Once back on the main road to Galeana we had a decision to make – where to next? We wanted to see if we could find a way south from General Zaragoza to Marcel. One of our Mexico maps showed a road but no one we knew had ever ridden it. Was it actually there? Could we get through? We decided that would be our next target so we rode south to overnight in Aramberri.

JT wanted to try the Hotel Esmeralda. He had never stayed here so we really didn’t know what to expect. It cost somewhere between $12-14 dollars to stay here and I have to tell you, it was the worst hotel I can recall ever staying in. It was bad. There was no toilet seat, towels, soap, or a shower curtain. The roof leaked so bad I had a 1/2 inch of water standing in the bathroom after an overnight rain. I told my buddy Stuntman Jeff about this place and he said with a chuckle, “It’s not often that you pay $12 for a hotel room and get ripped off” but, I have to agree it wasn’t a good deal at $12. I won’t be staying here again.

To make matters worse some of the other hotel guests were in a party mood and stayed up all night playing loud music and drinking. I wish I was kidding about this but unfortunately I’m not. I finally put ear plugs in so I could sleep. When I walked out of my room in the morning there was a pile of at least 30 beer cans on the ground where the party had taken place.

Oh well, what do you expect for $12?