May 24, 2007

When we working our corporate jobs in Vancouver we would think nothing of heading to Whistler for the weekend and dropping $200 a night (or more) for a room at the Westin or Pan Pacific.

On our road trip to Mexico and Central America budget, however, we start to feel antsy if a campsite charges more than $15 and a hotel more than $25.

But Puebla saw witness to a new low in frugality for even us, as we paid $14 a night for a room at the Hotel Catedral. It was worth half the price.

It came equipped with only a rickety narrow bed, one plastic patio chair and an exposed light-bulb dangling from the ceiling. We brought in our bed-side table from the van. The shared bathrooms, with overflowing toilets, were located a floor up.

It was a room that even strung out heroin addicts searching for a marathon needle session would likley take a pass on.

We then blew the day's budget anyways by having an expensive dinner across the street at Fonda de Santa Clara so that we could sample moles. Moles are Mexico's national dish and the local Pueblan specialty.

I opted for Poblano Mole, chicken in a chocolate-based sauce, and Adrienne went with Pipian Mole, pork in a green sauce which tasted like an Indian curry and which was excellent.

We had reached Puebla, which was founded in 1531 and is Mexico's fourth largest city, by heading due east from Teotihuacan. Highway 150 had deposited us off at the industrial, ugly north end of Puebla and it taken us an hour of navigating through road-work and detours in a cold drizzle before we reached the city centre.

To its credit, the hotel was only one block from the zocolo, and the next day we ventured out to find the three things that Puebla is famous for: 1) buildings adorned in the decorative Talavera tiles; 2) the Teatro Principal, which was completed in 1760 and is the oldest functioning theatre in Mexico, if not the Americas and; 3) the "dulcerias" (or sweet shops) on Calle 6 Norte that sell handmade candies and crystallized fruits.

Key Facts & Figures:

-Hotel Catedral: $14/night
-Dinner, Fonda de Santa Clara: $42