13th April 2015 – Veracruz to Tula

Today’s drive isn’t as far as yesterday’s so we leave at our normal time to drive 466 kilometers to Tula, which is north of Mexico City. We get a bit lost getting out of Veracruz which is a big city, but we finally get onto the motorway. Today’s road is in much better condition than yesterday’s.ÿ There is a military presence in Mexico, but more low key than in Central America.One section of the motorway is a fantastic road that winds and climbs up to a plateau reaching 2,625 meters above sea level which keeps the temperature down. It’s a fantastic drive and very scenic. We have the luxury of stopping at fuel stations and cafes on the motorway which means we can get a decent cup of coffee for morning tea and lunch. As we approach the ring road around Mexico City which is about 60 kilometers out ,the clouds build up, not sure if it’s pollution but it is very hazy. Mexico City has a population of around 22 million people it’s a huge city and one that we are avoiding driving through. It’s busy enough just making our way to the north ring road. In the afternoon Shiraz has a re occurrence of the electrical problem from yesterday so Michael disconnects the taco, but unfortunately this doesn’t fix the problem. When we arrive at Tula 8 of us head to the pre Aztec ruins which are an interesting mix of Mayan with some Aztec features on top. The walk into the ruins is lined with colourful cactus and other interesting plants. When we get back to the hotel Michael puts the spare regulator in the alternator, but it doesn’t work, so he puts the original one back in. We will see what happens tomorrow.