Congratulations to Ruby and Leo

Werebear!

Had the pleasure of photographing the guys from Werebear recently. Officially the originators of melt-your-face Vato Rock. Breaking Bad meets central valley minus all the killing and the meth.

The falls, Veracruz and Coffee plantations

It seems like I've always wanted to visit coffee plantations. I manufactured an allure not only of the the beans on the plant, but of the whole area around the plantations. Humid environments filled with strange plants, insects and animals covering vast distances seem haunting. A few days a go I got the chance. I was already in coffee country staying in Xalapa Veracruz. Yes, the city offers dozens of places to zip the elixir, but it does not give you much of an insight as to how it is grown or harvested. Luckily the area surrounding the city is filled with plantations. Xico Veracruz is 14 miles away and not only is it covered with plantations, it also houses beautiful Texolo Falls (below)

(Please click on image to view larger)

The trip there required a local bus. The bus drove through pave roads, dirt pathways and a few small towns. From the information we had gathered (me and my friend Javie) we would have to get off the bus at the entrance of Xico and walk a few miles more to get to the falls.

The allure of the walk there was the coffee plantations along the way. Plantations that along with bananas trees seem to live together like perfectly behaved relatives. Ohh but who can forget views of the hills and valleys as we immediately walked away from civilization.

Harvesting season seem at its peak. Coffee beans blushed in the shade while a myriad of banana and other trees others provided cover from the sun.

(Phone picture of the beans as they come from the plant and what they look like if you remove the outer layer. Before toasting of course.)
A long and desolate cobblestone road led the way. Bordered by coffee plants it was host to the occasional machete-carrying worker returning from a laborious day.
The road seem long, but never one bit less haunting or fascinating as I once had imagined.
After about an hour of walking, the cobblestone road ended at the top of a beautiful view of Texolo falls. While walking around however we found a small almost unmarked path. A path carved and put together by one man who wanted to give the daring a better view of the lower falls. It was getting late, but ofcourse we took it. The view is the first you saw on this post and of the video below.
The way back revealed more of the roads charm. Small time farmers cut old banana tree trunks from with in the plantations and loaded them in to a truck. These dying but not dried trunks serve as cow feed.
He'd disappear in to the greenery machete in hand. Moments later he'd come out only recognized by the sound of branches moving until he was clearly outside the brush.
The day ended with a long walk back, the sun hitting the horizon, more banana trunks and a couple more machete-men utilizing the last glance of sun to light their way back home.

(short video of the last few steps leading to the lower falls section)

Better version of the video HERE

Ohh Puebla

Puebla is a bastion of tradition permanently stuck in Mexico's colonial era. Famous for its Mole Poblano which by all accounts should be a denomination of origin and its Chiles en Nogada. Even more famous than its rich culinary history is the battle of Cinco De Mayo. I know you've had more than a few drinks celebrating this festivity every 5th of May. Only to curse it unceremoniously while the '6th of May hangover' reminds you that you did have to work that morning. Cinco de Mayo gets commonly confused for Mexican independence day, mainly due to the uprise in corporate sponsorship similar to St.Patrick's day. The truth is that it was a battle where Mexican general Ignacio Zaragoza successfully defended the fort of Guadalupe in Puebla in 1862. Roughly 2000 Mexican soldiers defeated and retreated 6000 Frenchmen. Many people seem to forget that a year later a reinforced French army took the city of Puebla until 1867. Go figure!

Saying its simply a city rich with culture would not do justice to all Puebla has to offer.

Here are some images of Puebla, its surrounding areas and its people:

The tallest church towers in Mexico raise from the center of Puebla's culturaly rich Zocalo. While famous active volcano Popocatépetl belches smokestacks in the distance.

The people are as interesting and intriguing as the city itself.


A traditionally dressed "Huehue" dancer rests after his typical carnaval performance.

At night the Zocalo area fills with even more people, artist, performers and street musicians.

Cholula is a town just a few minutes outside of Puebla. It is rumored to have 365 churches and the largest pyramid ever built. This church stands atop the pyramid which from a distance looks more like a hill than an actual pyramid. The lower part tells a different story. Excavations of tunnels and courtyards reveal a glance in to the past.

Overall Puebla is a great place to visit. Its relative short distance to Mexico City makes it accessible and even with is growing influx of tourists it keeps its charm and small city feel.

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No explanation for this photograph (on purpose). What do you get from it?

Inside the car (Yes this is HDR)

Mexico City streets