Arrived in the city of Queretaro

Got up a little earlier than normal yesterday morning because we promised the caretaker at the university that we would be gone by 9:00am. He had said that he would be back to open the gate at 7:00am, but I kept checking and the gate was still closed. Eventually, around 9:00am I went looking for somebody to open the gate, and there was the caretaker on his way to do exactly that.

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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