It pays to have your car in the shop. Today I left mine at the Honda dealer in Jalapa and decided to walk around town. I live in Coatepec, a small town outside of Jalapa, the State capital of Veracruz. In comparison, I find Jalapa to be a very congested city and only go in when necessary or to attend a cultural event. Today was a necessity.

Jalapa is built on hills and is sprawling like so many other cities. Its setting is gorgeous. It is surrounded by green hills, coffee plantations and gardens. The central core is not as attractive (to me anyway) as is for example Queretaro, Oaxaca or even Guanajuato, other colonial cities in Mexico. It is not really a friendly city for the pedestrian. The main plaza is bounded on each side by two very busy streets which are almost impossible to cross on foot. Jalapa has the highest per capita car ratio in all of Mexico, according to the city newspaper, El Diario. As such, then, one has to be constantly on the alert for speeding cars, endure the jarring sound of impatient drivers honking their horns and avoid deep breathing. Nevertheless today I decided to take the time to walk. I started at the far end of Calle Murillo in front of the car dealership and walked into town.

I was filled with pleasant surprises. Many of the side streets curve up and around and are decorated with climbing vines and drooping flowers including a very pale salmon hibiscus, variegated red/white/pink roses, the ubiquitous brilliant magenta colored bougainvillea, and the deep yellow blossom of the trumpet flower. There are vintage art deco era homes and many colonial ones tucked into these shorter streets. They actually beckoned me to explore them although today I did not take the time to do so.

This is a street filled with shops which I never see as I whiz past in my car. Today they charmed me with all their different offerings. There are panaderias filled with fresh baked goodies, interesting bookshops, several small beauty shops, one spa that offers all sorts of self-indulgent pamperings and , of course, many offices. One shop caught my eye and I stepped in for a closer look. This was a jewelry shop featuring all kinds of lovely silver pieces very nicely displayed. It belongs to a brother and sister duo who create a lot of the pieces. Everyone I passed greeted me in the friendly manner of a much smaller town. Eventually I found myself at the center of town and from there I continued downward to a lovely city park, El Berros. This park is bathed in shade at mid day and is an inviting spot to sit and relax. It is large enough so that the traffic noise is somewhat muffled. This must once have been one of the more prominent addresses in Jalapa as the houses lining the park are grand ones. The ironwork on the windows and gates is intricate and one can see many stained glass windows which must filter the incoming light in a very pleasant manner. Jalapa is distinguished by the care with which it designs its public gardens.

Today was a lesson in taking the time to get a closer look at familiar surroundings. I was able to see the town in a different perspective and was able to appreciate it in a way that was new. I “re-set’ my conditioned response to the traffic and noise: I ignored it and discovered a whole new world on display. Jalapa now has a new meaning for me and I plan to continue to explore the city on foot.