A Weekend Excursion

Before my departure for Mexico, Alejandro and I had decided to spend a weekend at a little town with a big name... Tequesquitengo.  Tequesquitengo is located in the state of Morelos, about three hours to the south of Mexico City.  It is a popular weekend lake resort.  I made reservations for a room at one of the larger hotels, Hotel Excelaris.

On Saturday morning we left Mexico City taking the highway which heads south to Cuernavaca and eventually Acapulco.  Even after leaving behind the air pollution of Mexico City, the air was very hazy.  Spring is the time when farmers burn their fields in preparation for planting.  In addition, there was a forest fire in Morelos.  (I would not be surprised if started from the embers of a farmer's field.)

We arrived at the lake at around 1:00 PM.  

 

It was still too early to check into our hotel, so we drove into Tequesquitengo, planning to explore the town and take a stroll along the lake.  (Surely this tourist town must have a pleasant lakeside promenade.)  Well, all I can say is that for a town whose economy is based on tourism, Tequesquitengo is an unattractive place totally lacking in charm.  There are absolutely no public areas where one can enjoy a view of the lake.  There isn't even a town square.  It is simply a jumble of houses and businesses with no evidence of civic pride or planning.  And that is not just my opinion.  Alejandro described the town as "muy feo"... very ugly.  It compares very poorly with the delightful lake town of Valle del Bravo which we visited a few years ago.

In our attempt to reach the lake shore, we were directed down a poorly-paved side street which came to a dead end at a rather squalid, thatched-roof restaurant / bar at the water's edge.  We killed some time there, and had a drink.

There were a number of boats out on the lake, and quite a few people water-skiing.  Supposedly the health department of the state of Morelos monitors the water quality.  Although the lake water is not potable, it is deemed safe for aquatic sports.  However Alejandro told me a story about an acquaintance who went scuba diving in the lake and ended up with a bacterial infection.  So, I'm not so sure that I would want to be in the water.  

Because of the climate and air currents, Tequesquitengo is one of the best places in the country for sky-diving, ultra-light aircraft, and hot air balloons.   You constantly see small planes overhead and parachutists descending to the landing area not far from the lake.

We went to our hotel, and fortunately it was very nice.  

We had a very spacious, comfortable double room with our own balcony.

There was a nice swimming pool, and we spend several hours alternating between enjoying the water and sitting in lounge chairs sipping drinks.

Even though neither one of us has any desire to return to Tequesquitengo, at least we had a pleasant poolside afternoon.