This free day to do what we wanted was so needed. Two days in Mexico plus the driving time has us needing a rest from travel. We spent the morning just catching up on things needing to be done at home. Then we went to the grocery store just before lunch. It is an extremely busy day here in Teotihuacan. There are about 10 or more buses parked around the church so we figure it is something special there. Later in the afternoon we walked to the Zocalo with friends. This city has a very nice size down town area with many little shops but we were intrigued with their Mercado [market]. We saw some unusual sites while in town. Just as we reached the downtown a donkey and cart came rolling by. The man driving it was moving stuff from one location to another. As he passed, the store across the street we notice it is an internet café. Only in Mexico!! We also saw, or Sue did, a place selling only Disney clothes for children like we sometimes see in Malls in the states. Then at the market we saw poultry, fish and seafood and even beef. We stopped for a cold drink and then headed back to the RV park for our travel briefing and an ice cream social. Our day tomorrow starts early as we have to get out of the park just after 8 am to miss all of the traffic coming to the church located on our way out.
Mar. 15 Travel day to San Miguel
We awoke this morning at 3:45 with cars rushing by and fireworks. This noise continued with intermittent ringing of church bells. Sue was unable to sleep and got up at 4:15. There must be something going on at the church again this am. Hope the traffic will not keep us from getting out of town! Rig # 5 will not be joining us as they did not get the engine repaired on their truck. When they can get the parts and get back on the road they will join us wherever we are. The other rig that had engine trouble early in the trip was so late getting it repaired they just went on back to the states. They missed most of the tour as this happened on Day 10. We have been one of the fortunate ones, only about 5, who have not had some serious issue with their rigs while in Mexico. Thank you, Lord, for your watch care over us each day. God is good! All the time. We were able to easily get out of the RV Park and onto the highway. It was somewhat of a surprise as this is Sunday and we expected to have lots of people around the church due to the noise this morning. We have to pass by it just outside the park. But all was calm. Not sure what all the noise was for this morning. The toll highway is pretty new and for the most part in good condition. We did have one area just after we got on it that was in very bad shape but then really good in a short time. We were up and down in the mountains with some very nice views. In the valleys we saw farm land with some crops growing and some plowed fields. Also some feed lots, milk farms and even some chicken or turkey farms. So this part is kind of like in the USA. We passed through 5 toll booths today costing us about $51 US. Right after the tollbooth was a Federali Checkpoint. They motioned us over and this time they wanted Sue to open the cabinets they wanted to inspect which was most everything in the front part except the refrigerator. Some things they tried to read and when they could not if it was a food item they took the lid off and smelled it. Then to top it all off they made Gene put out one of the slides so they could see what was in the cabinet and drawers behind it. That is more than they have ever done before. We passed inspection. Just before arriving in San Miguel we drove through an area where many, many companies have huge warehouses or manufacturing plants. The names on the ones we could see were all Spanish. It was just so odd to see this huge complex out in the middle of nowhere. This day we made it into the nice big campground and parked without any problems. It was an easy drive and we all needed that after so many travel days with problems. However one rig is continuing to have their share. Today their tow bar would not hook up properly and she had to drive the car all the way. Also they have a Sleep Number bed and one side went flat. Oh wow, that could make for some uncomfortable nights. The campground we are in is just a short distance from the heart of this old city, San Miguel so we walked there last night. It is the first night in many days that we have had a place where we could walk and we surely enjoyed our 1 ½ hour walk. This was a good day, praise the Lord.
We awoke this morning at 3:45 with cars rushing by and fireworks. This noise continued with intermittent ringing of church bells. Sue was unable to sleep and got up at 4:15. There must be something going on at the church again this am. Hope the traffic will not keep us from getting out of town! Rig # 5 will not be joining us as they did not get the engine repaired on their truck. When they can get the parts and get back on the road they will join us wherever we are. The other rig that had engine trouble early in the trip was so late getting it repaired they just went on back to the states. They missed most of the tour as this happened on Day 10. We have been one of the fortunate ones, only about 5, who have not had some serious issue with their rigs while in Mexico. Thank you, Lord, for your watch care over us each day. God is good! All the time. We were able to easily get out of the RV Park and onto the highway. It was somewhat of a surprise as this is Sunday and we expected to have lots of people around the church due to the noise this morning. We have to pass by it just outside the park. But all was calm. Not sure what all the noise was for this morning. The toll highway is pretty new and for the most part in good condition. We did have one area just after we got on it that was in very bad shape but then really good in a short time. We were up and down in the mountains with some very nice views. In the valleys we saw farm land with some crops growing and some plowed fields. Also some feed lots, milk farms and even some chicken or turkey farms. So this part is kind of like in the USA. We passed through 5 toll booths today costing us about $51 US. Right after the tollbooth was a Federali Checkpoint. They motioned us over and this time they wanted Sue to open the cabinets they wanted to inspect which was most everything in the front part except the refrigerator. Some things they tried to read and when they could not if it was a food item they took the lid off and smelled it. Then to top it all off they made Gene put out one of the slides so they could see what was in the cabinet and drawers behind it. That is more than they have ever done before. We passed inspection. Just before arriving in San Miguel we drove through an area where many, many companies have huge warehouses or manufacturing plants. The names on the ones we could see were all Spanish. It was just so odd to see this huge complex out in the middle of nowhere. This day we made it into the nice big campground and parked without any problems. It was an easy drive and we all needed that after so many travel days with problems. However one rig is continuing to have their share. Today their tow bar would not hook up properly and she had to drive the car all the way. Also they have a Sleep Number bed and one side went flat. Oh wow, that could make for some uncomfortable nights. The campground we are in is just a short distance from the heart of this old city, San Miguel so we walked there last night. It is the first night in many days that we have had a place where we could walk and we surely enjoyed our 1 ½ hour walk. This was a good day, praise the Lord.
Mar. 16 Trolley tour of San Miguel
This morning we begin our day with a Trolley tour of old San Miguel where the streets are all cobblestone and most are very narrow. San Miguel has a population of 140,000, of which 20,000 are American and Canadians and mostly retired. The area around the old plaza is still very much original. In fact the city has a law prohibiting anyone from building other than a Mexican style. The bus stopped first so that we could see the Charro Park. Charro means springs and this area has natural springs. There are buildings there where people used to go for the healing waters. Just below it is a large area where people in outlying areas bring their laundry to wash in the hot spring water. The concrete tubs appeared to be about 2 foot square. The water comes through a trough just above the tubs and they dip the water they need into the tub. The trolley stopped at a park high above the city to view and take pictures. The view of the main Church and 3 other churches in the downtown area, the bullfighting arena and the Spanish style buildings makes this a very charming city to visit.
This morning we begin our day with a Trolley tour of old San Miguel where the streets are all cobblestone and most are very narrow. San Miguel has a population of 140,000, of which 20,000 are American and Canadians and mostly retired. The area around the old plaza is still very much original. In fact the city has a law prohibiting anyone from building other than a Mexican style. The bus stopped first so that we could see the Charro Park. Charro means springs and this area has natural springs. There are buildings there where people used to go for the healing waters. Just below it is a large area where people in outlying areas bring their laundry to wash in the hot spring water. The concrete tubs appeared to be about 2 foot square. The water comes through a trough just above the tubs and they dip the water they need into the tub. The trolley stopped at a park high above the city to view and take pictures. The view of the main Church and 3 other churches in the downtown area, the bullfighting arena and the Spanish style buildings makes this a very charming city to visit.
Our trolley tour lasted 1 ½ hours and then they let us off near the main square, or Zocalo, so
that we could walk around at our leisure to see the city. We did just that with our friends, Steve and Genneal. It is so much fun to see the building styles, the many businesses, the vendors and especially the people. Many of these Spanish style buildings have an interior courtyard and they are quite beautiful, especially those that have a restaurant. At lunch time we found one to suit us and had a very nice lunch. One other interesting thing we learned on our tour is that San Miguel has Cantinas marked by swinging doors. Only men and “bad ladies”, as the guide described them, are allowed in these Cantinas. We found one but it was closed today….not that we were going in though. There are many other bars and restaurants but only the ones with swinging doors are not for women.
We are now going home to rest a while because we plan to come back to the Zocalo again tonigt. There is a Cuban band playing then. We walked back home, rested some, changed clothes and along with 4 other couples, caught a bus to the Zocalo. We ate at a place called Harry’s where many of the Americans and Canadian hang out. It is a very good place to eat. We talked and had a great time and the first thing we know it was after 8 PM. By the time we got to the square, the band had finished playing. That was a bummer. We took taxis home and wished we could go back tomorrow night as they are playing again. However we have a Pot Luck scheduled and a travel briefing for the next day. We are sorry about that. San Miguel is a beautiful and unique city.
Mar. 17 Free day in San Miguel
Today about mid-morning on our free day we drove our car to the Chorro Park in the hills above downtown San Miguel. The park is just adjacent to the hot springs. It is a beautiful park and we wanted to walk there after having seen it yesterday on our bus tour. We had a good time looking at the different trees and flowers and just getting some exercise. We do lots of walking on our tour but not for exercise, and there is a big difference to us. We also walked by the outdoor laundry that we saw yesterday too. It was filled with artisans who were painting their rendition of the area. We again walked up to the old hot springs bath houses. They were open and we see they have artisans selling rugs and other art work of the area. There is an art school here is the city and some of them, many Americans and Canadians, sell their art work here, along the streets and parks and in stores. The library here has Spanish classes for those speaking foreign languages to help them “fit in” to the Mexican society. We drove back home, first stopping by Mega, which is the Mexican version of Target. They sell Target brands and have a nice grocery line. We had lunch and then took a bus back to the downtown area. As we were approaching the downtown area a man looked at Sue and said “Centro” which means the central part of downtown. She told Gene we should get off but he said we would get closer so we stayed on and ended up in the northern part of the city in a different community. Gene told the bus driver we wanted to get off at Centro and they just laughed. But it just so happened there was a bus going to Centro right there. We got off and got on the other bus. This young man spoke pretty good English. He told us some of his experiences as we drove along. We had a great time seeing parts of the city we would not otherwise have seen. Soon we were in the downtown area close to the food market. We do see some strange sites, especially in the meat department. We would never buy meat there as it is often just laying out on a counter with no refrigeration and where people can touch it. Some is still hanging on the carcass. It just seems crazy to us. Soon it was time to head back to the campground and we decided to walk. As soon as we got back it was time to prepare our meal for the potluck. The main reason we are having this potluck is to use up some of the meat and other food items that we cannot take back across the border. It was good food and a fun time fellowshipping. The Wagon Master had to hurry with the briefing as it was about to rain. We will go to bed early as tomorrow we leave very early for a tour in another city.
Today about mid-morning on our free day we drove our car to the Chorro Park in the hills above downtown San Miguel. The park is just adjacent to the hot springs. It is a beautiful park and we wanted to walk there after having seen it yesterday on our bus tour. We had a good time looking at the different trees and flowers and just getting some exercise. We do lots of walking on our tour but not for exercise, and there is a big difference to us. We also walked by the outdoor laundry that we saw yesterday too. It was filled with artisans who were painting their rendition of the area. We again walked up to the old hot springs bath houses. They were open and we see they have artisans selling rugs and other art work of the area. There is an art school here is the city and some of them, many Americans and Canadians, sell their art work here, along the streets and parks and in stores. The library here has Spanish classes for those speaking foreign languages to help them “fit in” to the Mexican society. We drove back home, first stopping by Mega, which is the Mexican version of Target. They sell Target brands and have a nice grocery line. We had lunch and then took a bus back to the downtown area. As we were approaching the downtown area a man looked at Sue and said “Centro” which means the central part of downtown. She told Gene we should get off but he said we would get closer so we stayed on and ended up in the northern part of the city in a different community. Gene told the bus driver we wanted to get off at Centro and they just laughed. But it just so happened there was a bus going to Centro right there. We got off and got on the other bus. This young man spoke pretty good English. He told us some of his experiences as we drove along. We had a great time seeing parts of the city we would not otherwise have seen. Soon we were in the downtown area close to the food market. We do see some strange sites, especially in the meat department. We would never buy meat there as it is often just laying out on a counter with no refrigeration and where people can touch it. Some is still hanging on the carcass. It just seems crazy to us. Soon it was time to head back to the campground and we decided to walk. As soon as we got back it was time to prepare our meal for the potluck. The main reason we are having this potluck is to use up some of the meat and other food items that we cannot take back across the border. It was good food and a fun time fellowshipping. The Wagon Master had to hurry with the briefing as it was about to rain. We will go to bed early as tomorrow we leave very early for a tour in another city.
Mar. 18 Bus tour to Guanajuato
We travel today by bus to Guanajuato, population 210,000 and elevation 6,550 above sea level. The town was founded in 1554 and is one of the richest silver mining areas in Mexico. We arrived there on a big tour bus but had to transfer to smaller buses as the large buses cannot make it through the narrow, winding streets. The city is very clean and quite beautiful, with many colorful homes and businesses. The city has several miles of underground tunnels going every which way through the city. This description of how this came about comes from the Wikipedia web site: The city was originally built over the Guanajuato river, which flowed through tunnels underneath the city. However, after years of raising buildings to accommodate repeated flooding, in the mid-twentieth century, engineers built a dam and redirected the river into underground caverns. The tunnels were lit and paved with cobblestones for automobile traffic, and this underground road network carries the majority of cars driving through the city today. It is one of the most notable features of the city. It was definitely a highlight of the tour for us.
We travel today by bus to Guanajuato, population 210,000 and elevation 6,550 above sea level. The town was founded in 1554 and is one of the richest silver mining areas in Mexico. We arrived there on a big tour bus but had to transfer to smaller buses as the large buses cannot make it through the narrow, winding streets. The city is very clean and quite beautiful, with many colorful homes and businesses. The city has several miles of underground tunnels going every which way through the city. This description of how this came about comes from the Wikipedia web site: The city was originally built over the Guanajuato river, which flowed through tunnels underneath the city. However, after years of raising buildings to accommodate repeated flooding, in the mid-twentieth century, engineers built a dam and redirected the river into underground caverns. The tunnels were lit and paved with cobblestones for automobile traffic, and this underground road network carries the majority of cars driving through the city today. It is one of the most notable features of the city. It was definitely a highlight of the tour for us.
In the mining district is a church, Temple Velenciaa, built by the owners of a silver mine and finished in 1778. Its golden laminated altar and altar pieces, and its magnificent old art works have stood as a reminder of the incredible wealth that the Valenciana Mine and others like it produced. The amazing art work is by Diega Rivera, a famous painter in Mexico who was born in this city. We have seen his art work in many churches and in the Government Palace in Mexico City. The murals depict certain versus in the Bible: John 8:7 ‘let him who is without sin cast the first stone, Luke 19:45 ‘and He cast out those who were selling, and Matt. 19:14 ‘Let the little children come unto me for such is the Kingdom of God.
We did a short tour of the mine but it was not much. There are 18 mines; all connected by tunnels, mining silver, gold and 84 other minerals. Four of the mines are owned by Canadians. A high point in the city gave us a panoramic view of this big and beautiful city. It and San Miguel are our favorites so far.
We visited Diego Rivera’s home and saw many of his paintings. We went into a beautiful Theatre which originally was built as a hotel; we saw the main University of Guanajuato building, visited the Basilica which was built in 1696 and had lunch in an excellent restaurant on the Zocalo. The food was very good. In the afternoon we had some time to wander around to see the sights, hear the sounds, and buy the stuff. It was a long way over here from San Miguel, 1 ½ hours, and a long way home but well worth the trip. We had a great day.
Mar. 19 Travel day to Zacatecas
This travel takes us to Zacatecas with a population of 250,000. It was founded in 1546 and sits 8,050 feet above sea level. We long ago adjusted to the higher elevations so we are not bothered by it. This highway is very narrow so we must be careful. There are not very many trucks/buses which is good but when we do pass one we must make sure we are over as far as possible and the other vehicle too. In some places the highway is quite rough with potholes and patches. There is not much notable scenery along this highway…nothing different than we have been seeing. It is desert with cactus and dead vegetation. Once in a while we see some cattle grazing. Not sure what nourishment they are getting. Now we are in a high plains area with crop land. We see some wheat and alfalfa, also many plowed fields waiting to be planted and fields of Agave which are used to make a Tequila like drink. After getting on a Toll Road the highway seems to be worse with many pot holes and very narrow. But this does not last too long as we have passed into another state, Thank goodness. One town we have to pass through is Aguascalientes which in Spanish means Hot Waters. We expected this to be a very small town…NOT. It has a population of one million and one of the 5 most densely populated cities in Mexico… what a surprise. We, easily, made it through on a good highway. We are now quite close to Zacatecas and traveling through some beautiful mountains. As we get near to the city we miss a turn because the sign does not say what our travel log says. We cannot find a place to turn around so we are just going on for a while. Finally Gene stopped at a Pemex for directions. That is hard because most people do not understand us nor we them. Gene showed him our travel guide with the name of the Hotel/RV Park we needed to go to. He said 1 kilometer and other Spanish words which Gene did not understand. Finally he drew a crude map of where we needed to go. One kilometer is only about 2/3 of a mile. Surely we can find that. We started driving and sure enough there it was. We took an off ramp and soon found out it was just a retorno, a way to turn around. So now we have to find another retorno to get back. The first one we come to is closed for road repairs so we end up having to go several miles just to turn around. We made it back and found the right turn to get to the Hotel parking lot. The Lord was surely with us. We found out several people had the same problem and those that did make the right turn had several miles of rough, rough road due to road construction. So it ended up, ours was the best route to take. We continue to be very thankful for our safety on this tour.
This travel takes us to Zacatecas with a population of 250,000. It was founded in 1546 and sits 8,050 feet above sea level. We long ago adjusted to the higher elevations so we are not bothered by it. This highway is very narrow so we must be careful. There are not very many trucks/buses which is good but when we do pass one we must make sure we are over as far as possible and the other vehicle too. In some places the highway is quite rough with potholes and patches. There is not much notable scenery along this highway…nothing different than we have been seeing. It is desert with cactus and dead vegetation. Once in a while we see some cattle grazing. Not sure what nourishment they are getting. Now we are in a high plains area with crop land. We see some wheat and alfalfa, also many plowed fields waiting to be planted and fields of Agave which are used to make a Tequila like drink. After getting on a Toll Road the highway seems to be worse with many pot holes and very narrow. But this does not last too long as we have passed into another state, Thank goodness. One town we have to pass through is Aguascalientes which in Spanish means Hot Waters. We expected this to be a very small town…NOT. It has a population of one million and one of the 5 most densely populated cities in Mexico… what a surprise. We, easily, made it through on a good highway. We are now quite close to Zacatecas and traveling through some beautiful mountains. As we get near to the city we miss a turn because the sign does not say what our travel log says. We cannot find a place to turn around so we are just going on for a while. Finally Gene stopped at a Pemex for directions. That is hard because most people do not understand us nor we them. Gene showed him our travel guide with the name of the Hotel/RV Park we needed to go to. He said 1 kilometer and other Spanish words which Gene did not understand. Finally he drew a crude map of where we needed to go. One kilometer is only about 2/3 of a mile. Surely we can find that. We started driving and sure enough there it was. We took an off ramp and soon found out it was just a retorno, a way to turn around. So now we have to find another retorno to get back. The first one we come to is closed for road repairs so we end up having to go several miles just to turn around. We made it back and found the right turn to get to the Hotel parking lot. The Lord was surely with us. We found out several people had the same problem and those that did make the right turn had several miles of rough, rough road due to road construction. So it ended up, ours was the best route to take. We continue to be very thankful for our safety on this tour.
Mar. 20 Bus/Trolley tour of Zacatecas
We first boarded an old very uncomfortable bus to travel to Cerro do la Bufa, a beautiful mountain overlooking Zacatecas. Bufa means pig bladder and there is a rock on top of this hill that is said to look like a pigs bladder, thus the name. Yuck!! There is a tiny chapel, San Antonio de Padra, which sets on this hill and was built in 1928. Also here in this area a zip line to another mountain side and a cable car called a Teleferico. It is a 5 minute ride between two small mountain peaks in the city’s historic downtown section. We took this cable car ride and enjoyed seeing the city from above. The engineer pointed out many of the cities beautiful buildings and attractions. Once on the ground we boarded a double deck, open air trolley car for a tour of the historic district. Our tour guide did not speak good English and we could not hear very well so we did not get a good description of anything. We saw the main Cathedral, several nice parks, an aqueduct that is no longer functioning, several other churches and many beautiful buildings. Tomorrow is a free day and we will drive to this part of the city to more closely see and enjoy this city. Lunch was a buffet in a small restaurant in the downtown area. We must have been a little early as they were not ready for us as they still were serving breakfast. Mexican tradition is to eat a small snack early in the morning and then breakfast around 10 to 11 am. So lunch is not served till around 1 pm. But suddenly they said they were ready for us. The food was to us was somewhat strange. We could not tell what most things were and they kept replacing one empty container with something different. We passed up the fruit and dessert, which was breakfast type rolls and planned to get dessert later. It was not an enjoyable meal to us. When Sue went back for dessert and found none she asked about it and finally was told it was all gone because this was the breakfast buffet. This was a very disappointing lunch. Most of the meals provided by Adventure Caravan have been very good meals in attractive restaurants. After lunch we went to the Rafael Coronel Museum which is located in the very old San Francisco Convent. The museum besides containing masks from Mexico collected by Rafael Coronel had collections of Marionettes and pottery and small stone carvings from Indian tribes in Mexico. It was just not very interesting to us. The grounds of the old convent and the remains of the building due to a fire 50 years ago were beautiful. We again boarded the old bus and traveled back to the campground. This campground is part of a beautiful hotel, The Hacienda del Bosque. It is beautiful, has a nice pool, gym, and spa. The restaurant/bar is very attractive. It is definitely the most upscale hotel/campground we have stayed in. We did nothing in the evening accept dinner and relaxing. This was not an impressive day for us and our least favorite guided tour.
We first boarded an old very uncomfortable bus to travel to Cerro do la Bufa, a beautiful mountain overlooking Zacatecas. Bufa means pig bladder and there is a rock on top of this hill that is said to look like a pigs bladder, thus the name. Yuck!! There is a tiny chapel, San Antonio de Padra, which sets on this hill and was built in 1928. Also here in this area a zip line to another mountain side and a cable car called a Teleferico. It is a 5 minute ride between two small mountain peaks in the city’s historic downtown section. We took this cable car ride and enjoyed seeing the city from above. The engineer pointed out many of the cities beautiful buildings and attractions. Once on the ground we boarded a double deck, open air trolley car for a tour of the historic district. Our tour guide did not speak good English and we could not hear very well so we did not get a good description of anything. We saw the main Cathedral, several nice parks, an aqueduct that is no longer functioning, several other churches and many beautiful buildings. Tomorrow is a free day and we will drive to this part of the city to more closely see and enjoy this city. Lunch was a buffet in a small restaurant in the downtown area. We must have been a little early as they were not ready for us as they still were serving breakfast. Mexican tradition is to eat a small snack early in the morning and then breakfast around 10 to 11 am. So lunch is not served till around 1 pm. But suddenly they said they were ready for us. The food was to us was somewhat strange. We could not tell what most things were and they kept replacing one empty container with something different. We passed up the fruit and dessert, which was breakfast type rolls and planned to get dessert later. It was not an enjoyable meal to us. When Sue went back for dessert and found none she asked about it and finally was told it was all gone because this was the breakfast buffet. This was a very disappointing lunch. Most of the meals provided by Adventure Caravan have been very good meals in attractive restaurants. After lunch we went to the Rafael Coronel Museum which is located in the very old San Francisco Convent. The museum besides containing masks from Mexico collected by Rafael Coronel had collections of Marionettes and pottery and small stone carvings from Indian tribes in Mexico. It was just not very interesting to us. The grounds of the old convent and the remains of the building due to a fire 50 years ago were beautiful. We again boarded the old bus and traveled back to the campground. This campground is part of a beautiful hotel, The Hacienda del Bosque. It is beautiful, has a nice pool, gym, and spa. The restaurant/bar is very attractive. It is definitely the most upscale hotel/campground we have stayed in. We did nothing in the evening accept dinner and relaxing. This was not an impressive day for us and our least favorite guided tour.
Mar 21, Free day in Zacatecas and Farewell Dinner Party
This morning around 10:30 we drove along with Wayne and Bonnie to the heart of downtown Zacatecas. The map we have is not a very good one and so we were not sure which road to turn on. Anyway we got into some very narrow and steep streets. It was a great ride and view of the outskirts of downtown. Finally we found some familiar streets and Gene knew right where we were. We found a place to park and first went into the Cathedral, formerly known as Nuestra Senora de Asuncion and built in 1729. The sun was shining right over the spire, a beautiful sight and a reminder of God’s creation. The outside of this church is very ornate and we expected to see the same inside but it was a very simple design but quite beautiful. We then walked several blocks to the Mercado and walked through the food court and the restaurants. We sampled one taco to see how it tasted. It was quite hot so we decided to continue looking. A little further on up the streets we found a restaurant that actually has a billboard with pictures of what they have to eat….and people who spoke English. We decided to eat there. It was a very good lunch, tacos and Gene and Sue had beans and rice with theirs. After lunch we walked along, looking in stores as we went, to the car. Then we needed to find a grocery store but that was hard to find. Finally we saw a Sorianno but the ramp we took was just a retorno so we headed all the way back to the downtown area before we could find another retorno to go back. Then going back we could not find the right off ramp so we ended up going back the other way a few miles and spotted another Sorianno on the other side of the street which should be easier to get to. We found a retorno and got on the frontage road and finally made it to the store. All we needed was bread and milk for the rest of the trip home. It was easy to get back to the campground as it is the same way we came in yesterday.
This morning around 10:30 we drove along with Wayne and Bonnie to the heart of downtown Zacatecas. The map we have is not a very good one and so we were not sure which road to turn on. Anyway we got into some very narrow and steep streets. It was a great ride and view of the outskirts of downtown. Finally we found some familiar streets and Gene knew right where we were. We found a place to park and first went into the Cathedral, formerly known as Nuestra Senora de Asuncion and built in 1729. The sun was shining right over the spire, a beautiful sight and a reminder of God’s creation. The outside of this church is very ornate and we expected to see the same inside but it was a very simple design but quite beautiful. We then walked several blocks to the Mercado and walked through the food court and the restaurants. We sampled one taco to see how it tasted. It was quite hot so we decided to continue looking. A little further on up the streets we found a restaurant that actually has a billboard with pictures of what they have to eat….and people who spoke English. We decided to eat there. It was a very good lunch, tacos and Gene and Sue had beans and rice with theirs. After lunch we walked along, looking in stores as we went, to the car. Then we needed to find a grocery store but that was hard to find. Finally we saw a Sorianno but the ramp we took was just a retorno so we headed all the way back to the downtown area before we could find another retorno to go back. Then going back we could not find the right off ramp so we ended up going back the other way a few miles and spotted another Sorianno on the other side of the street which should be easier to get to. We found a retorno and got on the frontage road and finally made it to the store. All we needed was bread and milk for the rest of the trip home. It was easy to get back to the campground as it is the same way we came in yesterday.
Tonight is our Farewell Dinner at an upscale restaurant near downtown. We are taking taxis to and from the La Quinta Real Hotel and Restaurant. The upscale restaurant is situated in the old Bull Fighting Ring. It is a beautifully decorated and the lower level is now a reception area. Our dinner was served in the upper areas, around the ring. We had a choice of Beef Wellington, Chicken Cordon Bleu and Toasted Almond Fish served with either soup or salad and Flan for dessert. All was very tasty and we had a great time together for our last night out. This has been such a great tour and now we have only 2 days left on our way back to the states, home and families. After eating we walked across the street to see the Dancing Waters in a park we had driven by on our Trolley tour. Then back home and get ready for our travel day tomorrow.
Mar. 22 Travel to Saltillo
Saltillo is a large city, 634,000, was founded in 1577 and is at an altitude of 5,200 feet. It has both Chrysler and GM assembly plants. Going the last few hundred miles back to the states is always boring including this drive. There is really not much to see but desert and cactus. So we will share some quirky things we saw today. At one place, there was a pavement drop-off of several inches at the side of the road and they painted small rocks white and placed them along this spot instead of using a guard rail. We saw topes (speed bumps) out in the country. This was in an area where there was some construction so we figure it was a way of slowing people down through that area. Believe me, it works! We saw an elevated pedestrian crosswalk in a very small village. Our boring trip for today is about to come to an end but we got about 1 block from the RV park entrance and see the road to it has been completely torn up do to some road construction. After checking it out, the Wagon Master says we will have to go back to the main street and come in from the other end. It will be a very tight turn so we will have to unhook the car from the motorhome. Even doing that, Gene and others have to maneuver and block to lanes of heavy traffic to get through the turn. Hope this is the last Adventure we have. After arriving we had our last social, a trip briefing for tomorrow and a fun brown bag white elephant gift exchange. We were instructed to bring something that we don’t want. It was a fun time. There were lots of silly gifts Terry and Donna whose truck broke down when we were back in Puebla got it fixed and came rolling in about dark. They will travel with the caravan across the border tomorrow.. Later we played our last game of Mexican train with our new good friends, Steve and Genneal. Tomorrow we will go back home to the good ol’ USA. For now we are going to bed.
Saltillo is a large city, 634,000, was founded in 1577 and is at an altitude of 5,200 feet. It has both Chrysler and GM assembly plants. Going the last few hundred miles back to the states is always boring including this drive. There is really not much to see but desert and cactus. So we will share some quirky things we saw today. At one place, there was a pavement drop-off of several inches at the side of the road and they painted small rocks white and placed them along this spot instead of using a guard rail. We saw topes (speed bumps) out in the country. This was in an area where there was some construction so we figure it was a way of slowing people down through that area. Believe me, it works! We saw an elevated pedestrian crosswalk in a very small village. Our boring trip for today is about to come to an end but we got about 1 block from the RV park entrance and see the road to it has been completely torn up do to some road construction. After checking it out, the Wagon Master says we will have to go back to the main street and come in from the other end. It will be a very tight turn so we will have to unhook the car from the motorhome. Even doing that, Gene and others have to maneuver and block to lanes of heavy traffic to get through the turn. Hope this is the last Adventure we have. After arriving we had our last social, a trip briefing for tomorrow and a fun brown bag white elephant gift exchange. We were instructed to bring something that we don’t want. It was a fun time. There were lots of silly gifts Terry and Donna whose truck broke down when we were back in Puebla got it fixed and came rolling in about dark. They will travel with the caravan across the border tomorrow.. Later we played our last game of Mexican train with our new good friends, Steve and Genneal. Tomorrow we will go back home to the good ol’ USA. For now we are going to bed.
Mar. 23 Run for the Border, Pharr TX.
We left this morning at 7:30 hoping to make it to the border around 12 pm…1 pm Daylight Savings Time. We made a wrong turn before we even got out of Saltillo and did a retorno to get back on track. The mountains around the city are beautiful but we will soon be away from away from them as we head to lower altitudes and desert terrain. The sun was so bright when we left it was hard to see but now, 50 miles down the road, we have gone through a heavy fog and now very cloudy. Most of the time on the trip we did not have good internet reception. But we did find plenty to eat. Some unusual things we saw here was a Shepherd herding his sheep down the median between the lanes as the sheep grazed and a donkey pack animal on the highway. It is just a couple of the quirky things here in Mexico. One couple is compiling a list of quirky things in Mexico…last I knew she had around 50. Today we paid 623 pesos, $44.23 US. We have yet to figure up how much it is for the total trip but it is a big sum. Finally we have made it to the Mexican border and have the long process of getting out of the country. When we enter Mexico with any vehicle they put what is called a hologram on it. It is sort of like a temporary license to drive it in Mexico. So while Gene is in line to have it removed Sue went to turn in our Visas and get our Passport stamped. She was done in a flash so now we just set in line waiting our turn to have the holograms removed from our motorhome and car. Since there are so many of us in the caravan it is a long slow process. It is our turn and we can see the turn leaving this area is pretty tight and the motorhome next to us could not make it. There is a manned armored personal carrier in the way. Gene helped someone there to understand that we needed to have him move. Come to find out the motor won’t start on their vehicle so they and Gene pushed it forward a little. It was a funny site. We were able to make the sharp turn and get out of there and on across to the US border where we have the motorhome inspected and declare what we are bringing into the US. We are allowed to bring in $400 of handicraft stuff in free of tax. But there are some restrictions in the food items we can bring in. It turned out that we got through the US border in about 10 minutes while it took an hour and 15 minutes on the Mexican side. We made our way to the RV park where we will spend a week, regroup, do laundry and take care of some business. So this is the end of our Adventure Caravan to The Yucatan and Mexico, 59 great days. We are thankful and grateful to God for our safety and good health. God is good, all the time.
We left this morning at 7:30 hoping to make it to the border around 12 pm…1 pm Daylight Savings Time. We made a wrong turn before we even got out of Saltillo and did a retorno to get back on track. The mountains around the city are beautiful but we will soon be away from away from them as we head to lower altitudes and desert terrain. The sun was so bright when we left it was hard to see but now, 50 miles down the road, we have gone through a heavy fog and now very cloudy. Most of the time on the trip we did not have good internet reception. But we did find plenty to eat. Some unusual things we saw here was a Shepherd herding his sheep down the median between the lanes as the sheep grazed and a donkey pack animal on the highway. It is just a couple of the quirky things here in Mexico. One couple is compiling a list of quirky things in Mexico…last I knew she had around 50. Today we paid 623 pesos, $44.23 US. We have yet to figure up how much it is for the total trip but it is a big sum. Finally we have made it to the Mexican border and have the long process of getting out of the country. When we enter Mexico with any vehicle they put what is called a hologram on it. It is sort of like a temporary license to drive it in Mexico. So while Gene is in line to have it removed Sue went to turn in our Visas and get our Passport stamped. She was done in a flash so now we just set in line waiting our turn to have the holograms removed from our motorhome and car. Since there are so many of us in the caravan it is a long slow process. It is our turn and we can see the turn leaving this area is pretty tight and the motorhome next to us could not make it. There is a manned armored personal carrier in the way. Gene helped someone there to understand that we needed to have him move. Come to find out the motor won’t start on their vehicle so they and Gene pushed it forward a little. It was a funny site. We were able to make the sharp turn and get out of there and on across to the US border where we have the motorhome inspected and declare what we are bringing into the US. We are allowed to bring in $400 of handicraft stuff in free of tax. But there are some restrictions in the food items we can bring in. It turned out that we got through the US border in about 10 minutes while it took an hour and 15 minutes on the Mexican side. We made our way to the RV park where we will spend a week, regroup, do laundry and take care of some business. So this is the end of our Adventure Caravan to The Yucatan and Mexico, 59 great days. We are thankful and grateful to God for our safety and good health. God is good, all the time.
