We had read that you could camp in the beautiful gardens of the Flamingo Inn in Queretaro for 300 pesos per night, but when we arrived, the two spaces available for camping were taken by other overlanders that we had first met in Patzcuaro, then again in Morelia.  Unsure of where we were going to spend the night, we spotted a Comfort Inn across the street with a large parking lot.  We struggled with our spanish at the front desk, explaining that we would like to camp in their lot for the night, if possible.  After a few minutes, the clerk began speaking english to us (yeah!), and after some back and forth discussions with his fellow staff, it was decided that we could stay there for the night, use the lobby washrooms, and there would be no charge.  Bonus!

And so, with extra pesos in our pocket, we went out for a nice dinner in a nearby restaurant.  Our food had just arrived when in walked the overlanders who were staying at the Flamingo Inn, two couples in Toyota Landcruisers, one from Switzerland, the other from Germany.  As it turns out we will be seeing them in San Miguel also as we will all be in the same campground over Christmas.

The next morning we explored the historic centre of Queretaro.  We walked through a large park, and among the Christmas decorations and nativity scenes, they had set up a place for kids to dig in the snow and make snowmen, as well as ride inner tubes down a snow covered ramp!

In the main plaza was yet more Christmas decorations and nativity scenes, but something we hadn’t seen in the other towns was this…

Piper hanging with the devil.

One of the streets we walked down had store after store selling fancy dresses.  In Mexico, a girl’s fifteenth birthday is cause for a huge celebration, called a quinceañeria.  I think it is a bit like a coming of age celebration.  All I know is the dresses are quite elaborate…maybe also gets the need to walk down the aisle in a big fancy dress out of their system for a few years…or hooked on ever grander ceremonies!

Queretaro is a modern city of about 1.1 million people, and is a strong business and economic centre in Mexico.  But the heart of the city retains its colonial roots, having been established in 1531.