We learned our lesson after spending more than $15 in tolls to take the “cuota” from Torreon to Zacatecas. The driving was easy, fast, and direct, but did not pass through any pueblos and was way over our budget. The “libre” - an always available free alternative to Mexico’s toll roads - showed us the way to Aguascalientes. I was expecting the worst having heard stories of meteor crater pot holes, but most of the ride was smooth.

We arrived into Aguascalientes just as dusk approached. It’s not an easy city to find parking, but once we did, walking through the city center was enjoyable and relaxing.

We stopped by the municipal palace admiring the mural which recounts Mexico’s history from the Aztec Empire through the reign of the PRI and then asked about cheap posadas at the tourist information desk. The woman wasn’t nearly as helpful there, however, as was the woman in Zacatecas and so we decided to walk around more and ask about. In a bookstore a hipsterish looking kid with glasses recommended that we check out the Cafe del Codo.

We weren’t expecting much, but it turned out that Cafe del Codo was probably the highlight for us in Aguascalientes. It’s amazing how one little establishment like that can completely change your perspective of a town. It made me think of Miracles and how sad it will be for Cardiff when we close down.

The café is at the corner of an ‘L’ shaped callejon, tucked away from the noisy traffic. Outside is a patio with heat lamps, comfortable chairs, and a projector which displayed a kinda image documentary on the wall across the alleyway. It was a strange juxtaposition – the peaceful music and images of the movie, surrounded by a border of graffiti on the wall. Laura and I are thinking about opening up our own cafe in La Jolla and del Codo gave us a lot of ideas. An extra bonus for me was the free high speed internet access to update the site with. The staff was super friendly too and showed us the way to an affordable posada housed in a building more than 100 years old. Luckily … no ghosts this time.

We only stayed the one night in Aguascalientes, exploring la casa de cultura the next day and then on to Leon where we were on the hunt for an American Express office to beg money.

American Express has helped me out every time I’ve dug myself into a problem no matter in what country. I would recommend the card to anyone who travels - and the free flights from the membership rewards program are a nice bonus. Unfortunately, trying to find where there offices are located is never an easy task. If anyone has ever seen a web page with a directory of American Express offices in every country, please send it my way.

Anyway, finally we were able to find a travel agency in Leon, Guanajuato that gave support to American Express customers. We explained our predicament … that we didn’t have any money … and that well, we needed some. In fact we spent our last 10 pesos at an internet cafe trying to find the address of the travel agency. And sure enough, despite the luke warm reception, we walked out with enough money to get us by for a while. Our spirits were back up and we were on our way to Guanajuato - a city I fell in love with four months ago while staying in Acambaro.