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Land Border & Monterrey to Mexican Language School & Side Trips

Land Border & Monterrey to Mexican Language School & Side Trips

Old Jul 18th, 2015, 08:14 AM
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Land Border & Monterrey to Mexican Language School & Side Trips

Continued from: http://www.fodors.com/community/unit...-in-mexico.cfm

*Bus from Laredo-Monterrey*

*Advice for Inmigracion*

The actual crossing of the border into Mexico was pretty fast. What was tricky is you're given a card that you need to hold on to throughout your stay in Mexico in a small white spartan concrete building across the Rio Grande in Nuevo Laredo; if you stay more than 7 days and cross into Mexico by land, you're supposed to pay $332 pesos at a bank for this FMM card (Forma Migratoria Multiple). Paying for the card would not actually be that challenging if you know what you're doing; you need bring a sheet (the Hoja de Ayuda, which you print from the Internet) and two numbers (the Clave de Referencia 014002366 and Cadena de Dependencia K0503000001NLD) with you to the bank. However, the needing of this sheet and numbers was not told to me at the border, the bank could not let me pay without the information and even the Inmigracion website (inm.gob.mx) was not user-friendly for finding the desired information. It would be much better for tourism if this card could just be paid at the border, or if it absolutely has to be paid at a bank for bookkeeping reasons, I think Inmigracion at very least should give you the numbers and hoja de ayuda when crossing. As a tourist, I find it rather ridiculous that I had to visit an Inmigracion office (only open 9am -1 pm) once to get the Hoja de Ayuda where I was not told about the numbers and then a few days later, phone immigration all day mostly unsuccessfully to get the Clave de Referencia and Cadena de Dependencia (most of the time I could not get through ("su llamada es muy importante para nosotros" was the message I'd get typically, following by ringing and then the phone would just hang up)). Thankfully, I did get through to a person my fifth time to find these numbers. Anyway, I hope my advice will help somebody considering crossing the border by land!

*Monterrey*

I visited Monterrey and highly enjoyed myself about 11 years ago; I had understood there had been some incidents about 5 years ago relating to the drug cartels that put the safety of the city into question. People had said that the city in recent years had returned to its former ebullience, but I was very curious to see the city first hand. To be continued...

*Visit to Monterrey, Bus and Queretaro Language School to Come*
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Old Jul 18th, 2015, 02:35 PM
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*Impressions Arriving in Monterrey*

I had planned two nights in Mexico's third largest city before continuing south to Queretaro, my first time in the Nuevo Leon capital in over 10 years. Any concerns I had about the safety of the city quickly dissipated into a sense of excitement arriving at the bustling modern bus station and walking out to the hustle and commercial whir to catch Monterrey's "Metrorrey" metro system to my hotel centrally situated right next to the Macroplaza, the historic and handsome Hotel Gran Ancira. The energy of the city I would liken to that of New York City, with green cabs, busy markets and commercial stretches plus a considerably used subway system with lots of pedestrians meandering hither and thither. Unfortunately, for me, somebody fell or jumped in front of the tracks two stops from my intended stop (Gral. I. Zaragoza)and we all had to exit the Fundadores stop, leaving me not knowing where I was! After asking for directions to the Macroplaza, I decided to walk to my hotel when the sky unleashed a furious rain storm, leaving me with a challenging task of rolling my luggage with my umbrella doing acrobatics to avoid obstacles with only a narrow sliver of sidewalk to walk upon as outdoor food and commercial tents were crowding the streets on which I walked along with multitudes of pedestrians; the rain was so heavy that parts of the streets appeared to be streams with rapidly-flowing current. My socks were sopping wet and I'm sure I looked quite the sight arriving at the elegant Hotel Gran Ancira that early evening about a half-an-hour later.

* Activities in Monterrey*

The Hotel Gran Ancira was located right near the Zona Rosa pedestrian-only walkway and the Macroplaza. I quickly enjoyed the joyous human ebullience on this street and gigantic plaza, observing friends and families sitting out on benches, couples sharing caresses and vendors selling papaya drinks and cups of fresh fruit. The entertainment was delightful, including musicians, clowns and one woman who appeared to be levitating only holding a stick. I looked at her setup; she seemed to have some cloth tied underneath her, but I still couldn't piece together how she managed to appear to be levitating.

From my hotel, I could easily walk to the Museo de Historia Mexicana and the museum at the handsome and imposing Palacio de Gobierno, both a good overview of the history of the country and state of Nuevo Leon respectively (which I learned so precious little about during my schooling north of the Rio Grande). Subsequent to my museum, I took a "lanchita" ride along the canal-like Paseo Santa Lucia from the Museo de Historia Mexicana to Parque Fundidora. This San-Antonio-Riverwalk-like boat ride with tour guide commentary brings passengers past charming restaurants, some lovely modern art, statuary and gardens to Parque Fundidora, where industrial structures have been converted to sculptures (a giant bucket continually dumping water). From the Parque Fundidora, great views of the imposing nearby Cerro de la Silla mountain were to be had. The park seemed to be a good place for outdoor activity; modern, public exercise machines were available along with some activities for extreme sports enthusiasts; bike lovers could cycle along designated track along with roller bladers and skateboarders. Roving vendors were in the park offering all sorts of drinks, helados, fruit and other snacks for visitors.

Anyway, it was terrific to be back in this dynamic city. I understand that Regiomontanos (Monterrey natives) had some rough times a few years ago, but they seem to have moved past that and appear to be approaching the present (having reclaimed a certain peace) with a dynamic, joyous and optimistic spirit. I don't care what anyone else says about you regiomontanos, you always give me a warm welcome and charm me with your love of life, so as far as I'm concerned, "Te amo, Monterrey!" y quiero decir "Viva Monterrey!"
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Old Jul 19th, 2015, 05:07 AM
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*Omnibus de Mexico: Monterrey-Queretaro*

The imposing mountainous scenery of the Sierra Madre Oriental between Monterrey and slightly south of Saltillo always just has me in awe. There's something about the proximity and looming nature of this particular portion of the mountain range combined with the desert flora of cactus and scrublands & occasional buildings at the peak, colourful Spanish colonial churches in the distance that just makes for a spectacular backdrop.

Of course, the mountain range does continue as you move south on Highway 57, always lovely but often the mountains are more in the distance than in the Monterrey-Saltillo stretch. Then, as one closes in on Queretaro, one enters remarkably fertile land with lakes and greener mountains, a marked change from the drier beauty of the north.

*Coming up: Thoughts on my first moments in Queretaro, Qro and my choice of doing three weeks of Spanish immersion at the Ole Institute in Queretaro. Also side trips from Queretaro, covering hitherto unexplored territory (for me) by visiting San Miguel de Allende, Bernal, Guanajuato and San Luis Potosi.
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Old Jul 19th, 2015, 06:55 AM
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*Thoughts on Queretaro, Qro. as a Base for Spanish Language Immersion*

Arriving at Queretaro's busy and modern bus station on Father's Day 2015, there was a paper warning at the "Taquilla de Taxis Seguros" that there was a half-hour line-up to catch a taxi on the Sunday evening, an early indication that Qro., Qro. was a bustling metropolis, not some out of the way place. Even from the first moments of the taxi ride, seeing the early 18th century aqueduct and the narrow, remarkably clean streets of the Centro surrounded by colourful businesses (not to mention the barrage of residential colour rising up the hillside during the approach of the city from north) and a plethora of Spanish colonial churches, I was almost instantly seduced by Queretaro.

The Centro was a very convenient place to stay as I was within easy walking distance of every thing I needed: the language school, a gym, cell phone stores, banks, museums & historic sites, a vast variety of restaurants and nightlife opportunities, a lavanderia to wash my clothes and the central plazas of the city.

The evenings were my favorite time; thanks to the high altitude, the evenings were always pleasantly cool, sometimes even requiring a sweater. I would always walk to either the Plaza de Armas or the Jardin Zenea where there was always a delightful energy. Weekday evenings had people out enjoying life, families and couples sitting on benches, next to imposing statues, bougainvillea, fountains and beautifully sculpted trees and bushes. Children & adults firing lighting-up-like-multicoloured-Christmas-lights-badminton-birdie-like-objects high into the air created a firework-like effect in the night sky at the Plaza de Armas. Musicians sang, played guitar and other instruments in front of the restaurant Chucho el Roto beside the Plaza de Armas and along the pedestrian-only area of Avenida 16 de Septiembre. Mostly older, but some younger couples danced salsa many evenings in the Jardin Zenea. Mexicans in Spanish colonial costumes created ambience by walking around on the pedestrian-only part of the Calle 5 de Mayo, trying to tempt passersby to join a walking tour called "Leyendas y Mitos". On weekends, things were busier, with some terrific bands coming to play in the Plaza de Armas, one fellow with painted face and stilts; clowns and modern dancers sometimes regaled a crowd. While Queretaro seems to be mostly an unknown place among Canadians, Americans, Europeans and Asians I'd spoken to, the dearth of foreign tourists is more than made up for by Mexican tourists; Queretaro probably gets quite a number of visitors from within the country due to its reasonably close three hour distance from the nation's capital. Additionally, paesanos from other parts of Mexico likely are more than aware of Queretaro's pivotal role in Mexican history and have also heard of the city's charms by word-of-mouth. I suspect many are cognizant that the city is quite well-preserved being a UNESCO heritage site.

Bottom line: Queretaro was a great setting for Spanish language immersion!

*To come: The Ole Institute itself, activities in Queretaro*
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Old Jul 19th, 2015, 07:39 AM
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* Ole Institute Queretaro for Spanish Language Immersion*

My level of Spanish I felt would be tough to pinpoint; I took university level Spanish over 20 years ago, but had augmented my knowledge base by reading, watching television as well as visiting Mexico in the 2003-2005 period. My thoughts on my own Spanish were that I was quite advanced in some ways, yet I made beginner's errors at times and had some vocabulary gaps that elementary students would not have. Despite my concern that I would be tricky to place in a school, I decided nevertheless that immersion would be good for improving my conversation skills, vocabulary and grammar regardless, even if I were not placed in quite the appropriate level.

Well, the school did a fantastic job at placing me at exactly the right level, better than I had imagined possible! Their placement test landed me in groups that could not have been more appropriately chosen for all three weeks of my stay. Each day I was there I learned so much; even the occasional reviews of some grammatical structures I'd seen before were very helpful for a language that was growing rusty in my brain due to disuse.

My specific program had 2 hours of working on grammar from 9-11 during which there was a 10 minute break, a half-hour to eat, check e-mail via Wifi etc... followed by one hour of conversation from 11:30-12:30. Some students, who paid more than I did, could do workshops later in the afternoon or one-on-one tutoring. For the conversation classes, there were typically 6 students (2 students the last week) for the advanced intermediate level and for the grammar classes, I was either the only student or one of two students, which was fantastic as I got a lot of one-on-one attention. The small class sizes were terrific for ironing out my errors and misconceptions as well as for expanding my vocabulary. The four teachers I had were all sociable, friendly and conscientious educators and the setting was convivial, with a courtyard and colourful rooms. Topics in the conversation classes (e.g., juvenile violence, immigration, differences in customs between countries) generated always a lively but respectful debate. I could not have been luckier with my delightful classmates who brought forth a convivial yet intelligent and thought-provoking discourse, even if at times we all struggled due to lack of vocabulary or sentence structures when expressing ourselves.

There are purportedly excellent language schools in Cuernvaca, San Miguel de Allende, Oaxaca and Guanajuato to name four of what is probably a large number, but for those looking at doing Spanish language immersion at a school in Mexico, I would definitely recommend considering Queretaro and the Ole Institute there.
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Old Jul 20th, 2015, 05:38 AM
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*Queretaro activities*

I knew that Queretaro was very important in Mexico's history. Initially I found learning the city's several century-long history quite overwhelming, so while studying at the school for 3 weeks, I was determined to get a sense as to why it was such an important city. Two great places to enhance one's knowledge of Queretaro history are the Museo Regional de Queretaro (which I went to 3 times during my stay, as I was unable to finish the museum the first two visits) in the beautiful Convento de San Francisco and the museum by the Cerro de las Campanas.

The beginning part of the Museo Regional de Queretaro was fascinating for its indigenous history. Queretaro in the time of the Aztecs was a bit of a crossroads between the empire of the Mexica, Tarascos and nomadic Chichimecas. The museum gave insight to the local Otomi and Xi'ui (Pame) cultures and traditions, then into the Virreinal period, through independence, revolution and up to modern times. I finally got a sense of why certain names are seen repeatedly throughout the city and what their time periods were, such as Miguel Hidalgo, Ignacio Allende, Doña Josefa Ortiz de Dominguez, Benito Juarez, Porfirio Diaz, Victoriano Huerta and many others.

It was interesting to see the key places of Mexican history. The Cerro de la Campana (a lovely green spot in the city with a huge statue of Benito Juarez) was the final stronghold of imperialist forces and where Maximiliano Habsburgo I, Austro-Hungarian Emperor of Mexico with French backing, was executed by firing squad. Maximilian seemed like a humanist, very progressive for his time, purportedly bisexual; I found myself liking the guy and feeling for his wife Carlota, who apparently went loca. Josefa Ortiz de Dominguez (la Corregidora)seemed an interesting character as well having "tertulias literarias" (literary book clubs) in Queretaro which were actually meetings to push for Mexican independence from Spain. Her role in obtaining Mexican independence is seen to be critical as the peninsulares (from Spain) did not suspect her subversionary role, being the wife of the mayor.

Other city highlights included the markets Mercado Cruz and Mercado Tepetate, which were quite interesting for the throng of activity, selling of birds in cages, fly-attracting meats, fruits, clothing, knick-knacks. One of my favorite spots in the city was the Museo del Ferrocarril, where I saw what must be the most amazing model train set I've ever seen. This model train set filled an entire room and has miniature Spanish colonial churches, Pemex stations, Oxxo convenience stores, factories and had some hilarious details, such as an abandoned car with skid marks, cows blocking the road in one place, cows & sheeps dead from starvation on a hillside.

*Coming up: Side trips in Queretaro State and Guanajuato State*
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Old Jul 20th, 2015, 10:54 AM
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Just wonderful--a whole other world. Can't wait to read more.
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Old Jul 20th, 2015, 02:03 PM
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During the week, I had my Spanish classes & homework to do; the weekends were my chance to get out of town and take day trips exploring some of the surrounding communities. For all of my day trip destinations, I felt I could have enjoyed spending longer than the few hours that I did have in each, to get to know each of the locales better. I was worried that all the towns would blur together so as to seem like a mashup of Spanish colonial churches and colourful concrete buildings and plaza, but this was not the case. Each town I saw had enough of a unique look, attractions and history, that now, some several weeks later, all the cities and towns are quite distinct in my head.

*Day Trip to San Miguel de Allende, Guanajuato*

ETN (Enlaces Terrestres Nacionales) has exceedingly comfortable, regular buses making the run between Queretaro, Queretaro and San Miguel de Allende that will set you back about MEX$110 each direction. San Miguel is well-known as a popular spot for American expats escaping for example the Texas heat and I heard English much more frequently in SMA than I did in the Queretaro state capital, even though Spanish is still dominant in SMA.

While there certain are similarities in the styles of homes and commercial establishments, San Miguel was quite different in appearance from Queretaro, with cobblestone streets and a different more ornate style of attaching the street names at intersections. While there are quite a number of handsome churches, the Parroquia cathedral next to the Jardin Allende with its multiple clay-orange spires is an especially gorgeous centerpiece of beauty, visible from multiple angles throughout the city and definitely would be up there for one of the most beautiful houses of worship I saw in Mexico (which is saying a lot, as Mexico drips in beautiful houses of worship!).

Entertainment abounds in San Miguel with ear-tantalizing music hidden around corners, as in all the other cities I visited this trip-- closest equivalent in terms of energy I can think of in the US would be New Orleans. Mariachis regaled diners at restaurants around the central plaza. Mojigangas, giant 15-foot-tall puppets with humanoid figures held up and operated by a human at the bottom of the puppet were present too, creating a joyous ambience as Mexican tourists flocked to take pictures with them. Among the mojigangas I observed were papier-mache representations of Frida Kahlo, skeletal figures, brides and grooms. The combination of your usual food, toy and knick-knack vendors and musicians (one 8-year-old boy with leather pants and leather cowboy hat had a fantastic soprano voice singing traditional Mexican music!) with the mojigangas and mariachis conspired to create a festive energy that was uniquely San Miguel de Allende.

*Peña de Bernal, Tequisquiapan, Guanajuato day trips next*
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Old Jul 22nd, 2015, 09:22 AM
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I love the mountain cities of Queretaro and Guanajuato. I would like to return to the area and visit Zacatecas, SMdA and San Luis Potosi, where an expat friend of mine has lived for over a decade. Looking forward to hearing more about your travels in the area.
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Old Jul 22nd, 2015, 07:12 PM
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Charlotte-- I too love the sense of entering a different world that one gets crossing the US-Mexican border!

Fra_Diavolo-- I'm glad you love Guanajuato, to my eyes, one of the most beautiful cities I think I've ever seen in my life and Queretaro, the charming city I called home for nearly 3 weeks. As for Zacatecas, I've heard so much good about the city, I know I must return at some point to see it!

Thanks to both of you for reading this far !
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Old Jul 24th, 2015, 11:42 AM
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The Queretours "Ruta del Queso y el Vino" tour of Queretaro State I would recommend to those who have some Spanish knowledge. For those who need to have a day chock-filled with activities (tour was 9 am -7pm), this tour will not let you down. As for myself, I tend to like more laid-back days with time for a siesta somewhere but think it's good for me now and again to have more action-packed days. The tour was quite popular on the Saturday I went (with one of my classmates at the Ole Institute); the van was completely packed with Mexican tourists, a lot from the capital, such is the popularity of Queretaro State as a tourist destination within Mexico, due to its important historic role and nature offerings.

The first stop on the tour was a ranch converted into an organic farm, called Flor de Alfalfa. After a guided tour in a wagon pulled by a tractor of the facilities (lots of Jersey Cows at a variety of ages), we each received a sampler plate of cheeses and one delicious yogurt drink! The ranch is in a lovely mountainous setting with bougainvillea and a gorgeous red bird I'd ever seen before (scarlet tanager?).

The Peña de Bernal was the next stop on the tour, the third largest monolith in the world apparently. We had about an hour here, so I climbed for a little less than half-hour before heading back down. It's a fun hike, partially on trail, but partially clambering up rocks, great exercise, beautiful views of the Pueblo Magico de Bernal and surrounding valleys/mountains from up high, but bring good hiking shoes and prepare for a better workout than your local Stairmaster! My Mexican fellow climbers were very friendly and chatty; "carrera!" ("Race ya!") one middle-aged Mexican woman called out to me and I said "pero no quiero morirme hoy!" ("but I don't want to die today!"; I made her and her friends laugh. A half-dozen rock-climbers worked their way up the steep rock face to get to the very top-- I never enjoyed rock-climbing class finding the sport uncomfortable and sort of loco (but to each his/her own). This said, I felt the Peña de Bernal would be an excellent destination for those that do enjoy rock-climbing!

After about 45 minutes in the town of Bernal with its beautiful orange and red turreted iglesia and peaceful central plaza, we were off to the Finca Sala Vive, where we were given a tour of the wine storage facility of Freixenet wines, with a vino blanco espumoso (sparkling white wine) sampler at the very end. Queretaro along with Baja California is known as one of the wine-growing states of Mexico. After a terrific buffet supper at la Veranda restaurant where I tried my first ever Sopa de los Aztecas (tortilla soup) outside Tequisquiapan (called Tequis for short), we had about 45 minutes to tour the Pueblo Magico that is Tequis. As with Bernal, there's lots of colourful businesses, a gorgeous pinkish-orange church (called the Parroquia Santa Maria de la Asuncion) and a vibrant central plaza surrounded by arched porticos. Here I bought the delicious soft fudge-like treats known as "Dulces de Bernal" made with a titch of goat's milk-- just heavenly!

All in all, a busy, but great and eye-opening day. I felt I could have spent longer at all of our destinations, that's how much I loved each of them (Peña, Bernal, Tequis) and felt I was only just scratching the surface.
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Old Jul 25th, 2015, 08:50 AM
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*Day trip to Guanajuato, Guanajuato*

On Sunday July 5th, I took a Primera Plus bus at 10:30 am, which provided a sandwich and a drink for the three-hour journey between Querétaro and the Guanajuato state capital (there’s about a 15-minute stop in the city of Irapuato along the way). About 20 minutes north of Irapuato, the mountainous scenery on the either side of the bus was up there with the Monterrey to near Saltillo stretch of highway as some of the most spectacular scenery I observed in Mexico and whetted my excitement for what was to come in the city of Guanajuato. Arriving at the Guanajuato bus station, I regretted my poor planning as the last bus of the day was already full for the return trip to Queretaro, so I had to return on the 4:30pm bus, which only gave me an hour and a half to explore the Centro. Leaving the bus station, the taxi ride from the bus station wound dramatically through ravines between an imposing mountainscape but nothing prepared me for what was to appear after travelling through the dark, labyrinthine tunnels dug into the interior of a mountain, tunnels which seemed almost like criss-crossing pathways leading to the queen inside a termite hill.

Emerging into daylight from the tunnels, it seemed as if the tunnels were secret passageways that gave way to a magical world, the magical world that is the centro of Guanajuato city. I can say without hesitation that Guanajuato must be one of the most beautiful cities I’ve ever seen in my entire life. The colourful homes moving up the hillside, the gigantic statues and palisades at mountain summits, the lush vegetation and gazebo of the lively Jardin Union footsteps from where the taxi dropped me off, the stately almost European-seeming Plaza de la Paz with its sculpted bushes and flowering plants, narrow stairways between buildings that lead to surprise nooks & crannies, the handsome historic churches, buildings and businesses that surprised and captivated seemingly around every corner, the pedestrian-only passageways abounding with painted street artists amusing passersby, the bourgeoning of music at every turn, my senses were overwhelmed by the beauty almost non-stop so much so that every time my eyes turned a different direction, I was inspired to take yet another photo so I would recall the majesty of what I was seeing.

I unfortunately only had time to eat lunch and walk around the Centro a bit. My initial plan of visiting the Museo de la Alhóndiga de Granaditas was foiled, as the museum closes at 3 pm. It was in all likelihood a good thing that I did not visit the museum until 3:30pm however as was my initial intention since it took me well over half an hour to find an available taxi to return to the bus station. Not surprisingly the UNESCO heritage site Guanajuato, due to its incredible beauty, has been discovered and the city was thronging, mostly with Mexican tourists, although here I noticed more Europeans and anglophone North Americans than I’d seen in other places I'd visited in Mexico. Consequently, on the jam-packed streets of the Centro, there is fierce competition to get a taxi; there were many cabs but all close to the Museo were already filled with passengers . To find a cab, I would recommend going back to where the taxi driver let you off outside the tunnel as it’s dropping somebody off in the Centro (this is what I had to do in my desperation to get a taxi). As a point of comparison, I never waited more than 5 minutes to find a taxi in Querétaro.

While I’m glad I whetted my lips with a taste of what Guanajuato has to offer with my day trip, I absolutely would not recommend a day trip from Queretaro or further afield, but rather a few nights to all prospective visitors. This is a place one will want to savor! Guanajuatenses, volveré! You've got a gem of a city!
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Old Jul 25th, 2015, 10:43 AM
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*San Luis Potosí, SLP*

Leaving Querétaro after my course was done on July 12th and heading back north, I decided to split my journey to Monterrey with an overnight stop in the San Luis Potosí state capital. As we arrived in the city (Primera Plus) and I saw the industrial outskirts with the more grid-like center, I initially was worried that San Luis Potosí would be disappointing after the all the charm of Querétaro, San Miguel de Allende and Guanajuato. Such were my thoughts as I checked into Hotel San Francisco in the center of the city.

My worries were for nought. I ended up smitten with San Luis as much as I had been with the cities I had thus far visited in the Bajio. San Luis is said to be a city of plazas, each of which had plenty of entertainment and commercial activity going on (quite a bit of dancing too!); these combined with the pedestrian-only walkways and the beauty of many buildings sealed my appreciation of the city. The Catedral Nuestra Señora de la Expectación with its symmetric yet differently colored (orange and grey-brown) turrets was especially beautiful, a great place to sit out at night on a bench and enjoy the music on offer while admiring the dazzling array of colours of the cathedral lit up at night. Equally lovely was the ornate detail of the churrigueresque Templo del Carmen.

After appreciating the stately domed and columned Teatro de la Paz with its apparently stellar acoustics, I went into the Museo Nacional de la Mascara, a real highlight of my visit to San Luis. This museum had masks ranging from Pre-hispanic through virreinal and up to modern times, as well as quite a number of masks from Europe, Asia and Africa. The collection was truly fascinating, ranging from frightening animal representations to devils to Santiago missionaries to bejewelled skulls to Spanish depictions of “moros”. One salient difference were that the sidewalks were wider in San Luis than its southern city neighbours, which after the more southerly destinations gave San Luis a more North American feel—I must admit that I actually appreciated being able to pass people on the sidewalk, rather than having to step into the street as would be the case in Querétaro, San Miguel and Guanajuato town centers.
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Old Jul 26th, 2015, 06:38 AM
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What a wonderful report. We have been trying to decide where to do immersion.
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Old Jul 26th, 2015, 07:01 AM
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San Luis Potosí was conceived as a stop to split my journey back up to San Antonio, TX into three easier bite-size days of travel. One from Querétaro to San Luis, one from San Luis to Monterrey and the last from Monterrey to San Antonio. I'm glad I took a chance and visited San Luis Potosí despite the relative lack of information on it and that no one I knew had been there, as it's a fun city!

Arriving in Monterrey, I was struck at how U.S.A the city looked approaching from the narrow-sidewalked, more Spanish colonial cities I'd visited earlier in this trip report with all its megamalls, glassy highrises, sports bars, 7-11s and more imported rock 'n roll/pop rather than Mexican music blaring from cars and sung by buskers in the metro. My reaction to the city fascinated me... as the city had seemed so Mexican when I had arrived there in mid-June from San Antonio! People talk about Monterrey as being so "Americanized" and coming from the south, I could see why they say this. A few people have said to me that they won't visit Monterrey because they don't want to see somewhere "Americanized" when in Mexico and to them I say: 1) Paris and Amsterdam seem more "Americanized" to me than Monterrey, 2) Lots of places in the USA are fun, so consider the possibility that a more "Americanized" foreign city might be fun too. 3) It might appear more "Americanized" yes but it's unquestionably Mexico and beyond that it's a fun, bustling city! If you open your mind to it, you might actually enjoy it!

Anyway, my trip in Mexico ended with a bus ride to Nuevo Laredo and crossing the Puente Internacional 1. This trip I learned so much about Mexico's rich history and culture, but I still feel like I've only scratched the surface, with so many places yet to be seen. Even for each of the cities and towns I did see, I felt I had so much left to explore and understand. With 3 weeks of intensive Spanish language study starting at an intermediate level, although I improved each day and learned so much, I did not achieve my eventual goal of being able to converse with Mexicans in Spanish anywhere near what I can do in English or French (an unrealistic goal, I recognize). My desire to integrate more into the society and make friends was thwarted by my own inability to express myself as well as I would like. I feel like I know a ton of vocabulary and grammar, yet I still feel I bumble more than I would like and found myself still straining at times to understand taxi drivers and even sometimes basic restaurant and hotel interactions.

Anyway, I would highly recommend a language school if one wishes to visit this amazing country in a more social fashion! True, one is with classmates who don't speak Spanish as their first language, but given the variety of countries and maternal languages, this made for what was often very interesting interchanges. Plus, the teachers were terrifically social and committed to your improvement, which fulfilled my desire to interact with native speakers.

Best wishes and happy summer travels, Daniel
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Old Jul 26th, 2015, 11:43 AM
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Thanks for this very enjoyable trip along with you.
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Old Jul 27th, 2015, 05:20 AM
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Thanks for this vivid report. I share your opinion of Guanajuato and would like very much to visit San Luis Potosi.
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Old Aug 1st, 2015, 08:32 AM
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jubilada-- Thanks for giving this a read and have fun deciding on where to do a Spanish language immersion! I would highly recommend the Ole Institute in Queretaro, but I'm sure there are many other excellent options throughout Latin America. Ojala que te diviertas cuando vayas a una escuela!

Charlotte, Fra_Diavolo-- Thanks for following this trip report to its completion!
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Old Aug 1st, 2015, 11:04 AM
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Sounds like such a wonderful trip. I really love Mexico, the food, the art, the color, the wonderful people. It took several trips before we made it to Queretaro, but am so glad we did - especially nice plaza life there! Good to know a good Spanish immersion experience can be had there as well.
Your ultimately unfounded fear that San Luis Potosi might disappoint jives with most of our experience with new towns in Mexico. Each new one is beautiful and interesting in its own right. We've now spent time in Queretaro, San Miguel, Guanajuato, Veracruz, Merida, Morelia, Patzcuaro, Cuetzalan,
Huatulco, Oaxaca, Celestun, Mahajual, San Cristobal de las Casas and of course Mexico City and probably a few I've forgotten. Now it looks like we need to make it to Monterrey and San Luis Potosi.

Enjoyed reading about your language learning experience as well. I refer to myself as "a perpetual intermediate."
Have studied all the grammar for decades and feel that I know it well - but understanding the language when spoken at normal to rapid pace - and expressing myself well is a continuing challenge!

The Mexican bus system is generall pretty wonderful too, isn't it?

Thanks so much for an interesting read!
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Old Aug 2nd, 2015, 10:50 AM
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glover-- I understand what you mean about feeling like a "perpetual intermediate". I feel like I know so much vocabulary and grammar although my brain only sometimes can bring it together when it comes time to express myself. Listening is more of a challenge than I thought... I seem to do better with newscasts and more formal contexts than day-to-day speech.

Your much wider travel experiences must have given you a greater breadth of understanding of Mexico... I feel I'm just starting to piece things together in terms of geography, indigenous groups' names, as well as major events and important figures in Mexican history.

I enjoyed reading your comments and thoughts! Thank you!
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