Out of Mexico into Texas !
Trip Start
Jan 01, 2006
1
24
29
Trip End
Apr 30, 2006
Padre Island State Park,
Texas,
United States
Thursday, March 30, 2006
And no for the rest of the story from Puebla to San Miguel de Allende. Leaving Puebla late we ere not sure to get to San Miguel by evening. The drive became difficult as the mountains to the North of Puebla were certainly hard on our pour underpowered Vanagon. The mountains again have awesome vistas and they become pine tree covered not unlike our Canadian countryside. Quite the change from the dry desert areas we've become accustomed to in the south.
Then we got into heavy traffic on the outskirts of Mexico City, stopped by the Federales who were trying to sell us a pass to get into Mexico City and we kept trying to tell them we did not want to go there but wanted to just skirt around the outside perimeter to get further North. We finally got understood and were on our way. There were more VW bay window Mex buses in this area than I could believe were possible. Mostly being used as taxi service, loaded with 8 to 10 passengers, spring compressed, undercarriage dragging and motoring along in herds in both directions, from the left, from the right and from out of nowhere ! Does not VW understand that the Mexicans need the bus ? What will they do when they all finally die ? There are a few Eurovans, even the TDI models but they are rare compared to the ever popular VW Mex Bus. Toyota and Nissan buses seem to making an inroad so their gain and VW's loss.
We get near San Miguel but find it getting late so we stop near Queretaro at the Aztec Hotel and Trailer Park for the night. In the morning we head off and get to San Miguel before noon. We find the Siesta Trailer Park and Hotel easily by following the good directions in the Churche's Mexican Travel guide. San Miguel is situated in the mountains and we wind our way around and down the mountainside to the trailer park which is a meer 20 minute walk to the centre of town. Once in the campground we find a few rigs there including two VW campers a Vanagon Westy from BC and a Eurovan Winny from Quebec. The folks from Quebec, Felix and Ghislaine, we know from the Quebec Westfalia Club. Jim and Caroline from Vancouver Island we meet and make friends quickly. There are a few other campers from Quebec as well as other Canadain Provinces and the US and we all eventually get acquainted. The best though was still to come as we find out soon that the authors of the Mexican Travel Guide which has been our bible to finding our way around Mexico as it is for most everyone we have meet in our Mexican travels. Mike and Terri Church are here working away in their pick-up truck camper on there new travel book for the Pacific Northwest. We eventually meet them and they graciously sign our tattered copy of their book. I then ask if I can buy a new signed copy from them to give as a door prize at BusFusion. They sadly say they have none with them but will get a new supply soon in Florida. They say they will send me a signed copy as a gift to BusFusion. Very nice of them ! Thanks again Mike and Terry !
We soon get the guided tour of San Miguel by our new friend Jim. He's been here awhile and knows all the ropes. San Miguel is a home for many gringos, artist and retirees. It is very much different from any other place we been so far. Except for the ever present Mexican Topes there is a lot of English spoken and a lot of supplies that us gringos would expect to get back home as well as many cultural activities in English. As we tour the town we see some very impressive Spanish architecture, huge churches and cathedrals, narrow cobblestone streets with the building so close to the street there is hardly a sidewalk to speak of in most places. Buses and taxis ply the narrow streets as many other do with their autos and motorcycles but we are advised to WALK ! We do since the campground is so close to all the action we WALK - a LOT ! There is no WiFi at the campground so we head of to a small Internet Cafe each morning to have breakfast and check in on the Internet. Later e find that the ton square has free WiFi for everyone.
Rita's Birthday is Friday and we go off to town for celebrations and dining. We find ourselves at the Hecho en Mexico, a fine place for a Birthday meal. Then more exploring and browsing the artesans shops and Mercados. Saturday we stay at camp and relax and do chores then Sunday, we go to diner at Harry's, a famous restaurant in New Orleans, which has a location here. Then we go off to a Movie in a bar which is providing cocktails, popcorn and the movie for $7. The place is full, the movie The Weathering Storm, a tale of Winston Churchill's life leading up to the war starring Alfred Finney and Vanessa Redgrave is great.
Monday morning we pull up stakes as our other VW camper friends did the day before, say goodbye to the Churches and head off to a hot springs spa some 20 kms North. We find the Grotto and explore the many hot pools provided. A lunch at their restaurant and we're off towards Dolores Hilgado the home of many fine potters. We drive around looking and seeing way more beautiful pottery than is imaginable but we decide our van is already too overloaded so we proceed up the road toward San Louis de Potosi where we are now in the parking lot of a huge Pemex station We will spend the night here then off agin in the morning, further to the North. Hasta luego amigos !
