Locals proudly call themselves Los Jarochos, which refers to the cowboys, the music and dance style in this farming & ranching area south of Veracruz city. I passed several sugar cane wagon trains while driving along the river, each one overloaded bumping along over more cane littering the road. Fortunately, I arrived Saturday afternoon on a holiday weekend, so the Papantla Fliers below were performing along with lots of festivities, interesting cocktails including shrimp, lots of vendors and folks setting up for more music on stages in the square.

While the volodores or fliers are UN recognized as intangible world heritage, the historic river port town center is designated a world heritage site for the Spanish colonial architecture with colorful arched colonnades lining the narrow old streets, some only wide enough for horses—which I saw several—and pedestrians. I had seafood in a riverside restaurant named for the locals, and they also served a strangely delicious soursop cocktail, which I enjoyed while watching the small boats go by and families spending time together. This is why I love travel.