Friday 10 March – Poza Riza to Apizaco
Before coming on this trip, I had never heard of these two towns, nor of the Mexican State of Tlaxcala, of which Apizaco is the second largest city. Now I have spent a very pleasant night at each and have taken pictures to remember impressions. I also have a day’s worth (48) of 3 minute long movie clips, as we drove through the often dramatic scenery, including the pickup truck with cover for the back that seemed to explode as it came past us. It’s quite time consuming to go through 48 x three minute film clips to see what, if anything, I caught on film. 95+ % will probably never be viewed again, but it is good to have options!
Only two picture stops, non of which featured any cacti or other succulents (again – is this really a cactus trip? Why?) The first was just for pictures along the side of the road, such as stands where women were selling fruits etc, and a sign that struck me as funny such as ‘No Pisar, El Pastor’. In time, translation software will tell me what it means in English. The second stop was for sightseeing in Apizaco. We stayed at the City Express Hotel, brand new and part of a complex that is a restored version of the old railway station. Soon after we had signed in and began to explore the facilities, such as the internet, we were reminded of what it means to be in a railway station – the haunting sound of train whistles! Fortunately, it was the one and only time that we heard them.
My fitness instructor dragged me for a walk around the town which yielded more pictures and did actually make me feel better after a day in the car. Unfortunately, the feeling of well being did not extend to my fitness instructor, but all is well a day later after his last Ferocactus stop. Just withdrawal symptoms then.
The Cactus Trip Diaries 