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After spending a very full day, touring the Sierra Madre Orientál, Gomez Farias, and other exciting destinations in the state of Tamaulipas, Friday evening, September 29, 2006, we dragged into Cd. Mante well after dark, which is not necessarily my choice, but that's the way it worked out to be. Neither Jerry nor I had ever been to Cd. Mante before, and we didn't have a clue of where to stay, but we had our friend Rodolfo Rincón with us as a traveling companion, and tour guide, and since he's a native of the area, he knows the places to stay. Of course, when you're touring the back country in Tamaulipas, staying at a hotel can be a hit-or-miss event, as experienced at our stay the night before at the Hotel Guanajato, in Llera de Canales. However, Rodolfo assured us that Hotel Monterrey was a great place to stay, so when you're tired, and it's 9 O'clock at night, who's going to argue?
Photo: Hotel Monterrey, located at the corner of Av. Juárez and C. Guayalejo, in downtown Cd. Mante. My room is on the second floor, at the corner, hidden by the "Dolphy" sign. Hotel Monterrey is an imposing, three-story hotel, located in the heart of downtown Cd. Mante, at the corner of Av. Juárez and Calle Guayalejo. The hotel has 63 rooms, and primarily caters to business travelers, but their brochure advertises many of the area attractions, and they cater to tourists as well. The hotel is located within walking distance of most of the attractions in the Zona Central, including the town square, the central market, restaurants, and the central hospital, as I was to find out later. Unlike many other hotels in Mexican cities, parking is not only convenient, but its free and ample. You walk into the hotel and you're greeted by a spotlessly clean, beautiful lobby, that's nicely furnished, very spacious, and is very comfortable. Unlike our stay the previous night, Hotel Monterrey doesn't cater to the masses, so they don't have any dormitory-style rooms; I elected to stay in my own room, while Jerry and Rodolfo rented a room together. I was impressed with the price, as it was only MEX $350.00, which is in the price range of a budget, bargain-basement motel room, in a seedy motel north of the border. Hotel Monterrey is a class-act hotel, but they charge lowball prices. I received the key to room 208, and headed up the stairs to my room.
Photo: Looking down into the comfortable hotel lobby from the staircase. Hotel Monterrey offers free Internet access in the lobby, as guests have free access to the computers. My room was nicely furnished, with a king size bed, dressing table, a couple of chairs, and a ceiling fan that actually worked, and a TV that received several channels, without the usual snow in the picture. The bathroom was clean, and was furnished with towels and wash cloths; wash cloths are a rarity in Mexican hotels and motels. The only thing that was a little odd about the room is one corner was round, but my room was at the outside corner of the building, and the building is rounded, so I suppose it would be appropriate for the room to be rounded as well. So I turned on the TV to a Mexican soap opera, put away my stuff, and go undressed to take a shower, and go to bed, as I was tired. At this point in time, I noticed something definitely wrong with my legs, as both legs were covered with small, red, pimple-like bites, that were scabbed over. What the heck? I'd been wearing shorts all day, and I hadn't noticed any pain or itching, and now this? I stared at my legs in a state of shock, wondering what to do... I decided to talk it over Jerry and Rodolfo to see if they had any ideas.
Photo: The hall that leads to room number 208, which the last room on the right. The lobby is downstairs, to the left of the photo. All of agreed that I probably had a case of bed bugs, due to our stay in the flea-bag hotel the night before, as Jerry and Rodolfo both had bites on their legs, but not nearly as widespread as mine. My bites didn't itch or hurt, but they looked awful, and I thought something needed to be done. To the three of us, it seemed like a trip to a medical clinic was in my best interest, so I asked Rodolfo if he knew of any clinics in the area; he didn't, so I decided to wing-it on my own. I took a hike downstairs, and asked the friendly guy at the desk if there was a clinic open, and of course there wasn't, but he directed me to the main hospital, about three blocks to the west. I thanked him and took a hike, west on Av. Juárez. Cd. Mante is not a tourist town, and it receives very few gringo visitors, and the one thing that you can count on is that NOBODY speaks English. For me, that's not a problem, as I speak Spanish, which comes in handy every time I visit Mexico. I found the hospital, which turned out to be near the corner of Av. Juárez and Calle Escobedo, and walked up the stairs to the lobby of the building. I was greeted by a receptionist, who was dressed as a nurse, and I showed her my legs and explained to her as best as I could as what the problem seemed to be, but I don't know the correct medical terms in Spanish, so I simply told her that I thought that I'd been mordió por bichos de cama, and that I'd like to see a doctor or a nurse. Now the good part: My U.S. medical insurance isn't valid in Mexico, so she asked me if I had the means to pay, and I replied that I did. She then told me to follow her, and she led me into a small examination room, told me to have a seat, and a doctor would be with me shortly.
Photo: Note the curved window in my room, which offered a good view of the street below. My computer and camera case lie on the bed. I can't visit Mexico without my camera or my computer. Within 5 minutes, Dr. Gómez walked into the room, and asked me what was the matter, I showed him my leg, and he proceeded to look at it very closely, and pick at one of the pimples. He agreed that it was probably bed bugs, or it could have been chiggers, and that he'd prescribe some medicine that I could purchase at the pharmacy next door. I asked him about the possibility of infection, and he told me not to scratch the bumps, and to put the cream on them three times a day, and all would be well in a day or two. He and I left the room together, and walked up to the desk, and he handed the receptionist a sheet of paper, wished me a pleasant evening, and disappeared down a corridor. I didn't know what to expect when I received the bill for services, but I was prepared for the worst. The bill came to only MEX $250.00, which is a lot less that I expected. The gal at the desk typed up my prescription, handed it to me, and wished me a pleasant evening. I asked her where the pharmacy was located, and she replied that it was only two doors to the west. I thanked her and walked out the door.
Photo: Bed bug or chigger bites on the leg, that I probably acquired from the less-than-luxurious accommodations that we enjoyed the previous night. I easily found the pharmacy, which was advertised to be open 24 hours, and even at this hour, seemed to be well patronized. Having absolutely no idea of what to do, I handed my prescription to a gal at the counter, and asked her if she could get the prescribed medication. She knew exactly what I needed, as she returned with a tube of cream and a bottle of pills. The bill came to MEX $200.00, so for this evening of medical excitement, I'd spent just over $40.00 U.S. dollars. Not my idea of a fun evening in Cd. Mante, but I didn't have much choice in the matter. Back at the hotel, I let Jerry and Rodolfo know that I was back, undressed again, and finally took my shower. By now, it was nearly 11 O'clock, which was way past my bedtime, but I took one of the pills, rubbed some of the ointment on my legs, went to bed, and fell asleep immediately.
Photo: Saturday, September 30, 2006 gets a humid sunrise, as I snap the sun rising from the balcony on the second floor fire escape. When I got up next morning, I noticed that the bites were drying up, and there was no itching sensation, so I did what I do best: I took a walk and explored the Zona Central before beginning the days activities, and meeting Jerry and Rodolfo for breakfast. Hotel Monterrey is a great place to stay, as the staff is very accommodating and friendly, the rooms are clean and well-maintained, the hotel has a great location, in the central part of Cd. Mante, and the price is a bargain by any standard. When you're visiting Cd. Monte, I highly recommend a stay at the Hotel Monterrey. Hotel
Monterrey Copyright(c) 2006 eRench Productions, Inc. All rights reserved. This site has been published on the web since January 19, 2005. Web page design has been created by eRench Productions, Inc., custom photography for any occasion...
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