My Almost Free Mexican Adventure: Pt 4 = From CAPU to Orizaba

(be sure to read the preceding parts below...)

The bus ride to CAPU in Puebla was complete and total culture shock. Odd little things, like the fact that every available square inch of a wall (very common that all buildings, even on city blocks, are surrounded by walls) would be painted white with advertising slogans overlapping.



Towns became smaller with dirt roads.



Animal and human labor became more prevalent.



I really wanted to stop about every 5 minutes and take a picture, of churches, missions, kids herding goats, guys plowing behind a single-fork plow behind a donkey. Amazing.

Coming into CAPU finally the bus tossed us out (gently) and I collected my bags. I had my boots off for a while, so I had to slip them on, but I didn't lace them. I remember from a trip report that you had to go upstairs and that AU (the next bus line) was on the end.

So I get off the bus, and there is no real upstairs, only a long ramp that leads up and to a central market area. I had to use the WC badly, but there were only pay ones with a turnstyle that my luggage would no way fit into (it was like 20cents US, so no biggie on that count). Dodging the very present taxi assistants with hand trucks trying to get me to let them put my bags in and lead me to the cab was a full-time job. I ended up tying my boots after walking up and over the ramp.

I found the AU counter, near the end on the right (coming down the other side of the ramp with all the food courts, seating, and ticket counters) and got in line. Bought a ticket for the bus to Tlachichuca for a ridiculous < $4.00 US for like 100 miles in a second-class bus (padded seats, no curtains, no snacks or drinks, no WC).

The clerk tried ripping me off for my change ($1.20) and was reticent when I reminded him he had done so. Finally I got my change and directions to the bus. It was a long long long ways away. Long long long. I found the sign (#5) for the bus, but no bus. And it was supposd to take off in about 10 minutes. Probably not there yet. I finally found a regular WC (not so nice as MEX, but decent and clean) so I could take my bags in with me.

When I came out the bus was still not there. I wandered around, figuring it would squeek in right on the minute. Under the #12 sign was a bus with the lighted panel "Tlachichuca". I quick ran up to it and the driver opened the door. I asked if this was the Tlachichuca bus and he said yes, and waved to the baggage compartment, still open. I tossed my bags in and climbed up into the bus. He processed my ticket in a little computerized dash appliance much like UPS. Far out. I couldn't imagine why he would have something like that.

I ran back and sat just as we pulled out.

This was the most amazing trip of my life to that point. We stopped at every little crossroads where different workers and family members etc. all stood waiting for the bus. At some of them there was a little cement shack with a cement bench painted in the AU colors. Others were just where a bridge crossed a railroad track or canal. People got on and off seemingly in the middle of nowhere, but I'm sure there were different farms etc.

Some really odd people got on wandering up and down the aisle chanting so fast I didn't pick up a single word, but it seemed like they were selling MLM's or political affiliation or snake oil or some odd philosophy.

I discovered the little computer was to sell and track the tickets of all the riders. Every now and then the driver would wander up and down the aisle and count to see if everyone had gotten off by that stop that should have. Amazing use of technology.

At some stops there was a little market set up on a table, and people would grab up snowcones or drinks or cups of nuts or boards of "tortas" (mexico's version of the sandwich) and run onto the bus up and down the aisle a lap trying to sell them.



That's one of the little stalls. See the drinks lined up on the table. Fanta Naranja was popoular (BTW - Fanta is owned by Coke). Everywhere but the US I guess. Behind the table is a lady at a grill cooking up stacks of sliced meat for Tortas. I was getting hungry but mildly scared of local food and not confident in my Spanish.

Finally, peaking out just between the hills, I saw it. Orizaba.



Next: A wild town indeed - Tlachichuca