Del Rio San Luis Potosí

... the large tourist and expat population - but not far away, people are living in cardboard shacks. Still, the town has a highly developed network of agencies that assist those in need, and I'm sure that employment and income must be positively impacted by all the Gringos. Many of the expats that I've met have been here for more than ten years. They take a vital interest in the welfare of the communty at large and most of them do considerably long hours of ...

... hour and a half as the kids in the next room were running wild talking loudly among themselves and with their parents. The occasional banging on the wall did not seem to help. From this experience and others I shall write about - be aware of kids and noise in Mexico. This is especially relevant when you are renting or buying which implies a long-term commitment. The noise could drive you crazy. Come to think of it, Mexico is just ...

... they all seemed to have closed or perhaps never opened due to it being Christmas Day. We finally found a restaurant open along Avenida Constitucion - a main downtown thoroughfare. Their Christmas Day menu was a choice of: Sabroso Pozole Enchilladas Potosinas Flautas Alambre de Res Alambre de Pastor and a Combinado Since we were not that hungry (it seemed we were never hungry in Mexico, but that is another story) and it was late, we opted for ...

... différence avec chez nous, ce sont les taxes. Encore une fois, la journée s'est bien passée pour nous, mais deux de nos caravaniers ont vécu des difficultés quand on a commencé à gravir les montagnes. Nous avons dû faire un arrêt en pleine ascension suite à un accident de la route et c'est à ce moment que les troubles ont sorti. Pour un premier, c'était son mélange air/essence qui ne se faisait pas bien et il a dû s'arrêter en bordure de l'autoroute pour ajouter de l'octane à son ...

... us on old back streets. We decided to pick up a couple of Spanish books, which we plan to read together to work on our language skills once we're home. Our third outing was a long walk with a dinner break. We apparently found the red light district on this trip! Dinner was at a restaurant at the corner of the street our hotel is on-- I had good chicken enchiladas in mole. We wandered around until about 9:30, just enjoying the night.

... and the hotel has at least one restaurant and an unusually emerald green pool. Of course, there is A/C, cable and good drinking water. There is an interior parking garage. In the early evening, we took a walk and ate at a cafe a few blocks away. Some of this area is blocked off to traffic, which makes walking a pleasure. I enjoyed strolling the plazas around us- and we saw a beautiful rainbow from our room!

... the tree sits a big bird in the heavens with a massive serpent in the sky. In one famous example from Palenque, at the bottom of the tree is Pakal one of the cities greatest lords - he is falling into the underworld - a cave. Its beautiful, he's going back into the womb or into the unknown it could be a psychological symbol for the unconscious - very mysterious. Anyway we wanted to get on the road and start some hard core hitching. We got our stuff from our smelly hotel and walked out ...

... small and relatively non-touristy. Other than the historical aspects, the only other attractions would be ceramics, and the numerous odd flavors of ice cream available in the town square. If you ever wanted to try tequila, or pork rind flavored ice cream, this would be a "must see" destination. We stuck with some more traditional flavors, but the whiskey ice cream actually turned out to be very tasty!

... of Chile, The Salt Flats of Southern Bolivia, La Paz, Lake Titicaca, and to Cusco and Machu Picchu. Unfortunately, I don´t have much time so say a few words about this life-changing trip. Believe, what i would like to do more than anything is to tell all of you about my adventures, but I have tried to write this letter five times already and I can never finish, or start, or something comes up ...

... is the cheapest. Queretaro also boasts a Costco, Sams Club and major shopping centers, etc. so it is a favorite destination for middle class SMA residents and ex pats for major shopping but that requires a car. If your Spanish is not that strong, you will probably get more out of an organized tour that often includes stops at Bernal or Atotonilco as well. The local tours once you are there are all in Spanish but there are a couple of nice small museums as well.