I asked him where he learned his English and he said that he had lived in Texas for about five years when he was younger, and that he probably hadn't spoken English in about 10 years!
We thanked him for his hospitality, and we were on our way.
Sherman, and the sunrise at El Oro.
Leaving town.
We had some choice as to which route to take towards Queretaro. We had come down the main highway 57 back in October and found that section to be in terrible shape and not very interesting. And there were two back road routes, the eastern one led us into the city fairly directly to our destination at the Flamingo Inn Hotel where they have RV parking.
Our route to Queretaro. 142 kms (88 miles).
We went over the Mex15 toll highway that runs east to west. The little blue car was on that road a couple of years ago when he was in Mexico with us!
Quite a lot of the drive was on roads like this.
And this. It was slow going, but a lot more interesting than the big highway.
Although we were heading for the city, we weren't adverse to stopping along the way if we happened to see a suitable overnight spot. But our destination at the Flamingo Inn Hotel is located almost right downtown in a city with a population of 800,000 people. So the more I thought about it, the more I convinced myself that Sunday afternoon was the best time to arrive.
A man and his sheep.
Most of the roads were like this. Sherman was not happy!
Eventually, we got to a nice section. Sherman was happy here. It lasted for all of 8 kms (5 miles)!
We came across a propane station out in the middle of nowhere. Figured this was a good time to fill things up. We were probably the only sale of the day for the guy running the place! He was one of the most conscientious propane attendants I have ever seen. Did things strictly by the book. Nothing wrong with that, and I wish more were like him. I've seen some very poorly trained propane attendants both here and in the U.S..
It took 507 pesos ($42 CAD) for 64 litres to fill it up. 7.92 pesos per litre. (That's the equivalent of $1.71 USD per gallon).
Our first view of the city of Queretaro.
Traffic was not that bad, although it was still pretty hectic. No pictures, because Ruth was busy helping me drive. Four eyes are better than two in those situations!
I had planned our route into the city, and had checked google streetview to make sure I recognized the turns and was aware of where I could turn left and where I couldn't. I love using google streetview for this. It makes you think you've already been there.
Arrived at the Flamingo Inn Hotel at about 2:15pm.
So it took us 5 hours to do 142 kms (88 miles)! We did stop a couple of times along the way, and once was to have lunch for about 45 minutes. Otherwise, it was just slow going!
Very nice hotel, and it's almost surprising that they allow RV parking in their compound. The location is perfect...it's a 20 minute walk to the historic central area.
250 pesos ($20.50 CAD) per night which is a bit pricey for us, but we're going to splurge and stay here a week. We even get the full use of the hotel facilities including the showers, washrooms, gym, and the heated swimming pool. We'll tell you more about the place, with photos, another day.
We relaxed in the motorhome for the rest of the day. Super fast internet supplied by the hotel. Best wi-fi connection we've had in weeks! Had a nice dinner of left over filet mignon roast...it was just as good the second time around.
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Time to stock up on toilet paper...great price and great reviews...
And in Canada, a variety of RV and travel trailer storage covers are on sale...
Some of those rough roads remind me of some of the roads in New Brunswick. Our motorhome wasn't happy there either. Ford F-53 chassis = rough ride.
ReplyDeleteHa, funny you should say that because we said almost the same thing except it was a road that we traveled on in Nova Scotia. It was so bad that we got back off of it as soon as we could and I immediately sent an email to the department that looks after the roads in the government in Nova Scotia. In places this was definitely a slow going road but Sherman pulled through it and at least that way we didn't miss the beautiful scenery.
DeleteIt is so nice to enjoy the journey always nice to travel about.
ReplyDeleteIn places we did get to see some nice scenery but at other times all we did was keep our eyes on the road so that we could avoid the potholes. Oh well, life is always an adventure! :-)
DeleteGreat post. Church says 25'max, 15 amp, no water/sewer. That still the case? It also says they only allow RV's when hotel not crowded.
ReplyDeleteI'll do a full update on this another day Stephen.
DeleteI love google street view too - but tend to use it when I book a hotel and want to know how close the nearest grocery store/market/cafe is. It's just like walking around.
ReplyDeleteYep, we use it a lot and because of that we usually don't get any unexpected surprises. It really helped us when we entered the city and with getting us to the hotel, we knew exactly where to turn each time. It was a bonus being able to do it on a Sunday afternoon too! :-)
DeleteGood you weren't planning on leaving early!
ReplyDeleteSo were we!
DeleteI can see a big frown on Sherman's face when he saw that road. Oh the bumps and bruises he must have endeared.
ReplyDeleteYes, there was definitely a big frown on him and on the driver. Luckily they both came out of it unscathed.
DeleteFlamingo Inn Hotel in Queretaro, Mexico has RV sites with hookups? I looked at the hotel website and it looks very nice. Even if no hookups are provided, you can use all their amenities. Cool beans!
ReplyDeleteIt has RV parking and a 15amp electrical hook up, not full hook up. They do have a place though where we can dump when we leave and somewhere where can fill up our water tank. And, yes we are able to use the swimming pool, gym and the washrooms by the pool. They even provide towels! :-) Used the showers yesterday and they are spotless with lots of pressure and hot water so we are happy campers. The traffic noise is super quiet too, you would never know that 6 lanes of traffic are right outside the front of the hotel. Plus get WiFi!
DeleteGreat place. They have coffee in the lobby in the mornings. The showers next to the pool are the best, all marble and don´t forget to ask for amenities like clean towels, soaps and shampoos. The maids offered to tidy up our trailer. You can dump, they have a register that goes into their septic. The green area is a huge park like area. Have fun, we like it there. Our hotel room in their hotel ;)
ReplyDeleteYes, we saw the coffee in the lobby and used the showers yesterday and they are fantasic, clean, lots of hot water and lots of pressure. Picked up some fresh clean towels from the reception too! Yep, we really can't complain about anything here and a nice shot walk to the downtown. And we love their WiFi, nice and fast! :-)
DeleteThis has to be the nicest RV Park, outside of Paraiso del Pescador, in Mexico. What a treat. We are staying a week. I know it is not 100 pesos a night but it is worth it.
ReplyDeleteInteresting. When we left, they told us that we were their last RV'ing customers and they were going to stop the service. I guess they changed their minds!
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