What a fair!

We hit the road from Guanajuato and headed toward Mexico City.  As the sun started to set, we began looking out for a place to pull over for the night.  Normally we park along the street in a neighborhood that looks safe, or even at a gas station if we're on the highway.  But as we neared the city of Queretaro, we began seeing signs for the "Feria Internacional Ganadera" (International Livestock Fair).  What is this all about?, we wondered.  After asking a friendly passerby, we learned that the fair was HUGE - covering many acres, and in addition to livestock, they had concerts, food, rides, you name it.  It was meant to be - this was definitely going to be our stopping place for the night. 
We parked Cubby in the field near the entrance to the fairgrounds and got permission to stay the night, and headed into the fair. 

crazy neon

The intense neon lights and loud sounds of the fair were overwhelming!  There were auctioneers auctioning off everything from ponchos to blankets, food vendors yelling and drawing people to their tables, barbequed goats hanging from sticks, beer stands blasting cheesy pop music, and people dancing on platforms above the beer stands.  Looking for some food, we were waved into a restaurant area, but after seeing the prices we immediately walked back out!  This fair was not cheap.  We did find more reasonably priced food right next door though, and ate some tortas (big Mexican sandwiches).

Next, it was off to the rides.  We found that the rides, like the food, were pretty pricey, and decided to only ride a couple.  That meant, we had to take our time to pick the best ones, of course.  But which to choose?  When we came across the "SHLITENFAHRT" we knew that it was definitely a must.

"SCHLITTENFAHRT" - best name ever for a ride

Besides having a great name, the ride involved no turning upside down (Ricardo's stipulation), and it was also blasting the song "Oppan Gangnam Style" which had been the official theme song of our trip since the time we first heard it on the radio in Cubby and since then continuously argue about the lyrics (Ricardo says that he is saying "whoopa Gandolf star" while I maintain that it's really "wampum condom star").  We got on and Schlittenfahrted it up.  We got off dizzy, but looking for a better ride...
Then we found the "Evolucion" which locked you in a little cabin, then spun you around, and swung you upside down again and again.  People on this ride were screaming in a more terrified way.  Perfect.

nothing between you and the ground but a metal bar

 At one point, the ride stops completely upside down, so that you fall out of your seat and are just hanging on the metal bar that's supposed to hold you in the car.  Wonder how strict the safety codes are down here? is the thought that passed through my head at that moment! It was a great ride.  Check out our giddy smiles after it was over:


#2 is Ricardo's stand-in since he volunteered to take the pictures :)

After the rides, we headed to the Pancho Barranza concert that was going on on the other side of the fair.  It was packed.  We stayed for a bit, and then went back to Cubby to gear up for Mexico City and some ruins the next day!