Very cool writing and pictures. Thanks, Bill On Tue, Feb 26, 2019, 4:13 PM William R. Elliott <speodes...@gmail.com> wrote:
> *Caver Story: Restaurant Condesa* > > Many older cavers remember the Restaurant Condesa in Ciudad Valles, San > Luis Potosí, in the heart of the Sierra de El Abra. It was owned by Señor > Juan Bermea Gloria, who had worked in the States and spoke English. He was > a good friend to the cavers. He was our message center for years, even > keeping a couple of log books in his glass counter for cavers to sign and > leave each other messages. Sometimes he let cavers camp in his jardín when > they could not find a place. Cavers often visited the tiny Condesa, and it > was mentioned in caver newsletters from the early 1960s to 1984. [see > photos attached] > > > > In 1969 Richard O. Albert wrote, “We always ate at the Restaurant La > Condesa, right on the plaza that was right on the edge of the Río Valles. > The food there was good, but the waitresses were not. We would all sit down > and order something from the menu, and then always wondered what we would > get. Sometimes it was what we had ordered and sometimes it was not, but we > learned to eat and not complain too much about it. The waitresses never > wrote down anything, and never remembered it either. It was always sort of > an adventure to go in there…” > > > By 1969 the Condesa had moved one block from the plaza, where it stood for > many years across the street from the Hotel Condesa. I remember the > “Enchiladas Condesa,” which were so hot I usually could not finish them, > but they were tasty, stuffed with lots of goat cheese and goodies. They > were flat tortillas stacked like pancakes, real Mexican style, not rolled > up Tex-Mex style. > > > I remember bumping into cave biologist Stewart Peck on the street in > Ciudad Valles in 1969 on the way to the Condesa. We went caving a couple of > times. Stewart is a beetle man, and I remember him and his brother James > considering the menu in the Condesa, and which dishes would make the best > dung for trapping beetles. I had never witnessed that before. When Stewart > left town he bequeathed me a can of shit. > > > > According to UT Grotto and trip reports in the *Texas Caver, *the Condesa > burned in 1984, and all the caver logbooks burned too. Maybe someone has a > copy of them. It was said that the printing shop next door caused the fire. > By 1985 the Condesa had moved to three blocks from the plaza, and Sr. > Gloria had a new caver logbook. Now it is no more. By 1986 the restaurant > had become the Don Juan, and cavers continued to eat there until at least > 1992, even keeping a logbook there. When I last visited in 2013 the Hotel > Condesa looked the same, but the old restaurant building was a pharmacia or > something. > > > Goodbye Condesa. We loved you. > > > > *Attached photos:* > > > *1.* The Restaurant Condesa in 1984. Cavers Mike Furrey and Jon Cradit > are standing in front. by Mike Warton. > > > > *2. *El Abra cave mappers, May 1974. Left to right: Neal Morris, Carmen > Soileau, Andy Grubbs, John Prentice, and Barb Vinson. by William R. > Elliott > > > [This story came from AMCS Bulletin 26, 2018, *The Astyanax Caves of > Mexico.*] > > > *William R. (Bill) Elliott* > > *speodes...@gmail.com <speodes...@gmail.com>* > > 573-291-5093 cell > _______________________________________________ > Texascavers mailing list | http://texascavers.com > Texascavers@texascavers.com | Archives: > http://www.mail-archive.com/texascavers@texascavers.com/ > http://lists.texascavers.com/listinfo/texascavers >
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