Mexico - Winter 23/24
| Category | Type | Name/Conf/Description | Notes | Cost | Origin | Destination | Kms | To Date | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023-12-02: Planning and Useful Links | |||||||||
| Tip | General Info | Some Spanish to Know For navigation and transportation | 0 | ||||||
| Tip | General Info | Water Safety Tap water safe: Querétaro ONLY. Everywhere else - bottled water. | 0 | ||||||
| Tip | General Info | TapSafe | 0 | ||||||
| Tip | Reminder | Local SIM If we get a Mexican SIM, update AirBnBs AND taxi.booking.com drivers with number | 0 | ||||||
| Tip | Travel Resource | ADO Bus | 0 | ||||||
| Tip | Travel Resource | ETN Bus | 0 | ||||||
| Tip | Travel Resource | My Day Trip | 0 | ||||||
| 2023-12-03: Fly to Cancun | |||||||||
| Accommodation | Bed and Breakfast | Entire loft hosted by Arturo Jose | Free cancellation before Dec 2 Confirm check-in time on Dec 2. Once your check-in time is confirmed (same day or day before) we will send you the contact of the staff who will be personally to greet you. The staff does not have access to the AirBnB chat/platform. It is important to maintain communication with this person, since they are the one who will give you access, they will give you keys and small recommendations. If you arrive from the airport of Cancun. A taxi can cost you about $600 pesos or you can take the bus that would cost you less than $100 pesos per person. If you take the BUS, look for the ADO AIRPORT terminal and take you to the ADO terminal and from there you can walk with us. We're two blocks away. Check-in via Building staff after 3PM Check-out before 12:00 50 meters from Av. Tulum, near the Palapas park | 49.82 | Cancun, near ADO Station | ||||
| Tip | General Info | Parque De Las Palapas Best Things to do in Downtown Cancun: Parque De Las Palapas | Parque de las Palapas is the main central square in Downtown Cancun City. In fact, it was the first main square to be created here and is still a lively meeting place for the people of the city. You'll find it just behind Avenida Tulum (the main street). The park (square) has an array of food stalls and carts selling mostly tortilla-based snacks and meals including fresh tacos and quesadillas. This spot is popular with locals and is often the scene of open-air performances after sundown. Nearby, you've also got the first Catholic Church constructed in Cancun Downtown, called Cristo Rey. | 0 | |||||
| Tip | General Info | Stroll Down Avenida Tulum Best Things to do in Downtown Cancun: Stroll Down Avenida Tulum | Avenida Tulum is the main street in the city. Consequently, most hotels, restaurants, and supermarkets are on this strip. If you're running out of things to do in Downtown Cancun, go for a wander down this street | 0 | |||||
| Travel | Bus | ADO Cancun Airport to downtown terminal | 50-min bus ride... looks like it goes direct to ADO Terminal Look for the ADO AIRPORT terminal and take you to the ADO terminal and from there you can walk to AirBnB, which is two blocks away. Options:
| 0 | Cancun International Airport T2 | Cancun Bus Station | |||
| Travel | Bus | Airport to Cancun ADO | Cost for 2 people | 20.33 | Cancun Airport Terminal 4 | Cancun ADO | |||
| Travel | Flight | To Cancun | WS2206 YEG 10:00 non-step, 5 hrs. 54 min. Arrive 17:54 1 pre-paid bag for Wallace ($30 pd) Conf: XIPZFM | 732.62 | Edmonton | Cancun | |||
| Travel | Vehicle | Michel drop-off? | 0 | ||||||
Note: We thought we had to take a shuttle to Terminal 2 (we landed at Terminal 4) to get the ADO bus. It took a long time for our luggage to arrive so we thought about taking a taxi instead but then we found there were bus ticket windows at Terminal 4… and the bus originated there! So we ended up taking the bus after all. It was super easy and affordable. We met a German couple who are from Marburg and will be in Merida at the same time as us. I have them my card so they can reach us. It would be nice to meet up with them in Merida.
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| 2023-12-04: Travel to Valladolid | |||||||||
| Accommodation | Bed and Breakfast | Casa Colonial Centrica | Canceled 2023/11/17. Host never responded to messages | 0 | Valladolid | ||||
| Accommodation | Bed and Breakfast | Private Studio in Valladolid 5 | Free cancellation before 3PM on Dec 3 Check-in with lockbox Check-in after 3PM, check-out before 12PM Bicycles $5/day Wifi, Outdoor kitchen and dining. No laundry. | 255.43 | Valladolid | ||||
| Tip | General Info | AirBnB Host Recommendation Convent de San Bernardino de Siena | San Bernardino is a very old former Franciscan monastery. It is the focal point of Sisal park and Weds-Sun in the evening there are projections on the outside of this building that tell the story of Valladolid and the region. 9:00 in English, 9:20 in Spanish. Inside the church is a restored \"retablo,\" a carved wood splendor with niches for saints and virgins. For a fee you can also enter the ex-convento and explore the space. There is a museum which has photos of what scuba divers discovered in the cenote below the church. Outside the church people gather on and around the green. | 0 | |||||
| Tip | General Info | Travel Lemming Recommendations Valladolid is still (relatively) off the beaten path. So it offers an opportunity to experience authentic Mayan culture and history that you just candidly cant find very easily in the over-touristed beach towns like Cancun and Tulum. | Despite the fact that a million tourists whiz by Valladolid on their tours to Chichen Itza, the town itself is still blissfully untouched by the worst ravages of tourism. From wandering its colorful streets to exploring the cenotes of Valladolid, to immersing yourself in Mayan culture and history, there are so many things to do here. This post was updated on June 26, 2023 | 0 | |||||
| Tip | General Info | Travel Lemming's Restaurant Recommendations Restaurants tagged in Maps.Me (brown dots). Dishes to try:\n
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| Tip | General Info | Mercado 28 Best Things to do in Downtown Cancun: Mercado 28 | Mercado 28 (Market 28) is a long-running flea market located at Plaza San Miguel. | 0 | |||||
| Tip | General Info | Mercado 23 Best Things to do in Downtown Cancun: Mercado 23 | While Mercado 28 is the main market draw in Downton Cancun, Mercado 23 is a worthwhile visit for visitors looking to stock up on fresh fruit and produce. Mercado 23 is located closer to Avenida Tulum, making it a more convenient stop. You won't find bustling restaurants or quite the variety as you will at Mercado 28. However, strolling through this particular market definitely felt a bit more \"local\". | 0 | |||||
| Tip | General Info | Explore Mayan Ruins Off the Beaten Path at Ek Balam Travel Lemming Recommendations: Explore Mayan Ruins off the beaten path at Ek Balam | Want to explore Mayan ruins free from the crowds at Chichen Itza? Check out the Ek Balam archaeological site. This complex is so huge that at one point around 800 AD it was home to over 20,000 people! Visit Ek Balam from Valladolid by braving a collectivo or by joining this highly-rated Valladolid / Ek Balam combo tour, which leaves from Cancun or Tulum. https://travellemming.com/go/valladolid-ek-balam-combo-tour-gyg/?cmp=valladolid-mexico_amcid-IElssssEOq2QJ2lU6l2be | 0 | |||||
| Tip | General Info | Meander Down Calzada de los Frailes Travel Lemming Recommendations: Meander Down Calzada de los Frailes | Perhaps one of the prettiest little streets Ive seen anywhere in Mexico, Calzada de los Frailes is a quiet mostly-pedestrian street whose colorful walls and doorways just cry out for a photographers lens. | 0 | |||||
| Tip | General Info | Snap a Photo at the Valladolid Sign Travel Lemming Recommendations: Snap a Photo at the Valladolid Sign | The sign is located in Parque Sisal just in front of the convent. | 0 | |||||
| Tip | General Info | Take a Day Trip to Rio Lagartos & Las Coloradas Travel Lemming Recommendations: Take a Day Trip to Rio Lagartos & Las Coloradas | About 90 minutes north of Valladolid, along the Gulf of Mexico, youll find Rio Lagartos. Its a small town located inside a nature preserve teeming with wildlife like flamingos and crocodiles. A little further east lies Las Coloradas, the Yucatans pink lakes. They arent really natural lakes, so much as evaporating ponds for a salt factory, but they are really big and, yes, really pink! Given their location, a trip to Rio Lagartos and Las Coloradas is best done as a combo day trip. I suggest taking this combo tour from Valladolid, which also works in a stop at Ek Balam along the way. https://travellemming.com/go/valladolid-rio-lagartos-ek-balam-coloradas-viator/?clickref=valladolid-mexico_amcid-UZiezmprrVQUUgmNZE7EZ | 0 | |||||
| Tip | General Info | Marvel at the Iglesia de San Servicio Travel Lemming Recommendations: Marvel at the Iglesia de San Servicio | The most recognizable point of interest in Valladolid is the towering Iglesia de San Servicio (sometimes called the Cathedral San Gervasio) located just south of the main square.The Spaniards built this cathedral over a demolished Mayan pyramid, using some of the pyramids stones to build the cathedral itself. | 0 | |||||
| Tip | General Info | Saddle Up to the Bar for a Drink With the Locals at La Joyita Travel Lemming Recommendations: Saddle Up to the Bar for a Drink With the Locals at La Joyita | At the corner of Calle 41 and Calle 38 youll find a tiny hole-in-the-wall cantina and bar thats something of a local icon in Valladolid (its the gathering place for politicians, business owners, and just about anyone). | 0 | |||||
| Tip | Reminder | Recon bus to Merida When arriving at Valladolid station, look for how/where to get bus to Merida | 0 | ||||||
| Travel | Bus | To Valladolid | Options:
| 0 | Cancun ADO Station | ||||
| Travel | Bus | To Valladolid | 718 Pesos for two people Depart 13:07, arrive approx 14:32 | 59.16 | Cancun | Valladolid | |||
| Note: Our check-out time at our AirBnB is 12:00 and our bus leaves for Valladolid at 1:00 so we had the morning to poke around Cancun Note: After a 2.5 hour bus ride, we arrived in Valladolid around 3pm, checked in to our AirBnB and the explored the town a little. We are staying close to the Convent de San Bernardino de Siena, which is stunning, took of photo of it with the Valladolid sign in the foreground, walked to the main square and saw the Iglesia de San Servicio, then did some grocery shopping and had a light dinner (with beers) in the outdoor patio of our AirBnB. We’ll be doing a lot of walking in Valladolid and we’re fortunate to be staying near the really pretty little street, Calzada de Los Frailes. We walked down it to get to our place, then back up to town centre, then back down again. Note: Neither the KeepGo SIM or the Mexican TelCel SIM work in Brent’s phone it’s probably too old. He’s using the spare/travel phone. It’s younger but the battery drains really quickly. We stopped in at a TelCel store and he bought a new SIM card. They activated it right away and we now have a phone number in Mexico: +52 998 475 5827. My TextNow number also works. It is +1-587-206-5456.
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| 2023-12-05: Valladolid - Mercado | |||||||||
| Accommodation | Bed and Breakfast | Private Studio in Valladolid 5 again | |||||||
| Tip | General Info | Witness The Nightly Traditional Dance Performance Travel Lemming Recommendations: Witness The Nightly Traditional Dance Performance | 0 | ||||||
| Tip | General Info | Browse the Mercado Municipal Travel Lemming Recommendations: Browse the Mercado Municipal | 0 | ||||||
| Tip | General Info | Check Out Iglesia San Juan Travel Lemming Recommendations: Check Out Iglesia San Juan | 0 | ||||||
| Note: We’re splitting our days into four parts in order to better deal with the heat. Morning, Siesta, Evening, Night. It won’t be easy for me as my brain is very stubborn about when it’s willing to sleep and when it’s willing to be awake. But we’ll give it a go. \n\n This morning we walked out along C49 to scope out what will be our cycle route tomorrow to go visit some cenotes. Then we had coffee with Cheryl. Then we visited the Mercado. The Mercado here is nowhere near as interesting as the Querétaro Mercado but we did manage to get some fruit and cheese. \n\n And now… siesta. Note: We walked around Valladolid this evening and we’re in the square when the Mayan dancers did a show. Very impressive.
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| 2023-12-06: Valladolid - Cenotes | |||||||||
| Accommodation | Bed and Breakfast | Private Studio in Valladolid 5 again | |||||||
| Activity | Other | 7 Best Cenotes near Valladolid | 0 | ||||||
| Activity | Other | 12 Best Cenotes Near Valladolid | 0 | ||||||
| Activity | Other | The Best 9 Valladolid Cenotes to visit in 2023 | 0 | ||||||
| Tip | General Info | Cenotes | 0 | ||||||
| Tip | General Info | Watch the Video Mapping Show at the Convent of San Bernardino of Siena Travel Lemming Recommendations: Watch the Video Mapping Show at the Convent of San Bernardino of Siena | 0 | ||||||
| Tip | General Info | Take a Bike Tour to Cenotes Travel Lemming Recommendations: Take a Bike Tour to Cenotes | Several of the cenotes near Valladolid are accessible by bicycle paths. There is a popular locally-run bike tour that will take you to the Mercado Municipal, Cenote San Lorenzo Oxman, Cenote Xkeken, Dzitnup, and the village of Chichimila all in one day. | 0 | |||||
| Tip | General Info | Try Cochinita Pibil Travel Lemming Recommendations: Try Cochinita Pibil | 0 | ||||||
| Note: Today we used the bikes from our Airbnb to visit three cenotes. \n\n We rode south on C54, which Maps.me said would take us to our first Cenote, then continue south to the town of Dzitnup, where we could double back northwest to get onto a bike route to visit the other two Cenotes. \n\n C54 has changed. It doesn’t go all the way to the Valladolid ring road, instead, it dead-ends at the dump. There was a side road that looked like it went to the Cenote, but it had a big gate on it and we didn’t want to trespass. When we got to the dump, we decided to return to town and head west to get on the bike path and go at it a different way, but when we got to the gated side road, a guy there told us that it was, in fact, the way to the Cenote, so on we went. The road was atrocious. I’m surprised our loaner bikes survived! \n\n The first Cenote was Oxmán. It was really pretty but it had a rope swing and a lot of noisy splashy young folk. It was also sketchy to get down to the water with three rickety ladders, none of which I felt like using. Brent went for a swim about and I just watched. \n\n After the Cenote we were going to try getting back on C54 south of the Cenote but it was a rough narrow dirt track. A hiking trail, really, so we decided to take the ring road west to Highway 180 which has a separated bike path. \n\n We took the bike path to Cenote X-Kekén, which shares its facilities with Cenote Samula, and I’m glad it does because that one was my favorite. It was much more peaceful, and it was easy to get down to the water. I stayed at the edge for a while enjoying a fish pedicure while Brent went for a swim. Then I joined him for a swim and then had another fish pedicure. \n\n Our final Cenote was X-Kekén and it was also very nice but harder to get in because of some treacherous rocks. I had another fish pedicure while Brent went for a swim. \n\n After all the Cenotes we had an easy 6.1km ride back to our AirBnB, mostly on the bike path. Note: In the evenings they do a light show at the convent nearby that illustrates the history of the Yucatán and Valladolid. \n\n We watched the show - first in Spanish then in English. After the show we watched a couple have fun with their projected shadows.
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| 2023-12-07: XKopek Bee Park | |||||||||
| Accommodation | Bed and Breakfast | Private Studio in Valladolid 5 again | |||||||
| Activity | Other | MountainView AGM 6:30MT | 0 | ||||||
| Tip | General Info | Visit the Xkopek Beekeeping Park Travel Lemming Recommendations: Visit the Xkopek Beekeeping Park | The Xkopek beekeeping reserve is a quiet natural retreat where you can learn about beekeeping. There is a restaurant, a pool, a dry cenote, and even a space where you can pitch a tent.You can go independently (contact them at +52 985 125 0964). Or many people go via this popular Valladolid Mayan Bees tour that takes care of all the organizing details for you. https://travellemming.com/go/valladolid-mayan-bees-tour-viator/?clickref=valladolid-mexico_amcid-3PUgQiUJPr2oe3I3e3qzE | 0 | |||||
Note: This morning we walked to the southeast end of town to the Xkopek Bee Park where we had a tour of the park. They have bees here that are native to The Yucatán and that don’t sting. We got a traditional Mayan treat, and then a honey tasting. A bee got stuck in my honey so we fished him out and then he sat on my hand while he cleaned himself off well enough to fly again. It was really cool!!\n.
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| 2023-12-08: Valladolid - Museum Day | |||||||||
| Accommodation | Bed and Breakfast | Private Studio in Valladolid 5 again | |||||||
| Tip | General Info | Marvel at Mayan Art at Casa de los Venados Travel Lemming Recommendations: Marvel at Mayan Art at Casa de los Venados | 0 | ||||||
| Tip | General Info | Step Back in History at Museo San Roque Travel Lemming Recommendations: Step Back in History at Museo San Roque | Located on Calle 41 between 38 and 40 (across from La Joyita), the Museo San Roque has a small but interesting collection of historical items reflecting the history of Valladolid and the Yucatan region.There is no admission cost, which makes it a great free thing to do in Valladolid Mexico. | 0 | |||||
| Note: Today was museum day for us. We visited Casa de los Venados, which actually isn’t a museum, but rather, an art collector’s home which he opens up to tours. Then we visited Museo San Roque, which focuses on the history of the Yucatán. Finally, we went to the convent and went into their museum and grounds, which was more interesting than I expected, largely because it was built over top of a Cenote. \n\n Did you know?? The history of the piñata can actually be dated back to Chinese history, when paper figures were filled with seeds, and broken as a way to bring good luck. It is thought that Marco Pollo saw this celebration in China and brought it back to Italy.
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| 2023-12-09: Valladolid - Walkabout | |||||||||
| Accommodation | Bed and Breakfast | Private Studio in Valladolid 5 again | |||||||
Note: We took another stab at trying to see the murals at the tourist bureau today but it’s still closed off. Sigh. Then we walked to the north end of town to see Iglesia de Santa Lucia, a church that we spotted on our way into town. We then walked to the Mercado to see if it was better on the weekend… not really. The highlight was seeing some really interesting and colorful buildings including a giant derelict Chinese building of some sort.
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| 2023-12-10: Valladolid - Sick Day | |||||||||
| Accommodation | Bed and Breakfast | Private Studio in Valladolid 5 again | |||||||
| Tip | General Info | Check out the Murals at Ayuntamiento Valladolid Travel Lemming Recommendations: Check out the Murals at Ayuntamiento Valladolid | 0 | ||||||
| Note: My system is rebelling against the late heavy meals and I’m just not feeling well so I’m hanging out in the AirBnB today. Brent has gone out and managed to see the murals which have been eluding us and picked me up some yogurt. Note: We took our laundry in on Friday but we still haven’t gotten it back. When we dropped it off the lady said Mañana. When we went back on Saturday about 11:00 it wasn’t ready yet. She said one hour, but we didn’t make it back then. Her listed hours say she’s closed for two hours in the afternoon and then opens back up in the evening so we went back in the evening to no avail. The lavanderia is closed on Sundays. Brent checked anyway just in case but nope… closed. It’s supposed to open at 8am tomorrow and I sure hope it’s open by 10:00 because we have a bus to Merida at 12:30…. Note: A good thing about Valladolid: live salsa music and dancing in the town square. A bad thing about Valladolid: cars and bicycles endlessly circling the center of town with their Virgin of Guadalupe shrines and ear-splitting sirens.
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| 2023-12-11: Travel to Merida | |||||||||
| Accommodation | Bed and Breakfast | Casa Petronila | Canceled by host 2023/12/01 | 0 | Merida | ||||
| Accommodation | Bed and Breakfast | Casa Carmita | Free cancellation before 15:00 on Dec 10 Check-In: 15:00, Check-Out: 12:00. Leave keys on bureau or put them on room door Entry instructions and WiFi on AirBnB 24 hours before stay Guest favorite, Superhost, Room plus private bathroom in home with shared spaces. Luggage drop-off allowed. Pets allowed. | 1088.79 | Merida | ||||
| Activity | Other | 3 beautiful cenotes near Merida | 0 | ||||||
| Activity | Other | 13 Must-See Merida Cenotes | 0 | ||||||
| Activity | Other | The Best Merida Cenotes | 0 | ||||||
| Tip | General Info | Parque de la Paz AirBnB Host Recommendation: Parque de la Paz | When planning a visit to this place, you can easily and conveniently reach it by public transport. Parque de la Paz is located a short distance from the following stations: Terminal ADO Mrida CAME | 0 | |||||
| Tip | General Info | Parque Zoolgico Animaya AirBnB Host Recommendation: Parque Zoolgico Animaya | Zoo featuring mammals & reptiles, a boat ride & an observation tower modeled after a Mayan stele. | 0 | |||||
| Tip | General Info | Centro Cultural Olimpo AirBnB Host Recommendation: Centro Cultural Olimpo | Opened in 1999, this modern cultural center offers a planetarium, art exhibits & film screenings. | 0 | |||||
| Tip | General Info | Evening Gatherings So here is what to do in Merida every night of the week, which often involves dancing the night away |
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| Tip | Travel Resource | A Beginner's Guide to Public Transportation in Mrida | 0 | ||||||
| Travel | Bus | To Merida | Booked through ADO website 12:25 - 15:40 | 34.77 | Valladolid | Mérida Centro Histórico | |||
| Note: Mérida has been on my list to visit ever since Brent and I first came to the Yucatán in 2017. Today, after collecting our delinquent laundry, and taking a ride on the ADO bus, we finally made it. \n\n Our AirBnB is pretty cool. It’s another hostel-y kind of place with a shared kitchen. It is an old building that the proprietor is fixing up. The rooms have really cool original doors, and there’s a beautiful shared courtyard. \n\n Mérida is much larger and bustlier than Valladolid. It will take some getting used to. Good thing there are LOTS of interesting things to see here, including lots of old buildings in interesting states of decay. \n\n We got some praise from our Valladolid host who says we’re ‘strong, despite the years’. Hmmmm.
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| 2023-12-12: Walking tour and Trova musical performance | |||||||||
| Accommodation | Bed and Breakfast | Casa Carmita again | |||||||
| Activity | Other | Nightly entertainment Trova kicks off Tuesday nights with a regional Trova performance of romantic music, regional to Yucatan. Cultural Center. 8:00 pm Tuesdays. Free | 0 | ||||||
| Activity | Tour | Walking tour of Mérida | 0 | ||||||
| Tip | General Info | Parque de Santiago AirBnB Host Recommendation: Parque de Santiago | 0 | ||||||
| Tip | General Info | Felipe Carrillo Puerto | 0 | ||||||
| Tip | General Info | Elvia Carrillo Puerto | 0 | ||||||
| Tip | General Info | Casa de Montejo | 0 | ||||||
| Note: We met a couple from Germany (Helge and Ana) at our AirBnB in Valladolid. As it would happen, they were moving on to Valladolid on Monday - the same day as us. When we parted ways they said ‘maybe we’ll see you in Mérida’, which I thought was unlikely in a city of 1.2M. Well, oddly enough, when we went for a walk this morning, who did we run into but the German couple. They told us they were heading to a free walking tour of the city… in English. So we abandoned our original plan and went on the walking tour. It was more of a stop and listen tour than a walking tour but it was really informative and added some things to our must-do list. Our tour guide, Fernando from Tijuana, was awesome. \n\n After the tour we grabbed some gorditas from Gorditas Doña Gorda for lunch. Unfortunately I must say that I don’t like them as much as the deep fried ones we had in Querétaro. I think I’ll wait to have any more gorditas until we get there in January. Note: This evening we walked around Merida which is very festive - much of the city is decorated. Then we enjoyed the free musical performance at the cultural center which happens every Tuesday evening.
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| 2023-12-13: Airport bus recon and Mercado downpour | |||||||||
| Accommodation | Bed and Breakfast | Casa Carmita again | |||||||
| Activity | Other | Evening activity Dialogues of the Conqueror show every Wednesday. Outside of his home, a representation of Francisco de Montejo portrays historic events along with video mapping. In front of the Casa de Montejo Museum 8:00 pm Wednesdays | 0 | ||||||
| Note: Our recon mission to the airport was successful but not as we expected. We knew right where the bus was supposed to stop - two blocks, and around the corner, from our AirBnB. \n\n We would get on it when it was ‘inbound’ to the city, and ride it in and then back out because that was our most convenient stop. We went out and we waited… and we saw the bus coming but then it turned away before it reached us. I thought we must have seen one on its way outbound and wasn’t worried. Brent, on the other hand, questioned it. And then he noticed a hand-written, weather-faded cardboard sign that said the bus doesn’t stop there anymore - it stops at the corner of x and y streets. Oops. \n\n So we walked to the corner of x and y streets but there was no indication of which direction it would come from or where it would stop. Thankfully both streets are one ways so that made the options less. \n\n We stood at different sections of the intersection, me looking west for an eastbound bus and him looking south for a northbound bus. I thought the bus would come straight north or straight east and stop, so Brent and I had those options covered. When the bus finally came, eastbound, Brent realized at the last second that it was going to turn north instead of continuing straight so we had to hoof it across the street to catch it. \n\n Bonus - where we catch it is right around the corner from our AirBnB. \n\n After that it was mostly clear sailing. We rode ‘inbound’ as expected, turned outbound to the airport. When we arrived at the airport, everyone got off except us, which was confusing to the driver. He didn’t understand where we were going. Finally we used the translator on his phone to tell him ‘we need the airport tomorrow. We are riding the bus today to learn how it works. We go back to Merida now’. He was very happy with that explanation. :)\n\n When we got back to town we visited the delightfully chaotic Mercado but also got caught in a fairly enthusiastic downpour.
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| 2023-12-14: Merida - Walking tour part 2 | |||||||||
| Accommodation | Bed and Breakfast | Casa Carmita again | |||||||
| Activity | Other | Evening Activity Yucatecan Serenade is one of the longest-standing weekly events in the city, having been going on for over 40 years. Watching this folkloric show is a must for things to do in Merida on a Thursday night. Parque Santa Lucia 9:00 pm Thursdays. | 0 | ||||||
| Tip | General Info | Plaza Grande AirBnB Host Recommendation: Plaza Grande | Bustling park with shaded paths & benches, plus music & dance events & a flag-raising ceremony. Also known as Plaza de Armas, this city square contains some of the most historically significant and aesthetically pleasing buildings in Merida. | 0 | |||||
| Tip | General Info | Parque Santa Lucia AirBnB Host Recommendation: Parque Santa Lucia | 0 | ||||||
| Tip | General Info | Free Walking Tour | 0 | ||||||
| Note: Today we went on another walking tour of Mérida, put on by the tourist office. It was really interesting and thankfully we learned a lot of stuff we didn’t get on the first one. \n\n After the tour we visited the gallery in the \nPalacio del Gobierno del Estado de Yucatán. Note: This evening we walked down to the Noreste station to scout a bus for Mayapán for tomorrow. Then we had fancy dinner at the only rooftop restaurant in town: Picheta. The Iglesia de San Cristobal was very festive with flags on it. Then we headed to Santa Lucía Park for the Thursday night music and dance performance.
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| 2023-12-15: Izamal | |||||||||
| Accommodation | Bed and Breakfast | Casa Carmita again | |||||||
| Tip | General Info | Mayan Ruins outside of Merida AirBnB Host Recommendation: Mayan Ruins outside of Merida\n Izamal | 0 | ||||||
| Tip | General Info | The Bamboo Traveler Great blog about excursions from Mérida | 0 | ||||||
| Travel | Bus | Day trip to Izamal | Two people, round trip. | 11.84 | Merida Oriente Terminal | Izamal Oriente Terminal | |||
| Note: A couple of days ago I asked Brent to help choose some excursions from Mérida. There are just too many choices for me to narrow it down. He found a really great blog (the Bamboo traveler), which describes the author’s 15 favorite excursions. From that he chose Mayapán for a Mayan ruin excursion, and we chose Izamal for a village and Homun for Cenotes. \n\n We decided to go to Mayapán today and researched the the terminal and scheduled. This morning when we went to buy our tickets, the lady told us that Mayapán is closed for renovations. Dang! Well, good thing we had chosen a couple of other excursions so we could fall back on one of those. Since our AirBnB is a fair hike from the bus terminal and we weren’t carrying our swim/Cenote gear, the backup plan was to go to Izamal. \n\n We were lucky enough to get on a bus right away and off we went. Izamal is one of Mexico’s magical towns, and is known for most of its buildings being painted yellow. \n\n When we got there, we immediately gravitated to Convent of Saint Anthony of Padua which faces the town square and is impossible to miss. Brent also spotted the Pirámide de Kinich Kakmó from the ground and we decided that that would be our second stop. \n\n When we climbed up the ramp to the convent, we were immediately approached by Mauricio, a local guide, who gave us a pitch to take a tour of the convent with him. We like to support the locals, we always get a lot out of the local guides, and the tour would include a stop at the baño, so it was a yes for me. \n\n Mauricio gave us a very interesting tour of the convent, and then we went off to the pyramid and climbed up for a view. Then we had lunch at Restaurant Muul, which Mauricio had recommended. Then we went off to see the Pirámide de Habuk, which wasn’t really a pyramid so much as a collection of buildings. \n\n It was at Habuk that I got heat sick for the first time on this trip. We cut it short and went to wait at the bus station. I’ve been doing reasonably well with a schedule of afternoon siestas, but with today being an excursion, a cooling siesta was not an option, and I quickly learned that I really do need to avoid moving around in the afternoon heat. Brent has taken to saying that we’re acclimatizing well to the heat. It seems he is, and I…. am not. \n
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| 2023-12-16: Merida - Parque La Plancha and Anthropology Museum | |||||||||
| Accommodation | Bed and Breakfast | Casa Carmita again | |||||||
| Tip | General Info | Museo Regional de Antropología, Palacio Cantón | The rotating exhibits in this lavish museum examine the region's cultural heritage. | 14.42 | |||||
| Note: I’m still not feeling great from my heat overexposure yesterday so we’re taking an easy day. We walked over to have a look at the new Parque La Plancha, which was suggested by our walking tour guide, Fernando, a few days ago. Then we walked back with a stop at Museo Regional de Antropología.\n\n At the Anthropology museum I discovered how well the Google Translate app works on photos. It did a fantastic job of translating the museum placards which were all in Spanish.
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| 2023-12-17: Merida - Biciruta | |||||||||
| Accommodation | Bed and Breakfast | Casa Carmita again | |||||||
| Activity | Other | Sunday activities Merida en Domingo | Merida en Domingo is an all-day event in which food stalls and pop-up restaurants congregate in the plaza with more marquesita stands than you can count. As night approaches, bands begin to play and people start to dance. It’s a beautiful Sunday tradition in Merida that compliments the Sunday bike route. Plaza Grande 9:00 am - 7:00 pm | 0 | |||||
| Tip | General Info | Monumento a la Patria AirBnB Host Recommendation: Monumento a la Patria | Landmark sculpture on a traffic roundabout depicting Mexican history from the Mayans to modern day. | 0 | |||||
| Tip | General Info | Bike Ride on Sunday Morning Bike Ride on Sunday Morning | 0 | ||||||
| Tip | General Info | BiciRuta Bike route through Merida Centro | Mérida is not a very-bike-friendly city and it is not a small city you will find several bike rental places around the Paseo between 43 and 47 BiciMaya in el Centro: Calle 54 y 56., Calle 65 472, Centro, 97000 Mérida, Yuc. | 0 | |||||
Note: I caught a cold on the bus from Izamal so I’m taking it easy but I was still able to make it out for a short ride on the Sunday morning Biciruta. Every week they shut down the northbound side of Paseo de Montejo to vehicle traffic. There were supposed to be some more streets blocked off as well but no… it was just PdM. The highlight was seeing the Monumento a la Patria at the north end of the Biciruta. We dropped the bikes off and walked down to the main square to see the weekly market.
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| 2023-12-18: Merida - Sick day | |||||||||
| Accommodation | Bed and Breakfast | Casa Carmita again | |||||||
Note: I was down with my cold today so we didn’t do much. We dropped off our laundry in the morning and then were going to take a circuitous walk to the grocery store. Turned out the route I chose was a little too circuitous and I ran out of steam before we could reach the grocery store so I had to head home and Brent had to go to the grocery without me.
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| 2023-12-19: Merida - Mercado and City Museum | |||||||||
| Accommodation | Bed and Breakfast | Casa Carmita again | |||||||
| Activity | Sight See | Stuff we saw Museo de la ciudad de Mérida\n\n Mercado de San Benito\n\n Mercado Lucas de Gálvez | 0 | ||||||
| Tip | General Info | Lucas de Galvez Market Get Lost Amongst Chaos in the Lucas de Galvez Market Merida | 0 | ||||||
| Note: I was down with my cold yesterday so we didn’t do much. Today I’m feeling quite a bit better so we got out for a while this morning. We visited the sprawling Mercado (actually two Mercado side-by-side) and then the city museum. \n\n The Mercados were delightfully chaotic and we bought some lemon bread. The museum was interesting but we only got through the first floor before I started to crater and had to head back to our Airbnb. We’ll go back and see the other floors another time.
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| 2023-12-20: Merida - Failed bus trip and Casa de Montejo | |||||||||
| Accommodation | Bed and Breakfast | Casa Carmita again | |||||||
| Note: This morning I sketched us out a plan that involved taking a Va y Ven (city bus) to go to the Gran Museo del Mundo Maya. The bus was supposed to stop right around the corner from us. \n\n We went around the corner but there was no Va y Ven sign. There isn’t always a sign (looking at you, Ruta Aeropuerto) so we weren’t concerned about that. It didn’t take long for one of the busses to come by and Brent tried to flag him down but he flew right on past. Turns out the stop is further up the road and there IS a sign. Oops. \n\n So we relocated and were waiting with a couple of locals. Several busses went by but didn’t stop because they were already too full. Finally we got one that stopped but he wouldn’t take cash. We had to have a special card to ride. Ugh. \n\n I thought I had seen on the internet that you could buy a rechargeable card at convenience stores. We have a Six nearby so we walked over to it. Although it was 9:15 the Six was not open. Argh!\n\n I have been wearing out well before noon with this cold so I was concerned that, by the time we got the busses figured out, I’d be done for the day and we wouldn’t have actually done anything. We decided to go downtown to see the museum at Casa de Montejo instead. Enroute we would try to find some Va y Ven cards. \n\n We stopped in at a Circle K (who knew???) and asked and the lady pointed us down the street to the OXXO. Enroute to the OXXO, we stopped in at the tourist office and they reiterated, OXXO. So we stopped in at the OXXO and were successful at buying two cards. \n\n We then continued to Casa de Montejo but it didn’t open until 10:00. So we decided to head in and have a look in the police station which was supposed to have some kind of display. It was a very small display, but they do have baños there, so it was a worthy stop. We still had some more time to kill so we went off to see the Templo de San Juan de Dios, which, if our first walking tour guide was correct, and Brent’s memory hasn’t failed us, is the second-oldest building in Merida. \n\n Finally we went off to Casa de Montejo and had a look at the preserved home and display of Miguel Peraza’s art. Note: After being here for over a week already, we finally discovered our favorite taco joint in Mérida… literally right around the corner from our AirBnB. It has only been in operation for a month. It’s spanky clean, the young proprietor is very keen and friendly, and the food is amazing. Who would have thought to put mashed potatoes on a taco?? This guy. And it is delicious!
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| 2023-12-21: Merida - Gran Museo del Mundo Maya and church walk | |||||||||
| Accommodation | Bed and Breakfast | Casa Carmita again | |||||||
| Tip | General Info | Parque de La Ermita de Santa Isabel AirBnB Host Recommendation: Parque de La Ermita de Santa Isabel | 0 | ||||||
| Tip | General Info | Gran Museo del Mundo Maya | Striking, modern Mayan cultural museum with many exhibits of art, handicrafts & history. | 0 | |||||
| Note: This morning, to celebrate that I’m feeling (mostly) better we celebrated by going for breakfast down the street at Chuc. \n We then successfully took a Va y Ven bus up to Gran Museo del Mundo Maya. I had thought to take the bus only part of the way back after and then walk the rest of the way but I was starting to feel run down and it was quite hot out so we opted to take the bus all the way back. Note: We left early this evening to go for a walk and dinner. We were going to go back to Parque Santa Lucia to try again to see Yucatán Serenade and get there early enough to get chairs but apparently you have to be there, literally, 90-minutes ahead of time to get a chair. So we bailed on that. \n\n On our walk we saw lots of interesting buildings, seven churches, and a bazar, among other things.
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| 2023-12-22: Homún | |||||||||
| Accommodation | Bed and Breakfast | Casa Carmita again | |||||||
| Activity | Sight See | Santa Maria Cave & Cenote | 11 | ||||||
| Activity | Sight See | Cenotes $280MX Cenotes incl $40 for life vests, $100 for Tza Ujun and $140 for Pool Uinic | 22 | ||||||
| Tip | General Info | Cenotes outside of Merida AirBnB Host Recommendation: Cenotes outside of Merida | Recommended: Cenotes Hacienda Mucuyche: Remains of a 1700s hacienda & plantation, with overgrown paths & swimming in a canal & cenotes. Cenote San Ignacio: Its interior, has preserved its marvelous peculiarities of millions of years ago, displaying a magical and ancestral beauty. Ik Kil: Cenote Ik-Kil is one of Mexico's most breathtaking natural wonders, situated close to the famous Mayan ruins of Chichen Itza Homun: Multiple Cenotes | 0 | |||||
| Travel | Bus | Colectivo to/from Homún | Two people round trip | 11 | Mérida | Homún | |||
| Note: Today we took a colectivo out to Homún, which is the site of many Cenotes. There’s one big complex called Santa Barbara which is on the outskirts of town but we decided we wanted to see the town and do some of the Cenotes outside of Santa Barbara. \n\n The colectivo stopped at Santa Barbara and a few people hopped out. As soon as they did, a bunch of men jumped in immediately trying to guide them to the Cenotes. When we got off the colectivo down in town, the same thing happened. These guys are relentless and really pushy. I started calling them piranhas because that’s what it feels like - you’re some kind of morsel that’s been dropped into their water and they go into a feeding frenzy. In any case, we escaped the piranhas unscathed and had our little tour. But every time we got near the one side of the town square… piranha feeding frenzy!!\n\n Our first stop was Santa Maria Cave & Cenote. It is on some personal property and managed by the family who owns the property. When we showed up a young fella who speaks very little English came out and took us down into the cave. Unfortunately we were not able to go all the way to the Cenote but the cave tour, brief as it was, was super cool. \n\n Next we walked back towards the Santa Barbara Cenotes (oops) where we visited both Tza Ujun Kat Cenote and Pool Uinic cenote. There were three Cenotes all managed together (but not part of Santa Barbara) and we visited two of those. \n\n We then had a nice (but too big) lunch and the meandered back to piranha land to catch the colectivo. To our delight, one was pulling up just as the piranhas were getting all worked up.
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| 2023-12-23: Modern art and Pok ta Pok in Merida | |||||||||
| Accommodation | Bed and Breakfast | Casa Carmita again | |||||||
| Tip | General Info | Experience Pok Ta Pok: Representation of the Mayan Ball Game Experience Pok Ta Pok: Representation of the Mayan Ball Game | The tradition of this ancient Mayan sport is kept alive during this weekly event that unfolds in front of the Cathedral. Each Wednesday, watch the players battle it out while traditional live music accompanies the spectacle. Although this game is played as a re-creation for demonstrative purposes, the players are very much into the game with a high level of competitive spirit. Players of Pok Ta Pok slide onto Merida’s cobblestone street in an attempt to score by hitting the ball with their hips into the post. Once you witness the sport in action, the game will make more sense. The way they slide so hard onto the ground, it’s a miracle each player doesn’t leave the ball court scraped and bloody. Scoring is actually quite rare. Doing so is extremely difficult, particularly during this abridged 30-minute version of this game. So if someone does manage to complete a goal, consider yourself lucky (we’ve never seen it), and be sure to cheer loudly! The Pok Ta Pok event in Merida is a free event that has returned to its weekly Saturday match at 8:00 pm in 2023. But we strongly suggest arriving earlier than 8:00 pm. Seats do fill up and may not be available for late arrivals. | 0 | |||||
| Note: Today our main goal was to stock up on some groceries in case it’s hard for us to find stores and restaurants that are open for the next couple of days. Once that was achieved we thought we would try to go out to Dzibilchultín but that didn’t work out. It’s a tough place to get to without a car or a private tour and the busses just didn’t work out so we’ll try again tomorrow.\n\n After giving up on Dzibilchultín, we visited a couple of museums here in Mérida. We went back to Museo de la ciudad de Mérida to see the stuff we missed when I was sick the other day, then we went to the modern art museum in the Ateneo Penínsular, which is attached to the Catedral de San Ildefonso by a really cool… ummmm… hallway. We have to admit, most of the modern art had us scratching our heads. Note: Last week we missed the Pok ta Pok show because I was sick. We got to see it tonight and it was great. \n\n Pok ta Pok is a Mesoamerican ball game where they use a solid rubber ball and use their hips to volley it and score by putting the ball through a ring. \n\n After the game demonstration they set their ball on fire and tossed it around for a bit. If I had to guess I would think that is not authentic - setting it on fire was probably done for dramatic effect?? \n\n Historically, a Pok ta Pok game could take two days before even one goal was made, and after the game, they would sacrifice the captain of the losing team. Yikes. You’d better be serious about your Pok ta Pok!! \n\n See a video taken in Mérida (not my video): https://youtu.be/_cWebjBtUIw
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| 2023-12-24: Progreso | |||||||||
| Accommodation | Bed and Breakfast | Casa Carmita again | |||||||
| Travel | Bus | Progreso | Round trip, two people. $100MEX | 7.86 | Mérida | Progreso | |||
| Note: Today we were going to try again to go to Dzibilchultín but when we were waiting for a bus that didn’t seem to want to arrive we started thinking that with it being Sunday and Christmas Eve it might not be so smart to go to a small site that we didn’t know whether it would be open or not. So we opted to head to Progreso, the resort town north of Mérida, which we had tentatively planned for Tuesday. There is so much traffic going back and forth between Mérida and Progreso that there is a dedicated bus line and dedicated terminal with busses leaving every 15 minutes. \n\n Progreso was a great excursion for today. The town was busy and touristy and… kinda awful, really. Just not our bag. But we had a look around, had a wade in the ocean, had an expensive lackluster lunch (but with good beer) and an easy round trip on the dedicated Mérida-Progreso bus. \n\n A point of interest at Progreso is the Muelle de Pescadores Progreso which is (or was?) the world’s longest pier - it’s 6.5km long. Wowie. I was disappointed that both the Reserva Natural \"La Ria\" and the Meteor Museum were closed. Note: This evening we took a walk around town to see the Christmas decorations. Mérida is really a beautiful city.
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| 2023-12-25: Merida Barrios Mágicos | |||||||||
| Accommodation | Bed and Breakfast | Casa Carmita again | |||||||
| Note: Barrios Mágicos are neighborhoods in Mexican cities which have rich patrimonial value and tourist potential, characterized by their singularity, identity, authenticity, traditions, architecture, history, gastronomy, and vibrant cultural scenes.\n\n There are three Barrios Mágicos in Merida at this time - La Ermita, San Sebastián and Xcalachén. These neighborhoods are next to one another, but are about a 2.5km walk from where we’re staying, so we have to walk quite a ways just to start our walk. We ended up walking about 25% of the Barrios Mágicos today and hopefully we’ll make it out to do a lot more before we leave. Note: This evening we walked over to look at the place we didn’t stay. It was quite a ways west of where we are and would have been a significant hike from the Historico Centro. I’m really glad that we are where we are. The place we didn’t stay was canceled last minute because the host sold the property.
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| 2023-12-26: Merida - More Barrios Mágicos and More Homún Cenotes | |||||||||
| Accommodation | Bed and Breakfast | Casa Carmita again | |||||||
| Note: Today we had planned another attempt on Dzibilchultín but with a forecasted high of 31 I thought that would be dangerous for heat-sensitive me, so again we needed to go with another alternate plan. We decided to get an early start, walk some of the Barrios Magico then go back to Homún and do some Cenotes. \n\n We decided to visit the Santa Barbara cenotes, which we had eschewed before because of how commercialized they are. We decided to give them a shot today because we know how the colectivos to Homún work, and we know there’s food available there. \n\n Well commercialized doesn’t even begin to describe them. Every tourist in the world was there. If you like going to Cenotes for any kind of peace or tranquility, Santa Barbara is NOT the place for you. \n\n We had a nice time anyway, walking the odd road down to the Cenotes (with small train tracks, but no trains… only minivans, horse-drawn carts, and bicycles), experiencing the Cenotes themselves amid the din and hubbub of the tourist-ful Cenotes, and had lunch at the on-site restaurant. When we first got there there was really loud music blasting in the echoey restaurant, but, a miracle power outage took care of that for us. \n\n Heading back to Mérida, we thought we could get a colectivo right at Santa Barbara, but the lady at the counter said no, you have to go to the center of town to get one. Well, we knew that wasn’t entirely accurate because we knew the colectivos stopped on the highway near the driveway, but we didn’t know if they would have any available seats, either heading into Homún, or heading back to Mérida. We walked back to the highway debating our options - try to get a colectivo heading to Homún, try to get one on its way back to Mérida, walk into town to get one at the official stop, or try to find a motorcycle taxi to take us into town. Well, the colectivo god smiled on us today. Just as we were reaching the highway, a colectivo heading to Mérida was passing by. I waved at him and he stopped - he had just enough room to cram two more bodies in. Yay!!
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| 2023-12-27: Merida - Parque de Los Américas | |||||||||
| Accommodation | Bed and Breakfast | Casa Carmita again | |||||||
| Tip | General Info | Parque de Las Americas AirBnB Host Recommendation: Parque de Las Americas | 0 | ||||||
| Note: Today is mostly a prep day as we move on tomorrow to San Miguel de Allende. I am looking forward to the milder temperatures on the central plateau. Right now they’re having daily highs in the low 20s. Sounds ideal to me. \n\n Along with our prep activities we got in a walk over to Parque de Los Américas. I must say it is really great. My favorite park, by far, in Mérida.
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| 2023-12-28: Travel Merida to San Miguel de Allende | |||||||||
| Accommodation | Bed and Breakfast | Departamento maria loreto | Paid $207.61 2023/01/27. Balance due Dec 15. Free cancelation before Dec 23. Host: Maria. Please reach out to the Host for how to check-in. See Host guidebook for suggestions. Maria says it's ok that we'll arrive so late (due to the flight change) Luggage drop Laundromat nearby. Back yard with furniture. Luggage drop. Awesome rooftop terrace. Great location. Close to centro. Check-in: 15:00, out: 12:00 | 415.21 | |||||
| Tip | General Info | UNESCO Site San Miguel de Allende's colonial centro is a UNESCO Site | Due to the architectural and historical significance of the carefully preserved central neighborhood, the town itself is a UNESCO site, as is the nearby Jesuit sanctuary of Jess Nazareno de Atotonilco, an unparalleled example of Mexican baroque architecture and interior dcor. UNESCO added San Miguel de Allende and Atotonilco to the list in 2008, noting that both sites were significant in the country's movement for Independence from Spain, and that the art and architecture of Atotonilco displays the melding of Spanish, Creole, and Amerindian traditions. | 0 | |||||
| Tip | General Info | Tuesday Tianguis Off the Beaten Path: giant flea market | For a real taste of Mexico, head to the outskirts of town for the Tuesday tianguis, a giant flea market where you can buy everything from regional spices to used clothing to fleece blankets emblazoned with the Virgin of Guadalupe. Be sure to check out the food stalls, which serve mouth-watering traditional fare. | 0 | |||||
| Tip | General Info | La Paroqua de San Miguel Arcngel Most Iconic Place: La Paroqua de San Miguel Arcngel | With its pink spires and turrets, La Paroqua de San Miguel Arcngel looks straight out of a fairytale. In fact, the faade is the work of Zeferino Gutirrez, a 19th-century stonemason who supposedly learned his trade by studying postcards of French cathedrals. Today the towering neo-gothic church is the centerpiece of town celebrations and souvenirs are ubiquitous. | 0 | |||||
| Tip | General Info | Museo Casa de Allende Historic Site: Museo Casa de Allende | Soak up local and national history at the Museo Casa de Allende, the childhood home of town namesake Ignacio Allende, hero of Mexico's War of Independence. Built in 1760, the stately mansion is set up to show visitors a vision of upper crust life in 19th-century San Miguel, while simultaneously recapping key historical events. | 0 | |||||
| Tip | General Info | Food to eat
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| Tip | General Info | Fbrica La Aurora Visit Fbrica La Aurora | There are no shortage of art galleries, museums, and other visual art spaces around San Miguel. But a must-visit is Fbrica La Aurora, a former textile factory turned exhibition space. Its filled with dozens of small artist galleries, artisan shops, cafes and restaurants, antique decor and modern furniture stores, jewelry boutiques, and more. Its a mix of local and expat artists, with a good selection of fine art. Whether youre decorating your new home in town or looking for a souvenir, youll no doubt find something that calls to you at Fbrica. Before you head out be sure to nab an outdoor table under a shade tree and a cappuccino at Geek & Coffee. While youre in the colonia (neighborhood), called Guadalupe, be sure to stroll through a couple of blocks to see the parade of murals put up on the walls of homes and business by talented local artists. Youll find this street art all over the area. | 0 | |||||
| Tip | General Info | La Gruta Go to the Hot Springs: La Gruta | Outside of San Miguel are several low-key natural hot springs resorts that cater to day-trippers eager for a hot soak. One of the most popular is La Gruta (The Grotto), so named for a mad-made stone cave that concentrates the heated water into a large sauna; dont stay more than 10 minutes at a time. The grounds are lush and green, with gardens, lawns, and plenty of poolside loungers and tables and chairs with umbrellas. The cocktails and food are delicious and cheap. Admission is $10. | 0 | |||||
| Tip | General Info | La Azotea on Calle Umarn Visit a Rooftop Bar: La Azotea on Calle Umarn | One of the favorite things to do for visitors to San Miguel is patronizing a rooftop bar-restaurant in centro. They are numerous and range from low-key to fancy. Youll enjoy cool breezes, views over centro, including La Parroquia church, and, if youre lucky, a panoramic view of the umber and auburn tinged sunset over a distant mountain rangealong with craft cocktails and gourmet appetizers. Two of the best rooftop locations including the Luna Bar at the ultra-luxury Rosewood Hotel. Drinks, created by professional mixologists, run about $10, with craft beer at about $6. Food is also a little pricey. Same with Quince, which is just a block off the Jardin. For a slightly more economical option, check out La Azotea on Calle Umarn. | 0 | |||||
| Tip | General Info | Mama Mia Campestre Dine Outdoors in the Countryside: Mama Mia Campestre | There are many country restaurants on the roads leading out of town within a 30-minute radius. You have barbecue places, gastropub-style eateries, steakhouses (Argentine style), and, of course, many Mexican options.A favorite spot is Mama Mia Campestre, the countryside outpost of Mama Mia, one of the top pizza and Italian restaurants in town. But this location does not specialize in Italian but rather simple fare like grilled chicken, sausages, hearty salads, and steaks; OK, they have great pizza too. Everything is prepped over a wood-fire grill. There is also a craft brewery on sitetry the IPA. | 0 | |||||
| Tip | General Info | Restaurants Restaurant Recommendations |
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| Tip | General Info | Calle Aldama Snap Photos at Calle Aldama | For the best shot of San Miguel de Allende (and its iconic parish church), wander down Calle Aldama. This is where you can get that million-dollar shot of the cobblestoned street and its colorful buildings, backdropped by the Parroquia. You might find other Instagrammers trying to snap photos here. Be aware that its not a pedestrianized street, so dont be a jerk and hog traffic. | 0 | |||||
| Tip | General Info | Casa de los Soles Take Photos at the Casa de los Soles | Right outside the Mercado Artesana is a unique guest house thats getting Insta-famous for its huge collection of suns. The owners of Casa de los Soles are very friendly and anyone is welcome in for a look. Every inch of its walls is covered in images of the sun: from brightly painted pottery to metal frames. Free entry. | 0 | |||||
| Tip | General Info | Doce 18 Concept House Wander around Doce 18 Concept House | San Miguel de Allendes latest attraction is the Dce 18 Concept House, a modern reinvention of a historical property. The 18th-century building was a thriving family-run housewares factory in the 1940s; today it houses upscale fashion and design shops, its own boutique hotel, and a cafeteria with plenty of fancy fast-casual options. Free entry. | 0 | |||||
| Tip | General Info | Mask Museum Visit the Mask Museum | A quirky thing to do in San Miguel is visiting the Mask Museum. This museum displays Bill LeVasseurs extraordinary collection of over 500 Mexican ceremonial masks. Accompanying the mask collection are texts, photos, and videos showing more than 40 different dance ceremonies. All masks in the museum have been danced in indigenous performances and therefore are considered to be authentic. Visits are by appointment only with all proceeds from the entrance fee going toward local charities so make sure to call ahead of your visit. Entry: 100 MXN (US$2.50). Tel: 415-154-4324 Cell: 044-415-149-1563 E-mail: info@casadelacuesta.com | 0 | |||||
| Tip | General Info | Caada de la Virgen Explore the Caada de la Virgen | ust a 45-minute drive away, Caada de la Virgen is a fascinating archaeological site that has only been recently excavated. Public access was first allowed in 2011. However, unlike its famous counterparts such as Chichen-Itz, access is strictly controlled due to it sitting on private property. Occupied by the Otomi people between 540 and 1050 A.D., the site consists of a complex of four pyramids (specially aligned with the movement of the planets), a ceremonial causeway and an ancient man-made pond. I recommend booking a guided tour with an archaeologist. | 0 | |||||
| Tip | General Info | Dolores Hidalgo Dolores Hidalgo | Located in Guanajuato state, Dolores Hidalgo is known as the birthplace of Mexican Independence.After soaking up the history, enjoy some of the towns famous artisanal ice cream while browsing the shops filled with colorful Talavera ceramics. Rome2Rio says it's a one-hour bus ride, $6CAD | 0 | |||||
| Tip | General Info | Escondido Place Quiet, relaxing, beautiful hot springs | The day ticket is for M$190 (Jan 2022). For getting there you can do it the same way as going to La Gruta. From the bus stop it's a 12-min walk. You can bring your own food. Locks for the lockers and towels are only for sale, but you can bring your own. It's open daily until 17:00. There are lockers for your clothes, changing places and showers, but make make sure you take your own towels. | 0 | |||||
| Tip | Handy | Coyote Canyon Adventures +52 415 154 4193, +52 1 415 153 5005, info@coyotecanyonadventures.com | Offers horseback riding, hiking, biking, rappelling, camping, four-wheeler (ATV), hot air ballooning, boating, Caada de la Virgen pyramid tours, and multi-day cross country adventures. Their guides lead you safely through working cattle ranches, into canyons, through rivers, over plains, across gorges, and down sheer cliffs, all the while sharing with you their in-depth knowledge of the native flora and fauna. | 0 | |||||
| Tip | Handy | Bici-Burro Cycling Hospicio 1, +52 415 152 1526, beto@bici-burro.com | A bike shop that has operated in San Miguel since 1963. They offer bike rentals and biking or hiking tours with guides that hold an intimate knowledge of the area around San Miguel. You have the choice of seven bike tours and two hiking trips which take you amongst natural landmarks and some of the historical ruins of the area. These are of varying degrees of difficulty and range from 5 to 8 hours. The bicycle tours include a 2-speed aluminum mountain bike with helmet, gloves and transportation if needed. | 0 | |||||
| Tip | Travel Resource | SMdA Rutas Urbanas Urbana bus lines | San Miguel's bus station, or terminal, is on the west side of town. Here, you'll be able to book a bus to nearby destinations like Len, Bernal, or Mexico City. For the buses the locals take, you'll want to hop on one of the Urbana lines, which are mapped out here. Rates will vary depending on the route and time of day, but a trip shouldn't cost you more than a few pesos. | 0 | |||||
| Travel | Bus | Ruta Aeropuerto | 90 pesos for two people | 7.02 | Around the corner from AirBnB | Mérida airport | |||
| Travel | Flight | Merida (MID) to Leon (BJX) | CONF: W6MPJL VB-9196 17:20 - 19:40 Checked bag incl Airport fee and govt fees incl Bought traveler insurance: Your trip is protected. Travel with peace of mind and if you require any assistance, contact the IGS call center at +52 (55) 8881 8814. | 468.14 | Merida (MID) | Leon (BJX) | |||
| Travel | Other | Shuttle to SMA | Based in SMA. Provides shuttles to/from SMA only. | 81.77 | Leon airport | San Miguel de Allende | |||
| Travel | Vehicle | Taxi from Leon (BJX) to S.M.de Allende | The quickest way to get from Leon/Guanajuato Airport (BJX) to San Miguel de Allende is to taxi which costs $1000 - $1300 ($80-$101CAD) and takes 1h 29m. | 0 | Leon Airport (BJX) | San Miguel de Allende | |||
| Travel | Vehicle | Taxi from Merida AirBnB to MID Airport | CANCELED 2023/12/02. Was going to be $44.01 8:30AM pick-up. We will meet driver on the street outside the property. Cancel for free up to 24 hours before you go Provided by: E-Life Limo | 0 | Merida AirBnB | Merida (MID) | |||
| Note: Today we moved from Mérida to San Miguel de Allende. \n\n Our best option for making the move was to fly to Leon and then make our way from there. If we’d taken the bus it would have taken over 30 hours. Ummmm. Nope. Thanks. \n\n Our flight with Viva Aerobus was moved from 11:00am to 5:20pm. We were going to take a taxi the rest of the way but yesterday I discovered Bahio Go - a company that runs shuttles to and from San Miguel de Allende. They are great. Our driver was waiting for us when we arrived and whisked us, plus several more folks, off to San Miguel. It is a large expat community so apparently there is enough traffic coming and going to warrant a shuttle service which is a 90-minute drive from the Leon airport. \n\n Note that we’re wearing sweaters in the last photo. It’s much (much) cooler in San Miguel de Allende than it was on the Yucatán
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| 2023-12-29: San Miguel de Allende | |||||||||
| Accommodation | Bed and Breakfast | Departamento maria loreto again | |||||||
| Travel | Flight | Merida (MID) to Leon (BJX) | CANCELED - four to eight weeks for refund. Good grief | 680.38 | Merida (MID) | Leon (BJX) | |||
| Note: We got in late last night and crashed. It was chilly last night, and chilly this morning - 7C when we got up! It felt pretty cold compared to the Yucatán. I’m looking forward to not having to hide so much from the heat. \n\n San Miguel de Allende is even more beautiful than I remembered and it looks different from though eyes that will be here for several days, as opposed to 2022 when we were only here for a few hours trying to take it all in. \n\n We have a really great little AirBnB apartment with a rooftop patio and a resident cat or two which always makes me so happy when we visit Mexico because it lets me feel like I have a cat for a little while. Note: After breakfast we ran some errands including taking in a load of laundry and walking to the bus depot to do some recon for the next step in our journey - moving to Querétaro next Wednesday. \n\n After the bus depot we returned to our AirBnB via a circuitous walk through the interesting San Antonio neighborhood. Then we had our first rooftop beers and did some planning for our remaining days in SMA. Note: This was our first real evening in SMA. We didn’t get in last night until about 10:30, so that didn’t count. The city is insanely busy with tourists and this evening was no different. We went to the main square, which is ground zero for tourist activity. It was chaotic but not beyond my boundaries so it was all good. I’m truly happy for the cooler temperatures.
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| 2023-12-30: El Charco del Ingenio | |||||||||
| Accommodation | Bed and Breakfast | Departamento maria loreto again | |||||||
| Tip | General Info | Mercados | 0 | ||||||
| Tip | General Info | Charco el Ingenio Go to Charco el Ingenio | 0 | ||||||
| Note: Our host, Maria, has a son-in-law, Javier, who drives Uber. This morning we had him drive us out to El Charco del Ingenio, a botanical garden on the edge of town, that focuses on preservation of local flora, especially cacti. It is on an important historical site that has ruins of a hacienda and a mill. \n\n We then walked back to our place and stopped in at Mercado Ignacio Ramírez. We do enjoy the Mercados.\n
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| 2023-12-31: NYE in San Miguel de Allende | |||||||||
| Accommodation | Bed and Breakfast | Departamento maria loreto again | |||||||
| Note: When we were walking in town the other day I noticed a restaurant had a ‘breakfast buffet’ sign outside. I tagged it in Maps.Me without making note of the name. \n\n Today we went past for breakfast. They were late opening so we had a coffee in the foyer coffee shop (something you wouldn’t find in Canada). Finally they opened and Brent chose us a table to sit at. He thought he recognized the restaurant and we figured we had visited it in 2022 with Elissa. Well, yeah we did… and we sat in the same chairs at the same table. Check the photo from 2022 (holding beers) for comparison. The restaurant is La Pamplonada and the breakfast was amazing - well worth the wait (they opened 90-minutes late). They also had the special spiced coffee that we had at Simon’s hole in the wall lunch spot in Querétaro in 2022. Note: Today we did a walk around three interesting neighborhoods (Guadalupe, Independencia and San Rafael) and Mercado San Juan de Dios. \n\n The Mercado was unique in a number of ways but two that stuck out for me were (1) the random shrines everywhere and (2) the itty bitty arcade in it. I was an arcade junkie when I was a teenager. I would have loved the itty bitty arcade. \n\n Brent and I decided that if we stay in SMA again we’ll try to get a place in Barrio Guadalupe. It is beautiful and interesting, with lots of amenities, and it’s close… but not TOO close to the e main square. Note: Our AirBnB is very close to the main square, and we have a great rooftop patio, so we figured that would be the best place to watch the New Years fireworks. \n\n We took a late siesta and got up at 10:30. The view from our rooftop is essentially 360•, which is good because it seemed that every neighborhood in the city was setting off fireworks and we could see almost all of them.
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| 2024-01-01: San Miguel de Allende | |||||||||
| Accommodation | Bed and Breakfast | Departamento maria loreto again | |||||||
| Tip | General Info | El Mirador Lookout Point: El Mirador | Perhaps the most popular lookout point in all of San Miguel de Allende, this mirador offers unbeatable views of the centro down below. It's a (somewhat steep) 15-minute walk from downtown. The shops just behind the lookout point are also chock-full of souvenirs and artisan gifts to browse. | 0 | |||||
| Tip | General Info | Paseo del Chorro Wend down the Paseo del Chorro | 0 | ||||||
| Tip | General Info | Parque Juarez (Benito Juarez Park) This well-used park is comprised of many old fruit orchards, and is now a favored nesting area for white egrets. | 0 | ||||||
| Note: This morning we stopped in, again, at Bici Burro to see if they were open and if they have a tour we can hop onto for tomorrow. Not open. Understandable. We’ll try again tomorrow but it’s really short notice so it’s unlikely we’ll get on a bike tour tomorrow. Plan B is to go for a visit to Sanctuary of Jesús Nazareno de Atotonilco. \n\n After Bici Burro we went for a scenic neighborhood walk. We climbed up to the Mirador viewpoint but the view wasn’t very good because of a smoky haze. We assume it was from last night’s fireworks. We then walked to the El Chorro park which we visited with Elissa in 2017. Then, we walked randomly through neighborhoods El Chorro (including Parque Juárez), and Guadiana, and then popped back into neighborhood San Antonio on our return. \n\n I was getting a little noshy so we looked for a place for a light lunch. We looked at a few places, but decided to go back to El Correo, where we had breakfast on our first day. Note: Tonight we discovered a restaurant that does…… only shrimp cocktail. We saw the camaroncito menu from outside, and recognized it was something to do with shrimp (camaron), but… expected more of a menu once we got inside…? Nope. You can have shrimp cocktail… large, medium, small, or on crackers. We both ordered small but holy shrimp cocktail there were a lot of shrimps in the smalls. We couldn’t even finish them.
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| 2024-01-02: Sanctuary of Jesús Nazareno de Atotonilco | |||||||||
| Accommodation | Bed and Breakfast | Departamento maria loreto again | |||||||
| Tip | General Info | Santuario de Atotonilco Santuario de Atotonilco | 0 | ||||||
| Tip | General Info | Biblioteca de San Miguel de Allende See the Public Library: Biblioteca de San Miguel de Allende | 0 | ||||||
| Note: Our good bus karma continues. We were told that the bus leaves for Atotonilco every hour on the hour, but assuming we may have been given erroneous information, we wandered up to the bus stop about 30 minutes early, and asked about the bus. It was already sitting there - on the opposite side of the street from where we were told. We hopped right on and away we went. For our return, we sat and waited only about five minutes for the bus. \n\n There’s not much to Atotonilco. The town is teeny and the UNESCO cathedral is small but very impressive. We had a good look at it then walked down the road and found the non-UNESCO cathedral in town, San Miguelito. Note: In reviewing various blogs about what to do in SMA, one thing that was mentioned was the Biblioteca de San Miguel (public library). We had a look at that this afternoon - it’s a great library with countless rooms and levels and some great art in the meeting room and gift shop.
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| 2024-01-03: Travel San Miguel de Allende to Quertaro | |||||||||
| Accommodation | Bed and Breakfast | La Encantada | Host: Sophie is in WhatsApp Check-in via door combination to be provided. One combination for front door, one for room door. Paid half 2023/01/25. Other half due scheduled for Dec 21, 2023 Free cancellation before 2:00 p.m. on Dec. 29. Cancel before check-in at 2:00 p.m. on Jan. 3 for a partial refund. Laundry on-site Luggage drop | 1180.03 | |||||
| Tip | General Info | Location of Bus Depot in San Miguel 2.1km walk from AirBnB | Rome2Rio says there may only be two busses: one departing 05:30 and one departing 19:50. We may end up taking a taxi... BUUUUUT internet randos from Reddit say,
Bus lines:
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| Tip | General Info | Grutas Tolantongo most beautiful hot springs in Mexico\n Closer to Tequisquiapan - visit from there? | Tolantongo Grutas is way up in the mountains in Hidalgo state. It sits at 4,200-feet (1,280 m) above sea level, in Mezquital Canyon.Mezquital is whats known as a box canyon, meaning its shorter and narrower than larger river canyons.It is surrounded by hot springs and underwater thermal pools, which heat all the waters throughout Las Grutas de Tolantongo, Hidalgo, Mexico. Dont miss the Tolantongo Cave and Tunnel the sites main water source. $180MXN/person. Daily 7AM - 8PM See downloaded PDF | 0 | |||||
| Tip | General Info | Hike up Pea de Bernal Went to Bernal in 2022 with Laura but it was too hot to hike. \n Can maybe do as a day trip from Tequisquapan, although it looks like we'd have to take a taxi. But, we have a long time in Tequis, and not much to do, so.... | This behemoth of a rock, known as Pea de Bernal, is among the largest of its kind. The towering wonder comes just behind other famous monoliths like Australias Ayers Rock and the Rock of Gibraltar. Pea de Bernal is a spectacular sight to see shooting up above the scenic puebla. Yet to really experience Pea de Bernal, we strongly recommend anyone whose fit to hike up it! You do need proper rock climbing gear to reach the very top. There are adventure outfitters who can assist with gear, but that needs to be arranged in advance. Yet without climbing gear, you can still trek about 80% of the way toward the top of the monolith. Youre then rewarded with sweeping views of the town, surrounding mountains, and the countryside down below. Plan to spend up to two hours or so for the steep roundtrip hike up Pea de Bernal. The gigantic rock certainly is an attention-grabber. But its the historic pueblo magico (magic town), which sits in the monoliths shadow, that makes for a most charming base to set out from. This domestic tourism hotspot gets busy on the weekends. So a weekday visit will give you more space on the trails and a tranquil atmosphere. Meanwhile, the weekends are more festive, yet crowded. | 0 | |||||
| Tip | General Info | Cerro de las Campanas National Park Learn the Sordid History of Cerro de las Campanas National Park\n Visited this in 2022 | Cerro de las Campanas is a Mexico National Park located right within Queretaro. While the grounds of this National Park are scenic, the importance of the park is actually more for its historical significance than its natural beauty. Even if youre not aware of the history this site holds, taking a stroll around the park still makes for a very worthwhile thing to do in Queretaro. Well help briefly get you up-to-speed now about the history of Cerro de las Campanas. This National Park is on this hillside where the Mexican Emperor Maximilian I surrendered and also later executed in the same spot. It was these events in 1867 that signified the end of the French Intervention and the fall of the Second Mexican Empire. Today you can visit the Austrian-built chapel on this hillside that now honors Maximilian I. | 0 | |||||
| Tip | General Info | Queretaro Event Calendar Check schedule closer to travel dates | 0 | ||||||
| Tip | General Info | Restaurants Recommended restaurants |
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| Tip | General Info | Quertaro: City Tour in a Classic Ford T Vehicle Quertaro: City Tour in a Classic Ford T Vehicle | Discover Santiago de Quertaro on a guided tour. Board a replica of a 1908 Classic Ford T Vehicle and explore the historic city center, learn about Quertaro's legends, and see the famous aqueduct. Duration 1 hour Guide speaks Spanish and English Meeting Place: Jardn Guerrero 200MXN | 0 | |||||
| Tip | General Info | Parque Nacional El Cimatario Parque Nacional El Cimatario | Get outdoors and explore the natural spaces at El Cimatario National Park. Slip on your boots, grab your map and check out the walking trails. Good news! It won't cost you anything to visit El Cimatario National Park in Queretaro. But your sightseeing doesn't have to end at this protected natural landscape. Close-by attractions like Santa Rosa de Viterbo Temple, Aqueduct of Santiago de Queretaro and Corregidora Stadium also make for an enjoyable day out. My favorite time of day to visit El Cimatorio is during the morning. Theres not much shade out there (the majority of vegetation are cactuses), so its a good idea to plan your hike, run or mountain bike ride for before the hottest part of the day. Be sure to pack your own water & a snack. You should wear a hat & plenty of sunscreen. Hours of operation: Thursday-Sunday from 7 a.m. 1:30 p.m. Closed Monday-Wednesday This national park is located a 10-minute drive from Quertaro city center. Dont have your own set of wheels? You can get out there and back using Uber or a regular taxi. | 0 | |||||
| Tip | General Info | Amealco Amealco de Bonfil | Looking for the perfect souvenir to remember your time in Quertaro? Plan a day trip to Amealco to visit the birthplace of the Mueca Queretana.Indigenous women make and sell these beautiful dolls. The town even has an entire museum dedicated to the handicraft. Rome2Rio says it's a one-hour bus ride, about $7CAD | 0 | |||||
| Tip | General Info | Tramvia tour Take a tour around town on the tourist bus | I thought I would learn a lot of history and legends about Queretaro and that was exactly what happened.It turned out to be one of the most fun things to do in Queretaro.Its a pleasant ride on the old tram with a local guide explaining all the funny stories about the city. The cost is 200 pesos, and it lasts about 75-90 minutes. You can sign up at the tourist kiosks around town. | 0 | |||||
| Tip | General Info | San Jos Mria Cheese Ranch Uriel does as a tour | Visits by appointment, can take the tour in English For visiting jeans and tenis or boots are suggested whatsapp +52 442 1302161 | 0 | |||||
| Tip | General Info | San Joaqun Uriel does as a tour\n Closer to Tequisquiapan, but Rome2Rio says to get there from Tequis, go back to Queretaro first. Can take a bus from Q, but it's 3 hours. Maybe do Uriel's tour? | San Joaqun (Quertaro) is a town in the state of Queretaro. The town is in the Serra Gorda mountains in the huasteca region, and is known for its outdoor recreation. It is designated by the Mexican tourism ministry as a Pueblo Magico in recognition of its charm and tourism infrastructure. | 0 | |||||
| Tip | General Info | Bullrings Quertaro has two bullrings, one is considered the third most important in Mexico (Plaza Santa Maria), and the other is considered the most beautiful bullring in Latin America (Juriquilla). |
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| Tip | Travel Resource | Bus to La Encantada Simon says we can pay cash in the busses to go to La Encantada\n Reddit says it's 11 pesos. Reddit also says there's there is a machine where you can get the card at the bus terminal | Take T-04 (Ruben Jaramillo), L07 (Eduardo Loarca), 44 (Paseos Del Pedregal Evc), or 45 (La Loma). They all drop off at Zaragoza Y Luis Pasteur (the park down the road). We can transfer to another bus, but... why? It's a short walk from there. | 0 | |||||
| Travel | Bus | SMA to Querétaro | $106MEX / ea | 17.05 | SMA | Querétaro | |||
| Note: A few days ago Brent noticed a bakery not far from our AirBnB. Like, a proper bakery, not a coffee shop bakery. \n\n Yesterday we went there for the first time and were surprised and delighted to discover it’s a self-serve bakery where you take a tray and then go behind the counter and pick your own items to buy. \n\n I was so intrigued that I forgot to take photos yesterday. Today it was our last stop on our way out of SMA and I did not forget this time. Note: Today we walked to the bus depot in SMA, took the bus to Querétaro, and then took a taxi to our AirBnB. We’re staying at the same place, in the same room (canary room) as last time. I am so happy to see that Querétaro and our AirBnB are pretty much exactly the way I remember them!! \n Note: I wasn’t feeling super ambitious this evening but we still wanted to get out for a walk. Brent suggested doing a spin around our very interesting block, so we did that and then had a beer on ‘our’ roof. \n\n Very happy to see some familiar sights: Los Arcos, Templo La Cruz, Taco Tucson, the food trucks down the road, and El Tanque all decorated up for the season.
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| 2024-01-04: Errand Day in Querétaro | |||||||||
| Accommodation | Bed and Breakfast | La Encantada again | |||||||
| Activity | Sight See | Visit El Pueblito About an $11CAD taxi.\n We visited here before but didn't really look around. | El Pueblito is one of the most beautiful cities in Quertaro, whoseattraction lies in large old buildings that allow a leap into the pastthrough its classic facades. One of the main points of interest is ElCerrito, a wonderful archaeological zone that was once a political andreligious center; If you are looking to discover places ofarchitectural beauty, then the best thing to do would be to visit itsMain Garden, Sanctuary of the Virgin, Convent and Parish of SanFrancisco Galileo. | 0 | |||||
| Activity | Sight See | Visit El Marqus About a $9CAD taxi | El Marqus is one of the municipalities belonging to the state ofQuertaro, located almost 60 kilometers from its capital and inhabitedfor a long time by Otomi groups. It has 24 former haciendas whosehistory dates back to the 17th century, perfect for discovering spacesthat combine natural and architectural beauty; Other important sitesare the El Marqus Biomuseo, the Chiquita Church, the Devils Dam, andthe Wamer Zoo. | 0 | |||||
| Note: We have some stuff to do to get our feet under us before we can get down to some serious touristing. \n\n We walked down to Plaza de Las Americas to hit the Soriana (for some Griego yogurt). Since we were on Avenida Constituenties anyway we headed west so Brent could hit a bank machine and then kept going to visit the Transportation Department to get some QROBus Tarjetas (rechargeable bus passes). \n\n There were a few transit stops along the way so we tried the QROBus vending machines at each but none of them would dispense the Tarjetas, only recharge ones you already have. \n\n When we got to the Transportation Department they said to try the transit stop across the road. Before we got to the transit stop, there was a Super Q store that is supposed to sell them. We stopped in there and they directed us back to the Transportation Department. We decided to head back there and use the machine that Brent used in 2022 and not ask a person for help. We went to the machine at the Transportation Department and its vending machines also were refusing to dispense Tarjetas. Hmmmm. \n\n We started talking with another couple who were there trying. They said that the city seems to be completely out of Tarjetas - they tried all day yesterday and were told to try again today… but… still no Tarjetas. After talking some more with the woman (the man went off to inquire at the desk) we discovered that they’re from Vancouver… and they’re staying at La Encantada. Crazy. The first other English-speakers we meet here and they’re staying at the same place as us!! We’re going to meet them on the roof for bird-o-clock. \n\n We then returned home via the Mercado for lunch and siesta.
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| 2024-01-05: Errand Day #2 and church tour #1 | |||||||||
| Accommodation | Bed and Breakfast | La Encantada again | |||||||
| Tip | General Info | Convento de la Cruz | 0 | ||||||
| Note: Today is going to be another errand day, but to start things off we walked down the street to the bakery. The one we planned on was not baking… all they had was day-old stuff so we walked to a different bakery. We took a chance on their croissants and they’re actually great! Real croissants (not just the crescent-shaped bread we get almost everywhere out of Europe). The weather was nice enough for us to eat on the roof, and the neighbor’s peacocks came up on their roof to look around while we ate. All around a fantastic morning. Note: We had a great errand morning today, including getting our bus passes (Tarjetas). There is an enormous Mercado near us that we somehow missed when we were here before. We had a good long look at that. Walking home, we stopped for an impromptu look at Templo de Teresitas, then bought some groceries and Brent made salsa for lunch. Note: This evening we went for a walk around the centro historico. I plotted us a route that took us past several of the local churches. \n\n\n\n We first went east and saw our nearby cathedral that we see all the time, Templo La Cruz, and its companion, Capilla del Calvarito. Continuing east, we saw the modern and unusual Templo Expiatorio del Sagrado Corazón de Jesús de la Misericordia. We then saw the much more traditional San Isidro. \n\n\n\n We then headed west and saw Templo de la Merced, Templo de la Congregacion de Guadalupe, Parroquia de Santiago, Templo de San Antonio, San Francisco cathedral, and Teresitas. \n\n\n\n We also had a nice walk through a number of parks and shopping corridors, and, in a most delightfully random way, made a new friend. We wandered through Plaza del Corregidora, which is a small park lined with restaurants that we visited a number of times in 2022 (including the infamous cricket incident). While we were walking through we were approached by one of the restaurant hostesses (because they all try to call you in). We brushed her off and then she asked Brent if he speaks German. Well isn’t that unusual. So I started talking with her in German. She lived in Germany for three years and has a son there in Köln. We exchanged phone numbers and are going to meet for a German conversation on Sunday morning.
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| 2024-01-06: Circus recon and Church Tour #2 | |||||||||
| Accommodation | Bed and Breakfast | La Encantada again | |||||||
| Note: We’ve decided to go to the circus on Friday evening. Since we haven’t got a car, I wanted to make sure we had an effective and affordable method of getting to and from the circus grounds before we bought tickets. So, this morning we rode the 134 bus (using our spanky new QROBus Tarjetas) up to the grounds, which are behind a huge shopping mall. We had a look at the big top which is up but empty at this time. \n\n We then took the 134 back again but got off early to get a bit of a walk in. We had a look at Templo de Santo Domingo from the street and went to the Mercado that we frequented in 2022 (Mercado La Cruz) and had lunch at a little stand there called Doña Beni. Note: Tonight we decided to finish our church tour and then go to Jardín Zenea, which is the bustling park with nightly dancing. Things didn’t go quite as we planned. \n\n We saw most of the churches on the east side of centro last night, so tonight was for the western churches. We saw Templo de la Congregacion de Guadalupe and Templo de San Antonio (among others). \n\n While we were at Catedral de Querétaro, we were approached by a random guy (Robert, an American who has been living in Querétaro for about two years), who asked if we were interested in looking at churches. When I answered in the affirmative, he just started on about the best ones to see, and then he took us on an impromptu tour to show us some stuff. \n\n There is an arts center beside Santa Rosa de Viterbo that Brent and I ignored today that actually houses a small archaeological site where the city’s aqueduct actually ends. Robert wanted to show us one of his other favorite churches, so off we trotted and he took us to Templo de San Antonio, which he knows by a different name. I told him we’d already seen it that night and it was my favorite so far! I can’t wait for Santa Rosa de Viterbo to be open on Tuesday so Brent and I can go back there and see it, plus the arts center. I also hope it works out for us to get together sometime soon with Robert and his wife.
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| 2024-01-07: Easy day in Querétaro | |||||||||
| Accommodation | Bed and Breakfast | La Encantada again | |||||||
Note: I’ve been having some trouble with heel cracks for a few days - something that happens if I don’t stay on top of my heavy callouses. Anyway, we are going to Michoacán tomorrow to see the monarch butterflies again and I want to be in good shape for walking so I have to give my heels a chance to heal a bit. We met Lorena for coffee and Deutsch sprechen, then walked home via Panico (our favorite panaderia).
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| 2024-01-08: Michoacán Monarch Butterflies | |||||||||
| Accommodation | Bed and Breakfast | La Encantada again | |||||||
| Activity | Tour | Michoacán butterfly tour | 2000 pesos/ea | 317 | |||||
| Tip | General Info | Bike Tour Queretaro Uriel - the guide we used in 2022. | 0 | ||||||
| Note: When we were in Querétaro a couple years ago we did some tours with Bike Tour Querétaro (which does more than just bike tours). It is a company run by a young couple, Uriel and Ana. \n\n Their tour company is still going strong so we asked them if they could (1) take us back to Michoacán to see the monarch butterflies, and (2) drive us up to Jalpan on the 23rd when we move up there. \n\n Today was butterfly day! Yay! Because the weather was cooler we opted to hike the whole way instead of taking the horses part way. Unfortunately, because it was quite cold, the butterflies were all sleeping quite soundly in the trees the whole time and we didn’t get to see much at all. We saw a few butterflies on the ground - almost too cold to move. Apparently February is the best time to go, which is when we were there last time. Anyway… we had a good hike up and back and sort of saw some butterflies. \n\n We did have a couple of great meals. Uriel and Ana took us first for breakfast at Antojeria Juarez in Querétaro. The proprietor is from Amealco and brings blue corn flour from there to make her own tortillas. Then, for lunch after the hike we returned to Cocina Economica Doña Osve, which is where we tried huitlacoche last time. We had to have it again this time. It was good but I think I liked my potato taco better this time.
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| 2024-01-09: Viterbo and Acequia Madre | |||||||||
| Accommodation | Bed and Breakfast | La Encantada again | |||||||
| Tip | General Info | Templo de Santa Rosa de Viterbo Templo de Santa Rosa de Viterbo | 0 | ||||||
| Note: Today we followed a couple of recommendations from our acquaintance, Robert. \n\n We started the day with breakfast at Küni, which was muy rico. \n\n Then we headed down to Santa Rosa de Viterbo (which is decorated with an over-the-top amount of… not gold), and the cultural center next to it. Robert had told us that the archaeological bits in the cultural center were the original end of the aqueduct, but while we were there, we learned that’s not correct. It’s actually a water system that was fed from the rio PRIOR to the construction of the aqueduct. It is called Acequia Madre and it’s really cool (even if it’s not what we thought it was). Note: Tonight we took it easy and walked over to Plaza de Los Fundadores (near our AirBnB). We had a little bit of sushi and watched the people go by. Then we walked back with a quick stop to see the interior of Templo La Cruz for the very first time even though we’ve seen it from the outside zillions of times. It’s kind of ordinary for a Catholic Church but it has a souvenir store in it and a lovely courtyard. Unfortunately by the time we were done looking at the courtyard the souvenir store was closed. Oops.
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| 2024-01-10: Los Arcos and Hercules | |||||||||
| Accommodation | Bed and Breakfast | La Encantada again | |||||||
| Note: This morning we walked up to the start of Los Arcos and then discovered that we were right beside the Hercules neighborhood, which is up for consideration as. Barrio Magico. So we took a wander through Hercules as well. When we got there the sole came off of one of my Keens. We bought some crazy glue (Kola Loca) at the nearest OXXO, and after a quick repair, off we went again. At the end of our walk we had gorditas from the food truck down the road. Note: There are two neighborhoods in Querétaro that are up for consideration as Barrios Mágicos - El Tepe and Hercules. It is my intention to visit both of them while we’re here. I didn’t realize that the entry to the Hercules neighborhood was essentially right at the start of Los Arcos. We discovered that when we got there and decided to extend our walk into Hercules. It is REALLY interesting. I think we’ll go back to see more of it before we leave. There was too much to see everything this morning. We also dipped briefly across the railroad tracks into a little neighborhood called La Estación (I guess because it is above the Hercules train station). Really cute little neighborhood but probably also really noisy from the trains.
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| 2024-01-11: El Pueblito and El Cerrito | |||||||||
| Accommodation | Bed and Breakfast | La Encantada again | |||||||
| Activity | Sight See | El Cerrito El Cerrito info in English | 0 | ||||||
| Tip | General Info | El Cerrito Pyramid Visited this in 2022 | 0 | ||||||
| Note: Today we took the bus out to El Pueblito, which is kind of a suburb of Querétaro. We came out here in 2022, but we went straight to the pyramid (El Cerrito) and then walked all the way back, which didn’t afford us time to look at El Pueblito itself at all. Today we took a good walk around El Pueblito and it’s pretty interesting. I like it a lot. \n\n We looked at a couple of Catholic Churches (because of course we did). I found Santuario del Pueblito particularly interesting because it has two domes beside each other that give an interesting 3D effect when you walk up to the stuff inside them when you’re in the church. \n\n Next time we come out this way I want to walk through the neighborhood on the side of the big hill.
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| 2024-01-12: Querétaro- church tour etc | |||||||||
| Accommodation | Bed and Breakfast | La Encantada again | |||||||
| Tip | General Info | Recommended churches | 0 | ||||||
| Note: Today we had to drop off some laundry and then meet our new acquaintances, Rob and Anita, for lunch. So that scratched off any far-flung expeditions for the morning. We decided to finish our ongoing church tour. The highlights, along with some fantastic street art, were the unusual Christo Rey on the far west side of centro, and the heavily bead-laden Templo San Francisco. \n\n We then met Rob and Anita at Los Pirineos for ciabatta sandwiches and sweet crepes. We made plans for them to come meet us in Tequis while we’re there.
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| 2024-01-13: Querétaro sick day | |||||||||
| Accommodation | Bed and Breakfast | La Encantada again | |||||||
Note: Today I had to take a sick day (again). I have been having trouble getting enough sleep, and I guess it caught up with me. I’ve got some kind of cold or flu… hopefully not the ‘rona. We went out this morning to get some groceries and cold medicine and I slept most of the day, although it didn’t stop me from appreciating some of the wall art along the way.
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| 2024-01-14: Querétaro sick day #2 | |||||||||
| Accommodation | Bed and Breakfast | La Encantada again | |||||||
Note: Annnnd now Brent is sick too. We went for a short walk up to the river and then back home to drink Vicks Noche. Bleah.
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| 2024-01-15: Querétaro- El Tepetate | |||||||||
| Accommodation | Bed and Breakfast | La Encantada again | |||||||
| Note: Today we’re mostly over whatever is ailing us, although we’re still not 100%. We did feel good enough to go for a long walk this morning. \n\n We wanted to check out the other Barrio Magico (El Tepetate), and we also wanted to go back to a cool area that we walked through when we were here two years ago. Well, wouldn’t you know it, they are the same area! \n\n We got a good look at the neighborhood, including Parroquia San Sebastián and the Centro Cultural Casa del Faldón. As usual, everything was very colorful, including the decaying buildings and wall art.
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| 2024-01-16: Querétaro sick day for Brent | |||||||||
| Accommodation | Bed and Breakfast | La Encantada again | |||||||
Note: Looks like we pushed Brent too hard with the walk yesterday. He’s down and out for the day while I run a few errands. Hopefully everyone’s back on their feet tomorrow.
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| 2024-01-17: Querétaro Museum Day | |||||||||
| Accommodation | Bed and Breakfast | La Encantada again | |||||||
| Tip | General Info | Queretaro Museums Recommended museums | 0 | ||||||
Note: Today is our first day back from being sick… we hope. We visited Jardín Zenea where we sat and watched some pigeons and grackles for a while. Then we visited Museo de Arte where we saw a great exhibit of Mayan Jade, and some sculptures by Jorge Marín, who seems to have a bit of an obsession with winged men and bird masks. Next, we visited Museo de la Ciudad, aka Museo de la Restauración de la República, where we learned about the failed French invasion of Mexico and the presence of Masons in Querétaro.
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| 2024-01-18: Querétaro- Rob and Anita walk | |||||||||
| Accommodation | Bed and Breakfast | La Encantada again | |||||||
| Activity | Sight See | Casa de la Marquesa Had breakfast here - beautiful spot! | 0 | ||||||
| Note: Casa de la Marquesa\n\n Yesterday we were invited in to a restaurant at a time that we didn’t want to eat. But we looked inside and it was BEAUTIFUL! Brent asked what time they open and they said 7am, so we went there for breakfast today. \n\n From their website: Legend has it that the Marquis fell in love with a Poor Clare nun, who, out of loyalty to her vocation, did not accept any relationship with him, asking him to build the now majestic aqueduct to convey water to the city, and to also build the house. most beautiful in Querétaro, which has been carefully restored, revealing the original decorative paintings on its walls.\n\n On our way back we finally got a look at the inside of Templo de la Merced. Note: This afternoon we met up with Rob and Anita (we met Rob on one of our random church tours a while back) and they took us on a grand walking tour of the west part of centro, and across Rio Querétaro into El Tepetate, one of Querétaro’s Barrios Mágicos. \n\n Some highlights included:\n - The inside of Templo Santa Clara, which we had missed before\n - Lunch at Tlayoli\n - Fuente de Los Platitos\n - Antigua estación del Ferrocaril, the museum in the beautiful old train station\n - The old carols at Parroquia de Santiago\n\n It was a really great first full day up after having our cold.
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| 2024-01-19: Querétaro - Hercules and La Estación part deux | |||||||||
| Accommodation | Bed and Breakfast | La Encantada again | |||||||
| Activity | Sight See | Hercules Aqueduct | 0 | ||||||
| Note: Today we planned to take a bus to La Cañada, the neighborhood beyond Hercules, and walk back. We wanted to check out La Cañada, and also finish looking at Hercules, which we didn’t get to finish before. A few busses marked La Cañada passed us over and a bus for Hercules stopped, so we jumped on it instead. We got off in Hercules and started walking out towards La Cañada, but given the distance to walk there, we decided to focus instead on getting a good look at Hercules and trying for La Cañada again by bus another time. \n\n Hercules is very interesting, and we also spent some time again in La Estación across the railway tracks. We discovered the Hercules Aqueduct, climbed up and up the hill in La Estación, and had a look at the Hercules Cervezaria. We wanted to have lunch and beers there but they weren’t open for that. Too bad. So, instead, we had lunch and beers on our way back at the Celtic Spub (yes I know it’s actually the Celtics Pub… stop raining on my fun).
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| 2024-01-20: El Pueblito’s Hill | |||||||||
| Accommodation | Bed and Breakfast | La Encantada again | |||||||
| Note: From our rooftop in Querétaro we can see the El Cerrito pyramid off in the distance in El Pueblito. We can also see a big hill out that way that, from our roof kinda looks like a really mondo pyramid itself. We’ve talked about it a number of times and talked about walking on it. Today was the day. We jumped the bus out to El Pueblito and walked up the east side of the hill, which doesn’t have much on it, and then walked around and down the west side (the Emiliano Zapata neighborhood of El Pueblito). One thing I hadn’t anticipated (because… d’uh) was that we’d have a really great view of El Cerrito nearby. The hill is definitely not another pyramid, but it was definitely interesting, and with today being exceptionally cool, it was a really good day to walk up it. \n\n On our way back we found a toy store that sells plastic cutout flags, which we’ve been looking for for our yard, and then had lunch at Santa Cecina Taqueria, which has great food and really fun decor.
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| 2024-01-21: Querétaro Walking Tour | |||||||||
| Accommodation | Bed and Breakfast | La Encantada again | |||||||
| Activity | Sight See | Walking Tour of Querétaro | 63 | ||||||
| Note: Bob and Carlyn, the Vancouverites who are staying at our AirBnB, found a walking tour of Querétaro, and invited us to go with them. We met our guide, Arturo, at 10:00 this morning and were with him for two hours, learning more about Querétaro. It probably would have been better to do the tour before we spent six weeks (including four in 2022) walking around the city, but better late than never. \n\n After the tour we had lunch at Zandunga, which was recommended to Bob and Carlyn by their Spanish teacher. \n\n We seem to have run out of time and luck for going to the circus. We had tried to book online but their website wouldn’t work and their customer service was completely useless. So we’ve been watching for showings that have tickets available and we would just take the bus up and buy tickets at the door. Then we got sick for several days. Tonight at 8pm seemed like it was going to be our big chance. Brent checked last night and there were tickets available. I checked this morning and there were tickets available. I checked this afternoon… no more tickets. Dammit. There are more shows later in the week but we leave on Tuesday. I guess Brent will have to wait a little while longer to see his first circus.
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| 2024-01-22: La Cañada | |||||||||
| Accommodation | Bed and Breakfast | La Encantada again | |||||||
| Note: This morning we took a bus out to La Cañada (which means The Canyon), thé neighborhood just past Hercules. We disembarked at Alameda El Marqués and walked toward Hercules where we hopped the bus back. \n\n We really liked La Cañada - it’s a small, very peaceful neighborhood quite a way out from Centro. We had a good look at Templo de San Pedro, found more of the Hercules aqueduct and enjoyed all the great street art.
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| 2024-01-23: Sierra Gorda Day | |||||||||
| Accommodation | Bed and Breakfast | Very clean, cozy room in the center. | Paid $131.67 2023/01/29. Balance due Jan 14. Free cancellation before Jan. 22. Host: Guadalupe Check-in: Flexible No laundry facilities Luggage drop beautiful terrace. a lot of steps. common kitchen. location is in the middle of the town: there is a chruchbell playing songs for three minutes straight, starting at 7 or 8 am. | 263.34 | Jalpan de Serra | ||||
| Activity | Sight See | Day trip to Landa de Matamoros About a $25CAD taxi | 0 | ||||||
| Activity | Sight See | Day trip to Pinal de Amoles 1h bus from Jalpan ($4) | This small town nestled among the hills and mountains of Sierra Gorda is your perfect base to organize all the excursions through the natural wonders of the region, so rich in culture, various different landscapes, and adventurous activities to do. | 0 | |||||
| Activity | Tour | Tour and drop off in Jalpan Drive us to Jalpan with stops at Puerta del Cielo, Pinal de Amoles lookout, Puente de Dios trail, and Chuveje fall. | 4750 pesos | 377 | |||||
| Tip | General Info | Casa de las artesanas Casa de las artesanas | There is a crafts center called the Casa de las artesanas. It exhibits and sells various crafts from Jalpan and surrounding municipalities such as those made of palm fronds, ceramics, pine needles and wood. It also includes food items such as fruit preserves, guava candies, fruit liquors, honey and regionally produced coffee. | 0 | |||||
| Tip | General Info | Hacienda del Rayo Hacienda del Rayo | Near the town are the ruins of the former Hacienda del Rayo Can't find where this is - ask when we're there. | 0 | |||||
| Tip | General Info | Local food to try
| One dish of the area is cecina serrana, which is dried beef marinated in sour orange and salt. Another is a zacahuilt, which is an extremely large tamale made with corn, various chili peppers and pork or chicken. It is wrapped in a banana leaf and cooked all night in an oven. River shrimp called acamayas are another specialty and are prepared in various forms. Revoltillo are eggs cooked on a comal with a sauce made from coyol which is similar to tomatoes. Atole is flavored with sunflower seeds, small guavas or piloncillo. | 0 | |||||
| Tip | General Info | Pinal de Amoles Pinal de Amoles\n Rome2Rio says it's a one-hour bus ride from Jalpan to the town, but most of the stuff listed here is \"out in the wilds\". | 19km from Jalpan, Pinal de Amoles is a town located in Pinal de Amoles Municipality in the state of Quertaro in central Mexico. It is part of the Sierra Gorda region which stretches over northern Quertaro into Guanajuato, Hidalgo and San Luis Potos, with 88% of the municipality's land comprising the Sierra Gorda Biosphere Reserve. Pinal de Amoles, located in the Mexican state of Quertaro, is a hidden gem often overlooked by tourists. This charming town offers a unique blend of natural beauty, history, and culture. From hiking in the Sierra Gorda mountains to exploring ancient ruins, there is something for everyone in Pinal de Amoles. El Chuveje Waterfall: This is the ideal place to start your journey through the tourist places of Pinal de Amoles.It is a beautiful waterfall 35 meters high, surrounded by impressive vegetation that calls to fully enjoy the landscape, planning an excursion to reach the place and camp there. Cuatro Palos viewpoint: A visit to this site is truly a unique and unforgettable experience. You will be surprised to observe the magnificent Cerro de la Media Luna and the depth of the mountains, which invite you to explore and conquer them, living moments and experiences you will never forget.This magnificent place marks the end of the semi-desert of Queretaro and the beginning of the forested area of Sierra Gorda. Puente de Dios (Gods Bridge) / Angostura Canyon: To visit this unforgettable area in Pinal de Amoles, you must reserve at least half a day to enjoy the site and do the entire tour. The tour starts at the Escanela River, with transparent waters and a bucolic sound that relaxes, while going through forests full of large poplars. At the end of the route, you will find the Puente de Dios (Gods Bridge), with impressive waterfalls descending from the top of the cave, approximately 30 meters long. El Salto Waterfall in Pinal de Amoles: Located among the best tourist places in Pinal de Amoles that you cannot leave out on your trip is the El Salto waterfall.To reach El Salto waterfall, it is necessary to descend about 350 steps, which is considered a challenge and an adventure; the area is full of ferns, large poplar trees, and moss.The waterfall is approximately 35 meters, so at the end of the descent, there is a pool of crystalline and freshwater more than 15 meters in diameter, in addition to many small waterfalls. Visit Pinal de Amoles former Convent of Bucareli: This building closely resembles a medieval castle in the middle of the mountain range, among the historical tourist sites of Pinal de Amoles. Explore the Pinal de Amoles cliff cave: It is known as Cueva del Risco (cliff cave) because, inside the cave, there are several cliffs scattered throughout the halls that make up the surroundings. | 0 | |||||
| Tip | General Info | Caves Cueva del Puente de Dios, Cueva del Agua and Cueva de la Diosa Cachum\n Ask about these when we get there - I can't find more specific info. | The Cueva del Puente de Dios, located 3 km from Jalpan, is a site of outstanding beauty that can be reached by foot along the dams banks. The Cueva del Agua is the most interesting but difficult to access. It is located near the town of Valle Verde and has an interior with dammed water and formations of stalactites and stalagmites. To get to Cueva del Agua, walk about half an hour from Valle Verde, preferably with a mountain guide. In Cueva de la Diosa Cachum, about 11 km from Jalpan, this Pame deity was worshipped as the mother of the sun, rain, and crops. | 0 | |||||
| Tip | General Info | Restaurants Recommended on VamonosToMexico.com |
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| Tip | General Info | Sotano del Barro At km 24 of the highway Jalpan - Green River take the detour to Santa Maria de Cocos, continue 18 km more till the site | As if it were a natural bowl, this basement has a large variety of wildlife among which is the green macaw whose flocks out of the pit in the morning making an impressive sight. The view itself is also great because the basement has a diameter of 500 meters and a drop of 450, making you feel as if you were facing the abyss.To get dirt you will cross 26 kilometers and two hours of a dense forest. | 0 | |||||
| Tip | General Info | Hike SE of town See AllTrails for where the trails are, and Maps.Me for a pin to the \"trailhead\" | 0 | ||||||
| Tip | Reminder | Recon bus to Tequisquiapan When arriving at the Jalpan bus station, look for where/when to get bus to Tequisquiapan | 0 | ||||||
| Tip | Reminder | Address in Tequisquiapan is incomplete Get directions from Jorge on how to find the specific house on 5 de Febrero | 0 | ||||||
| Tip | Reminder | Talk to Uriel about Transport Can he take us to Jalpan via the \"things to see\" around Pinal de Amoles? | For example:
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| Tip | Travel Resource | Jalpan to Tequis - transport? Figure out how we're getting to Tequisquiappan. Uriel can take us if necessary. | 0 | ||||||
| Travel | Bus | Bus to Jalpan | Almost four hour trip by bus. Taxi would be three hours but cost $200 (maybe more). Flecha Amarilla bus options:
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| Note: We moved today from Querétaro to Jalpan de Serra in the Sierra Gorda. We didn’t want to just zoom to Jalpan - we wanted some Sierra Gorda experience, so we got Uriel and Ana from Bike Tour Querétaro to take us. \n\n We drove the winding mountain highway into the Sierra Gorda. We saw the painting of the virgin on the hill at Camargo. Uriel says that the way the water dripped on the hill made a shape that looked like the virgin so the locals just went with it. Then we had a little stop at Pinal de Amoles, which is a really beautiful little Pueblo Magico. \n\n Our first significant stop was to hike Cañon de la Angostura, which was spectacular. To get there we turned off the highway and drove down a very long, narrow, winding gravel road. In terms of specs - distance, elevation, stream with multiple bridge crossings and a waterfall at the end - the hike is very similar to Heart Creek. In appearance, though, in feel and appearance it reminded us a little more of Plitvice in Croatia, and Walk-Behind-Falls. \n\n Next stop was a hike to the El Chuveje waterfall, which required driving out the long narrow winding gravel road back to the highway, then exiting the highway a short distance later to drive down a shorter narrow winding gravel road. The hike is shorter than the first one and Uriel and Ana sent us off by ourselves. It is a very pretty, well-developed trail through forest with a creek and some green pools, with a very tall waterfall at the end. \n\n At last we continued on to Jalpan where we had lunch at La Casita de Alex, which is owned by a friend of Uriel’s and then checked in to our AirBnB. Uriel and Ana were planning on staying over someplace rather than driving all the way back to Querétaro and they ended up checking in to the same place as us. We all went for a walk and they introduced us to Mestiza, the signature bread of Sierra Gorda which is a delightful cross between bread and a giant cookie. \n
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| 2024-01-24: Jalpan de Serra | |||||||||
| Accommodation | Bed and Breakfast | Very clean, cozy room in the center. again | |||||||
| Activity | Sight See | Jalpan info Jalpan is a magical town of Quertaro state | Jalpan. In the heart of the Sierra Gorda is this magical town,declared in 2010 for the great biodiversity it houses and the baroqueart that distinguishes it. You wont be able to stop contemplating thenatural beauty that welcomes the visitor from the road, with themountain views that crosses the mist and take you to the center oftown where the Mission of Santiago de Jalpan, distinguished by itsfloral decorations in yellow tone that highlight the religiousornaments that dress it. In 2003, UNESCO declared the FranciscanMissions located in Jalpan, Tancoyol, Tilaco, Landa de Matamoros andConca as Cultural Patrimony of Humanity. Visit the archaeological zoneof Tancama, a prehispanic settlement of the Huasteca culture. Finally,be dazzled by nature in a boat trip in the Jalpan Dam, whileappreciating the natural wealth of the region. | 0 | |||||
| Tip | General Info | Reserva de la Biosfera Sierra Gorda | If you want the full experience to see the most important sites in Sierra Gorda, consider spending at least 2-3 full days.There are so many interesting sites to explore. These include the secluded waterfalls of El Chuveje and Puente de Dios, the breathtaking lookout of Cuatro Palos, and the five Franciscan Missions. | 0 | |||||
| Tip | General Info | Jalpan de Serra | 0 | ||||||
| Tip | General Info | Melchor Ocampo School Melchor Ocampo School | Another building that faces the main square is the former Melchor Ocampo School, which was the first in the municipality. Today, it is the home of the municipal cultural center, which hosts exhibitions, and a number of government offices. The municipal post office is located on a side of the mission church, on a building that was part of the mission complex. During the Reform War, this building held General Mariano Escobedo prisoner. | 0 | |||||
| Tip | General Info | The mission churches | 0 | ||||||
| Note: Our first day in a new place is usually spent doing some errands and recon. We had an easy recon day figuring out how we’ll get to Tequisquiapan next Tuesday - take the bus toward Mexico City, which has a stop in Tequis, or if that plan fails, we will grab a cab which should cost less than $200CAD. \n\n We also did some exploring of the town but we didn’t do our main errand of grocery shopping. The kitchen and rooftop here are undergoing renovations which we’re supposed to be finished by this morning, but… aren’t. Those are two of the criteria for me booking this place so it’s a little distressing that they’re not available. Our room is small and spartan, which is fine, if we can enjoy the kitchen and rooftop, which, so far we can’t. \n\n One of the highlights of visiting Jalpan is to see the two Franciscan missions in the area. There is one right in Jalpan, Mision Santiago Apostol. Sadly, it is under construction and we can only see the outside (through scaffolding) and not the interior (except for the side courtyard). \n\n In other towns that we’ve visited we’ve found lots of interesting and vibrant street art. So far what we’ve found here is focused on very sad and tragic topics. Maybe we’ll find happier art while we’re here? Or maybe we won’t. Time, and further exploration will tell. Note: Today I broke down and bought a Mexican SIM because it seems that my KeepGo SIMs (physical and eSIM) simply do not work here. We paid for a one-month plan which should get me through to the end of the trip. I have a phone number with a Jalpan de Serra area code now.
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| 2024-01-25: Zona Arqueológica Tancama | |||||||||
| Accommodation | Bed and Breakfast | Very clean, cozy room in the center. again | |||||||
| Tip | General Info | Zona Arqueológica Tancama | 13 kilometers from the Magical Town of Jalpan de Serra you will find the Ruins of Tancama, an archaeological zone that will welcome you with the silence of the long centuries that has remained there, waiting for you to discover and tour. Tancama which in Huasteca language means Cerro de Fuego is a pre-Hispanic settlement that has been transformed into a place full of peace and tranquility. When you visit it you will discover that it keeps among its stones whispers of other lives, of other times, of other cultures. This archaeological zone is located on the banks of the Cerro de Fuego and has the construction of three uneven squares that try to simulate the mountain that gives it its name. In addition, the tour will give you the possibility to imagine the Huastec civilization that inhabited it more than a thousand years ago and you will find one of the smallest ball courts that has been found in Mesoamerica. This site is also an ideal opportunity to marvel at the landscapes of the Sierra Gorda and the communion that ancient civilizations had with nature. The murmur of the birds will accompany you on your walk. It's a great place to explore, take pictures, and take a moment of pause and reflection during your visit to Jalpan de Serra. We recommend you go with sunscreen, insect repellent, hat and long sleeves. Don't forget to bring your water bottle so you stay hydrated at all times. If you decide to go in the rainy season and you do not have a pick-up vehicle, it is preferable that you hire the services of a certified tourism promotion agency to support you with the guided tour and transportation. Tancama has free access and is open to the public from Thursday to Sunday from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm. The site is about 15 minutes by taxi from the center of Jalpan. | 0 | |||||
| Note: Zona Arqueológica Tancama is just a few kilometers outside of Jalpan. It had a long period of occupation (200 BC-900). It has three large squares and 56 buildings. We took a taxi out this morning and had a look around, then our taxi driver, Carlos, came back to fetch us. It was a really beautiful site. Note: We noticed this morning that the scaffolding was off of the front of the Misión Santiago Apóstol de Jalpan. I got my hopes up that maybe we’d be able to go in and have a look but we went past this evening and it looks like we’re out of luck. The construction crew says it’ll be at least a week before folks can go back in. At least we got to see the facade without the scaffolding, and we got a pic of the crew. They seemed disproportionately pleased to pose for us. Note: I am finally getting good nights’ sleep. Interestingly, Jalpan is almost the exact same we Arrion as Edmonton. That might have something to do with it?
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| 2024-01-26: Xilitla | |||||||||
| Accommodation | Bed and Breakfast | Very clean, cozy room in the center. again | |||||||
| Activity | Sight See | Day trip to Xilitla Laura says, \"Try to make it to Xilitla, about 3 hours from Jalpan, but worth it.\" It's a 2h bus ride, $7-$9 | 0 | ||||||
| Travel | Bus | To Xilitla | Two people, round trip | 36 | Jalpan de Serra | Xilitla | |||
| Note: We chose Xilitla as one of our things to do in/from Jalpan because our friend, Laura G recommended it. We couldn’t get schedule information online so we asked at the tourist booth last night. The guy didn’t speak English but he did point us at the Vencedor bus terminal (which is separate from the main bus terminal). We walked over there to inquire, and with some help from a local who speaks a little English (plus the SayHi app) we were told that we had to go to the main bus terminal and that busses for Xilitla left every hour. This morning we got as fast of a start as we could and hoofed it over to the main bus depot. Bought our ‘regreso’ (return) tickets and got on the bus. Moments after we stepped on (8:45) we were underway. Thank goodness for the fast start and good bus karma!!\n\n When we were pulling into Xilitla, we saw that it’s a town clinging to the side of a steep canyon. There are buildings lining the road, but at one point there was a gap in the buildings and I could see the town above and below the canyon. I said ‘oh my’ but by the time I said it it was too late for Brent to see what I was ‘oh my-ing’ about. \n\n When we got off the bus, our first stop was to walk back to the ‘oh my’ spot and take a pic. We then explored the really cool, really bustling centro. We met some Canadians, Andrew and Catherine, and they said they were taking a tour of the surrealist garden at Las Pozas at 3pm. Apparently you used to be able to go in and walk around but now you have to do a tour. The English tour was at 3pm. We decided that we would aim to go as well, but instead of buying our tickets in town ahead of time, we decided to trust that we could buy tickets at the entrance in case we ended up not making it. Seems reasonable, right? Well the walk to Las Pozas is no small feat with all the elevation gain (and loss) around here. We walked all the way over just to find out that you cannot, in fact, buy tickets at the entrance. The people at the entrance told us we had to go back into town (a 3km walk with 500m elevation loss and 600m gain) to buy tickets. There were no taxis around to take us back and forth, so we noped out of the surrealist garden. We did see Andrew and Catherine there. They were smart and bought their tickets in town. \n\n That was disappointing, but not nearly as disappointing as the walk back though. We decided to walk back along the highway. Longer, but just a gradual climb instead of crazy amounts of gain and loss. At one point the highway got narrow and there was almost no shoulder and lots of traffic so we took an opportunity to leave the highway and walk back through town instead. We were walking up the hill from the highway when a woman’s five small dogs charged out at us barking. We ignored them and tried to keep walking… but before we could say holy chihuahuas we both got bit on our legs. Brent kicked ‘his’ dog away (gently… maybe should have been harder) and I tried to swat ‘mine’ away but it was too fast for me. The owner just stood there and watched. After a moment of shock, we kept climbing and there were more, larger, dogs ahead barking aggressively at us. Brent grabbed a big stick and a rock and I grabbed a thin branch… sort of what I would call a switch. We kept climbing. As we got closer to the other dogs, when they barked I yelled ‘leave it!’ and smacked the switch on the concrete beside me. They left us alone, thank goodness. That was way more exciting than it needed to be. \n\n So, I have a bruise and some broken skin. Brent is bleeding from four punctures. So I guess an unscheduled visit to the hospital at Jalpan is in our near future. *fast forward several hours* Hospital visit completed. We seem to have horrified the Mexican hospital system with our complete lack of Mexican identification. They had no choice but to treat us for free and give us some antibiotics, also for free.
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| 2024-01-27: Jalpan - Doctor and a Museum | |||||||||
| Accommodation | Bed and Breakfast | Very clean, cozy room in the center. again | |||||||
| Tip | General Info | Museo Historico de la Sierra Gorda | Across Independencia Street is the Museum of the Sierra Gorda. The building was originally known as the Jalpan Fort, constructed in the 16th century by Juan Ramos de Lora and is one of the oldest in Jalpan. The site served as a military fort for centuries and then as a regional jail for about fifty years. In 1991, it became the museum. It contains seven halls that relate the evolution of the Sierra Gorda region from the pre historic period to the early 20th century. The collection includes old maps of the area, pre Hispanic artifacts, fossils, displays about the Spanish conquest and evangelization, with emphasis on the five Franciscan missions and Junipero Serra, artifacts from the Mexican Revolution and a room dedicated to the indigenous peoples of the Sierra Gorda. | 0 | |||||
| Note: In Jalpan, we are staying a block away from the Mission. The mission plays a variety of recorded music at times throughout the day in lieu of just ringing bells. At 6:00 every morning they play a recorded bell version of Cieloto Lindo. \n\n Ay ay ay ay… Canta y no llores! Note: So, being the delicate flower that I am, of course I got the vomiting side effect of the antibiotic we’re on. And not just a polite little barf, but a violent attempt at evicting my toenails by way of my stomach. Brent googled it and apparently if I take it with food I’m less likely to hurl. Here’s hoping. \n\n Anyway, I feel like I got bit by a dog, didn’t get enough sleep, then had a violent vomiting reaction to a drug. Ohhhh… wait…. Yeah, that all happened. \n\n This morning, Laura lined us up with one of her clients who is a doctor here in Jalpan. He took another look at us (mostly Brent’s bite, because it’s the worse one), confirmed that our antibiotic is appropriate and advised that rabies treatment isn’t necessary. We’ll go with that. \n\n We then visited Museo Histórico de la Sierra Gorda, which might be all I’m good for today. I’m beat.
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| 2024-01-28: Jalpan de Serra | |||||||||
| Accommodation | Bed and Breakfast | Very clean, cozy room in the center. again | |||||||
| Note: In Jalpan, we are staying a block away from the Mission. The mission plays a variety of recorded music at times throughout the day in lieu of just ringing bells. At 6:00 every morning they play a recorded bell version of Cielito Lindo. I have a love/hate relationship with this. Mostly love. 💕 Note: We’re feeling a lot better today. Brent’s leg is still pretty shredded but it’s healing. Mine is hardly a flesh wound. I’ve recovered from the violent reaction to our antibiotic and taking it with food works very well. \n\n So all that being said, we spent today walking around Jalpan. It’s in a beautiful location (a valley in the Sierra Gorda) but the city itself is not the most compelling we’ve been in.
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| 2024-01-29: Jalpan de Serra Reservoir | |||||||||
| Accommodation | Bed and Breakfast | Very clean, cozy room in the center. again | |||||||
| Tip | General Info | Jalpan Dam Located 1 km south Jalpan Center, on the way to the camposanto | Powered by the Jalpan River around this dam you will enjoy a spectacular landscape where you can take great pictures while das long walks. With bass, tilapia, carp and mirrors it is also an ideal place for fishing. You can also take boat rides or go cycling around. With the beauty of this place, whatever your activity, you can not get wrong. | 0 | |||||
| Note: Today is our last full day and Jalpan and we decided to spend it walking down to the dam and reservoir just south of town. \n\n We were confronted again a few times by aggressive dogs, but we were ready for them this time - Brent carried a large stick and I carried a switch. \n\n The reservoir and countryside beyond is breathtaking. An added bonus, when we were walking back from the reservoir towards town we saw a van. We thought it was some kind of service van but we realized it was a campervan, and it has a CH (Switzerland) sticker on it. We stopped and said hi… which progressed to a conversation, and then an invitation in for coffee. All together we spent about 90 minutes with Jan (from Switzerland) and Marita (from Germany). They brought their van with them from Europe and have been traveling in it for over three years now. They were stuck in a small town in Argentina for nine months during the pandemic, and adopted a dog there who is now traveling with them. They are planning to visit eastern Canada before returning to Europe and maybe western Canada too. It would be fun if we could see them again. \n\n When we got back to town we got lucky and scored lunch on one of the private balconies at Restaurante Vicky.
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| 2024-01-30: Travel Jalpan de Serra to Tequisquiapan | |||||||||
| Accommodation | Bed and Breakfast | The Milli Lar Lulu | CANCELED March 2023 | 0 | Cadereyta de Montes | ||||
| Accommodation | Bed and Breakfast | Grandpa's House | Pd $305.36 Mar 17 2023. $305.35 due Jan 17 Free cancelation until Jan 25 Check-in 15:00. Check out 12:00 Washer on-site. Wifi, kitchen, use nearby resort facilities, outdoor BBQ but no outdoor seating that I can see. | 610.71 | Tequisquiapan | ||||
| Activity | Sight See | Magical Villages | Tequisquiapan is close to 4 magical villages ( Aculco, Peña de Bernal,Amealco and Cadereyta) | 0 | |||||
| Tip | General Info | Aquatic Parks | Tequisquiapan has three water parks for you to have the most fun:
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| Tip | General Info | Restaurants |
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| Tip | General Info | Tonatiu Iquzayampa Temazcal Try the Tonatiu Iquzayampa Temazcal | Tonatiu Iquzayampa its a pre-Hispanic temazcal.A must-visit in Tequisquiapan Queretaro, ideal for a relaxing time with fire, water, and local plant species.What does Temazcal mean? it means, steam bath, and it played an important role in the social and religious life in Mesoamerica. That is why Tonatiu Iquzayampa is a temazcalli; from Nahuatl tema, steam, and calli, house can be defined as steam bathhouse.The person guiding you to this spiritual treat is called temazcalero, which will direct you to spectacular things like massages, hydrotherapy, aromatherapy, and meditation exercises. | 0 | |||||
| Tip | General Info | Food to try | One common type of merchandise, especially in the main square are sweet breads, dried fruit, fruits in syrup and other sweets. One unique sweet of the town is crystallized nopal cactus. | 0 | |||||
| Tip | General Info | Cheese Producers La Biquette and Boconegra | A short drive outside of Tequisquiapan are two fantastic cheese producers that you can visit. La Biquette is an artisanal goat cheese creamery with fantastic cheeses. Boconegra is a larger cow and sheep cheese producer that also has a nice restaurant above the cheese and local produce shop. | 0 | |||||
| Tip | General Info | Centro Geogrfico de Mxico en 1916 | As you wander through the colorful streets of Tequisquiapan, theres one structure that definitely does not blend in with its surroundings. A typical example of a politician wanting to make his mark, President Venustiano Carranza passed through Tequeisquiapan in the early 1900s and decreed that the town of Tequis was at the center of Mexico. Looking at a map, its easy to tell that this is not true, but an industrious monument stands at the crossroads of Centenario and 5 de Mayo in this otherwise picturesque town. | 0 | |||||
| Tip | Reminder | Recon bus to Queretaro Find out where/when to catch the bus to Queretaro | 0 | ||||||
| Travel | Bus | Bus to Tequisquiapan | 3.5 hour trip by bus with Coordinados. Departure options: 5:30, 9:30, 11:30, 23:15. Took the 11:30. | 48 | Jalpan | Tequisquiapan | |||
| Travel | Vehicle | Taxi to Tequisquiapan | 2h46min. Rome2Rio says CA$140-170. Probably worth it, but find out about Coordinados first. | 0 | Jalpan | Tequisquiapan | |||
| Note: Today we took a long (4+ hour) bus ride from Jalpan through Sierra Gorda to Tequisquiapan. I had a convo today with Dawn (from Atlanta) and she might come join us in Puerto Vallarta for a few days!! Cool! She’s never been to Mexico before. Note: I booked most of our AirBnBs for this trip a long time ago to make sure I could score the best ones. Well Tequisquiapan blew our minds today. ‘Grandpa’s House’, as it’s called, is a heritage home with so much charm and beauty I don’t know if we deserve to sully it with our Riff and Raff presence!
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| 2024-01-31: Tequisquiapan Highlights | |||||||||
| Accommodation | Bed and Breakfast | Grandpa's House again | |||||||
| Tip | General Info | Tequisquiapan Tequisquiapan is a town in central Mexico | Tequisquiapan is a town in central Mexico. Its known for its mineral spas and the well-preserved Spanish colonial buildings lining its cobbled streets. In the center, the pink neoclassical Santa Mara de la Asuncin church overlooks arcaded Plaza Miguel Hidalgo. The town is known for crafts like the handwoven baskets sold at the handicrafts market. The leafy Pila Park is on the site of a former mill. | 0 | |||||
| Tip | General Info | Tequisquiapan | 0 | ||||||
| Tip | General Info | Plaza Hidalgo the town's main plaza is a pleasant, colonial space with cobblestone streets, park benches, graceful arches, and one and two-story buildings along the narrow streets. | 0 | ||||||
| Tip | General Info | Iglesia de Santa Maria Asuncion Originally built in the late 16th century, the church was rebuilt in the 1800s in a Neoclassical style using pink sandstone. | 0 | ||||||
| Tip | General Info | La Pila large park with cypress trees, fresh water springs and open picnic areas, site of the town's annual wine and cheese festival | 0 | ||||||
| Tip | General Info | Mercado de Artesanias | Calle Ezequiel Montes 31, Centro. 09:00 - 18:00. Local market specializing in handmade crafts like embroidered cloths, jewelry, pottery, etc. Several vendors selling souvenirs, plus a food court with authentic regional dishes at very affordable prices. | 0 | |||||
| Tip | General Info | Main Square Main Square | Ideal for a walk and sharing a lovely sunset. You can take some great pictures for your social networks in front of Miguel Hidalgo square.Also, visit the Temple of Santa Maria de la Asuncion and appreciate its central tower and clock dating from 1897, which is still in operation; it is something unique that you must see.In 1551 the town was baptized with the name of Santa Maria de la Asuncion y de las Aguas Calientes. In 1656 the name of the town was changed to Tequisquiapan.On her feast day, August 15, families from all the municipality communities make offerings to the Virgin in the historic center with traditional dances and music. | 0 | |||||
| Tip | General Info | Callejón del Piojo | The Callejón del Piojo (lit. Louse Alley) is a historic street in the town which was recently renovated to promote fine arts and handcrafts as well as to serve as a venue for cultural and recreational events.* | 0 | |||||
| Tip | General Info | Oldest neighborhoods | The two oldest neighborhoods of the town are the Barrio de la Magdalena and San Juan, where many of the chapels built for the indigenous population of the colonial era were built.[1] The main chapel of the Barrio de la Magdalena has a large mesquite tree in its atrium where it is said that the mass celebrated to found the town occurred. The Casa de Caballo is located near the river and offers horseback riding in the Barrio de la Magdalena. | 0 | |||||
| Note: Today was a day to walk around Tequisquiapan to see some (a lot of) the highlights. We saw the two oldest neighborhoods (San Juan and La Magdalena), the Mercados Artesanal and Guadalupano, Centro Cultural Gloria Michaus Fernández with all of the great paper maché sculptures, Parque La Pila, Callejón del Piojo, Parroquia de Santa María de la Asunción and the main town square. \n\n We had lunch at the local Austrian restaurant. I had chilaquiles verde (uuhhhhmmmm… Austrian chilaquiles??). Oh well. There wasn’t much Austrian food on the menu but it was good anyway. \n\n We were surprised at how many gated communities there are here. I wonder who lives in all these gated communities and why they’re… gated.
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| 2024-02-01: Cadereyta | |||||||||
| Accommodation | Bed and Breakfast | Grandpa's House again | |||||||
| Activity | Sight See | Day trip to Cadereyta Laura says \"If I were you I would change Cadereyta for Tequisquiapan.\". It's a 45-min bus ride, $2-$5. | This magical town is in the semidesert of Queretaro, declared in 2011 for its magic and medicinal wisdom inherited from the nomadic Chichimeca Pames and Jonac people that inhabited the region. In its historical center is the Parroquia of San Pedro and San Pablo, of the XVIII century, of neoclassical style; walk through its quiet streets, admire craftsmanship, taste its local cuisine, characterized by the consumption of the fruits provided by semi-desert plants, such as the garambullo, the “guamichi”, the tuna, the pitaya, among many others. Visit the Regional Botanical Garden of Cadereyta, which houses more than 3,000 plants, as well as the Zimapán dam, in whose center is located the Tzibanzá Island, composed of cabins and a pool; remember that you can fish in the dam and enjoy the tranquility of the place. | 0 | |||||
| Travel | Bus | To Cadereyta | One way | 6 | Tequisquiapan | Cadereyta | |||
| Travel | Bus | Return to Tequisquiapan | 6 | Cadereyta | Tequisquiapan | ||||
| Note: Back when I was planning the trip months ago, Laura suggested that we stay in Tequisquiapan instead of Cadereyta for a week. I canceled our reservation in Cadereyta and booked us a place in Tequisquiapan. I love our place in Tequisquiapan so much. I’m glad we’re staying there just for that, but Laura was right. Tequisquiapan is a place to stay for a bit and Cadereyta is a day trip. \n \nWe took the yellow arrow bus to Cadereyta and had a look around. We saw the Mercado, Jardin Cadereyta, Templo San Pedro y San Pablo, Parroquia de San Gaspar, Templo del Refugio and Parque Las Fuentes. We had lunch at La Casita, which was really good. Then we took the red arrow bus back. It’s a much nicer bus than the yellow arrow.
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| 2024-02-02: Estación Bernal and Museums | |||||||||
| Accommodation | Bed and Breakfast | Grandpa's House again | |||||||
| Tip | General Info | Cheese and Wine Museum Tequisquiapan Cheese and Wine Museum (Museo del Queso y el Vino) | 0 | ||||||
| Tip | General Info | Museum of miniatures | 0 | ||||||
| Tip | General Info | Railroad Station | The old Bernal railroad station is located on Avenida Juarez. It was built when the rail line was constructed through the municipality. Today, it served as a viewpoint to see much of the city. It also conserves a locomotive from the beginning of the 20th century. | 0 | |||||
| Tip | General Info | Candlemass What a curious tradition… | 0 | ||||||
| Note: This morning we walked out of town and up the hill to the old train station, Estación Bernal. As an added bonus a train came past while we were there, but it was a freight train - I think it’s been a really long time since a passenger train has pulled in. \n\n We were going to do some errands as well before hitting up a couple of local museums, and we randomly discovered Jardin del Arte on our way back downtown. Note: This afternoon we went to the miniatures museum (México me Encantata) which absolutely blew us away. It has more than 200 scenes of the daily life of Mexicans: traditions, customs, jobs and festivals that the proprietor made herself over more than 40 years. It was spell-binding and beautiful. The amount of detail she’s put into it is amazing. We then went on to the wine and cheese museum (Museo del Queso y el Vino) which really isn’t a museum at all… really more just a store, and we noped out of that. We then had a late lunch on the terrace at Cilantro Perejil. The setting was great but I wasn’t impressed with the food. Note: Brent and I love Mexico but we also find it perplexing in some ways. One area that I find fascinating and odd is the Catholicism. \n\n Today we noticed that a lot of people were walking around town carrying baskets with baby dolls in them. Tonight there was a massive mass at the church in the square… and baby dolls. We had to find out what it meant and we learned about Candlemass. \n\n I suppose if you grow up with it it seems normal but… it’s a little odd from the outside looking in. \n
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| 2024-02-03: Tequisquiapan Visitors | |||||||||
| Accommodation | Bed and Breakfast | Grandpa's House again | |||||||
| Activity | Other | Meet Laura Garcia Time TBD | 0 | ||||||
| Note: Today was about visitors. As odd as it sounds to receive visitors in a town that you’re only visiting for a few days, we did, in fact, receive two sets of visitors. \n\n First, we met Rob and (and Anita’s sister) from Querétaro for a short visit as they were on their way through town on their way home. \n\n We then had a short walk over to Camino a Bremen restaurant to meet Laura, Rocio and Tobias. Tobias is Laura’s husband, and his family is actually from Bremen, so the restaurant is a favorite for them. After lunch we went to an ice cream place where Laura introduced me to the joys of red wine floats. Then we had a beer in the main square before they headed back to San Juan del Rio.
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| 2024-02-04: El Redentor Opal Mine | |||||||||
| Accommodation | Bed and Breakfast | Grandpa's House again | |||||||
| Tip | General Info | Opal Mines Visit the Opal Mines of Tequisquiapan Queretaro | Get to know the mining past of Tequis. It is a place where you can become a miner for a day and pick stones like a pro. The Opal mine is located just 10 minutes from Tequisquiapan. In the community of La Trinidad, which has 2,149 inhabitants.In addition, the mine is better known as El Redentor, which began to work in approximately 1840. It is the only mine that has opals called lechosos. Because of its density, its salification is superior to those of Australia and other countries, so they give great importance because it is the way to generate income for the locals. Tours start at 10:00 am and last about two hours. It is one of the most entertaining and epic things to do in Tequisquiapan that you will remember for years to come. Being in the cave is something I like, going on an adventure and feeling as if you were in a labyrinth; it is pure adrenaline, and I think you will be thrilled | 27 | |||||
| Travel | Bus | ATT bus to La Trinidad | 2.2 | Tequisquiapan | La Trinidad | ||||
| Travel | Vehicle | Back to Tequisquiapan | 7.9 | La Trinidad | Tequisquiapan | ||||
| Note: Today we went out to La Trinidad to visit Mina Redento, the local opal mine. \n\n Rome2Rio doesn’t seem to know about Autotransportes de Tequisquiapan (ATT) - it recommended a taxi. Brent remembered seeing a bus labeled for La Trinidad when we were here the other day though. Ruta 001 is the bus to La Trinidad and it leaves on approximately the half hour. \n\n When we got to La Trinidad we walked straight over to Tour Minas Opalo. There are a number of tour resellers but these guys seem to be the only ones really running tours. \n\n They don’t offer much in the way of English. They gave us a jeep driver (Oscar) who speaks some English but the guy who gave the processing demo (Hector Móntez) doesn’t speak English, and the guide at the mine, Fernando, speaks some English but did the whole presentation in Spanish. Oscar seems to have had the Muzungu collection of people. It was us, two parties of Japanese folks, and a young couple who were an American and a half French/half Mexican fellow. All the other jeeps were 100% Mexican. \n\n Hector did a great presentation about how the opals are processed and then we took a long, steep drive up a really rough road to get to the mine itself. \n\n Fernando, the guide at the mine, was great with the crowd, and with the children, and gave away many opals to whomever answered his pop quiz questions properly. He also recruited a young volunteer to set off a fire cracker in a crevice of the mine to demonstrate the explosive process. \n\n After the presentation at the mine, which was very entertaining, even though we couldn’t understand most of it, Fernando took us up the hill where we were invited to smash rocks and look for opals. We could keep any opals that we found. Brent and I both came away with a small handful of rocks with little bits of opal in them. My glamour sunglasses seemed to be very well suited to spotting the sparkliness of the opals - I was able to spot several just by looking through rocks on the ground. \n\n After we returned to town in our Muzungu jeep we took a brief walk in the town and then went to look for the bus back. I wanted to grab a taxi if we could find one but there don’t seem to be many, or any, taxis in town. Anyway, before a bus showed up, a taxi from San Juan del Rio came in to drop off some folks and Brent snagged him to drive us back to Tequis.
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| 2024-02-05: Last full day in Tequisquiapan | |||||||||
| Accommodation | Bed and Breakfast | Grandpa's House again | |||||||
Note: Today is our last full day in Tequisquiapan so we did a laundry and some last-minute walking around. We saw the large artisan Mercado, what we think is a rodeo ground, and the Capilla de la Cruz Verde.
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| 2024-02-06: La Trinidad then to Querétaro | |||||||||
| Accommodation | Bed and Breakfast | Room 5 with private bathroom 1st floor | CANCELED 2023-07-09 | 0 | |||||
| Accommodation | Hotel | Casa Antares Hotel Aeropuerto Queretaro | Has airport shuttle $200 (pesos) Free cancelation until Feb 3 Check-in 15:00 Sevilla S/N, comunidad San Jose Navajas, 76246 Mexico | 130 | Navajas | ||||
| Tip | Reminder | Confirm Airport Shuttle at hotel | 0 | ||||||
| Travel | Bus | La Trinidad return | 4.44 | Tequisquiapan/ La Trinidad | La Trinidad/Tequisquiapan | ||||
| Travel | Vehicle | To motel near Querétaro airport | We summoned a taxi at the bus terminal | 32 | Tequisquiapan | Antares Loft in San José Navajas | |||
| Note: Yesterday was our last full day in Tequisquiapan but we have a short hop today to our hotel near the Querétaro airport. Our AirBnB host let us check out late so we took advantage of the opportunity to head back out to La Trinidad to have a better look around the town. Last time we really only had time for the Opal mine tour. \n\n La Trinidad is a tiny town but interesting because it’s nestled against the hills where the Opal mine is. We walked up to the lookout, where we found another interesting Catholic thing… crosses on the hill that you can get up on to have your photo take. My goodness. We walked around the rest of the town and then jumped the bus back and had lunch in Tequisquiapan.
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| 2024-02-07: Travel Quertaro to Puerto Vallarta | |||||||||
| Accommodation | Bed and Breakfast | Cabana Nico | Paid $294.26 2023/01/29. Balance due Jan 25 Free cancellation before Feb. 2. Check-in: 15:00, out:12:00 No laundry or luggage drop Nice rooftop terrace apartment in a good location.This apartment is on the fourth floor, which means stairs, but it also means you are up high and get fresh air. You can open windows and doors on all sides, so you feel like you are sleeping outside. It is beautiful. The place looks like the photos - rustic cabana feel, which I loved. The bed is comfy, so is the sofa outside. It feels private because there is no one high enough to see in your windows. | 588.51 | Puerto Vallarta | ||||
| Activity | Other | Snorkeling around PV Best snorkeling:\n
| Advice from Backpacking Brunette
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| Tip | General Info | Vallarta Botanical Gardens Up the road from Boca. Rome2Rio says 40 min bus ride from PV. Same bus as the one that goes to El Tuito. | The Sierra Madre mountain range has a generous diversity and tropical forests that make Puerto Vallarta an enchanting place way beyond its beaches. The Vallarta Botanical Gardens welcomes you with a perfectly traced plan for you to explore its different sections: the Cactus Garden, with species of various forms and sizes; the Tropical Fruit Orchard with an amazing collection of oaks, wild palms and agave plants; and the Conservatory of Orchids and Native Plants, with almost 300 species native to Mexico out of the 1000 found in the country. When you finish visiting the greenhouses and gardens, you can walk deeper into the forest, cross the hanging bridge and admire the magnificent trees that inhabit the area. | 0 | |||||
| Tip | General Info | El Salado Estuary This estuary is a national protected area that has flourished as one of the main ecotourism attractions in Puerto Vallarta thanks to the dedicated work of biologists and caretakers of the place.\n Marked as temporarily closed | El Salado Estuary is the only urban estuary in Latin America, covering 168 acres with mangroves and marshland, offering the amazing adventure of meeting the American crocodile and learning more about its habits and cares. It is of great importance to the climatic balance of the zone because the mangroves that grow here serve as a shield from the intense waves of the ocean during hurricane season. Its also a vital part of the areas ecosystem because it produces and regulates food for almost every species that inhabits the bay Its fascinating fauna is comprised of 29 types of amphibians and reptiles, such as the American crocodile and the black iguana, crustaceans like the fiddler, stone, and mouthless crabs, as well as 10 kinds of mammals, like adorable raccoons and opossums. The guided tours will take you on a boat across the canals filled with flora and fauna, and the opportunity of walking on a dock surrounded by different types of mangroves. | 0 | |||||
| Tip | General Info | Palo Maria Waterfall Formed by the Palo Mara River, this waterfall is a must stop during your visit to Puerto Vallarta.\n Up the road from Playa Palmares | To get there, you have to walk approximately 15 minutes following the river through the jungle. The effort gets paid off once you encounter its crystal-clear waterfall and the various pools formed at its feet where you can dip and refresh after your hike. | 0 | |||||
| Tip | General Info | Town of San Sebastian Rome2Rio says 1h 43min via bus and taxi to get there. Up same road (mostly) as Mascota and Talpa de Allende. Bus stops at La Estancia, which is 9.3km from San Sebastian.\n Autotransportes Guadalajara Talpa Mascota (ATM). | San Sebastian is a hidden gem located an hour and ten minutes from Puerto Vallarta, at the foot of the Sierra Madre mountain range. You can easily tell you are leaving the beach as soon as you notice how the temperature drops. This beautiful and traditional place is a Magical Town filled with history and enchantment. Youll feel as if youre traveling back in time. Walking around its colorful streets surrounded by nature is a great way to start your day. Then, sit at one of the cafs in the main plaza and enjoy local delights. Be sure to try raicilla, a distilled spirit locally produced in almost every town in the mountains. But if youre in for a bit more adventure, go horseback riding, take a coffee tour, or rent an ATV and visit El Cerro de La Bufa, a hill on the outskirts of town where you can enjoy a majestic view of the mountains. Also, Haravri Botanical Garden, the second national garden that protects cloud forest, is a must-see in San Sebastian. | 0 | |||||
| Tip | General Info | Town of El Tuito Rome2Rio says 70 min bus ride from PV. Same bus as the one that goes to the Botanical Gardens. | El Tuito, is an authentic colonial village embraced by the Sierra Madre mountain range, just 45 minutes south of Puerto Vallarta. El Tuito's name derives from the nahuatl language meaning beautiful small valley. Due to it being 2,500 feet (762m) above sea level, the temperature is cooler and less humid than in Puerto Vallarta. Walk along its cobblestone streets and make sure to take lots of pictures outside its old adobe buildings full of historic charm. Afterwards, visit the main square, where the locals gather to sit, relax, and talk. If you want to savor authentic Mexican food, El Tuito has restaurants with great Mexican food with fresh corn handmade tortillas. The town is also known for its delicious dairy products, such as Panela cheese, and the famous raicilla. | 0 | |||||
| Tip | General Info | Town of Mascota Rome2Rio says 2h 17 min bus ride from PV. Up same road as San Sebastian and Talpa de Allende\n Autotransportes Guadalajara Talpa Mascota (ATM). | Mascota is another magical place where you will travel back in time. Its name means place of deer and snakes. Mascota is located north of Puerto Vallarta, an hour and a half away. It is a beautiful, picturesque town with a couple of interesting museums, a church by its main square, shops with local delights and delicious restaurants. Make sure to try their sweets and biscuits made with regional fruits. Mascota has plenty of places to visit nearby, such as the Corrinchis Dam, the Juanacatlan Lagoon, the village of Yerbabuena, El Molcajete Volcano, El Maipais petrified fields, and El Rincon de Ixcatan waterfall. You can start early and visit some of them on the same day, or plan a day for hiking, fishing, mountain biking, or horseback riding, and enjoy the stunning natural sceneries. | 0 | |||||
| Tip | General Info | Town of Talpa de Allende Rome2Rio says 2h 35min bus from PV. Up same road as San Sebastian and Mascota, but I'm not sure if the bus stops in those places? Probably it does?\n Autotransportes Guadalajara Talpa Mascota (ATM). | Talpa was founded in 1599 at 4000 feet (1200m) above sea level, embraced by the majestic mountains of the Sierra Madre. The town revolves around its church, Nuestra Seora del Rosario, a large 18th-Century European-style basilica. Every year, on four different festivities, this church receives hundreds of thousands of pilgrims that visit Talpas tiny Virgin statue, also known as La Chaparrita, which they believe has healing powers. Wandering through the streets of Talpa is the best way to enjoy the town and its quiet, picturesque streets. Make sure to visit the local market to savor authentic Mexican dishes. The statue of Christ the King at the top of the hill is worth visiting to enjoy a gorgeous view of the valley and the town. And if youre into serious hiking, the Maple Forest on the outskirts of Talpa is a must. | 0 | |||||
| Tip | General Info | Hikes around Puerto Vallarta AllTrails has 84 hiking trails in the Puerto Vallarta area\n Tracks in Maps.Me | Some promising options:
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| Tip | General Info | Jorullo Bridge Can only access via the tour company, Canopy River. Looks like the Day Pass is the right solution?\n Emailed Canopy River on July 28. | Jorullo Bridge is actually the longest suspension bridge in the world for vehicles, as mentioned, quite close to Puerto Vallarta in the Sierra Madre Occidental over the Cuale River, the same one that further downstream goes through the middle of the city. This large hanging structure was built in the course of 18 months in the Ejido El Jorullo, they started it off in November 2015. Its 1550 ft long (470 meters) and hangs almost 500 ft (150 meters) above the Cuale River. When you cross, you are treated to some very spectacular panoramic views of the mountains, the valley below, and the river. Reddit says:
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| Tip | General Info | Restaurants | Make sure you try local specialties such as red snapper marinated in peppers (Huachinango Zarandeado), skewered meat with hot sauce and lime (Mahi-mahi), and raw fish cured with lime juice (Ceviche). If you want a cheaper meal, Pancho's Takos and Pepe's Tacos are excellent choices. You will also find that Puerto Vallarta has some excellent steakhouses such as Asador La Vaca Argentina. A meal will typically cost Mex$160 to Mex$240 and eating at an upscale restaurant should cost Mex$700. | 0 | |||||
| Tip | General Info | La Tovara Rome2Rio says 3h 9min bus and taxi to get there | 93 miles from Puerto Vallarta is La Tovara, an extensive spring where fresh water from the mountains mixes with the salt water of the sea, forming an incredible estuary that serves as home to thousands of species of flora and fauna. Turtles sunning themselves on logs, crocodiles masquerading as logs, water-loving birds, and exotic orchids make the maze of green-brown canals that is La Tovaraan out-of-town must for nature lovers. Launches putter along these waterways from El Conchal Bridge, at the outskirts of San Blas, about a three-hour drive from Marina Vallarta, or from the nearby village of Matanchn. After cruising along for about 45 minutesduring which you'll have taken way too many photos of the mangrove roots that protrude from the water and the turtlesyou arrive at the spring-fed freshwater pools for which the area is named. You can hang out at the restaurant overlooking the pool or play Tarzan and Jane on the rope swing. Most folks take the optional trip to a crocodile farm on the way back, stretching a two-hour tour into three hours. | 0 | |||||
| Tip | General Info | Choco Museo ChocoMuseo is a museum where visitors not only learn all about the history and nature of chocolate but also find out how to work with it and create different cocoa-based products and dishes. | Josefa Ortiz de Dominguez 128 Closed Sunday | 0 | |||||
| Travel | Bus | Shuttle to Airport | Confirm airport shuttle at hotel Hotel says: We are pleased to let you know that the accommodation has confirmed they will be able to arrange this for you. There will be no extra charge for this request. | 0 | Casa Antares Hotel, Viborillas | Queretaro Airport | |||
| Travel | Bus | Bus to AirBnB | Catch at Paseo De La Marina Y Calle Popa (in Maps.Me) Disembark at Aquiles Serdan Y Calle Insurgentes | 0 | Puerto Vallarta Airport | AirBnB on Manuel M. Dieguez | |||
| Travel | Flight | Quertaro (QRO) to Puerto Vallarta (PVR) | CONF: WYLJ5M VB-4201 QRO-MTY(Term C) 6:00-7:25 VB-4342 MTY (Term C)-PVR 11:25-13:05 Checked bag incl Airport fee and govt fees incl Bought traveler insurance: Your trip is protected. Travel with peace of mind and if you require any assistance, contact the IGS call center at +52 (55) 8881 8814. | 437.81 | Quertaro | Puerto Vallarta | |||
| Travel | Vehicle | To PV AirBnB | 36 | PV airport | AirBnB in Zona Romantica | ||||
| Note: One of my anxiety triggers when traveling is depending on a pre-scheduled taxi to get us to the airport. I’ve just been burned by them too many times. Not in Mexico, mind you, but enough in Calgary and Edmonton o make me… untrusting. Thankfully we have a few folks in Edmonton who are happy to drive us, but that doesn’t help us when we’re flying internally in Mexico. \n\n Our flight to Puerto Vallarta was supposed to leave at 8am, meaning arrival at the airport at 6am. Querétaro city is quite a ways away from the airport and Tequisquiapan is even further. I did not want to take a chance on finding a taxi early early in the morning in either place. \n\n I found a motel (Casa Antares) in San José Navajas, a tiny village outside of Querétaro that offers airport shuttle service. I contacted them to confirm their shuttle. I was happy with the response I received so I went ahead and booked it. \n\n Our favorite tour guide (and friend), Uriel, said oh no! Don’t stay in San José Navajas! It’s awful! It’s dangerous! I assured him that we would not venture from the motel and would be taking the shuttle to the airport. \n\n Welp, it turned out great! We got a taxi from Tequisquiapan to the motel for only $400MEX (about $32CAD). The motel is secure, clean and very appealing, with an outdoor patio and coi pond. The proprietor was friendly and helpful and he was ready to take us to the airport by 3:50. Oh yeah… I forgot to mention… Viva Aerobus changed our flight to 6am. The proprietor of Casa Antares just rolled with it no problem. What a great, stress-free experience! Note: We didn’t get much sleep last night and then had an annoyingly long layover in Monterrey. Other than that it’s been a smooth transition to Puerto Vallarta. \n\n Our AirBnB, as promised, is a rustic open-air cabin-style place. It also comes with a cat who thinks she owns the place. The host says she belongs to the neighbor. She’s adorable. We’ve named her Mr. Underfoot. The only problem with our place being as open as it is is that we have no way of keeping Mr. Underfoot out, and off the bed. I’m hoping that she isn’t going to trigger an asthma attack for me. That could be a bit of a downer…
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| 2024-02-08: Culture Shock in Puerto Vallarta | |||||||||
| Accommodation | Bed and Breakfast | Cabana Nico again | |||||||
| Tip | Reminder | Meals and water at Yelapa Sort out how we manage that. Messaged AirBnB hosts on 2023/07/11\n There are no ATMs in Yelapa so make sure you bring plenty of cash. | Missael says \"In yelapa you can find everything you are looking forJust bring the necessary things like clothes and cash\" Jairo Octavio says: \"in Angelinas you can store your food so you don't make a lot of movement, there they have refrigerators and freezers. In jungle garden we use filter water, but in Yelapa you can find shops where you can buy bottled water, Buenfon or Ciel. Or you can buy carafers with 20 liters. Reddit says:
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| Note: Holy culture shock!! We have been enjoying a more authentic Mexican experience for several weeks and now we have arrived at hustle and bustle Gringo Central. Puerto Vallarta is busier than last time we were here, and our delightful little authentic street where we stayed, Jacarandas, is quickly being ‘gentrified’ and ‘touristified’. I had tried to get us in to our same AirBnB as before but it wasn’t available and now that I’ve seen what is becoming of it, I’m less sad. We also visited the Mercado and the beach. \n\n If you’re interested in seeing our last AirBnB on Jacarandas, there are a couple of photos here:\nhttp://www.damdetails.com/calendar/day/324\nand the open-air room and deck here:\nhttp://www.damdetails.com/uploads/9e55ef7eb63d66a5952332aec731d532.jpg Note: We just saw the most amazing thing. We’re sitting at the beach and I notice a dog taking a dump. Well, the dog lined up it’s butt so that it put its poop on a large rock. Then its person came and picked up the poop. The best-trained dog and human I have ever seen. \n
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| 2024-02-09: Chore Day in Puerto Vallarta | |||||||||
| Accommodation | Bed and Breakfast | Cabana Nico again | |||||||
| Note: Today was mostly a chore day. Dawn arrives from Atlanta tomorrow to hang with us for about 3.5 days. \n\n So, we dropped off our laundry, added some data onto my Mexican sim for Dawn to use, then did some bus recon. We caught the bus up to the airport and intended to ride it straight back again, just to make sure we know where to catch the bus on both ends for getting her from the airport. \n\n Well, the bus doesn’t turn around at the airport. In fact, it goes all the way out to Ixtapa (no, not THAT Ixtapa, thankfully… we’d still be on the bus) and then takes a break before heading back. So all together we ended up spending between 2-3 hours on bus recon, with about 2/3 of that being an unnecessary bonus trip to Ixtapa. Oops. \n\n When we got back we walked up to the chocolate museum to book the three of us into a tour of that place, including a workshop on making ganaches and truffles. We then had lunch at a great little hole-in-the-wall called Sandy’s. It’s near the expensive touristy stuff but not expensive nor touristy at all. It was awesome. \n\n I also booked us for a Vallarta Eats tour that Dawn found. \n\n We then went off to the beach to meet Joerg and Barbara for a walk and visit. They’ve been here since the beginning of January and will be here until early March. Last night when Brent and I were down at the beach we noticed a drone flying around near the pier, and we’re pretty sure it was Joerg. He says there was another guy who showed up with a drone but I think it was his that we saw. Crazy. \n\n We were planning on going to a drag queen show this evening but we balked at the price and decided to give that a miss and figure out what to do about our last week here. We’re supposed to be out at Yelapa, which is water-access only, staying on the beach and then at a Glamping site up the river… buuuut… they’re calling for some crazy amounts of rain for the first three days and we don’t really want to be stuck out there in that so we may have to look at a Plan B…
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| 2024-02-10: Puerto Vallarta - More Recon and Dawn | |||||||||
| Accommodation | Bed and Breakfast | Cabana Nico again | |||||||
| Note: Now they’re calling for a pile of rain in the area for next week. We’re supposed to be moving on to Yelapa on Wednesday to stay on the beach for three nights and then in the jungle for three nights. Uhhhh no thanks. I just changed us over to stay in Puerto Vallarta for our last week. Joerg and Barbara are here and they want to see Yelapa, so we’ll do a day trip with them (on one of the days where it’s NOT raining). Note: Today we did some recon to find our Plan B AirBnB in Puerto Vallarta. With the weather forecast being what it is we bailed on our plans to stay on the beach and then in the jungle at Yelapa. Sigh. That was the thing I was most looking forward to. But doing it in inclement weather just sounds too wretched. \n\n So I canceled those reservations and got us a place in Puerto Vallarta for our last week instead. Brent and I walked over to find it. It is up in the hills several blocks from the ocean. We walked up to the street where it was supposed to be, but the number wasn’t there. There was a bit of street up a walkway beyond where ‘our’ street ended and we were going to go up there for a look when we ran into a woman who was just coming down from there. She said the number sequence up there was wrong, but the street continues again beyond. You just have to walk around to find it because the little uphill alcove is a dead end. So we walked around… up the hill, down the hill (that was stairs only) then up the hill and down the hill. When we got to the continuation of the road, the numbers were too high. We walked a ways further in case it was just ‘jumbled Mexican street numbers’ but no… the numbers just kept getting higher. So we turned back thinking it must have been in the alcove after all. Back up and down all the hills and then up to the alcove but no… the number just doesn’t seem to exist. \n\n So we gave up and went on to the airport to collect Dawn who was arriving by plane from Atlanta. I messaged our Plan B AirBnB host and she said she just discovered that day that the number she had for the building was wrong. She gave us some updated info but I think we’ll walk back there tomorrow and make sure we can find the place before we have to walk there with our backpacks!
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| 2024-02-11: Puerto Vallarta Mercados and Food Tour | |||||||||
| Accommodation | Bed and Breakfast | Cabana Nico again | |||||||
| Activity | Tour | Tacos After Dark | 176 | ||||||
| Note: Early this morning, before we began our day of adventure with Dawn, we walked back to our a Plan B AirBnB armed with new information. Found it no problem. Note: Today we took Dawn over to the Mercado for breakfast at the little traditional restaurant and then we had a walk through the artisans Mercado. We wanted to go for a walk along the beach but it would appear that the king tide is here because there was almost no beach and the wind and waves were really high so we had to settle for nachos and drinks at MargaritaGrill instead. Note: This evening we went on a food tour with VallartaEats. We visited three taco restaurants, two taco food trucks and an ice cream store. The tacos were amazing but by the third restaurant, even though I was pacing myself, I was full to the rafters and I restricted myself to just one bite of whatever Brent had from then on. The tour was really great. Better than I expected.
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| 2024-02-12: Puerto Vallarta Walk and Chocolate | |||||||||
| Accommodation | Bed and Breakfast | Cabana Nico again | |||||||
| Activity | Tour | Choco Museum Ganache and Truffle Workshop | 156 | ||||||
Note: This morning we got a bit of an early start. I wanted to walk to some viewpoints on our way to our Chocolate Ganache and Truffle making workshop. We had a great walk and a FANTASTIC chocolate workshop. We then walked some more, looking at a couple of churches and then checked out the chalk art that is currently in Plaza de Armas, which Elissa told me about. We then had a great lunch at Fredy’s Tucan, also recommended by Elissa.
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| 2024-02-13: Puerto Vallarta Walks and Maggie | |||||||||
| Accommodation | Bed and Breakfast | Cabana Nico again | |||||||
Note: Today we went up to the Versalles neighborhood for a walk and then met Maggie for lunch and ice cream. This evening we went down to the beach for a walk, then a snack and a drink.
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| 2024-02-14: Switch to Plan B place in Puerto Vallarta | |||||||||
| Accommodation | Bed and Breakfast | House of Laughter | Check-in after 3pm. Check-out 11:00. kitchen, wifi, no laundry, pets allowed (confirmed no pets recently in room) luggage drop allowed | 505.31 | |||||
| Tip | General Info | Hikes around Yelapa AllTrails has hiking trails around Yelapa\n Tracks in Maps.Me |
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| Tip | General Info | Yelapa As a comunidad indigena, Yelapa is a land grant or reservation legally set aside and protected for its indigenous people. The land is held collectively by the community. | Yelapa managed to keep government greed from taking away their land and constructing hideous hotels, which is why Yelapa is left largely \"unspoiled\". The name Yelapa is believed to derive from an old Native American word meaning where two rivers meet the sea. Cell service is spotty at best. Wifi is relatively fast, and most places have it but don't have the password readily accessible so you need to ask for it. Don't forget that Isis Laundry exists in town | 0 | |||||
| Tip | General Info | Food Groceries and Restaurants\n Not all of these are tagged in Maps.Me. Look at the printed map |
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| Tip | General Info | Tours, e.g., snorkeling | 0 | ||||||
| Tip | General Info | Dancing at Yelapa Yacht Club Every Wednesday and Saturday night at the Yelapa Yacht Club there is an outdoor dance floor with a live band. Enjoy dancing under the stars at this one-of-a-kind club. | 0 | ||||||
| Tip | General Info | Museo de Historia, Arte & Cultura de Yelapa The Museum had its grand opening march 8th, 2019 and it is already very popular amongst the locals and the tourists.\n $50MEX\n Located underneath the basketball court by the church | Please come visit us and see over 100 photographs of the old days, ancient pottery and stonework, video interviews with elders and handy crafts of locals. Yelapa isn't just any coastal town. It was settled by four main families who came down the mountain from the Chacala indigenous community. In its center, the museum boasts archaeological and historical artifacts which are undated but presumed to be from the Aztec period. A group of explorers found Yelapa (~150 years ago) and discovered lobster for the first time from fishing in the bay. Once they realized that fishing was much easier labor than farming, they migrated to the coast. No one occupied the land at that time which made them think they were the first to discover what is now known as Yelapa. At least they did until they started unearthing objects, like preserved kitchen utensils and sculptures, which indicates the presence of a living community, but from many, many years ago. No one really knows exactly how old, although they assume they can date up to 1000 years, as they are similar in shape and design as artifacts found from the Mayans. | 0 | |||||
| Tip | General Info | Yelapa Info Map Print this | 0 | ||||||
Note: This morning we went for breakfast and some last minute souvenir shopping with Dawn. She shared her Uber with us - stopping along the way to the airport to get us super close to our Plan B AirBnB. The new AirBnB has a lot of character, including an odd bathroom with a very low ceiling.
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| 2024-02-15: Schrdingers Covid in Puerto Vallarta | |||||||||
| Accommodation | Bed and Breakfast | House of Laughter again | |||||||
| Note: Dawn flew home to Atlanta yesterday. It was great fun having her here with us, even though it was just for a few days. \n\n Well, she started having an earache a couple of days in. She also found out that someone that she met with the Wednesday prior to coming tested positive for Covid. So, when she got home she tested positive. Aw nuts. My lungs have felt off for a couple of days, which I attributed to Mr. Underfoot. Ive also felt more tired than usual for a couple of days. \n\n Brent ran out this morning and picked us up some tests. I tested negative, but since I tested negative at first in Germany as well, were being cautious for now, and Ill retest in a couple of days before we assume Im safe. Brent got sick a couple of days behind me in Germany so if Im sick, hes probably also sick just a little behind.
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| 2024-02-16: Naval Museum and maybe Covid? | |||||||||
| Accommodation | Bed and Breakfast | House of Laughter again | |||||||
| Note: Today is a rainy day in Puerto Vallarta and its also the first day since Dawn left that Ive started feeling really sick. Dang it. I thought maybe I had dodged the Covid this time. Well at least were not camping out at Yelapa! \n\n Before I started crashing we made it out for breakfast and to the naval museum.
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| 2024-02-17: Art Walk and Tilt | |||||||||
| Accommodation | Bed and Breakfast | House of Laughter again | |||||||
| Accommodation | Camp | Yelapa Jungle Garden | Canceled due to rain forecast. Full refund. | 0 | |||||
| Activity | Sight See | Tilt Museum | 32 | ||||||
| Activity | Sight See | Colectika Art Gallery | 0 | ||||||
| Note: The rain days are over and so is the worst of my sickness. I tested negative again today for Covid, so thats good. Brent is feeling a little off now though so we have to keep taking things a little easy. \n\nWe went for breakfast this morning and then visited a few of the galleries on Puerto Vallartas official art walk. Our favorite was Colectika, which is really close to where were staying. It is dedicated to the evolution of Mexican folk art, and includes a small museum of old folk art pieces. Note: Brent found a fun-house museum (Tilt) to go to, and then Elissa suggested the same thing as a rainy day thing to do. We didnt make it there on a rainy day because I was down with Schrdingers Covid (spoiler: I didnt have Covid), but we did make it out today with Joerg and Barbara. \n\n Afterwards, we went for dinner and sunset at the local Irish pub.
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| 2024-02-18: Day Trip to Yelapa | |||||||||
| Accommodation | Bed and Breakfast | House of Laughter again | |||||||
| Activity | Sight See | Joerg's Video of our Trip | 0 | ||||||
| Note: Today we took Joerg and Barbara to do one of our favorite day trips - going out to Yelapa. Yelapa is a tiny village south of Puerto Vallarta. It is water-access only, which is fun and means no cars on the road. It is protect by the government for the original inhabitants, so the corporations and resorts cant develop it, which makes it particularly charming. Its one of my favorite places in the world. We were supposed to spend six nights in Yelapa on this trip but noped out of that because of heavy rains for a couple of the days. At least we got in a day trip. \n\n It was fun to experience one of my favorite day trips through the eyes of some friends whove never done it before, including the more exciting than it needs to be water taxi from Boca de Tomatlan. One thing that was especially cool for me was that Joerg brought his drone along and flew it three times to take video footage. Once near the Yelapa sign, once up at the waterfall, and once when we were waiting for the water taxi to take us back to Puerto Vallarta. See his video.\n\n The weather was turning a little yukky so everyone decided to leave Yelapa at once, between 3:30 and 4:00. The pier was jam packed with people and we didnt know how we were all going to get onto the limited water taxis to get back to town. Thankfully there were more companies operating than just ours and most of the people were cleared off in about 45 minutes. We were some of the very last people to get on the taxi to Boca after multiple taxis left for PV. The pier was now cleared right off except for a few unfortunate men who were left behind to wait for the next boat to Boca. One was a nice gentleman that we had spoken with a bit and one was a grumpy and entitled fellow. I feel bad for the nice fellow being left behind with grumpy and entitled fellow.
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| 2024-02-19: El Tuito | |||||||||
| Accommodation | Bed and Breakfast | Tapanko en Playa Yelapa | Canceled Feb 10. Lost $189.80 (originally paid $221.40… got a service fee back) | 189.8 | Yelapa | ||||
| Accommodation | Bed and Breakfast | House of Laughter again | |||||||
Note: Today we did a little excursion out to El Tuito. Its pronounced El Tweeto, like if Tweety Bird was a Mexican gangster. We caught the bus in Puerto Vallarta, which took us down the coast to Boca, and then turned inland. Its a beautiful drive through the scrubby little mountains to the remote little town. The town was really small and you can easily see the whole thing in an hour. We had lunch in Restaurante Dany which cost less than $11CAD.
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| 2024-02-20: Bucerias | |||||||||
| Accommodation | Bed and Breakfast | Sol. Apartment in the center of Vallarta | Canceled by host | 0 | Puerto Vallarta | ||||
| Accommodation | Bed and Breakfast | Casa Guayabo | Canceled for Plan B. Full refund | 0 | Puerto Vallarta | ||||
| Accommodation | Bed and Breakfast | House of Laughter again | |||||||
| Travel | Bus | To and From Bucerias | 10 pesos each for bus to Walmart then 22 pesos each to Bucerias. Same in reverse. | 11 | |||||
| Note: Today was our last full day in Mexico and we decided to take a day trip to Bucerias. Our friends, Joerg and Barbara, who are also in Puerto Vallarta now decided to come with us. We set a time place to meet - the bus stop down the hill from where Brent and I are staying, but meeting up was complicated by a faulty map pin and lack of internet. We waited a while but they didnt show up and we had no way to contact them so I sent them a quick note to get in touch when they can and then we jumped on the bus. Literally as soon as we got on the bus I got a message from Barbara that they had just hooked in to Wifi on the Malecon and were near the meeting place, but we were already gone. I sent instructions for how to take the two busses to Bucerias and asked them to get in touch when they got out there. \n\n When Brent and I arrived in Bucerias we had a walk around on the non-touristy side of the highway. We then walked back and scouted out where the bus stop was for the return trip. We then walked down toward the beach and the Bucerias sign. We took a photo of the sign, and thats when I noticed that the people in my photo of the sign were Joerg and Barbara. Well THAT was easy!!\n\n The four of us had lunch at Miguel Angels restaurant, had a great walk on the beach, and then rode the bus back together. \n\n We ended up getting a bus to centro via the Tunel. We havent taken that route before but we knew it would work. Well, we didnt know quite how well it would work, but not long after we got out of the tunnel, Joerg recognized their neighborhood and they jumped off the bus. I had an AllTrails track that Ive been wanting to walk, but we havent had time. The stop for Joerg and Barbaras neighborhood intersected with my walking track so we also lept off the bus, said our farewells for the day, and then did some of the walking trail (which took us very close to our place). \n\n We went for dinner for the last time on the Malecon where I finally got a somewhat decent photo of some pelicans flying in formation. We also watched some folks dump their days take of empty cans onto the road for traffic to run over them and squish them. Very clever tactic.
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| 2024-02-21: Travel Home | |||||||||
| Travel | Flight | To Edmonton | WS2247 Puerto Vallarta - Calgary 17:30 - 21:27 WS237 Calgary - Edmonton 23:05 - 00:08 1 pre-paid bag for Wallace ($31.50 pd) Conf: RVTTXS | 1267.52 | Puerto Vallarta | Edmonton | |||
| Note: This morning we met Joerg and Barbara for breakfast at the Mercado and then visited some art galleries before it was time for us to leave. We enjoyed more great bus karma with a fast and efficient (albeit crowded) ride to the airport. \n\n I checked us in for our flights home last night but the WestJet app said it couldnt give me seat assignments. When we went to the check in desk today the young fella put a luggage sticker on Brents backpack with a stand by sticker on it. Well dang it. Then he fiddle faddled for several minutes and then tore the stand by sticker off. Then he fiddled faddled for several minutes and then gave us boarding passes with seat numbers! Yay! But he didnt give us boarding cards for YYC to YEG. Boo! So once we were past security and Brent had bought me a hideously expensive beer ($38CAD for two beers my goodness) I tried to get us boarding cards through the WestJet app. The app was completely useless so I tried through their website. At first it said we werent even checked in. Eek! But it also said we had seat assignments. Hmmm. Finally it gave me boarding cards. Looks like were on our way home and the lovely Nancy Nancy is set to pick us up. \n\n Unfortunately Shannon has recently started having big problems with Nemo so I have to figure out how to get him fixed up in a timely fashion. Note: We had a 90-minute layover in Calgary. A little tight given that we would have to go through customs and immigration but WestJet sells the flights so they know itll work, right?\n\n Well, we left Puerto Vallarta almost an hour late. I thought for sure we were sunk but we arrived in Calgary 40-minutes before boarding for the flight to Edmonton. We were seated in Row 4, so I thought that if we really hustled we might still have a chance. Annnnd then the jetway broke so we couldnt get off the plane. Annnnd then they got the door open and off we dashed. \n\n Amazingly we blew through customs and immigration but then they made us go out all the way and go back through security. We breezed through that as well and actually made it to our gate with time to spare for a quick pee. \n\n From tarmac to customs and immigration to security to our gate in under 40 minutes. Amazing. Thank you YYC!
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