San Luis Potosi, SLP

Scenery on way to San Luis Potosi

Today we made the move from Guadalajara to San Luis Potosi and everything went amazingly well. largely because Brenda had done much research on buses and where to catch them. 

At 8 AM we positioned ourselves at the corner of Madero and 16 September, and within 30 seconds were on a bus to the central intercity bus station.  We walked into the ultra modern bus station at just before 9 AM and purchased two tickets with the ETN bus line at a cost of 820 pesos ($68.30) for San Luis Potosi, the capital of the state with the same name; and at 9.30 AM we were on the way to SLP.

The bus was far more luxurious than anything that Brenda and I had ever experienced before, with its wide plush seats, amazing amount of leg room with clever flip down supports that allowed one to lay back and rest with the legs up, movies (3 of them) or music with headphones, two toilets in the back, pillows, and snacks that we were handed as we climbed on board.

The countryside was rugged, volcanic in places, and much drier than we had expected.

Plaza de San Francisco, near hotel

We arrived in SLP at 2.30 PM fresh as daisies, walked to the road and immediately stepped on a bus bound for the central district of SLP.  We got off at Alameda near the old railway terminal as the guide suggested, then sat down on a park bench to get our bearings.  Then we started walking generally in the direction of the Hotel de Gante, the only "budget" hotel listed in the book, at a price of 390 pesos per night.  But I had learned the hard way that the actual price can be higher than the suggested price.  My theory is that the very listing of a hotel in a touring guide results in a price rise.  The plan was to keep an eye out for any other hotels that we might encounter on the way.

Fountain in same park

We turned down one street and up another in a quasi random fashion and at Aldama street spotted the Hotel Progreso, walked in, and saw that they were offering rooms at a special price of 270 pesos per night.  Brenda and I liked the room, I paid 540 pesos for 2 nights, and at 3.15 PM we had a temporary home in SLP.

The hotel is an old one - built in 1840.  The lobby is old world elegant and I'll probably post a photograph of it later.  There are two floors and we are on the ground floor.  The room is large (by our standards), with high ceilings, high windows and doors, and tiled floors.  In addition to the double bed there is a desk with chair, plenty of drawers, and a round table with two comfortable arm chairs.  As I said, we are at the street level.  The windows have bars on the outside (de rigueur in Mexico).  The wooden windows are fitted with curtained screens and solid shutters.  It's the sort of setup that would not be out of place in New Orleans.

After unpacking we went for a long walk around the district.  He hotel is superbly positioned in the old historic section of the city which as in Guadalajara has been nurtured and protected from car traffic.  We seem to be surrounded by plenty of old interesting buildings and beautiful parks and are looking forward to a full day of exploration tomorrow.