Yes. This is why I came.

The concert I came across in the main plaza downtown. Roughly translated: The people of Saltillo have value... demonstrate it!


The cathedral in downtown Saltillo.


The little place I ate at for dinner.

Typical: a snapshot of a street in Saltillo.

Hotel Premier - where I am staying in Saltillo.

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Another image right before driving through a minor mountain range outside Monterrey. It was pretty.

More driving through Nuevo Leon/Coahuila.

And more of the scenery.

This is a picture I took while traveling in the state of Nuevo Leon, Mexico

What a day. Woke up early and got to the border before lunchtime. It was easy. I stumbled through it, but it didn't take much and the guys at customs were helpful. No one asked about Leo or wanted to see his papers. Immediately after customs, the military "searched" my car but it was all over in less an 60 seconds. There were a few bumps in the road. Yesterday I gave the guy at Wendy's in Louisiana a $10 and I didn't get change; I lost the face wash I bought in Alabama; I had to buy a phone card because what I was given doesn't work here; and I left Leo's food/water bowls in San Antonio. But I have the travel ones I got as a going away gift. I told myself things like these would come up, and if this is the worst of it, good. Once I got on the highway, the fog lifted, the sun came out and it warmed up considerably. Mid 80's by this afternoon and it was fantastic. I went through a second customs about 20 minutes down the road from the border but all they wanted was to see the visa. I have already driven the cuota versus the libre highways (toll versus free). The toll is a little expensive... I think I paid a total of 350 or so pesos in tolls. It is worth it though. The toll roads were great and the speed limit is the equivalent of about 75 MPH. The libre highway is not for the faint of heart. So's driving in Saltillo (and probably any other Mexican city). I bypassed Monterrey and came into Saltillo this afternoon in the state of Coahuila. Driving in, everything was new, nice and architecturally interesting as well as accessible by foot, as everything is compact and dense as it should be (cities of the United States...take note). As I got closer to downtown, the buildings weren't as nice, new or shiny but still interesting and very diverse. I got a room at a hotel in el centro (downtown). It's like $25... half the price and twice as nice as the place in San Antonio. After that, I explored el centro. This is why I love Mexico. So many people milling around, everything is walkable and there are a million different things going on at once. I saw a wedding, a city-sponsored concert and people going about their business. I ate lunch earlier in a pretty nondescript place but dinner was in a hole in the wall in el centro of Saltillo that was actually very clean and presentable inside, albeit very small. I'm probably going to check out the "nightlife" tonight - then I'm headed to Guadalajara tomorrow. I definitely have been speaking like someone who needs to practice their Spanish, but my conversation with the guy at the hotel front desk went seamlessly, so there's hope for me after all.



Oxxo... the QuikTrip/Walgreens/7-Eleven of Mexico.

I took this picture in Mississippi/Louisiana going over one of many bayous.

This is how Leo travels most of the time. He'll lay down for a few minutes, but he always sits back up and leans against the back of the seat if we turn even the slightest bit.

Kristin and I the morning I left their place in Montgomery.