Aquismón, SLP

living.boondockingmexico@yahoo.com

Just as in anywhere in the world, the U.S., Canada and even Mexico, there is a new experience around every corner. We have run into so many interesting places and things over the years just by making a wrong turn or deciding it's time to stop driving for the day.

That was the case of Aquismón in San Luis Potosi. Aquismón is located (99º01’ longitude West and 21º37’ latitude North) about 300 kms from the capitol city. The Aquismón turn off from Hwy 85 is well-marked and about 3 kms from the highway.

Aquismón is one of the few Mexican towns given the title Pueblo Magico. Small it may be, but it has a main plaza, is a county seat and sports a tourist center off the main plaza. It is a place filled with indigenous color and culture. It is the only place where I have found a woman with native dress and headdress sitting in front of a computer at a cybercafe.We went to the tourist center but it closes at three in the afternoon. So we took a stroll around the square and started to ask questions. Of course every knew we had pulled in with a travel trailer so we were easily identified. We stopped at one shop where two teenage brothers were working and it was mostly shrugging of shoulders. But thanks to my father's genes I can strike up a conversation with just about anyone. Sure enough, the older of the two opened up and told us there was a "parque recreativo" nearby, 8 kms down the road. (I keep talking about the parque recreativos, there is usually one in every town at it is a picnic area if not more for the locals and is usually built around a water spot of some sorts. So off we went down the road. The first 500 meters were potholed and muddy and we almost turned back. But then it got really good.Once there, we found a river that sprouts from a thermal water spring. Further up the road from our campsite we found the spring and a whole lot of warm water where you can hang out and float around all day under the shade. The rig looks pretty dirty but we had been on the road for over 10 days and in and out of rain, forest and jungle.We stayed one night and spent the day sitting in the water, watching people, a trip into town and a great order of tamales potosinos made by the local women.The wet ground and muddy roads kept us from visiting one well-known spot in Aquismón, Sótano de las Golondrinas (swallow's cave). Sótano is actually basement. The swallows, thousands of them, exit in the morning and return in the evening. There are extreme sports, such as spelunking, climbing, etc., with certified and experienced guides. We will go back to this spot. I have a beautiful video I want to post of the morning with all the birds and the water, I hope it works.

ALL I REALLY NEED TO KNOW I LEARNED IN KINDERGARTEN - Live a balanced life - learn some and think some and draw and paint and sing and dance and play and work every day some.