And so at last we were on our way out of the city. We passed several Auto-Hotels on the outskirts of Xalapa, where Cando could have fit through the entrance, but we were ready by now for something better.

We didn’t see anything in Coatepec, but rather than begin a search, we agreed that we would just go on toward Xico. The land was lovely, hilly, with coffee plants growing under banana trees everywhere. At an intersection, I saw a billboard for a hotel-restaurant one kilometer away that said “Campers Bienvenidos” (“Campers Welcome”), so of course we went that way.

We drove into an upscale former hacienda, feeling like we had maybe arrived at our destination. Nope. The hotel was not for campers like us – they had some complicated explanation that we didn’t follow – so we were back to the Xico road.

When we got into Xico, I noticed a touristic sort of shop and had a strong impulse to go in there. So we stopped, and I bought a purple blouse. There were two women there, and one had blondish hair and skin. She was speaking fluent Spanish so I assumed she was Mexican. I told her that she looked like one of my friends in Colorado. “I skied there once,” she said in English. Carola was German and married to a Mexican. It was her shop.

I said we needed a place to camp. She said we could ask the caretaker at the waterfall – people in Xalapa had guessed that we could camp there – but then she had the idea of some friends of hers who have a small resort by the river, Cabinas al Puente, so she offered to phone them. We said we didn’t need any hookups, we just wanted someplace level and tranquil. She phoned and arranged for us to go there.

Settled in at last!

So the day ended with us settled in a delightful spot next to a small river, on the edge of Xico. We were in a tiny parking lot. Carmen and her husband had several cabins they rent out, and those were full of Mexican families having a great time. There were kids on the trampoline and in the pool.

We too were having a great time. After we got Cando set up, we went for a long walk out into the countryside, had a quick dip in the pool, and a delicious dinner out at a restaurant overlooking the river.

“All’s well that ends well,” we agreed, and decided to stay in Xico a while.

Cabinas del Puente

[Next: we chat with a philosophical farmer and meet some Mexican hippies in Xico.]