Bubba
Dec 5, 2006, 9:42 AM
Post #1 of 9
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Pico Orizaba to The Mountains of OZ Over the Highways From Hell
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There is no escaping the fact that to leave the Mexico of or distinctively part of Mexico as defined by Mexico City and its environs or those points north of there is to enter a different land. Whether or not you like it is a different matter and of no consequence.
You leave Puebla with great expectations heading down what the Red Guide tells you is endless freeway to Tuxtla Gutierriez only to find the freeways to be icons to anticipated corruption and inability to cope with environmental limitations. The cuota out of Puebla seems fine but once you get to the flatlands commencing around Ciudad Mendoza approaching Orizaba the new roads turn to unstable mush as roads are not maintained. Then, as you head south toward Veracruz and points south the cuotas are of uncertain quaitity as wetlands destroy endless miles of supposed freeway. It is, to say the least. distracting. Then, as one approaches the turnoff to Villahermosa and Tuxtla, the road turns to shit. This would be a scandal anywhere but Mexico where irresponsible roadbuilding is an expectation.Once on the "new" cuota to Tuxtla, one can experience the ultimate example of corruption in North American - the Tuxtla cutoff, which is relatively new and a lasting monument to incompetence as one drives about 290 Kilometers over some of the worst roadbed this side of Kabul. This road, which is nearly brand new, is so atrocious that, after a while it becomes laughable. Imagine 290 kilometers of dodging baches the size of your mothers kitchen.
Now, what is fun about this, is that the Tuxtla road cuts through some of the most beautiful topography on the planet. This is the land of OZ, unbelievably beautififul green mountainous regions as if sculpted by Hollywood. Not to be believed if not personally observed.
When you finish this mind-boggling experience, you find yourself in Tuxtla Gutierrez, a mailgned city of about a million people which, in fact, is fine place once you get used to it and you are on your way to the magical San Cristobal de las Casas and here is what is fun about that. The new cuota from the valley at Tuxtla to the mountain valley at San Cristobal starts at the ancient and important, to say nothing of quite charming, city of Chiapas de Corzo at about 450 Meters and, within 40 kilometers climbs to 2,200 Meters and the Jovel Valley in which rests the magical city and I swear to God a more spécatular 40 Kilometers never existed in North America. I won{t go into it at present as it is an intensily personal experience. More about that later.
(This post was edited by Bubba on Dec 5, 2006, 9:46 AM)
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