We have arrived in the city of San Luis Potosí (SLP), Mexico after an uneventful trip on AirNZ to Houston, the usual horrific airport transit (avoiding the dunkin donuts shops) and a short two hour trip along the Mexican gulf on a tiny 60 seater plane. After some recent bad publicity our only United Airlines crew member was a charming Mexican lady who chatted and helped people fill out their immigration paperwork! We arrive on time at the mini international airport of San Luis.  San Luis is the equivalent of Timaru airport, with an open reception desk for the 2 customs/ immigration staff, a mini conveyor belt and one X-ray scanner. They couldn’t have been more welcoming to their ONLY extranjeros (or at least non USA-foreigners) arrivals. Bienvenidos a Mexico!

45 minutes after landing we are welcomed by our Airbnb hostess who sets up our wifi and offers to wait and drive us to her recommended restaurant. Unbelievable for this town-in-the-desert,  it has spectacular lightening and is raining –  pretty much as it had been when I left Auckland!

Half an hour later we are sitting in the most beautiful restaurant Cielo Tinto (Red Sky!) with our own stone cross and a live background band playing american 70 and 80s music and a couple of glasses of crisp local Mexican wine and ordering upmarket food.

By the time we had finished it had stopped raining and so we walked home but on the way Lola tripped and fell completely flat on her face – like a cartoon – and before I had time to react to that I notice a large man running in the darkness towards us. Thankfully neither of us panicked as it was local off duty male nurse coming to her rescue. She picked herself up and continued without injury. It is quiet and feels safe – but the pavements are lethal!

I woke up opened the curtains of my room to find the balcony and street scene are very reminiscent of Palermo in Buenos Aires – but quieter –  with doves cooing and humming-birds in the jacarandas and even an abandoned car on the cobblestone street outside.

We are off to explore a new city in the few days before Easter celebrations.