I spent a day in Durango, Mexico, and discovered it is an awesome place to visit! Be prepared for a lot of photos 🙂 I had such a good time walking around the city and doing some errands along the way.
Laundry
One of my errands was to do laundry. Just down the street I found a place that would do it for 50 pesos or about $3.75 CDN. For that they washed my clothes, folded them, and package them neatly in a plastic bag.
That gave me time to explore the city.
Galería Estación Café, Restaurant & Bar
First was a morning coffee. I walked past the Basilica of Immaculate Conception where they were having mass.
Then I walked up Constitution Avenue.
Unbelievable what I saw!
Finally reaching Galería Estación Café, Restaurant & Bar. I picked the place because it had free Wifi. But I got a whole lot more. The surrounding were very cool.
ATM Withdrawal
My next errand was to withdraw some pesos.
Protest
I walked back down Constitution Ave. and encountered a protest by Saint Ann’s church.
The local police were there. I have to say for all the stuff I have heard about the police in Mexico, so far I have seen them to be friendly and helpful. In this case they were talking to people around the protest and smiling. From my point of view a perfect reaction to the protest.
Saint Ann’s Church
Saint Ann’s Church was pretty cool too.
Stopping for a Beer
I wanted to relax on a patio along Constitution Ave. to have a beer. I found a place and ordered one. I just started to relax when the Manager came out and said I couldn’t drink beer outside. What?!!! So I quickly drank it inside and left.
Plaza de Armas Durango
When I reached the Plaza de Armas Durango there was a market going on.
Scotia Bank
Another unreal sighting, a Scotia Bank from Canada! Perfect to withdraw money since my ATM card is TD Canada Trust, another Canadian bank.
Strangely I was unable to withdraw money from Scotia Bank! I ended up going to the Mexican bank next door where I was ably to. Huuuummm strange.
Breast Cancer Awareness
With my errands and work done, I walked back to my hotel for a bit. October is breast cancer awareness month and there was lots in the plaza about it. There was a trailer for breast exams with huge line ups. There was also a church with a nice display.
La Carrera Panamericana
I left my hotel again to walk around. What I discovered was that the finish of the La Carrera Panamericana car rally was taking place tonight. People were starting to line the streets the celebration was beginning even as the rain began to fall.
As the participants arrived they were lead by motorcycle police. What I found interesting is that they road all different makes of motorcycles that were not marked as police bikes. Nor did they were helmets, despite the rain.
McDonald’s
Ok … yes … I do go to McDonald’s. Not often, but it is a throw back to home when traveling abroad. Just like Starbucks.
The McDonald’s in Durango was interesting. It was in a building built in 1894!
Also interesting were the washrooms. They must have one heck of a security problem ha ha
With dinner in hand I went back to my hotel to watch football and eat.