Monterrey, Mexico Temple

Temple #91

Monterrey, Nuevo León, Mexico

May 3, 2018

     Sometimes the best stories are the ones that, in the moment, aren't the most fun. This is how our trip was beginning to feel like. We had woken up that morning at four and went to Guadalajara and then flew to Monterrey. We went to get an Uber to our hotel because Uber's are always half as cheap as taxis. We got in the car and immediately got pulled over by the police! The Uber driver talked forever with him and we had no idea what was going on. 

     We had heard that Monterrey wasn't the safest town and already we felt a little uneasy. Come to find out though it was just that Uber drivers weren't allowed to pick people up at the airport because they were competition to the taxi drivers. That was fair, so we went to get a taxi. It was going to be $60+ just to get to or hotel! We were surprised and definitely didn't want to pay that so we went back inside the airport hoping to rent a car. It was around 11:30 at this time but luckily there was a car for rent. Took about an hour to get the car and then forty minutes to drive to our hotel. 

     We got to our hotel and were laughing with worry as we pulled up to a rundown hotel in a sketchy looking area. We just laughed, checked in and went upstairs where two twin beds and a double bed were in a small, dirty room. We laughed again but didn't care because at this point it was nearly 2:00 in the morning. We slept great and then woke up five hours later so we could get ready, eat a hotel breakfast of beans and eggs, and then go straight to the temple. 

      Now that it was daytime we could see the city. It's not like any other city in Mexico because it's extremely modern and westernized with skyscrapers, chain restaurants, malls, stores and it just felt like we were somewhere south in the States. What was beautiful about the city though was that it's surrounded by mountains and has one mountain right next to it that stands out most that rises thousands of feet about the city. 

     Next to this mountain in a valley between another mountain ridge was the temple. It looked just like the Columbia River Washington and San Antonio Temples. It stood out amongst all the other buildings as it sat right next to the freeway. We took a lot of photos and enjoyed the beauty of it and it's grounds while the sun was rising above the mountain. The view of the temple and it's grounds with the mountains surrounding it was quite the sight. We then got a group photo and went inside. 

     The temple was simple inside but peaceful as always. We did a session and tried our best to stay awake. It was so peaceful and quiet and we were so tired from our past couple nights yet we endured it and enjoyed the session. 

     Afterwards we went into the Celestial room which was one of my favorites in Mexico. It was decorated in a lot of a bright white wood that was beautiful. In the center on the ceiling was a massive golden dome with a crystal chandelier hanging from the center. It was entirely peaceful in the Celestial room and we sat and enjoyed it for a moment. 

     After the temple we took some more photos and enjoyed the view. The fog and clouds cleared up a little more and we could now fully see the surrounding mountains. They were green and full of plant life which was surprising for Northern Mexico. 

     Unfortunately we didn't have a lot of time in Monterrey but we had enough. Ivy and I got some vaccines there that we needed for the rest of our trip to Central and South America because there was nowhere else we could have gotten them. 

     In the end everything worked out from renting the car to getting our vaccines. The temple was amazing there and the city was unique and modern for Mexico. We enjoyed it and were excited to continue our trip with Ivy's family!