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Published: March 31st 2007
Agava plants along the road
The plants are used to make tequila. It is about 750 kilometers from Queretaro to Puerto Vallarta. That's about 450 miles. I know that it can be driven in one day. But I also anticipated that it would be about an 8 hour drive with the last 3 being over and around the mountains. So, to do it in one day you have to start at the crack of dawn and drive all day. That did not sound appealing to me. Guadalajara is about 4 hours from Queretro and an hour or so northwest of Guadalajara is the small town of Ixtlan del Rio, that was our destination.
When you leave Queretaro you take the toll road, Highway 45, to Leon, a distance of some 230 kilometers. It's an easy drive. The tolls were about 220 pesos (about $20 US). If you drive on the free road (Libre) you get to pass through countless towns and villages. And you get to drive over countless topes (speed bumps the size of small mountains) and you get to negotiate countless hairpin bends. It takes much longer than the toll road. So the tolls are worth whatever they cost. The toll roads are
Ixtlan Del Rio
The central area exactly like interstates. At each toll station they have clean restrooms and places where you can get gas, as well as snacks and drinks. The roads themselves are well-maintained and they're safe. And normally there isn't a whole lot of traffic. We were traveling during holy week (Easter week) so there was a lot of traffic. After Leon you continue on 45, until you see the exit for Lagos De Moreno. You take the exit but head west on Highway 80 (away from Moreno). You no more than get started when, oops, time for another toll both. I think this one was 55 pesos. Just over 2 hours later you arrive in Guadalajara. You stop very briefly for the toll booth , another 55 pesos. My father and I were in the front and we were quite proud of our navigation skills. Using only a road map, we drove straight through Guadalajara with no problems (well actually Dad saved me one time as I would have taken a wrong turn but he insisted that I go straight - he was right). Soon in no time we had Guadalajara in our rear view mirror. But in the front window was another
Ixtlan Del Rio
Central square looking twards the mountains toll booth, this time 115 pesos. You continue to drive northwest on highway 15 to Ixtlan Del Rio (about 40 minutes past Tequila. Tequila is the where much of the tequila for Mexico is made. You can tell because suddenly all of the fields are agava plants (see picture)) I had selected a hotel on the internet. Plaza Hidalgo was listed in the 'inexpensive' section, yet was rated a 4 star (that had to be on a scale of 1 to 10). Actually it was nice for such a small town and after 6 hours of driving it was just what we needed. We parked and went for a walk. The very helpful lady at the front desk recommended 3 places to eat. The first, Vera Cruz looked nice but clearly looked more like a place for breakfast. The second, Rincon Naryarita, looked great and the owner was very friendly -- this one is it. The food was great and the service very friendly. Fajitas were the favored meals for the night. I think 4 of us ordered either beef or chicken. Nothing like the US but very tasty.
A little bit about Ixtlan Del Rio We all liked
Ixtlan Del Rio
Around the central square this little town. When we first entered it was a bit unsettling. The road was dirt or cobblestone which I loved when I first came here, but completely hate now. I don’t care if they are pleasing to the eye. They rattle the heck out of my Mountaineer! Moreover, the outskirts of the town were not exactly what I would call a beautiful colonial city. More like, wow does this place have running water and a sewer system? But as we entered the central area things improved. The hotel was ok, and it even had cable TV with English. The kids were drawn to it like magnets since we have chose not to buy cable at our house here in Queretaro. After we were settled we walked to the central plaza. It was nice and there were all kinds of activities starting up for the night. The kids even found a trampoline that cost 7 pesos ($.65) for 10 minutes. I splurged and let them do it twice! There were all kinds of shops - mostly geared for people going to the beach. I even bought a pair of shorts. The kids each bought a pair of flip-flops. The next
Ixtlan Del Rio
Around the central square morning we ate at Vera Cruz (yummy!), and left for Puerto Vallarta.
Heading north out of Ixtlan Del Rio towards Tepic on MEX 15 the road passes through some strange countryside covered by large dark rocks. The ground looks like it has been freshly plowed. The only problem is the turned over soil is about the size of a VW beetle. I was completely puzzled by this spectacle. My father said “that is lava from a volcano that erupted a very long time ago”. I’m thinking sure Dad……and I make a note to myself, better have him checked out when I get back in the states……..…but, do I ever hate it when my Dad is right. I looked it up and the odd land formations were caused by……..drum roll please……. the Volcano Ceboruco (last eruption was in 1875). It really is something to see.
So I continue west and I drove down into a very deep river valley. The road climbed up the side of the valley, regaining all the height it had lost and then some. The view was terrific. The world to the right of the road appeared to be a giant bowl surrounded by mountains.
Ixtlan Del Rio
Dinner at Rincon Naryarita The scenic beauty was amazing. But, for over 2 hours the twisting roads through valleys and canyons did not stop. Moreover, I was not the only one with the idea to go to the beach during holy week. The traffic was very heavy with slow moving trucks jamming everything up. The worst part was the crazy drivers who would pass on a hill or a curve when there was no place to get back in line because it was solid cars. They would just force their way in, sometime with dire consequences if you did not let them in as a car was approaching from the opposite direction. At Compostela, we took a section of the toll road through some great scenery and winding roads with tropical trees making a tunnel on the highway, didn’t go much faster than 50 mph. After 3 hours of driving, we dipped down and turned to the left and the ocean was in clear view. The kids squealed with excitement! Twenty minutes later we pulled into the Vallarta Palace. It looked wonderful. Three people met us at the curb and began unloaded the car and handing out cold towels and, more importantly, champagne! The
Volcano Ceboruco
Really weird to look at. Volcanic rock that is really black like fresh turned soil. website for the resort states:
Vallarta Palace, situated on the beautiful beaches of Bahia de Banderas in the heart of Nuevo Vallarta, with its 348 Superior Deluxe guest rooms, most with a spectacular ocean view, features double Jacuzzis, a turndown service and 24-hour room service. This all-inclusive resort, located in a quaint Colonial fishing village adorned with cobble-stone streets, terra-cotta tile roofs and colorful stucco walls, is the place to indulge and enjoy incredible golf courses, deep-sea fishing, snorkeling, sailing, horseback riding and world-class shopping. Kids will be entertained at our newly renovated Kid's Club with supervised activities. Dine at any of our four fabulous restaurants, enjoy a treat at our snack bar, or relax at any of our three stylish bars. The experience will be gastronomic, as well as luxurious and fun.
http://www.palaceresorts.com/Resorts/VallartaPalace/GenIndex.asp
It did not disappoint. We had a wonderful week. The day after our arrival we reported to the salon for massages, manicures and pedicures. Well, I stopped at the massage and manicure. It was fun. Some of the highlights were the sunset cruise, parasailing (my mom, Haley & Madison), horseback riding, kayaking, the beautiful beach, the awesome sunsets, pools, the food, and of course
Vallarta Palace
An evening by the ocean/pool the drinks! Haley’s favorite drink was the “mudslide,” Madison and Teresa’s favorite was the “banana monkey,” mine was, well, I don’t know, I spent most of the week going from one drink to another. My parents left on Friday. That was a sad moment. I always hate being the last to leave an event. It always leaves me feeling sad and lonely.
After a full week of pampering, on Saturday we packed our bags and faced our 9 hour drive home. This time we had planned an overnight stop in “Lagos de Moreno.” I estimated the drive to be about 6 hours. Boy was I wrong. It started bad and got worse. As we were leaving P.V. we saw a man laying spread out by the side of the road. People were running to him and a police car was cutting through traffic to get to him. Then it got really crazy when two armed police officers came running around our car on foot and hopped on the tourist bus in front of us. They hauled the driver off of the bus and were giving him the rough treatment as we drove by. Apparently, the bus driver was the
Vallarta Palace
A view of the resort from the ocean. culprit and he didn’t even stop the bus until the police pulled him over. The traffic was thick. The drive over the mountains that had taken 3 hours on the way to P.V. took 4 ½ on the way back. We would go from a crawl to a max of 40 MPH the whole drive through the mountains. We left P.V. at 1:00 p.m. --I was thinking, 1:00 p.m. + 6 hours = 7:00 p.m.. I have a one hour cushion before it gets dark -- should be good. Hmmmmm…..so much for my one hour cushion. By the time we cleared the mountains, it was obvious I would be driving after dark in Mexico on a strange road. That violates golden rule number 1, no driving after dark. So as soon as I hit the toll road I drove at about 90 mph. - cars were passing me. We pulled into Lagos de Moreno at about 9:30 p.m.
Lagos de Moreno The town lies just east of the two major toll roads, 57 running from Mexico City to Juarez and 80 running from Guadalajara to San Luis Potosi. As we entered it appeared to be a very noisy city
Vallarta Palace
Mom & Dad at dinner. with heavy traffic zooming past. But as we approached the downtown area, it turned into a quiet and very beautiful little town. Colonial streets run along a small river and lead to a delight main square. The square was just a buzz with activity. People walking and talking, venders selling food, balloons, candies, and other assorted trinkets. We were all hungry and anxious to find the hotel. Fortunately, I drove directly to our hotel and found a parking spot in front of the hotel. It was ½ block off the main square and just delightful (Hotel Colonial, Hidalgo 279, 474-742-0142). We unloaded and headed back to the square. I had it in my mind to find a place that had good Mexican food and cold beer. But, with three women and just me, we ended up at a KFC. I had a chicken sandwich and a diet pop…..hmmmm Well the girls thought they had died and gone to chicken heaven. Actually it was very amazing because as we were leaving P.V. the girls started saying, “we want Kentucky Fried Chicken for dinner.” We had actually seen a KFC in P.V. I kept laughing and saying, there will be no KFC
Vallarta Palace
View from our balcony. in this little town. Imagine my surprise when what do I see but KFC. So you see I really had no choice!
The church in the square was a massive baroque structure. Teresa and I both agreed that it was the best looking church that we had seen in all of Mexico. It really was amazing. The next morning we went exploring for the entire morning. The market was very nice and we discovered a small shop that sold paintings, crafts and a lot of pewter pieces. We were looking at the pewter and Teresa was exclaiming over the prices when the owner came over. She started explaining that they make all the pewter and in fact sell to several stores in Guadalajara, Monterrey and Mexico City. She then said that is why everything is priced so good “buenos precios.” And she said if we bought several pieces she would give us a 10% discount. Nice polished pewter trays were 60 pesos (about $5.50 US). We left with 6 pieces of pewter and after discount only spent $23.00 - now that is amazing!
We left Logos de Moreno about 1:30 p.m. I estimated the drive would take just
Vallarta Palace
View from our balcony. over 2 hours - wrong again. This was Sunday after “holy week” and all of Mexico City was going home. Wow, the highway was a mess. We had three toll booths and each time it took about 30 minutes to clear the line, pay the toll and start driving again. After about 2 hours Haley was in need of a bathroom. Ten minutes later we hit the line for a toll. We cleared in 30 minutes. After every toll there is a bathroom and place to buy snacks. But, on this day, all of Mexico City had stopped at this particular toll for a rest break. Oh my gosh, it was crazy. Well actually the men’s bathroom was no problem. The girl’s bathroom was another story. As I stood waiting for the girls, I started to laugh and then I laughed even harder and then I went to the car to got the camera. See pictures for a more descriptive image.
We arrived home around 5:30 p.m. It seemed nice to be “home.” Yes, Queretaro really is starting to feel like home.
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George
non-member comment
Guadalajara 4 hours!!
4 hours to Guadalajara, that is true if you go in bus, but not if you go driving the car, the buses by law drive at 95km/h while in a car you can go as fast as 130km/h so you can do it in 3 hours.