# Mexico novice seeking ideas about coastal cities



## robbiethinking (Nov 23, 2017)

Hello there.

After being in Thailand for the last 20 years, I'm planning to explore Mexico for probably an initial six months before deciding whether to make a more permanent move or not.

I'm a total novice re Mexico. I need a map next to me all the time when people talk about it. But the thing I'm looking for I can't find much info on. I want to look for coastal areas which have, if not perhaps colonial relics, then at least old quaint squares and narrow rustic backstreets, as well as something a bit more cosmopolitan and modern, too. Old ports rather than beach resorts.

I'm looking at information at the area around Veracruz in the first instance, as that seems to fit the bill. But can anyone recommend or point me in the direction of other cities or towns, east coast or west, which are more than just big holiday resorts and have something like I've outlined at least within half an hour on the bus?

Many thanks in advance.


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## Zorro2017 (Jan 9, 2017)

robbiethinking said:


> Hello there.
> 
> After being in Thailand for the last 20 years, I'm planning to explore Mexico for probably an initial six months before deciding whether to make a more permanent move or not.
> 
> ...


It's hard to find both colonial with quaint, narrow streets and cosmopoltan and modern. Veracruz has historical sites but it as become very modernized and can be difficult to maneuver with the traffic. 

Tlacotalpan is a very nice city with what you described as far as narrow, rustic backstreets, very colorful houses and clean. The square is large and the churches are very old, a lot of history and A colonial era feel to it. The Papaloapan River borders the edge of the city and you can dine right beside the fast moving water on seafood or traditional Mexican food. January through February 2nd there is a celebration in which 6 bulls are turned loose on the streets. It is a three day celebration with regattas on the river, food and the fair. Veracruz is about 1 1/2 hours away or 101 km for the more cosmopolitan and modern if you want to party but Tlacotalpan seems to fit what you are seeking. We visited it recently and it is a nice place, an old world feel to it but still good dining and at least one really old cantina. The link below has images, the second information.

https://www.google.com.mx/search?q=...mh1NTXAhUmw4MKHaWtBboQsAQILQ&biw=1242&bih=579

https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tlacotalpan


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## citlali (Mar 4, 2013)

is more like a village, a nice place to visit not sure about living there..

Vera Cruz has both old and new areas , , yes traffic is awful but then it is awful in most cities,,

Campeche has the old fort and pretty district and a more modern part although I have not seen nice part in the modern city. But it is a small town.

Puerto Vallarta has an old town and more modern areas and beautiful scenery scenery in the southern part of town. It is a resort town but has various parts of town you may like..

Merida is not on the coast but close to it and has beautiful old homes you may enjoy and the coast is an hour from there.


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## Zorro2017 (Jan 9, 2017)

My place is a village with 154 people, Tlacotalpan is more of a small city or town with 8,853 population in 2010. The original poster wants "old quaint squares and narrow rustic backstreets, as well as something a bit more cosmopolitan and modern, too. Old ports rather than beach resorts." a combination that is truly hard to find. Granted the night life is narrow there with only a few cantinas but the beauty of the place is a big draw. It was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1998 primarily for its architecture and colonial-era layout. It retains that old Mexico feel and you can cross the street without being run over and park easily.

Most every city in Mexico has old parts but I felt that he wasn't looking for a city with a population of 822,441 like Campeche or 428,323 like Veracruz. The larger a city becomes the less they resemble being "quaint" and larger cities tend tend to lose the feel of original Mexico in my opinion. Puerta Vallarta is a tourist destination as is Veracruz.


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## robbiethinking (Nov 23, 2017)

Zorro2017 said:


> My place is a village with 154 people, Tlacotalpan is more of a small city or town with 8,853 population in 2010. The original poster wants "old quaint squares and narrow rustic backstreets, as well as something a bit more cosmopolitan and modern, too. Old ports rather than beach resorts." a combination that is truly hard to find. Granted the night life is narrow there with only a few cantinas but the beauty of the place is a big draw. It was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1998 primarily for its architecture and colonial-era layout. It retains that old Mexico feel and you can cross the street without being run over and park easily.
> 
> Most every city in Mexico has old parts but I felt that he wasn't looking for a city with a population of 822,441 like Campeche or 428,323 like Veracruz. The larger a city becomes the less they resemble being "quaint" and larger cities tend tend to lose the feel of original Mexico in my opinion. Puerta Vallarta is a tourist destination as is Veracruz.


Not really. Perhaps he should have made it shorter and more precise. What he's hoping to find is a city or large town base which or is either coastal or no more than (say) and hour's ride away, and he's trying to avoid modern beach towns, as he values a sense of history.

I really don't think he would be at all happy in a little village. He needs a town or city that's on or close to the ocean but one that hasn't been thrown up in the last couple of decades.


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## robbiethinking (Nov 23, 2017)

citlali said:


> is more like a village, a nice place to visit not sure about living there..
> 
> Vera Cruz has both old and new areas , , yes traffic is awful but then it is awful in most cities,,
> 
> ...


Thanks for this. Just what I was looking for - appreciated!


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## robbiethinking (Nov 23, 2017)

Zorro2017 said:


> It's hard to find both colonial with quaint, narrow streets and cosmopoltan and modern. Veracruz has historical sites but it as become very modernized and can be difficult to maneuver with the traffic.
> 
> Tlacotalpan is a very nice city with what you described as far as narrow, rustic backstreets, very colorful houses and clean. The square is large and the churches are very old, a lot of history and A colonial era feel to it. The Papaloapan River borders the edge of the city and you can dine right beside the fast moving water on seafood or traditional Mexican food. January through February 2nd there is a celebration in which 6 bulls are turned loose on the streets. It is a three day celebration with regattas on the river, food and the fair. Veracruz is about 1 1/2 hours away or 101 km for the more cosmopolitan and modern if you want to party but Tlacotalpan seems to fit what you are seeking. We visited it recently and it is a nice place, an old world feel to it but still good dining and at least one really old cantina. The link below has images, the second information.
> 
> ...


Excellent! Just the sort of info I need. Thanks!


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## dwwhiteside (Apr 17, 2013)

I will just mention the place I live, Colima. Colima is a small city of about 250,000 when combined with the adjacent city of Villa de Alvarez. It has quaint squares and narrow back streets, as well as a much more modern part of town. It is about an hour away from the port city of Manzanillo. There is also Comala, a much smaller town but with a lovely quaint square and real "old-world" feel, just a few kilometers away. 

Colima is about 200 kilometers south of Guadalajara. It don't know if it is what you are looking for but it could be worth checking out.


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## Zorro2017 (Jan 9, 2017)

I'm looking at information at the area around Veracruz in the first instance was what was stated which is why I steered him that way. 

Veracruz is nothing near quaint, to the north are empty stretches of highway to Cardel, nothing to see there really. I like Nautla for some reason but it is not exactly what he described either, it does have a nice bay connected to the ocean with a lot of small fishing boats. The coastal cities further north are pretty slim pickings all the way through Coasta Esmeralda with it's blow up plastic beach toys and very few places to eat and even less to shop for necessities.

To the south is Tlacotalpan, Coatzacoalcos and Minatitlan, all three are the only places near Veracruz that even come close to what he described but he also added east or west coast. I think we have given him food for thought as he admitted not knowing Mexico. The entire east coast of the Yucatan from Cancun to Tulum are all tourist areas.


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## TundraGreen (Jul 15, 2010)

There are towns like Barra de Navidad, Melaque, La Manzanilla (not to be confused with Manzanillo) and San Blas that have a colonial aspect with a central church and plaza while still being located on the coast. They all have a local group of expats. They live in a space between the big beach cities like Puerto Vallarta and the former fishing villages like Chacala or Yelapa.


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## robbiethinking (Nov 23, 2017)

Zorro2017 said:


> I'm looking at information at the area around Veracruz in the first instance was what was stated which is why I steered him that way.
> 
> Veracruz is nothing near quaint, to the north are empty stretches of highway to Cardel, nothing to see there really. I like Nautla for some reason but it is not exactly what he described either, it does have a nice bay connected to the ocean with a lot of small fishing boats. The coastal cities further north are pretty slim pickings all the way through Coasta Esmeralda with it's blow up plastic beach toys and very few places to eat and even less to shop for necessities.
> 
> To the south is Tlacotalpan, Coatzacoalcos and Minatitlan, all three are the only places near Veracruz that even come close to what he described but he also added east or west coast. I think we have given him food for thought as he admitted not knowing Mexico. The entire east coast of the Yucatan from Cancun to Tulum are all tourist areas.


I welcome the directness of these comments - exactly what I've been hoping for. I've been reading everything I can find over the last several months, and yet nowhere have I seen it simply spelled out - "The entire east coast of the Yucatan from Cancun to Tulum are all tourist areas." Plus your mention of Coasta Esmerelda has added to my (slowly-forming) perceptions also . . .

Although perhaps my use of the word 'quaint' might be sugar-coating things a little? 

If I come at it from a different direction which might clarify things further: what I'm _not _interested in are towns that have sprung up in the last 30 years to cater solely for tourists or vacationers. (Unfortunately I'm living in one of those already.)

I'm happy to find somewhere that began as a commercial town, with all the associated now-grimy and run-down parts - it doesn't need to be picture-postcard as long as there's a sense of history and it's not all hi-rise resorts and condos. My thinking is that such places - older coastal towns - will have diffused outwards as beachside development grew in demand, so creating a spectrum of flavours from old backstreet cantinas and bars through to a fringe of something more cosmopolitan (bookshops, internet cafes, music pubs, a small mall?) before the hardcore highrise condo edges were reached.

Or is that unrealistic? I've seen it in other parts of the world: my assumption is that Mexico won't be any different.

If I've conveyed the wrong impression by my initial post, I apologise. I'm so used to living in totally soulless surroundings that simply the thought of finding a part of town that's more than 50 years old excites me - run-down, shabby, or not!

That's why, from my armchair perspective, I'm looking at the area around Veracruz to begin with. Like I say, it doesn't need to be picturesque . . . 

Does that shape your (very welcome) advice at all?


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## robbiethinking (Nov 23, 2017)

TundraGreen said:


> There are towns like Barra de Navidad, Melaque, La Manzanilla (not to be confused with Manzanillo) and San Blas that have a colonial aspect with a central church and plaza while still being located on the coast. They all have a local group of expats. They live in a space between the big beach cities like Puerto Vallarta and the former fishing villages like Chacala or Yelapa.


Thanks for this!


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## Zorro2017 (Jan 9, 2017)

robbiethinking said:


> I welcome the directness of these comments - exactly what I've been hoping for. I've been reading everything I can find over the last several months, and yet nowhere have I seen it simply spelled out - "The entire east coast of the Yucatan from Cancun to Tulum are all tourist areas." Plus your mention of Coasta Esmerelda has added to my (slowly-forming) perceptions also . . .
> 
> Although perhaps my use of the word 'quaint' might be sugar-coating things a little?
> 
> ...


Given this new information I'd suggest Veracruz itself or Boca de Rio on the southern side of Veracruz.


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## perropedorro (Mar 19, 2016)

TundraGreen said:


> There are towns like Barra de Navidad, Melaque, La Manzanilla (not to be confused with Manzanillo) and San Blas that have a colonial aspect with a central church and plaza while still being located on the coast. They all have a local group of expats. They live in a space between the big beach cities like Puerto Vallarta and the former fishing villages like Chacala or Yelapa.


Barra or San Blas sound like what you're looking for. Vallarta has its appeal and although it can be wildly expensive there are more modest accommodations available. It's just too big and busy for my taste. Over on the Colima side, Manzanillo has some tourism, although the port dominates the economy. Downtown has a _kasbah_ sort of feel, wedged in between steep rocky hills and the water, where narrow streets are filled with little shops and street vendors hawking whole fish, trinkets, and perhaps whatever cargo got pilfered from the port recently. On the west side of town are the quaint villages of Santiago and Salagua that have been engulfed by Manzanillo. Further south on the Colima coast are the village of Cuyutlán and the beaches of Tecomán where tourism is almost exclusively Mexican and limited to Christmas, Easter and weekends.


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## LoggedIn (Nov 21, 2017)

Zorro2017 said:


> The entire east coast of the Yucatan from Cancun to Tulum are all tourist areas.


Get thee to Mahahual then!


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## citlali (Mar 4, 2013)

Majahual is also a tourist place with the cruise lines coming in, even Xcalak is not what used to be.. The whole coast iin Quintana Roo is a tourist place..


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## robbiethinking (Nov 23, 2017)

This info is all so valuable to me. The closest I've ever been to Mexico is the Canary Islands off the west coast of Africa - except that I once was in San Diego for 3 days. Name me a Mexican town and I don't know whether it's east west top or bottom. Like I said, I' m a total novice.

Or i was. I've now got a big whiteboard on my kitchen wall, with a map of Mexico, and I'm listening to you guys, then marking the places you talk about on the map, with your comments, then going on the Inet and researching all the spots you've mentioned, plus the areas around them. 

I'm actually now beginning to form a king of mental image of Mexico - 2 months ago I didn't even know what shape the country was (or even that it butted up to the Texas/Louisana coastline at the north-east, and California on the north west coast. Really. Even though I once stayed in San Diego I never reaised what came after Tijuana and Ensenada.)

I'm still a novice, but now at least I have an armchair-view of the country and can visualise the east coast right down to Cancun, know that there is the Baja Peninsular (!), and have the image of the west coast in my mind, down as far as Manzanillo, at least!

If you're shaking your head because that sounds unbelievably ignorant, then bear it in mind that I could show you around most of SE Asia, as well as Western Europe, England, Scotland, Wales and some of Ireland, with no trouble at all. it's your part of the world that I've never seen and that has now got a grip on me.

I'm indebted to you, particularly when you mention specific towns and add a comment or two - no, that's not true - ALL of what's been said here has been a mine of information. If it's not starting to bore you yet - keep the advice and comments coming!


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## robbiethinking (Nov 23, 2017)

citlali said:


> Majahual is also a tourist place with the cruise lines coming in, even Xcalak is not what used to be.. The whole coast iin Quintana Roo is a tourist place..


Thanks - noted and marked in red on my wall map!


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## robbiethinking (Nov 23, 2017)

LoggedIn said:


> Get thee to Mahahual then!


Hmmm . . . not what it used to be - cruise ships - tourists - noted with thanks. (Marked in orange on my map!) Will investigate further!


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## robbiethinking (Nov 23, 2017)

Zorro2017 said:


> Given this new information I'd suggest Veracruz itself or Boca de Rio on the southern side of Veracruz.


Thanks. Noted and mapped!


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## robbiethinking (Nov 23, 2017)

perropedorro said:


> Barra or San Blas sound like what you're looking for.
> Barra is a new name for me, although San Blas has been mentioned a couple of times elsewhere and sounds interesting. Or is 'Barra' = Barra de Navidad? if so then I'm already sniffing at it
> 
> Vallarta has its appeal and although it can be wildly expensive there are more modest accommodations available. It's just too big and busy for my taste.
> ...


Thanks - lots of info here - all grist for the wall map!


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## citlali (Mar 4, 2013)

Mazatlan could be another place to look into mix of old and new , on the sea..


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## ojosazules11 (Nov 3, 2013)

In terms of Veracruz, I have Mexican friends from there (part of the family in Toronto, part of the family still in Veracruz). Based on what they’ve told me, Veracruz has gotten less safe over the past several years, with increasing activity by the drug cartels as well as run of the mill extorsions and kidnapping (for ransom). I am not one to overreact to such warnings, and I’ve heard similar warnings about Cuernavaca, the closest major city to our house (about a 20 minute drive), and I don’t feel any trepidation going there. But all else being equal, this information might be a factor against Veracruz.

I also think the beaches on the Pacific Coast are generally nicer than Veracruz. The beaches in Quintana Roo, on the other hand, are stunning. I haven’t been to Merida nor to the beaches near Merida, but it is a city I really want to visit someday. From what I’ve read, such as blogs by people living there, it is a city with a strong civic spirit, steeped in tradition, lots of cultural events, many of them free. Clean, safe, affordable. There is an expat presence, but it certainly does not predominate. (Again based on reading I’ve done - I have not been to Merida myself.)


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## perropedorro (Mar 19, 2016)

You got it, Barra de Navidad is shortened to "Barra", at least in the region. Low key, laid back tourism and quite a few ex-pats living there, more Euros than Americans, but they try to adapt and blend in, unlike Chapala or San Miguel Allende. 
In Vallarta my go-to hotel is the Casiev. Downtown, about 6 blocks off the beach, clean, safe, comfortable and won't break the budget. For a quick bite, I like the string of street taco joints 3 blocks away, on Insurgentes @ Lázaro Cárdenas.
Downtown Manzanillo is interesting, but not much in the way of accommodations. Still, the ambience of a seaport that, as per local legend, was engaged in commerce with China in pre-Columbian times in worth checking out.
Colima beach tourism is low key and mostly national -- with the emphatic exception of a couple of really expensive resort hotels at the north end of Manzanillo. Tecomán has three different beaches about 7 kms. from downtown, each with a different character. I know one is family oriented while another is enjoyed by the surfer/stoner crowd. Cuyutlán is somnolent most of the year, with a few tourists and some folks coming in from GDL to visit their weekend house. The Christmas season draws a family crowd while Easter week can get rowdy when the town with a population of only about 1000 year-round residents hosts upwards of 15,000 visitors and needs a several dozen local cops, federales and the Marina to maintain control.
Another beach Pacific beach town I found last year is Teacapán, at the southern tip of Sinaloa, Tiny fishing village on the end of a peninsula accessible (by land) only by a 20 km. cul-de-sac peppered with potholes.


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## robbiethinking (Nov 23, 2017)

perropedorro said:


> You got it, Barra de Navidad is shortened to "Barra", at least in the region. Low key, laid back tourism and quite a few ex-pats living there, more Euros than Americans, but they try to adapt and blend in, unlike Chapala or San Miguel Allende.
> In Vallarta my go-to hotel is the Casiev. Downtown, about 6 blocks off the beach, clean, safe, comfortable and won't break the budget. For a quick bite, I like the string of street taco joints 3 blocks away, on Insurgentes @ Lázaro Cárdenas.
> Downtown Manzanillo is interesting, but not much in the way of accommodations. Still, the ambience of a seaport that, as per local legend, was engaged in commerce with China in pre-Columbian times in worth checking out.
> Colima beach tourism is low key and mostly national -- with the emphatic exception of a couple of really expensive resort hotels at the north end of Manzanillo. Tecomán has three different beaches about 7 kms. from downtown, each with a different character. I know one is family oriented while another is enjoyed by the surfer/stoner crowd. Cuyutlán is somnolent most of the year, with a few tourists and some folks coming in from GDL to visit their weekend house. The Christmas season draws a family crowd while Easter week can get rowdy when the town with a population of only about 1000 year-round residents hosts upwards of 15,000 visitors and needs a several dozen local cops, federales and the Marina to maintain control.
> Another beach Pacific beach town I found last year is Teacapán, at the southern tip of Sinaloa, Tiny fishing village on the end of a peninsula accessible (by land) only by a 20 km. cul-de-sac peppered with potholes.


A mine of info - lots of notes to make - thanks!


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## robbiethinking (Nov 23, 2017)

ojosazules11 said:


> In terms of Veracruz, I have Mexican friends from there (part of the family in Toronto, part of the family still in Veracruz). Based on what they’ve told me, Veracruz has gotten less safe over the past several years, with increasing activity by the drug cartels as well as run of the mill extorsions and kidnapping (for ransom). I am not one to overreact to such warnings, and I’ve heard similar warnings about Cuernavaca, the closest major city to our house (about a 20 minute drive), and I don’t feel any trepidation going there. But all else being equal, this information might be a factor against Veracruz.
> 
> I also think the beaches on the Pacific Coast are generally nicer than Veracruz. The beaches in Quintana Roo, on the other hand, are stunning. I haven’t been to Merida nor to the beaches near Merida, but it is a city I really want to visit someday. From what I’ve read, such as blogs by people living there, it is a city with a strong civic spirit, steeped in tradition, lots of cultural events, many of them free. Clean, safe, affordable. There is an expat presence, but it certainly does not predominate. (Again based on reading I’ve done - I have not been to Merida myself.)


Great stuff - thanks! All these little snippits are really welcome. They're gradually painting a picture for me, like painting by numbers, coloring-in areas that (to me) were just names on a map. Appreciated!


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## citlali (Mar 4, 2013)

The beaches in Yucatan are also stunning and less developped but not as prized as the beaches in Quintana roo Merida is a grea town with a Colonial Center and more modern areas around. it is an hour from Progresso or less and it has great villages around..


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## Zorro2017 (Jan 9, 2017)

LoggedIn said:


> Get thee to Mahahual then!


I'm not the one looking, I left the Yucatan long ago. Previously a fishing village, it is now a rapidly developing tourist center.


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## citlali (Mar 4, 2013)

The Majahual is a tourist place even xcalk is there but mostly for fishermen with money..


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## curlyMarcia (Nov 27, 2017)

Escuinapa is nearby the playa and has an antique architecture and is on the coast, is nearby Mazatlan and much more safer


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## perropedorro (Mar 19, 2016)

curlyMarcia said:


> Escuinapa is nearby the playa and has an antique architecture and is on the coast, is nearby Mazatlan and much more safer


 The small city of Escuinapa is an old town near the beach, but as the crow flies has five or so kilometers of sloughs and swamp to get there, perhaps in a hovercraft or shallow canoe. I'm not aware of a direct road for regular passenger vehicles that goes to the beach... do you know of one? The village I was talking about, Teacapán, is in the Escuinapa municipality, but about 35 kms. south on a bad (but paved) road. Didn't have any colonial architecture I noticed, but seemed quite relaxed, had perhaps 3 small hotels, and a quaint beach and port with a bunch of canoes and small fishing and shrimping boats. Is this the place you were talking about? Anyway, Welcome to the board! Noticed you're based in Jalisco--- on the coast, Chapala, or metro GDL?


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