23 peso to Santiago de Tuxla, 18 miles. Only 2 on board. 9am bus. Winding road over green hills. The girl across the isle threw up. I offered her dad some wet wipes. 10am arrival. I walked to the town square to see the largest Olmec head. The only one with eyes closed. It's only a 5 minute walk, so dragging a suitcase is not a problem. 
The next bus is at 11am. Free toilet. No free wifi. Small office next to the main road, loading luggage right in traffic.
82 pesos to Alvarado, 44 miles. We departed at 10:56 ahead of schedule. The bridge into Alvarado has a toll. At ADO station (no free Wifi) I inquired about bus to Tlacotalpan - a UNESCO listed its colonial river port. I was told it's arriving in 3 minutes. A long line (20+ people) was waiting. I guess the schedule is 12:30. At 12:40, a TRV bus pulled in. My receipt has AU printed on it. 48 peso. 19 miles, out of which half is a repeat for me. I guess you can wait at Buena Vista, if you know when the bus would arrive. My bus arrived at 1pm. For me, Alvarado is a good choice without knowing the schedule. Airy spacious station, bathroom, many benches to sit if need to wait. At least a dozen passengers were standing. Very orderly. We were on the move at 12:47. AC. Some USB plugs. Arrived at Tlacotapan at 1:25pm. Across the street, saw another TRV bus. So I went over and asked the driver for the return schedule. The driver said every half an hour to Alvarado. Wow. Good to know.
Tlacotalpan is very pretty. Freshly painted house along Papaloapan River, which the road (so the bus) was traveling by. 
Even the ADO station looks the part. Free toilet. Bring TP. The lady's room is large, fit for wheelchair, but single stall.
From there to the main square is a 5 minute pleasant walk, along restaurants next to the river. There are boats you can hire, but under the midday sun, no one was up for the ride. A canon sits next to the pier, not sure why.
There are actually two plazas linked to each other, each has a church. Streets with orderly houses in fresh paint extend from these two plazas. I bought some mandarines and ate, while sitting on one of the many benches in the shade. Very pleasant. I wish I had time to have lunch here (fish from the river), but I still have a long way to go.
A bus pulled in at 14:40. Mostly empty, and the driver told me to put my suitcase on the seat. Arrived at 15:13 in Alvarado, so just missed the Veracruz bus. Next one is at 4pm. It didn't arrive until 4:18. I took the 2nd to last seat. 2 people standing. 100 peso. It goes through Rio de Boca, which looks very modern. Then a series of beaches. Only saw a few playing in the water. Sun was setting. Saw the behind of the Olmec head. It looked tall.
Arrived at Veracruz main terminal just before 6pm, only 5 passengers still on board. The station is huge. Instead of lining at the ticket window for a ticket, I went to the platform. However, the 6:15 AU bus to Xalapa requires ticket. So I took a TRV bus, which I can pay on the bus. 130, will be detouring to Cadel. So slower. We left at 6:25.
For some unknown reason, my right eye was irritated by something. Tears kept on flowing, but it didn't help. By the time we arrived in Xalapa, already after 9pm, I could barely open my eyes. Took a hotel close by the bus station. Washed my face and taped my right eye shut. Had to change the room, due to water leak. Went to sleep without shower, hot water didn't work despite of how many times the front desk boy tried. That's pretty low for a Xmas eve. At midnight, explosions of noise.
