Weekend Outing - Bustamante, NL

living.boondockingmexico@yahoo.com

We went to Bustamante this weekend for a friend's annual birthday party.  They own a hotel in the town and each year we gather for the weekend.   Everyone spends the night at the hotel, dinner, drinks, dancing and games until all hours of the morning.  Then on Sunday we all seem to crawl out at some hour for a group breakfast.   It was a great time had by all and I have a few pics at the bottom of the party.  

First though, I'd like to share some information about the area.   One of the things we hear quite a bit from rvers, rv forums, and friends who drive through Mexico is, "beat feet across the border and get south".   Big mistake.  A few years ago I posted on the blog about crime statistics in Mexico and it turns out that the places most rvers end up spending the winter are actually the most dangerous in the country and the northern border and the states of Nuevo Leon, Coahuila and Chihuahua are not on the list. 

As you cross the Colombia Bridge, you never have to enter the state of Tamaulipas.   You can actually drive all the way to Saltillo by staying in the state of Nuevo Leon.   Now I'm not saying there are issues with Tamaulipas.   That's up to each person to decide, I don't live there, but I (we) travel there without any issues.

Highway 1 takes you from the Colombia Bridge all the way to the toll highway 40 to Saltillo and the 57 and all points south.   There are numerous towns on this route that welcome tourists, have many points of interest including museums, mountains, food, speciality breads, wines, and even developed tours of caverns.   This doesn't include anything south of Monterrey down where we live and all points south which is another blog post.  We've boondocked in all of these small towns and Bustamante is one with not only great history, cavern tours, but also a state park with electric (20 amp), washrooms and natural springs.

I left the party just after 1 a.m.  Too late for me.  I went to bed and woke up around 7 o'clock.  I had some coffee in our room, showered and headed out for a walk.   I walked the length and the width of the town in just under an hour.   Great walk to warrant a Sunday breakfast.  Shop owner's were the only ones to be found out and about.

The main church in Bustamante located in the town square.

Typical Mexican plaza with the kiosk.  

The town hall built in the 1830s.  The town was founded by the Spaniards who brought the tlaxcaltecas to work in the mines in the hills you see in the picture behind the church. 

Like most small towns in Mexico there is the town theater or teatro de la ciudad where local school events, politics, town hall meetings, folkloric dances and art take place.

Bustamante also has a history museum.  They have an English speaking guide on hand so no one goes without information and interpret the signs.   

Okay, so here we are at the party.   Wow, guess who's dancing?   We had the best time with all the games Lorena had put together.  The best one was the coronita (crown).   The team at each table selects a person to wear a crown.   The person can't see the crown but there is a word written across the top.   The person wearing the crown asks yes or no questions until the person can discover the word or the clock runs out.  

We also get into deep discussions at our table with friends about politics, family , education, religion and sex.   It can go on all night.   Our friend Mario, in the beige jacket, just finished his master degree.  He travels around the globe with his company.  This month he is off to Brasil after working in the Middle East.

The day after having breakfast at the Hotel Ancira restaurant.  Truly norteño style Mexican food.  The best actually.   Bustamante is also known for its breads and empanadas filled with piloncillo, nuts, raisins and spices.   The best ever.   There is a huge lot behind the hotel for rv parking.  We´ve parked here before.

En fin, Nuevo Leon is truly a friendly state and of course you can always come and visit us!