TUXPAN
* Staying there, Hotels & Motels. *

All the rooms I stayed in had one thing in common, a long fluorescent strip at the top of one wall which wasn't behind the bed. This made it awkward to read while in bed. Why was I reading in bed, you ask? The weather was not conducive to being outside and my legs were sore from the amount of walking I did do.

Another thing the rooms had in common was that they didn't supply face cloths. For me that is not a problem as I don't like face cloths. I always carry my own soap (Red Lifebuoy, which, unfortunately is no longer manufactured and I am down to my last bar.) in a plastic container and my own sponge. I get a small utility sponge `3 x 5 x 1/2"', cut a small strip off the top of the packaging and keep it in the plastic packaging.

Also the hotels are built with no insulation and are cold and noisy. Other than the first night, this was important as the weather had turned foul and the room didn't supply extra blankets. The rooms I were in had double beds and as I was by myself I folded the bedding in half which gave me thicker covers. Which was barely enough as they only supply a sheet and a bedspread.

On my third night in the Hotel Ignacio I was going to buy a blanket and after searching the town I found one store that carried blankets but I didn't care for the colours. By then the weather had turned warm enough I didn't need a blanket so I forgot about buying one and when I got back to the hotel I found they had put one in my room. I did use it for a while in the wee hours of the next morning but though the weather stayed cloudy it continued to get warmer during my stay and a blanket was no longer necessary.

For the first couple of mornings I had plenty of hot water for a shower but later in the week I was only getting tepid water. I for one abhor cold baths, which is why I had gone to Mexico, to find some warm ocean water for swimming.

After two days of no hot water I started looking for another hotel. I had for some days been putting off checking out Le Parque Hotel which edged the Centro and had rooms starting at $80. but required the climbing of two flights of stairs just to get to the lobby.

On Sunday morning I made the climb and after checking several rooms, and much hand sign between me and the friendly lady, came to the realization that none of the rooms had toilets, at any price, with seats.

I checked two or three other places that were close by but they were all more expensive and rooms that had toilets with seats were at least $135.

Motel Monte Cristo on the West side of Tuxpan.