did a lite trip… not going for the overly adventurous things, but visited a waterfall (La Brisa), did some spelunking in one of the caves (Grutas Aventura) and just chilled in town.

The town is amazing, most of it is built in rock: streets, stairs, walls, houses, you name it. The stonework in new and old construction is immaculate! But so it seems most of the workmanship is amazing in everything made in Cuetzalan. We spent a whole morning buying textiles and basketry from local artisans (they actually travel from small mountain towns to sell their wares in Cuetzalan- the biggest town) at very low prices (cheap!) and of wonderful quality. I left wishing I had taken more money along to get some more rebozos! We all agreed that even the quality of the food was above and beyond. Even from little street vendors, the "Tlayoyos" (local specialty) are very good.

The caves are really an adventure. We decided on the easy cave since I am really not in shape anymore, and I could just visit the entrance of the cave! Yep, they are not for the faint of heart or the weak of heart. It is quite a workout and there are no luxuries involved. These are really spelunking caves, not a tennis shoe stroll. The boys had an incredible time and the guide (there is no way you can go without a guide in here) was happy to cater to the young. The baby and I had a blast just hanging out with the cows and dogs outside the caves!!

We later tried our luck at the "easy" waterfall: La Brisa. It might be easy, but it is quite a stroll and somewhat of a descent to get to it. The water was cold, so no real swimming in the water hole (but it must be nice in warm weather). It is very nice just to skip stones while you get the breeze from the waterfall. And, even though the climb back to your car can be tiring, there are crafts being sold all the way up. The crafts were consistently well made and the prices seemed to be even lower than some in town. BTW, we had a couple of kids be our guides to the waterfall and they were the best guides ever. The people of the region are a mix of Nahuatl and Totonac, both languages are still spoken throughout, they are beautiful people that, unlike the mountain people of Veracruz, are chatty, curious and friendly.

The highlight of the trip was the voladores (like Papantla, the voladores tradition lives here because of the Totonac roots). The boys, now older, really enjoyed the original daredevils. They sat speechless while the voladores descended in their own very special way.

I can't wait to get another trip to get a closer look at the Spas and eco-lodges in the outlining cloud forests of Puebla!

More than a year later…

Such a long silence! And not really because there was not much to write about, but very little time to write… We have covered some more ground and visited very interesting places, including a new visit to the hospital by me!

We visited Actopan in early 2010. Extraordinary place! We did go at an off season time, it was chilly for the region (wonderful 75 degrees F) but perfect for us. Actopan is, per se, a very sleepy and non charming town, but the road is filled with the most interesting plantings! It seems Actopan, famous for the great mangos they grow and export, also has extensive Chayote (Mexican prickly squash) plantations. What is fun about Chayote plants is that they are creeping vines. The mango growers have managed to plant the Chayotes between the Huge Mango trees in elevated trellises which remind me of grape country. The difference is that the trellises are lower – about 40 inches off the ground- and the fruits that hang are big pear like squashes covered with spines… would not like to have to harvest that crop.

But the real charm is in Nace el Río, the birth place of the river Actopan. It is not really the birthplace, since it starts high up in the mountains and runs subterranean, but it is in this little reserve that the rivers comes out into the open. It is here that the white water rafters come to catch the first currents that will take them through cannons and valleys. But the reserve also has its charm for the not so adventurous; it boasts an endemic species micro zoo and botanical garden, and a few streams and water holes to wade (or swim in). The best is the secret island –hard to get to but very cool- that sits between two currents of the river where you can bask in the sun while your family swims or boards a raft!

The trip was short, and the water was a bit chilly because of the air temp, but we will hopefully go back in warmer weather to take advantage of the swimming holes and, why not, the white water rafting.