SAN MIGUEL DE ALLENDE MEXICO

Favorite Photos of San Miguel

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Dog Tired...But Glad To Be Home

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BACK HOME SAFE AND SOUND!

Had a great time at "The Restaurant" Saturday night - my last night in San Miguel. Jennifer, Brigid, Signe, and Beth joined me for dinner. And my friend, Judy, who I just met that day on my Saturday Adventure Tour was there with a friend of hers as well. (The photos are on Jennifer's camera, so I'll be glad to get them when she gets home - which is in a few more weeks!) The dinner was wonderful. I went with Beth and her boyfriend Lino to a few bars afterward. Whewww, what an adventure that was. Had a few tequilas!! I was a little sorry at 6 a.m. Sunday morning when I had to pack and catch a taxi to the bus station. But I made it there in time for a 7:20 a.m. bus to Mexico City. It was a second class bus and lasted 4 1/2 hours. At the bus terminal in Mexico City, they were handing out surgical masks to everyone, due to the swine-avian-human flu virus! I had already bought two surgical masks at Chelo's pharmacy in San Miguel before I'd left - 2 for 5 pesos (about 3 cents). I put the mask on and caught a cab to the airport. EVERONE wore a mask.

I was at the Mexico City airport for about 4 hours, my flight was delayed. The connection into Dallas was tight, but I made it. And I arrived in Denver on time at 9 p.m. My luggage didn't make it - but that was ok, because they delivered it to my house in Denver in the middle of the night and I didn't have to lug it home. It was rainy in Denver and snowed overnight. I was not expecting that! I had hoped all that snow was done. THANKS FOR THE RIDE HOME JOE!!

Goodbye San Miguel de Allende. It was a wonderful adventure!! And it's nice to be home again in beautiful Colorado!!!!!

I just had a NICE...LONG....HOT....BATH...

Photos of my last days in SMA (San Miguel de Allende) Mexico

Julia's Girls

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Okay, can there be ANY MORE issues with Mexico?? A Swine-Avian-Human flu epidemic? I'm coming thru Mexico City on Sunday, so I certainly hope I don't get THAT!

I had my final exam for my Spanish class today. It was abierto libro (open book), so I passed! After school, Jennifer and I toured the Santa Julia Girl's Home. There are 38 Mexican girls, ranging in ages from about 5 up to 18, although there are a few exceptions, including one baby boy. For the most part, the girls have families but, for one reason or another, they can't live with them. So they can't be adopted, which is a tough situation. We met many of the girls and they're beautiful, friendly and very polite. I think they like meeting the visitors that come through. Robin, the "PR Volunteer" showed us around and then we walked home with her and talked about the home and about San Miguel. We went to Robin's house and met her husband, Ken. They're really nice people, from Austin TX.

Tomorrow I'm going on the Saturday Adventure tour. I've tried to do this several times but, for various reasons (like the President of Mexico coming to town, Easter weekend, etc.), haven't been able to do it. So I'm excited about it. We'll be visiting the home of a jewelry maker. And then we're going to Rancho La Loma, where Andalusian horses are raised and trained in dressage. We'll have a tour and a demonstration. Should be great!

Here are a few of the photos from today

Photography Session with Al Tirado

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I found a great card shop today. They had interesting cards and lots of CD's of Mexican music. The woman in the shop played the various CD's for me, so I could make my choice. I also bought a Mexican shirt that I like alot. It was priced at $420 pesos, but if you paid cash, it was half off...so I got it for $205 pesos ($15 US). I wandered through a few galleries in my neighborhood as well, and talked to a few of the artists.

At 5, I had a lesson in photography from Al Tirado, who is a photographer here in San Miguel. He's a friend of my landlady, Pat's, and he is a REALLY nice man. He's probably in his late 60's and he's Mexican, but speaks English nearly perfectly - luckily for me, because my Spanish is not-so-hot! He was very patient and helped me ALOT in one short hour. I don't think I could have learned as much if I'd taken a class, so it was really workthwhile. He has a book of photos of San Miguel that he has published and I really like his photos. I bought the book and I think if I'd seen it in a store with other similar books, I would have bought it anyway. So I'm quite happy with my purchase.

After the photography session, my landlady, Pat, had a cocktail party - she invited all her tenants. I enjoyed that. People that come to San Miguel seem to have done alot of traveling and tend to be extremely adventurous. Ron and Artha, who have been here for about three weeks now, have lived all over - he's a retired minister. Their friends, a couple from Washington D.C., are visiting them here. And they have traveled and lived all over as well. Pat has traveled and had some interesting adventures...including the time she was approached in Moscow and asked to take "some papers" back with her - this was in the '70's. There was a whole story there, which was just one of several adventures for her. Later, we went up on the roof where Pat has several patios and we watched the sunset. It was a nice night...

Here are some photos from my walk home from school

La Gruta by Day/Brigid's by Night

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After school, Jennifer and I headed down the street to where the taxis congregate and negotiated a ride to the La Gruta Hot Springs. It's about 20 minutes outside town, and the bus service there is infrequent. The taxi drivers were all congratulating our driver, the one who got the "La Gruta" fare, so I'm sure we were overcharged. However, the fare was only 100 pesos, the equivalent of about $8.00 - so $4.00 each plus tip.

We arrived at La Gruta just in time for the 1 - 2 p.m. waterfall that's turned on in the cave. The waterfall gives you a good massage that people line up for - it's only turned on twice a day. La Gruta is a series of thermal pools on beautiful grounds. The pools are all outside, except for the one with the waterfall, which is in the cave. You get to that one by swimming through a lighted tunnel. The photos are from another website and some are Jennifer's from her outing to La Gruta the day before Easter. Today, when we went, there were virtually NO people. It was absolutely WONDERFUL!! There was one sprinkle of rain an hour or so after we arrived, but then it completely cleared up and was sunny with blue skies all afternoon. We didn't want to leave, and we were just about the last ones out when it closed at 5.

Here are La Gruta photos

We took a bus back from La Gruta and cleaned up. Then we went out to dinner at Brigid's house. We met Brigid a few weeks ago at a Ladies Night in town. She mentioned then that she wanted to have a dinner party, so tonight was the night. We walked over to her house, which was just about a 10 - 15 minute walk. She lives in a nice little Mexican neighborhood and the way she has her house fixed up is really cute - great colors. Brigid is a retired PR rep and she bought a place last summer. She plans to spend six months a year here. She fixed a great lasagne and green salad, with wine. And we had carrot cake and coffee for dessert. It was a nice time! She suggested we go to a restaurant called "The Restaurant" on Saturday night, which is my last night here. So the three of us are planning to do that.

Here are some photos of Brigid's


Tomorrow I'm having a session with a great local photographer to get some tips on photography. His name is Al Tirado and he's a friend of Pat's, my landlady. I'm looking forward to that.

Tuesday Market

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Jennifer and I took the bus to the Tuesday Market, which is about a 15 minute bus ride south of town. It didn't turn out to be anything exceptional, but it was interesting to look at the food and to people watch. When we got back, it rained pretty heavily, but it cleared up after an hour or so.

I sent a note out on the "Civil List" Yahoo Group at about 6:30 p.m. to see if anyone was going to be watching American Idol at 7 p.m. (I don't get the Fox channel that broadcasts the show.) Several women responded right away that they would be watching or that they were big fans. One response was from a woman, Marilyn, who said she always watches and she'd love company. So I hopped in a taxi and headed over to her house - definitely not something I'd do back home! By way of directions, she said, "Just tell the taxi driver you're going to Chelo's Apartments." So I told the taxi driver I was going to Chelo's apartments and he took me right there. I arrived at 7:01 p.m. I knew that Chelo is a local pharmacist who knows everyone and everyone knows her. We've been to her pharmacy a few times; that's where Jennifer got her supply of medicines. My Spanish teacher told me just this morning that Chelo is 82 years old, although she looks 60. She apparently owns half of San Miguel. And I knew there was one particular set of apartments that was known as "Chelo's." I had never been there, though. Marilyn has a large, cheerful 2-bdm apartment that she got because a friend of her's had to give it up. Apparently they're hard to come by because Chelo never raises the rent. Marilyn has a cozy tv room set up and we drank wine, ate snacks and watched American Idol. It was very pleasant. Marilyn is from Ashland, OR and has lived in San Miguel for about seven years. I think she's probably in her 60's - and she's an ADAM FAN! After the show, I walked home and stopped for an ice cream cone on the way.

Click here for some photos of the market

Tomorrow we're going to La Gruta hot springs - should be fun! And Thursday night I'm going to meet with a local photographer who's fairly prominent. He's a friend of Pat's, my landlady. He's going to give me a lesson in photography. I'm very excited about that!

Water Day

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Headed up to Santo Domingo pool after school and swam laps. Then ran errands - visited ATM, shopped at Bonanza for yogurt and cereal, shopped at Mario's for fruit, bought a pluma (pen) at the tiny store across the street from my casita. They also make copies at this store and they printed out one of my pictures using my camera card.

Jennifer and I moved her stuff to her new place this evening. She starts her two-week housesitting job tomorrow. Then we headed to the Biblioteca (library) to see a movie - The Children of Chabanne. It's a documentary about a little town in France that saved 400 Jewish kids during World War II. It was good.

We went out for a bite (great tamales) and coffee afterward and it started to rain! That's the first sign of anything other than sunny weather since I've been here. (I know that's hard to imagine for those in Colorado who've been through a bit of winter weather.) The streets here are deserted when it rains...it's kind-of eerie.

We're going to the "Tuesday Market" after school tomorrow. You take a bus to get there and I believe it's the type of market the locals go to. It should be interesting. On Wednesday, we're going to La Gruta hot springs. And we've been invited to dinner at Briget's on Wed night. We met Briget at a ladies' night out a few weeks ago and she's having a dinner. This is a very social place!

Homes and Gardens

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This morning, Jennifer and I met a classmate of Jennifer's, Lucy, for breakfast. We had a nice time and then I headed to the Biblioteca (library) for the Sunday House and Garden tour. We took a bus to each home - there were three. My favorite was the 3rd house.

Click here for photos of Home 1 on tour

Click here for photos of Home 2 on tour

Click here for photos of Home 3 on tour

The first house is for sale for $1.9mm US. It was huge, but I didn't like it much. It wasn't decorated and had minimal furniture. The second house is available to rent for $1,000 per week and that would be my choice if I wanted to rent a house. The third house had alot of things I liked and it photographed really well. I especially liked the study and the cheerful bathroom. But I didn't like the southwest art deco living room. Each house had either the owner, the designer, or the artist there. So that was interesting.

After the tour, I came back to my apartment and went through photos and did some reading. Then I went out and took a walk and went to El Tomato for dinner. It was a nice evening. Jennifer went with Lucy to get pedicures. She's moving from her family's house tomorrow - her housesitting job starts then. It'll be nice to have a place to go with a great patio!

Other plans for the week - my last(!) - include visiting an orphanage later in the week. A friend of the woman who Jennifer is living with is a volunteer there, so she invited us. I'm a little nervous about going, but I really want to go. We will also be going to La Gruta hot springs on Wed. And I'm hoping to take a painting or a photography class. I've been working on finding classes at times other than the morning, which has been difficult. With my Spanish class every morning from 9 - 11 a.m., it's been challenging. Hopefully I can swing it. There continues to be lots to do!

Zumba and Guanajuato

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This morning, Jennifer and I headed over to Parque Juarez - a beautiful park that's between my casita and my school. Every Sat morning at 8:30 a.m., there's a Zumba class in the park, led by a man named Cesar. There are usually 100 or so people there. We participated and it was SO MUCH FUN!!! I could not take my eyes off Cesar (although everyone knows he's gay). He just has so much energy and looks GREAT doing these Latin dances! Here's a YouTube of Cesar. This video is a Zumba session with Cesar at the town center (Jardin); I couldn't find a good video of him doing the Parque Juarez class, but you get the idea...

Click to see Cesar

Unfortunately, Jennifer's illness returned. So she made it through most of the Zumba class - it lasts a full hour - but had to run to the "baño" (bathroom) a few times. And they charge for the baños in the park! She soldiered on though. We went to the pharmacia and she got some medicine and we kept going.

We took the bus to Guanajuato, which is about an hour away. I had been wanting to go there, as I'd heard great things about it. (I was going to go a week or so ago with my neighbors, Ron and Artha, the day we made the casita switch. But Artha was sick,so we didn't end up going then.) I really enjoyed the bus ride there, as it was just so nice to be out in the countryside after being in town for so long. We had gotten a late start, though, so we didn't arrive in Guanajuato until about 3 p.m. We took a taxi immediately to the Museo de las Momias. This is a museum of mummies - bodies of people that were buried in the local cemetaries but, because no one claimed them, the bodies were dug up. They were so well preserved that someone decided to make a museum with them! I had somewhat of a macabre fascination and wanted to see this. So you will too...

Click to see the Mummies

From there, we trekked to the Museo Ex Hacienda de San Gabriel. It was a trek because the map showed it right near town, next to a park. But it was not there. It ended up being a taxi ride to the top of a hill a few kilometers out. It was described as the old hacienda of a wealthy silver mining landowner, with a garden. But now it's a hotel with some gardens. The gardens were nice. (There were several weddings going on when we arrived.) We wandered around a bit and stopped for a beer - although Jennifer did hot have a beer. She had her medicine!


Click to see Guanajuato

We headed into town from there and stopped at a hotel restaurant right on the town's Jardin for dinner. The dinner was muy mal (very bad)! It was like a dinner you would get at Casa Bonita! Anyway, it was one of those days. We took the bus from town back to the central bus station and realized that there were no more buses back to San Miguel! It was 8:30 p.m. and the last bus leaves Guanajuato for San Miguel at 7:30 p.m. So, we ended up taking a taxi, which took about 50 minutes and cost about $22 each. It was worth it - we were glad to be back to San Miguel. I never really "got" Guanajuato, although we've since heard that you really need to go with someone who knows their way around because things are hard to find there. We had originally signed up for a tour with Jennifer's school, but they didn't have enough people signed up to do the tour. So we decided to go on our own. Oh well!! At least we had the ZUMBA.....WITH CESAR! YOWSER!!

CLICK HERE FOR MORE ZUMBA WITH CESAR

Spa Day

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Last night, I went with Beth to a fundraiser at Toller Cranston's home/studio. He lives in San Miguel and was a Canadian Olympic skater in the 80's. He's an artist and philanthropist now and is apparently extremely eccentric. His place was unbelievable. I can't even describe it - see photos! We hung out there for a few hours and then went out to dinner with Beth's friend, Jim. Jennifer was not feeling well, so she stayed home.

Click here to View Photos of Fundraiser - then click on Slideshow

Click to hear music

After school today, I went to Bambu Spa and had a hot stone massage...it was great. Bambu Spa is in a hotel, Posada de la Aldea, right across the street from my school. The hotel also has a really nice pool and they let you use it for 50 pesos ($3.80). They have a full menu and waiters, as well as functional showers. I headed there after my massage and spent the day. Jennifer had her massage after mine and met me at the pool. (She's feeling much better.) Tonight we're going out to hear Vudu Chile, a rythm and blues, funk, and soul band.

Artist's Day

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After school, Jennifer and I went out to Fabrica la Aurora, which is the Art and Design Center - a 15 minute walk from the center of town. It was so pleasant out there....I am definitely going back!

Click here to View Photos of Fabrica la Aurora - then click on Slideshow

Jennifer, unfortunately, has come down with the dreaded Montazuma's revenge. She wasn't feeling too good today. Hopefully she'll be feeling better, as we have scheduled our hot stone massages for tomorrow after school.

Things To See

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After school, Jennifer and I went by Joyce's; she is a neighbor of Jennifer's Mexican family and is looking for someone to water her plants while she is out of town for a few days. Jennifer will be taking care of that for her. Joyce is definitely a character. Her place is exactly like her personality - very quirky and incomplete. Joyce will start talking about something and then change the subject completely. I think she's had a very interesting life, as have most of the people who live here. She and her husband worked for the state department. She has lived all over the world. Now she's busy building her house, which in my opinion, is very strange. She has her kitchen where most people have their patio. Upstairs, she has a bathroom in the middle of the room. And she plans to rent out the bedrooms to travelers. I'm not sure if I would rent a room from her, but she's very nice. Very quirky.

Aferwards, I went into town for dinner while Jennifer went and met with Kitty, who she'll be housesitting for starting this Sunday. Kitty's place is right around the corner and it's quite nice. The neighbors, though, are very poor. They throw their trash out into their yard and they have a dog that has mange. I have never seen a dog with mange before and it's pretty bad. But I think the housesitting gig will be a great deal for Jennifer and her boyfriend, Joe, when he gets here on May 1. It's in a wonderful location and has a patio with a phenomenal view. And the bedroom has full length sliding glass doors that open up to a view of San Miguel that is really amazing. I know they'll love it. And the best part is that it's FREE!

Tomorrow (Thurs), we 're going to go to the Fabrica la Aurora, which is where alot of the artists' studios are located. Thursday is Open Studio day, so it should be interesting. Afterward, we're going to the "Oz" fundraiser, hosted by an ex-Olympian from Canada. His house is supposedly amazing!

Here are some shots from today. While I was eating dinner, I noticed a girl across the street who was selling flowers. I could not stop watching her. I know that kids are left to sell their dolls and flowers by their families and that it's a hard life. I watched her and watched her. I wanted to take more pictures of her when I left the restaurant, but she was gone. Then, when I went around the corner, there she was. I asked her in very poor Spanish if it was ok to take her picture and I gave her some pesos...I think the equivalent of about a dollar. I didn't want to give too much or too little, but I wanted to give her something. I indicated that I didn't want her to smile. She was heartbreaking...and so cute!

Click here to View Photos - then click on Slideshow

Mi Amigos

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After school today, Jennifer and I went to listen to a talk about Guanajuato at the Biblioteca. However, I didn't realize that it was going to be a talk about MINING in Guanajuato! So, I got a nice little nap and then we came back here. Jennifer has been using the phone here to work with Travelocity, who has changed her itinerary about six times now. The last time, they had no final leg home to Denver and told her she would have to buy a ticket home on her own, because Aeromexico cancelled their flight. She fought hard and got it worked out, luckily!

Tonight I went over to Beth's to watch American Idol. I get cable television here, and I even get Fox but, for some reason, not the specific Fox channel that broadcasts American Idol. Beth lives about 2 minutes away and she gets that channel - so I got my FIX! Go ADAM! Although Kris did really great tonight!!

I'm invited to a charity event on Thursday evening that is being given by an apparently very wealthy ex-Canadian Olympic skater who lives in town. His house is said to be HUGE - an entire block and decorated to the hilt. So I'm excited to go to that....

Here are some photos of mi amigos: Mario from the market where I buy my fruits and vegetables. Rufi the gardener - which I think is Raphael, but it sounds like Rufi; Laura H/A specifically requested that one! Also included a shot of my patio,which is very nice.

Click here to View Photos - then click on Slideshow

Day of Rest

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I pretty much took it easy today. After school, I went over to the Bambu Day Spa at the Posada de la Aldea Hotel, which is right across the street from my school, the Intsituto de Allende. I just went to check it out and to look around. The spa is small, but looks nice and they have some pretty good deals: 50 minute hot stone massage for $36. The hotel also has a nice pool, which you can use for another $3. So I think I'll go back on Friday for the massage and I'll hang out at the pool in the afternoon.

I hung out around my casita today because the neighbors (the ones I traded with...and traded back) went out - all 8 of them. There are 4 adults and 4 kids now and they've been driving me a little nuts. They are ALWAYS out on the patio, which is just below my window - when I get up, when I get home from school, when I get home from going out in the evening...always! The other day, the 4 kids were on MY patio eating their breakfast and leaving their sticky candy on the patio table. I was appalled. At least I don't have to feel guilty anymore about the switch/switch back thing. I'm so over that! I can't wait for the family with the kids to leave - and they leave tomorrow!! This afternoon, they all went out. It was SO quiet!! So I hung out here and then went out for a late lunch at El Tomato. I had a delicious curry tuna sandwich on toast. I love that place.

Jennifer and I met this evening and went to a movie at the Biblioteca (library). The movie was right up my alley....very dark. It's called Daughter of Keltoum, about a woman who returns home to the desert of Algeria to find her mother. It was depressing but fascinating. And I think the woman who played her aunt was the best actress I have EVER seen.

Jennifer is using my phone now, fighting with Travelocity because they have changed her itinerary home SIX times!! Warning: never fly AEROMEXICO!!!

Tomorrow I'm going to go to a talk and slide show about Guanajuato. I've been trying to get there, so maybe they'll give me some good ideas about taking a quick trip there. Tomorrow night is free salsa dancing at Mama Mia's. So much to do! I've been saying that the only stress I have is that there are TOO many things to do here. They often overlap - which is a good problem to have.

Hopefully tomorrow I'll get back on the camera wagon!!

Buenos Noches...

Easter Sunday

Signe, Beth, and Jennifer met me at my place at 11:30 this morning and we all walked down to the Jardin to watch the "burning of Judas," which is a paper mache life size figure that is blown up with firecrackers. They actually blow up about 12 figures and it's a pretty fun event, although it's very loud. Afterward, Signe, Jennifer and I went to Mama Mia's, which offers a great Sunday brunch. Then we walked up to Signe's house to take a look. It's a very large casita, three stories, and really beautiful...very traditional San Miguel. We had freshly made lemonado (which is made with limes, water, and sugar). Then Jennifer and I walked over to Gerri's - a classmate of Jennifer's - to study Spanish. She also lives in a beautiful house that she's renting. She served appetizers and wine and we talked more about the experiences she's had living in the Gaza Strip, and other equally exotic places, than we did studying Spanish. It was a really nice evening.

I took lots of pictures today...over 150. Pictures of the multiple Judas' being blown up, and the beautiful houses we saw today. Unfortunately, I experienced my first photography snafu. I downloaded all the pictures to my computer and then deleted them off of the camera card. BUT, the computer file to which I'd copied the photos experienced an error, so I lost all the pictures!! Very disappointing. Lesson learned: DO NOT DELETE PHOTOS OFF THE CARD UNTIL THE DOWLOADED COMPUTER FILE HAS BEEN VERIFIED. Tough lesson, and bad timing. Darn.

Instead of pictures, today is a story. Pat, the owner of Casa de Aparicio (where I'm staying) gave me this story because I told her I like good writing. It's written by a man who visits San Miguel often and the places referenced are very nearby. So I took some photos and embedded them. I really like this story!!

Click Here to read the story.....Doña Trinidad Speaks of the Other

Back to school tomorrow. I'm going to check out the hotel across from school because I heard they have a hot stone massage for a very reasonable price. Maybe that will help me forget about all the pictures I lost....

I hope everyone back home had a VERY HAPPY EASTER!!

More Adventures

I went horseback riding today with Beth's boyfriend, Leno. His son, Rodrigo, is partners with a rancher named Javiar and they run a horseback riding and hot air ballooning adventure business. Last night, Leno and Rodrigo rode up to the hotel/bar where we were - we were in/on the rooftop bar, looking for fireworks. Today, they picked us up in their van at 12 noon and we headed out to a canyon in the mountains. The ride to the ranch was 40 minutes. And the horse ride was 3 hours long and VERY authentic. We rode through desert and mountains, up steep trails, and down into rivers. We galloped alot. I felt pretty safe, though, because there was a couple from Barcelona with their 5-year old son. It was alot of fun. Rodrigo took many photos and filmed us galloping, but apparently he makes a DVD to sell, so unless Beth gets the photos from him, I may never see them. We got back at 7 p.m. and I REALLY wanted to be able to jump into a hot springs pool then!!

Just a few photos here....

Click here to View Photos - then click on Slideshow

I'm dead tired and staying home to do laundry tonight. It's 10 p.m. and it sounds like all the bells in town are going off. They've been silent since yesterday morning and now they're ringing for Easter. Tomorrow at noon, we're going to the Jardin (town center) to watch the "exploding of Judas."

Processions....and more processions

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Today was a really great day! I went down to The Temple del Oratorio at 9 a.m. because there was supposed to be a children's choir service. Instead it turned out to be a stations of the cross service, which was interesting. After that, I headed out and ran into one of the Good Friday processions, the Viernes Santo. I watched that and then headed up to the Jardin (city center) and ran into another procession. So I watched that one too. Then I met Beth, my local realtor friend, at my house and we went out to the Taboada Hot Springs. It was wonderful! They have an olympic size hot springs pool and huge palm trees - all surrounded by lush green fields. It was very refreshing. We floated in the pool for a long time and then got out and had a Micheladas - cerveza and tomato juice....very refreshing! Then we headed back to town and watched another procession.

Tomorrow we're going horseback riding!

Click here to View Photos - then click on Slideshow

House Tour

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Toured a house that's for sale today. So if you're wondering what $259k will buy in San Miguel, take a look...

Click here to View Photos - then click on Slideshow

Pretty tired tonight. Had blackberry margaritas after touring the home and visiting with the owners - David and Kat - in their "city, hippy pad." Today, ran into: Patrice who is staying at one of the casitas where I am and is also going to Jennifer's school; Artha who is in Casita #4 and entertaining her family; and Signe who I met at a talk on Semana Santa and went to a play with. This is such a small town that, even after just less than two weeks, we keep running into people we know. Such an interesting experience!

Busy Day

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I was supposed to go to Guanajuato yesterday with Ron and Artha, but since Artha was not feeling well, we didn't go. They had just swapped casitas with me and I was feeling out of sorts myself. I was originally in casita #5, which is VERY nice. Ron and Artha were in casita #4 and I saw it briefly when I first arrived. But #5 is VERY nice! I offered to switch with Ron and Artha because their family was coming and I thought they'd really like having more space. They agreed to switch and then I was VERY sorry. I missed #5 alot and started getting annoyed with myself for changing. (Plus, everyone was asking "what were you thinking?!") We both paid the same , but I had gotten a really good deal on mine because it came available at the last minute. Anyway, I talked to the manager and she said if I was really regretting my decision, that I should just talk to Ron and Artha and tell them that I felt I'd made a mistake. So that's what I did. It was hard, but they were very nice. And we have now switched back. Their family has arrived and they are taking over the place. I'm doubly glad now that I'm where I am because I'm a little above all of them and I have my privacy. So, all is well again!

So last night, Jennifer and I went out to Ladies Night to celebrate that I had my apartment back. We met some nice ladies at an outdoor cafe and had muy margaritas! I was a little fuzzy this morning, but I'm feeling back to normal now and so glad to be back in my place. After school today, Jennifer and I took a swimming lesson from a master swimmer who lives here; her name is Joan. The lesson was really helpful. Later we headed into the town center to do a little shopping. The book store we were looking for was closed, so we decided to have a margarita! It's very tempting to have margaritas because a) they're very good and b) they're always 2 for 1, and cost about $2 ea.

While heading back home, we stopped in a place called Mama Mia's where they have salsa dancing lessons. Jennifer had a lesson from "Felipe" and I held the coats. That was fun! :)

Then we started on our way again and ran into the Procession of Sr de la Columna - very nice, with characters and singing....these processions will be going on for days!

Tomorrow I'm going to try to go see a condo/apartment that's for sale. I talked to the owner and told him I would call to set up a time to come over.I'm not planning to buy - just looking! Here are the photos from today...

Click here to View Photos - then click on Slideshow

Life in San Miguel

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There's a Yahoo group here that many gringos post to regarding topics of interest - things to see and do, restaurants to try, etc. Someone in San Miguel posted a notice re: Worst Manicure Of My Life...

And here was someone named Mario's response...

Posted by: "Mario" sopelote@yahoo.com
Sun Apr 5, 2009 5:13 pm (PDT)

Life can be hard in San Miguel...

I was supposed to go to Guanajuato with Ron and Artha today, but Artha's not feeling well. So I'm working on a new plan. Jennifer was going to take a bus to the "Tuesday Market," so I'll probably do that with her. I'm not enjoying my new casita much. I didn't realize how good I had it. The apartment where I was staying would be considered luxury compared to the one I'm in now. The bed is really hard, the pillows are lumpy, and there's a bright light out of my window. There are more things I could gripe about, but I'm trying not to complain about the "worst manicure I ever had." Life is relative! It's too bad, though, that I'm regretting being generous...

New Digs

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Jennifer made it to San Miguel from Denver! She arrived at the casa of her host Mexican family at 1 a.m. Saturday night - right before daylight savings time arrived here. (We are now on Central time, although it was handier when we were on Mountain time!) She had a near catastrophe, though, because, after nearly two hours in customs, there was no shuttle to meet her. Then when she went to pre-pay for a cab, she couldn't find her wallet! She had to retrace her steps, going back through customs, and checking all her bags. She finally found it - and luckily the van as well. Fortunately, a bad situation was avoided. I went to her host casa at 10 a.m. Sunday morning and had breakfast with the family - mom (Lourdes is the only name I remember), dad, 22 year old daughter and 9 year old son. They're very nice people and I know Jennifer is going to learn Spanish much quicker than me. In fact, she was already conversing with them during breakfast, while I sat there grinning saying, "si" every few minutes. I have already teased Jennifer mercilessly though, because the first thing she said when she arrived in Customs at the Mexico City airport and they asked, "Como estás?" (how are you?), was " yo estoy muy caliente." What she was meaning to say was that she was really hot, since it was very hot there. But, as Elvira told me MANY times, NEVER SAY YO ESTOY CALIENTE! A "hot" person, especially a woman, is bad. What Jennifer said, essentially, was "I am a whore." The customs agent, a man, laughed as if he'd heard that one before.

So, after breakfast yesterday, Jennifer and I toured around town. We went to the Jardin and took a look at the de Allende museum that Presidente Calderon had dedicated the day before. Then we did a little shopping - Jennifer needed a toothbrush and a hat. We made our way down to my school and looked around. My school (Instituto Allende) is about a 15 minute walk from my casita. Jennifer is also going to be going to school in the morning, but her's (Academia Espanol) is just down the street from me. Her program will be more intense than mine. We continued our walk through the town park (Parque Juarez) and back. It was a nice day. We rested for awhile at our respective homes and then went out for pizza.

Click here to View Photos - then click on Slideshow

We both went to school this morning. Before I headed off, I packed my stuff to make the casita switch. I organized my new place after school and then went for a swim. Jennifer started school today and then went to her host family's son's piano recital. We're getting together after awhile to go wander around town.

Tomorrow, I'm going to go with my neighbors, Ron and Artha, to Guanajuato. It's a town about 90 kilometers away and we'll take the bus. I've heard great things about the town and am anxious to check out the mummy museum. I'm going to "ditch" school so I can go, since it would be too difficult to try to do just in an the afternoon. I'm going to call Elvira tonight and tell her I won't be there. Jennifer will go to school tomorrow, but they apparently do outings to Guanajuato, so she'll be able to go another time. And I may go again.

Friends in High Places

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Went last night to see the play "Kitty and Luna" at the Teatro (Theatre) in the Biblioteca Pública (Public Library). It was a very good two woman show about two completely different women and their struggles with living in New York City. The theatre company is from Albuquerque and the acting was very good. I went with Signe, my new friend from New York. Before the play, we went out and had a great soup and salad dinner. Right after dinner, before the theatre, there was a huge fireworks display in the Jardin (city center) and I was able to stand outside the restaurant and watch. Signe was in the restroom and unfortunately missed it - it didn't last long. Signe is very intellectual and she reminds me of my mom's friend, Valora Kenny.

When I got home, I had an e-mail from Beth, the receptionist at one of the local real estate offices here. We met earlier in the week when she came by to show another woman my apartment. Check this out:

----- Original Message -----
From: Beth Kaestner
To: colleen costello
Sent: Sat, 4 Apr 2009 01:37:49 +0000 (UTC)
Subject: Re: SUNDAY

Hola Colleen -

I'm thinking that I will go to church tomorrow since it will be palm sunday. I think I have Good Friday off and will go to the hot springs but will confirm with work and let you know. Thinking possibly of going horse riding on Easter Sunday but we can talk later about that........................... Glad you are having a good time. This evening I was in the Jardin and I shook El Presidente Calderone's hand as well as we kissed each other on the cheek! I'm a lucky gal................................................

Best Laid Plans

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Today, Saturday, I went down to the Jardin (town center) at 10:15 a.m. to join a tour called "Saturday Adventure Tours," which is done every Saturday and the topic changes from week to week. Today the tour was supposed to be an "ode to cement," which is a tour of someone's house that is made almost entirely of cement. This includes his polished kitchen counter tops and his 2nd floor office (which also has a big white tub). The 3rd floor terrace has a massive cactus garden. Sounds interesting! And then after the tour, we were supposed to see a horse dressage show on an elegant "Rancho El Encanto." When I arrived at the Jardin this morning, however, there were barricades around it and everyone had to go through a metal detector and have their bags checked before going into the square. Once I got in, there were about 20 other people, all gringos, waiting for the tour. A local man, Jose the volunteer, was there and I talked to him as we waited for the tour coordinators to arrive. He didn't know what all the security was for and didn't know why the coordinators weren't there. Finally, someone called the office and was told the tour was cancelled because the bus couldn't get to the square. At that point, I saw my neighbors, Ron and Artha. (They are in casita #4, while I am in casita #5. More on that later, as there is a story to tell.) The three of us headed off to see if we could find out why the square was blocked off. We noticed alot of police around and Ron asked one of them what was going on. It turns out the President of Mexico(!) is apparently in town - President Felipe Calderón. They said he's here to dedicate the reopening of the San Miguel de Allende museum, which is right there at the Jardin! Wow. Not sure if that's good or bad, as he's not well-liked by the drug lords of Mexico! Anyway, we wandered off and went for a lemonada at the cafe in the monestary at the Templo de la Inmaculada Concepción. Then we went our separate ways and I tried to surreptitiously take a photo of the police. I thought I probably shouldn't try too hard, though, as I didn't want to lose my camera....

Click here to View Photos - then click on Slideshow

After wandering for awhile, I decided to try to find the house where Jennifer will be staying. (Jennifer is my friend from Denver who is coming tomorrow. She'll be staying for a month, with a local Mexican family.) I started out from my house, with my map and her address. I ended up getting a little lost. That's the first time I've felt like I didn't know where I was or felt a little uncomfortable. But I finally asked a man how to find the street I was looking for and he pointed me in the right direction. It took 20 minutes from when I left my house to when I found hers. But I realized when I headed home that it's actually LESS THAN THREE MINUTES AWAY! I'm going to pick her up tomorrow at 10 a.m. and now I'm glad that I "practiced."

Tonight I'm meeting Signe for dinner at the cafe in the Biblioteca (library) at 7 p.m. and then we're going to a play there at 8 p.m. Signe is the woman from New York who I met here on Thursday when I went to hear a talk on Semana Santa. Hopefully this evening will go smoother than this morning's did!

(As for Ron and Artha - they are a very nice couple visiting from Cleveland. They've been here many times and several of their kids are coming to stay here as well, in the various casitas. Ron and Artha's casita is smaller than mine. Theirs has a medium sized kitchen, living room, and bedroom, and a large bathroom. Mine has a large kitchen, medium living room, dining room, and bedroom, and a small bathroom. Because their family is coming, I offered to switch casitas with them so they would have a larger kitchen and a dining room. Hopefully I won't be sorry. But it just seemed logical that they have the larger unit. And the one they're in now is very cute. Plus, I think I'd rather have a larger bathroom and smaller kitchen than vice versa! The swicheroo is happening on Monday.)

April 3, Vierne de Dolores

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The last Friday of Lent honors Nuestra Señora de los Dolores (Our Lady of Sorrows), paying homage to the anguish of the Virgin Mary. The four dozen fountains in town are cleaned and decorated with flowers (lilies and chamomile), purple and white crepe paper and chains of fruit, especially oranges. Beautiful home altars, some simple, others elaborate, are constructed around an image of La Virgen de los Dolores.

Click here to View Photos - then click on Slideshow

Social Life

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Today I went to a talk after school at the Hotel Posada de San Francisco in the Jardin (city center). The talk was given by Charlotte Bell, who wrote a book about Semana Santa (Holy Week) which starts a week before Easter and lasts for two weeks. Apparently it's bigger than any other holiday here, including Christmas. Charlotte talked about the meaning of all the processions that will be occurring, as well as their locations and the best places to watch. It was very informative. I met a woman at the talk, named Signe Hammer. She's from New York and spends time here when she can. She's a writer and she said she's currently working on a mystery novel. We walked over to the Jardin after the talk and had a cold limonada at an outside cafe. Then we walked to the Biblioteca (library) and bought tickets for a play for Saturday night. We're going to meet there for the play. So I made a new friend today!

When I left Signe, I walked up to the health food store and bought some fish oil pills and some drops that you take IF you get sick. So far, I'm fine. But I want to be prepared....

Last night, I went out to dinner at El Tomato. It's a restaurant I've been hearing about on the Yahoo San Miguel de Allende group. That's a group of ex-pats living in San Miguel who communicate via this online group about what's happening in San Miguel. They talk about things like where the best restaurants are, where to get your car fixed, how to get the bus to the hot springs, etc. It's an interesting site, as there are plenty of soap operas as well. It seems everybody here reads it, although nobody admits to contributing to it. Anyway, my dinner was REALLY good. I have a new favorite restaurant now!

Tomorrow I'm planning to go to the Santa Domingo Sports Club after school and celebrate that I'll have a weekend off from Spanish class! Jennifer arrives Saturday and I'm going to meet her at her host family's house on Sunday morning. I have our itinerary planned - pick up Jennifer and have a look at where she'll be living; go to the Santa Domingo Sports Club to have a look; go to my casita to have a look; go by Jennifer's school; and go by my school. OR, plan B is pick up Jennifer and go with her and Beth to the hot springs! Beth is the receptionist at the real estate office; she stopped by the other day. (I thought her name was Becky, but it's Beth.) She goes to the hot springs every Sunday, in her car. She said we could go along. I have a feeling she goes early so I'm not sure if it will work out this Sunday or not. We'll see.

I'm kind-of tired tonight. I did alot of walking today and it was pretty hot - I'd say low 80's. It seems strange that they've been having all that snow in Colorado! Guess I left just in time!

Maestro, Schmeistro

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I am really enjoying my coffee in my casita in the morning and then my walk through town to school. I go from 9 - 11 every morning. I asked Elvira today if I could sometimes come in the afternoon instead. She said, "NO." She's mean. She looks innocent and everything, and small, and sweet. But don't let her looks and personality fool you! Here are some photos of Elvira and my classroom and the campus.

Click here to View Photos - then click on Slideshow

In these pictures, the older man is waiting outside the principal's office. He was caught chewing gum in Elvira's class. There are also some pictures of my walk home from school today. The colors are washed out because the light is kind of flat at 11 a.m. But I'm going to do this walk later in the afternoon one of these days - which would be much easier if I could just go to class occasionally in the afternoon. But noooooo. By the way, the last photo, of the "man in the window," is the hot gardener working right outside the window of my casita. Of course!!

After school today, I went to the Santo Domingo Sports Club. They have a small, covered outdoor pool and an exercise room. And it's a 10 minute walk from my casita. I bought a monthly membership for 550 pesos, which is $39 US. I went for a swim and then had a long, hot shower. Very nice.

I'm going to venture out soon and try El Tomato, supposed to be a very good vegetarian restaurant. Laura H/A, you would THRIVE here! The fruit and vegetables are fantastic! Or maybe I'm just super hungry all the time because I'm being careful what I eat. But I think all the fresh food is great!

To and Fro My School I Go

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Elvira is mean!

School is every day from 9 - 11 and my teacher is frustrated with me already. Uh oh, in the dog house! Also, I'm hungry. But my apple is soaking in microdyn, so I can't eat it yet. Good thing I brought Top Ramon! May not matter soon, though, as I made the fatal mistake of brushing my teeth in tap water for the first 2 days! I finally remembered today. I think I must go into a trance when I'm in the bathroom. You're supposed to put ALL toilet paper in the trash after using (ewww) and I keep forgetting. So I have to, uh, retrieve it (ewwwww!!!!!) every time. Then I wash my hands profusely and do the same thing again the next time! I'm doooooomed! Doooomed I tell ya!

Have downloaded some photos I took during my evening stroll last night.

Click Here to View Photos - then click on Slideshow

I found my favorite restaurant! Of course, it's the only restaurant I've tried, but I know it's going to be my favorite...Woolis Kaban. They have great food - breakfast, lunch, and dinner. And they have happy hour from 5 - 8, Jazz on Wed from 8 - 10, and live music on the weekends. Hoping to find Santo Domingo Sports Club today. I think it's nearby and they have a weight room with treadmill, stationary bikes, and a 25-meter pool.

Must study spanish...must study espanol...debe estudiar español!!

Monday - First Day of School

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I slept last night like I have not slept in years! My head hit the pillow and the next thing I heard was the roosters....they were in the distance and very quaint. Got up and headed out at 8:30 a.m. and ran into the casita owner, Pat. She confirmed that I was headed in the right direction to go to the Instituto Allende, where I planned to enroll in a Spanish class for 2 hours per day, 5 days per week, for 4 weeks. It's a beautiful day...sunny, a little breezy - perfect. As I headed down the colorful, cobblestone streets, I saw it...couldn't resist it....yes....Starbuck's. (We all have to ease into it at our own pace!) With my tall drip in hand - nothing fancy today - I continued on my way. My casita is only a few blocks from the Jardin, the center of town, hard to miss. From there, I continued on a few more blocks to the Instituto Allende. I enrolled in my "class" and it turns out I'm the only student! So I get one-on-one with Elvira, a fun, warm, 68-year old Mexican woman, who speaks fairly good English, although she's good at being strict with the Spanish speaking. Elvira is married but has no kids and lives 20 minutes beyond where I'm staying. For her, it's a 30 minute walk to the Intituto. She demonstrated walking and pointed out what good legs she has. She spent 2 hours with me and then showed me where the Bonanza is - which is for getting supplies like dish washing soap and toilet paper. That's as opposed to the mercado, or market, where you buy fresh fruits and vegetables. I feel really luck to have Elvira as my instructor, so I will try to be a good estudiante (student).

Had two visitors after I arrived home from the Bonanza - Becky and Loy, both American women, and permanent residents of San Miguel. Loy is looking for a place to rent, as she is currently not as central as she wants to be. Becky is the receptionist at the real estate office. My casita is an actual apartment that has been rented by the same woman for the past two years. She just moved out before I arrived, so presumably Pat, the owner, will be renting it again when I leave. Pat wasn't here when the women arrived, so they knocked on my door. I gave them a tour and Loy loves it! We wandered around as I pointed out the large dressing room, the extra closet, the two patios, and the piece de resistance...the kitchen! So my new friend Loy is going to call and/or visit again and Becky's going to call me the next time she goes horseback riding with her boyfriend from Mexico City or when she goes to the Taboada hot springs, where they have an Olympic size pool!

This is what I'm hearing as I sit in my kitchen....

Click here to listen to the sounds of San Miguel - Black-headed Siskin

And now I'm off to find some food and books for studying my Spanish...and hopefully to take some photos.

Estoy aquí

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I have arrived! It's been a long day - Jennifer and Joe picked me up at 5:15 a.m. this morning and very generously took me to the airport in Denver. Early hour was a bit of overkill, as foreign travel doesn't seem to be the issue it once was. (Sorry J and J to make you come so early!) Flight left at 8:15 a.m. to Phoenix, then to Mexico City, arriving at 2 p.m. Flying into Mexico City is really something. It's huge! A swimming pool in every yard? Hardly! But a church on nearly every corner. Many of the apartment buildings resemble orange and red legos. And the skyscrapers line the main boulevard like vegetation along the Platte River - ha! It was a clear day and quite impressive. The brown cloud didn't seem too bad. Once in Mexico City, I whizzed through customs and headed up to the bus terminal in the aeropuerto to catch a first class bus to Queretaro. That was a 3 hour ride. Then x-ferred to another bus to San Miguel. Rode that 1 hour bus ride with my new friend, Lisa. She's from California and came here alone, because her "sensitive" boyfriend didn't have the money at the last minute. He cried when he told her he couldn't come. Hmmm, wonder if I'll meet him when he gets the cash? She and I shared a taxi from the bus station in San Miguel, as she's staying nearby - arrived here at 9:30 p.m.

Was greeted by Pat, the owner, and met several of my neighbors right away, although they all seem to be leaving at the end of the month. So I guess it'll be a new batch next week. My place is a large apartment with a huge kitchen and a great patio area. (Jennifer, as suspected, the bathroom is small. So no getting any of those nasty bugs for me!) I haven't seen much, as it's dark outside, but so far it looks great! Managed to get absolutely EVERYTHING unpacked - as anyone who's ever traveled with me knows I ALWAYS do right away. Then sat down with a Snack Box that LUCKILY I had purchased on the flight over, just in case I didn't feel like my Ramon Noodles and oatmeal that I packed, just in case. That snack box is absolutely my LAST junk food....ever...after this one last OREO! Start Spanish class tomorrow. Hope to be able to post lots of pictures. And I hope this ain't too boring!!! Adios....buenas noches. C

Colleen's San Miguel de Allende Mexico Adventure Begins Tomorrow

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Heading to San Miguel de Allende, in central Mexico, on Sunday March 29. I'll be there for one month. Plans are to arrive in Mexico City at 2 p.m., then take a 3 hour bus to Queretaro. Then transfer to a 1 hour bus to San Miguel. Then I'll take a taxi to my casita, Casa de Aparicio.

Mexico map and mi casita....
http://www.casadeaparicio.com/index.php?lengua=eng&pagina=location