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The Drifter Journals

Picnic with Prehistoric Creatures in Tampico, Mexico by Estefania Garcia

2/27/2013

18 Comments

 
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For many, the thought of a trip to Mexico conjures up images of crashing surf, giant sombreros and cold margaritas. But on the East Coast, in the cities along the coastline of the Gulf of Mexico, there is another side to America's southern neighbor. Altamira, Mexico native and drifter legend, Estefania Garcia Mendoza, takes us on a tour there, and introduces us to a part of real, every day Tampico life that only a few travelers have explored.
Growing up in a place surrounded by water has been an incredible blessing. When coming back home from an adventure abroad, as my plane lands in beautiful Tampico, I absolutely love to see from the air the rivers, lagoons and ocean that surround our city. 

Although I live in a small town called “Altamira”, I am pretty close to other towns, such as Madero and Tampico, and the history behind the name of this last city has a lot to do with the fact that we are surrounded by water.

The indigenous people named the place Tampico because of one of the creatures that were abundant in the lagoons in those days; tam, meaning “place” in the Huasteco language and pico meaning “dogs.”

Wait, place of dogs? As funny as that sounds, apparently the indigenous people used the name “water dogs” to refer to those very interesting river otters, pretty little creatures that were once commonly seen in our lagoons. Sadly, because of the modern day industrial growth of the city, the number of river otter specimens started to decrease.

In my 24 years of living here I’ve only seen it once, a small furry creature, little bigger than a tiny dog, creeping under the water lilies, coming out of the water, staring at me, and then jumping back into the water and disappearing into the foliage of the lagoon.

But this post is not about river otters, it's about something way bigger and far scarier that lives among us. (And no, I’m not talking about the stories of aliens that supposedly live near the beach and deviate the hurricanes before they hit our city! But I guess that’s another story...)
"But this post is not about river otters, it's about something way bigger and far scarier that lives among us."

Right there, in the 'Heart of Tampico', there’s a beautiful lagoon called “Laguna del Carpintero” which contains one of the most popular attractions of the city. These attractions are so popular that even the famous Steve Irwin came to visit there. Any guesses?

Yes, you guessed right! There are crocodiles in the lagoon!

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Sunbathing with City Reptiles

The “Laguna del Carpintero” is next to a mangrove swamp. It’s connected to the Panuco River, which is no deeper than 6 meters (19.6 ft). My favorite part of coming here is that, even though it is right there in the city, you can still see all kinds of wild animals such as seagulls, turtles, diving ducks, pelicans, iguanas and of course the friendly dinosaurs a.k.a. crocs! It’s almost like going on a safari but close to home.

Bringing your camera is a great idea! All year round you can see families with their kids jumping and running around since the place has a lot of space to just have fun. People come here bright and early to jog or even just to sit down on the benches and eat their lunch.

A Typical Visit on Friendly Neighbors

Okay, so maybe I'm exaggerating a little bit by referring to them as “friendly”, but the truth is that these crocodiles aren’t as aggressive as their relatives in other parts of the world. Their breed is known as moreletti. The moreletti crocs are considered to be the most “pacific” of all the crocodiles.

The biggest and oldest one is around 3.5 meters (11.4ft long), and the local people lovingly call him “Juancho”.

I remember growing up and visiting friends that lived near the lagoon, there were always new stories about the crocodiles coming out from the water and ending up in one of their backyards! But now the lagoon is surrounded by a fence so they aren’t able to come out as easily. Still, from time to time, some of them manage to get out somehow.

But don't worry, when Steve Irwin came to check them out, he said these were some of the mildest crocodiles in the world! So don’t be shy! Go ahead and snap a picture! Just don’t get dangerously close. Although they are mild, they are still crocodiles.

The Grass is Greener This Side of Home

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As I got old enough to start traveling alone, I found myself starting to feel annoyed whenever I was at home in between travels. Yes, it's true, traveling is highly addictive! I would constantly complain about how everywhere else was way more fun and far more interesting than it was at home.

But, the truth is that sometimes we get so excited about how green the grass is on the other side that we forget to take the time to see how green our own grass is!

So take your time, explore your surroundings, and you might realize, as I finally did, that there are a lot of hidden touristy gems in your very own hometown, you just have to go out there and dig them up.


Contributing Blogger: Estefania Garcia Mendoza

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Estefanía García Mendoza grew up in a little industrial town in the Gulf of Mexico called Altamira. She loves to travel and has worked as a volunteer in Nicaragua and Costa Rica. Besides traveling at least once a   year, she is also in love with designing hairpieces and accessories for girls. Check out her designs at LesFleursdemonAmour.


If you enjoyed this article, please SUBSCRIBE and stay tuned for more travel posts from Guest Blogger, Estefanía García!

And now we'd like to ask you: What's the most dangerous wild creature you've ever come across?


Related Posts:

  • How to Survive a Bus Ride in Nicaragua by Estefanía García Mendoza
  • Trek Through the Wilderness, Chapter 1 | Corcovado, Costa Rica
  • Discover Corcovado National Park, Costa Rica
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18 Comments
Kalei
3/4/2013 06:03:38 am

Hmmm... mild crocodile? Sounds like a contradiction, I'll just wait till the new system. Another good article. =)

Reply
JR@TheDriftersBlog link
3/5/2013 02:37:57 am

You're so right! I'm not so sure I'd be comfortable myself getting up close, but if they're as mild as Estefania says they are, then it may not be as scary as it sounds.

Reply
Mom Molokai
3/16/2013 02:46:52 am

Oh.......NO..........you DON"T!!!!!! I want you walking into the paradise with ALL your limbs intact. Ten fingers......ten toes.......and, everything else!!!!! :)

You know what's going to happen next, right? Now that I've said "NO", you will probably go right ahead and try it. Hmmmm...I'm glad I won't be around to see it!

Why do you think I rarely watch your daddy climb and trim coconut trees? It's hard to watch someone you love very much doing something you know is dangerous.

Every time he gets ready to cut down someone's tree, I tell him "I Love You" and "Be Safe" as he drives off. And, no matter what I'm doing the rest of the day, I'm praying in my heart to bring him home safe. I keep doing that until he comes home safely to me. I think most wives and mothers do that for those they love.

So.........my beloved third born son........"I Love You" and "Be Safe"!!!

JR Riel link
3/19/2013 08:21:43 pm

Thanks, Mom.

Estefanía García link
3/6/2013 04:43:33 am

Kalei, I know right? sounds contradictory...I do keep my distance tho, I've heard about drunkards that fell in the lagoon and were attacked, I havent heard of any fatal stories tho. the cool thing about this place is that you are able to see them in the wild from a relatively close distance.

Reply
JR@TheDriftersBlog link
3/11/2013 02:49:19 am

Attacked by giant crocodiles but not fatal! Them are some fortunate drunks!

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Less Judith link
3/11/2013 12:43:15 am

My friend... You rocks! You're such a great writter. I really enjoy reading your article and I would not be able to put that emotion on describing our beautiful lagoon. I'll be wating for your next contribution to the blog, and by the way, i have an idea of what that one could be about ;)

Reply
Estefanía García link
3/11/2013 02:44:08 am

awww thanks less :) I try ;) JR is such a good editor lol. he helps me so my posts dont sound like they were written by a 5 year old hahah, and you know I was looking at the pictures I took from our early service day by the other lagoon. pelicans are another interesting topic...oh and we should totally go to the baby turtle release! we need to investigate bout that.

Reply
JR@TheDriftersBlog link
3/11/2013 02:54:23 am

Actually, I barely have to do any editing, honestly. Just some minor adjustments and moving phrases around, but otherwise, you usually send me a clean manuscript!

The idea about releasing baby turtles sounds like it would be a great read. I hope to hear more on that.

JR@TheDriftersBlog link
3/11/2013 02:51:33 am

I agree, Estefania is a great writer and contributor! I'm waiting for her next submission as well.

Reply
Less Judith link
3/11/2013 03:52:00 am

You both guys are so humble. You certainly did a exceptional job here. Keep on doing that! And Stephanie, that's exactly what I was thinking of, the baby turtles release. But I was researching and there is not much info on internet, maybe we should go directly to the beach and ask. I don't think our friends would have a problem on taking us there one of this weekends ;)

Reply
JR@TheDriftersBlog link
3/11/2013 04:13:59 am

Sounds like a great idea for a post. Let me know when you guys get it compiled. Take a ton of pictures and lots of notes!

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Estefanía García
3/11/2013 04:21:34 am

hahah Yikes! better get to work on it! :) I'll call today to find out about it!

Mom Molokai
3/16/2013 02:29:02 am

Yes, you're right! There is ALOT of green grass in our own backyards.

But, for those who cannot travel the world for whatever reason, this is really nice, too! We get to enjoy a bird's eye view of the world around us by looking through the eyes of other adventurous souls. Thank you for sharing your insightful thoughts with us.....

Oh, yes! checked out your website with your hand crafted items. You've got some really nice things! Would love to one day received an item from Mexico loving made by your own hands. I will continue to check out your website every so often. Mahalo JR for sharing that info with us!

Reply
Estefanía García
3/19/2013 03:21:12 am

Thank you so very much Mom :) I get so very happy when I hear somebody enjoyed something I write. I don't do it much but whenever I do its a true delight, and yes! Traveling often is hard and expensive so being able to hear about other's people's travels and explore our own surroundings is a great way to enjoy our loving creator's designs. :)

P.S. thanks for stopping by at my store, I will keep adding more items :) please share with your friends if u can ;)

Reply
Estefania García
3/19/2013 03:19:37 pm

Is Mom a name? Im confused... Or is it Mom cuz its JR's mom... Not trying to be rude... This is just very confusing lol

JR Riel link
3/19/2013 08:21:05 pm

I was laughing through your first comment after you called my mom Mom, and almost spat out my coffee laughing hysterically after I read this comment where you caught yourself!

Yes, you're talking to my mom...but don't worry, she won't bite. She's pretty sweet.

My family has this bizarre way of referring to the matriarchs/patriarchs according to where they live..."Grandma and Grandpa Lanai" are from the island of Lanai, "Molokai Grandma" is from, yup, you guessed it, Molokai. And "Mom Molokai"/"Molokai Mom" is from, well you get the idea.

I'm not sure if that's a Hawaii thing, or just a family thing.

Estefania Garcia
3/20/2013 01:28:54 am

Hahahhahah im such a dork! Oh Well know i know better. Anyways... That was a good laugh :p

Reply



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    I'm JR. I come from a long line of adventurers, some were nomadic explorers of the sea and others wandering cultivators of the earth. Ultimately, this legacy of drifters has deeply affected my view of travel. Read more... 

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