Day Twenty-Three - Veracruz (and sharks!)

Wow…that’s the only thing I can say to describe my day in Veracruz. Simply put, today was a day for meeting new people and trying new things.

We started off our with a visit to Escuela Secundaria Tecnica #130. Similar to the other schools we visited during this trip, we walked around the campus, looked in some classrooms and chatted with teachers. Luckily there was a group of students who volunteered to come to school today and talk with us, so we got an added perspective. There was a girl named Stephanie who was excited we shared the same name and paired up with me for the tour.

She told me a lot about herself and her experiences in school. As it turns out, she lives in the city of Veracruz because her father is a captain on a ship and goes in and out of Veracruz. An interesting topic that came up during our discussion was that she did not grow up having a favorite teacher in school. She said that all of her teachers were mean or cold and never took the chance to get to know the kids. She also described many of her peers as lazy and not caring much about school. She, however, spoke English very well and wants to study chemistry in college to become a chemical engineer…I’m sure she’ll do very well.

After the school, we drove to the part of Veracruz known as Boca del Rio (which literally means “Mouth of the River”). This is the more affluent part of town, and it was obvious with the many high-rise buildings present. It would be amazing to own a balcony overlooking the water here. Veracruz is the seafood and fish capital of Mexico, so of course I tried something new!  We ate at a restaurant right near the water and for the first time, I tried ceviche (which was pretty good) and conch!



The conch was really delicious…a cross between calamari (for the chewy texture) and crab/lobster (for the taste). Above all, my stomach has been a daring adventurer on this trip!

After lunch we traveled to el Acuario de Veracruz (the aquarium). Jacques was able to arrange for a few of us daring souls to take a dip in the SHARK TANK!!!! This is by far one of the coolest things that I have EVER done in my entire life! Of course I had to reminisce about my snorkeling adventure with the stingrays with Grandpa many years ago! This was similar in many ways, but today I was in a cage. Four of us – Jacques, Alex, Soumountha, and myself – signed up for the adventure.

We were met by the marine biologist and made our way “behind the scenes” of the aquarium over to the shark tank. We signed a liability waiver (in case we were eaten by a shark…hahah) and then changed into wetsuits. We went down two at a time – Alex and Soumountha went first, followed by me and Jacques. Here are pictures of Jacques and I beginning and end of the journey:

Accompanied by Raul, the marine biologist, we were submerged in a pressurized glass cage in the middle of the shark tank! Each group had 15 minutes and we used snorkel masks to go under the water (half the cage was filled with air and the other half with water). We each got to hold out chunks of fish (attached to poles and slipped out a hole in the cage) to offer to the sharks (who quickly gobbled them up…). HOW AWESOME IT WAS TO SEE A SHARK UP CLOSE!!! I took a few pictures with the underwater camera and a couple of videos too. Here are some of them:





I was sad to leave the water, but am so excited that I had the chance to experience this amazing activity! It definitely gets added to my list of the coolest things I’ve done in my life!

Our evening was pretty nice too. Jacques, Alex and I walked along the water’s edge, snapping photographs and eating ice cream (mmm…fresh coconut ice cream with huge coconut chunks!).

Then we made our way to Gran Café de la Parroquia. This place is famous for their lecheros (cafe con leche…same as a café latte). To order a lechero, you tap your spoon on your glass and a waiter comes over with two kettles – one with espresso and the other with hot milk. After giving you a small bit of espresso, he begins to pour the milk into the glass. Slowly, he lifts his arm, pulling the kettle farther and farther away from the glass. By the time he’s done, the kettle is about two feet above the glass, but all the milk is intact! It was so delicious that I had two glasses!

Veracruz was definitely a city to remember! Maybe one day I’ll own an apartment on the water in Boca del Rio! Hey, it doesn't hurt to dream...!  :-)