La Buena Vida...The Good Life in San Miguel!

Having settled in comfortably to our beautiful villa on the edge of the Centro, we began the delightful task of exploring the city in earnest. Imagine if you can a city of 80,000 people whose every street is paved in stone, and where despite a significant (although not annoying) amount of automobile traffic, there is not a single stop sign or light. Instead there is a sort of unspoken code between drivers, pedestrians, and the occasional burro, and traffic flows remarkably well. The drivers are fairly courteous and seem to get by without a great deal of honking that seems to go on in a lot of the other Latin American cities we have visited. Cars do seem to have the right of way however, and pedestrians must sometimes wait their turn. The cobblestone streets are mostly pretty narrow, and the sidewalks if there are any are narrower yet. Top it all off with a fair number of steep hills, and navigating the city is an exercise in paying attention!

Our regimen of walking everyday before our trip is paying off as we have chosen to walk everywhere so far instead of taking a taxi or bus. Being in the hills at 6500 ft, this has resulted in some fairly strenuous days, as we have consistently covered a minimum of 5-10 miles per day. To do this, we have sort of settled into a routine where we leave the house fairly early while it is still cool, check out the destinations we have planned for the day until about 1 pm, eat some lunch, and then head back to the villa to get out of the afternoon sun and catch  up on some writing. As the early evening approaches and the day begins to cool down, we head back into town for either some dinner, or some evening sightseeing and drinks. This seems to be working pretty well, and both of us feel stronger and more acclimated every day. The nights are quite comfortable here, so other than the previously mentioned outbreak of fireworks warfare, with all the exercise we have also been sleeping very well.

Feeling a bit more adventurous, we decided to do some grocery shopping as the villa has a well equipped kitchen and a delightful eating area. This is one activity where Spanish is nearly a must, so be prepared to point and grunt and hold out handfuls of money in hopes that you will get the right thing at the right price. My Spanish is improving by the day, and so far I have done pretty well, but the occasional faux pas has been more than covered by the gracious street vendors who seem more than happy to help you. On more than one occasion, I have handed them the wrong assortment of change, and they have always handed me back the extra. On our second day, we visited the Ignacio Ramirez Mercado, a large and bustling Mercado in Centro and tried our hand at shopping. Fruits, meats, and vegetables are plentiful here, but do not expect to shop like you do at home. You visit with individual vendors, compare their goods, and pick the ones you like best. For meats you visit the carneceria, but for chicken the polleria, and so on until you have filled the bag you brought with you from home with everything you need. It is a delightful way to shop and most of the vendors are cheerful and funny.

After a full day of sightseeing, walking, and shopping, we are always ready for a drink, and Mexico offers plenty of choices. There are bars and cafes everywhere, and in San Miguel you can always look for rooftop seating if you would like a spectacular view of the city at sunset. Of course Tequila or Mezcal are the drinks of choice here, but we were delighted to discover that the craft beer scene is Mexico is exploding, and San Miguel has not been left behind. We found both the local brands of Dos Aves and Allende beers to be nicely crafted and a far cry from the more traditional Mexican beers like Corona. We had an absolutely delightful meal at La Azotea, where the Jicama Tacos are not to be missed! These unique tacos are made with breaded cameron (shrimp) roasted leeks, topped with one slightly sweet and one slightly spicy sauce, and wrapped in a tortilla made from a thin slice of the Jicama plant. They are unbelievable!

For yet another day, San Miguel is showing us that everywhere you turn and every street you walk down offers a new and delightful experience and an adventure that is not to be missed.

Our First Day...Part Two!

Morning in San Miguel

We had planned to get up early so we could start our adventures before the heat of the day. What we hadn't counted on was the outbreak of World War III at 5 am. While I am not sure what the occasion was, it would seem that morning itself may just be reason enough here, and well before dawn the shelling began. Mostly just high explosives this time and with less of the showy displays, but for the next two hours the sound of thousands of rounds echoed off the hills. Not to be outdone, and certainly not content with letting me sleep for even a minute longer then necessary, the church bells started to chime throughout the city as well. Coffee seemed like the only antidote, so we got a pot going and wandered out into the now nearly morning light to enjoy this unusual but effective wake up call. My theory was that since most residents take a siesta in the afternoon, no one would be disturbed by this tumultuous display of firepower. Remarkably, an afternoon nap was already beginning to sound like a good idea. Shortly after 7, the shelling stopped (apparently just in time for the roosters and dogs to have their turn), and we sipped coffee until it was time to head into town.

Cobblestones and Bugs

As we walked the half mile or so into town, I had a chance to think about some of the things you notice about Mexico in general, and San Miguel in particular. One of my first observations was made as we came from the airport in the shuttle. While the van was relatively new and very clean, the shocks were not, and during the 1-1/2 hour ride we seemed to find every bump and pothole there was to be found. This resulted in a punishing blow to my spine and kidneys and Kate kept giving me the evil eye every time we hit a bump and a reflexive groan would escape. We also found out that while driving at very high speeds and passing almost anywhere and everywhere is a national pastime, replacing those worn out shocks apparently is not. The cobblestone streets of San Miguel provide a bone shattering ride that make the GM Proving Grounds look like a kiddie-ride at Disneyland. Virtually every vehicle that rumbles by is in desperate need of new shocks, and you can almost feel the body bottoming out on the frame. Surprisingly, there are a number of older vehicles still on the road including the venerable VW Bug. While they too have no suspension left whatsoever, they have somehow managed to survive this punishment and are still chugga-chugging down the road.

The other thing we learned right away is that the people of San Miguel are on the whole very, very friendly. They greet you as you walk down the street, they help you if you look lost, and they tolerate you when you butcher their language worse than Hannibal Lector. They smile, they laugh, and even when the language is a big barrier, they try and be nice. I am sure that drug dealers, rapists, and murderers live among them, just like they do in our country, but on the whole I feel as safe and more welcome here than any city I have ever traveled to in the US. We don't need a wall, we need a bridge!

Our First Day...Part One!

Yesterday was our first full day in SMA, and a full day it was indeed! Despite our long journey, we awoke early and walked to a nearby Hotel for breakfast. We knew it was going to be a bit on the spendy side, but we decided this first day to just take it easy and enjoy. The food was delicious, and Kate ordered an omelette with Huitlacoche which I had been eager to try. Huitlacoche, or as it is known in the US by the much more attractive name of Corn Smut, is a delicacy here. Corn Smut is a plant disease caused by the pathogenic fungus Ustilago maydis that causes the smut on corn. The smut forms galls on the corn and imparts a distinctive flavor that is hard to describe. It is eaten usually as a filling in a variety of foods including quesadillas, tacos, omelettes, etc. It is occasionally available in the US and you should try it if you see it!

After breakfast, we walked down the long and somewhat steep hill that leads to the El Jardin, a park in the center of town around which the Centro or downtown area is centered. In addition to being a Unesco World Heritage Site due to the 500 year old architecture and the cobblestone streets, SMA is also a tourist town. Everyone talks about the large Expat population here, but in reality most of the people you see are actually Mexicans. It is a very popular destination for middle-class Mexicans who come from the big cities to get away from the hustle and bustle and enjoy the street vendors, cathedrals, fiestas, and fireworks.

We spent the better part of the day in Centro, stopping for lunch at a small corner cafe (three fish tacos and a lemonade..delicious!), having a beer at a rooftop cantina overlooking the city, and tasting Mezcal at a small tasting room. After a brief rest back at the villa, we headed back into town to check out a small Panaderia & Bar we had seen earlier in the day. This turned out to be an excellent choice, as they not only served some local craft beers, they also served one of the freshest, tastiest, turkey sandwiches I have ever had the pleasure to consume. The bread was baked fresh on location, and the turkey tasted like it was just sliced off my mom's Thanksgiving turkey!

Back to the villa for the rest of the evening, we were treated once again to a cacophony of fireworks and church bells. Apparently the locals here REALLY like fireworks (more on this later), and it would seem that just about any occasion is a good excuse to fire off a few thousand rounds. As long as your at it you might as well ring some bells. The effect is a bit tumultuous, but brings a certain flavor to the town that you certainly don't get back in the states.

Bedtime came relatively early once again, as the combination of altitude, sun, miles of walking on cobblestone streets, food, beers, and a couple of shots of tequila all began to take their toll. We decided we would wake up pretty early so we could enjoy a little more time before the heat of the day set in, when it really is a good idea to head back to the villa and take a little siesta or work on the blog. Little did we know just how, or how early we would be awakened!

The trip begins...delays and a chance meeting!

Sometimes things happen for a reason and while our trip to San Miguel de Allende was challenging, there was a serendipitous ending that made the trip all the more special. More on that later in  the story, so read on!

Unfortunately, our flight from Oregon was delayed, and we actually went out on the runway for take-off twice before we finally departed, This resulted in us arriving in San Francisco hopelessly late for our next leg to Los Angeles. Already midnight, we resigned ourselves to spending the night at the airport to catch a flight to Houston for our rerouted trip to Mexico in the morning.

While the twenty year-old adventure traveler that still lurks inside my mind did not have a problem with this, my significantly older grumpy old man body was not particularly pleased! It has been many years since I spent the night curled up on a bench in the waiting area of an airport, and I must say I do prefer a good night in a hotel.

It was a long night, and we didn't get much sleep through the constant blaring of PA announcements to a deserted airport, combined with the maintenance workers polishing the floors with a machine just slightly smaller than a Canadian Hockey League Zamboni! Eventually, morning came and after choking down a hideously overpriced airport breakfast, we were on our way and arrived in Houston mid-afternoon.

The next leg of our journey was on to Leon, Mexico where we would catch a shuttle for San Miguel de Allende. We arrived at the gate a bit early and were the first in line to catch our plane. As we waited I see a rather tall, regal, and very handsome man approach the agent. I recognized him immediately and gave him a big smile. "El Presidente Vicente Fox!" I told Kate. Seconds later, the agent gave us early boarding (no doubt sympathetic to my hunched and crippled body from the previous night) and we left to board the plane. Now when you think of former Presidents flying, you don't really imagine a man flying by himself on a small puddle-jumper. This however was this humble man's method of travel, no bodyguards, no special treatment, and no pretenses. As you may know, Presidente Fox was recently in the news for having given Donald Trump the middle finger and a resounding "f-you" for his views on the Mexican people, and his absurd vision for a wall. While we did not get a chance to speak to the man as it was difficult in the small plane, the Mexican woman who sat behind us stopped to greet him on the way in and sat down just bubbling with excitement which we shared in both broken English and Spanish. I respect him highly for expressing his unabashed views, and it was an honor and a privilege to be flying with him.

We soon arrived in Leon, and were met by our smiling shuttle driver who quickly had us on the road and our final leg into San Miguel.  More than 24 hours since we hit the road, and 36 hours since our head last hit a pillow, we arrived at the Villa Alta Dos, our home for the next two weeks. As the cobble stoned street was much too narrow for the shuttle, our driver led us down a dark and narrow alley to the Villa where we were greeted warmly by our host Veronica. Tired beyond belief, but thrilled with the accommodations which were everything we were promised and more, we were greeted by a spectacular display of fireworks over the city, the sound of church bells ringing, and the occasional burst of thunder and lightning. If our arrival had been choreographed by Disney, it could not have been more perfect!

Oh, Mexico!

When most people think of a vacation in Mexico, they think beaches. Cabo San Lucas, Puerto Vallarta, Cancún, and Acapulco are beach towns that everybody knows, and where everybody goes. Around 20 years ago, we became intrigued with the high desert mountain town of San Miguel De Allende and we talked about going there several times over the years. Between Kate's job with a tour company that specialized in Europe and South America and offered us an opportunity to travel there frequently, and my work driven career path, things conspired together to keep putting off a visit. Now, as we look toward a possible retirement haven, San Miguel, or SMA as the local expat community calls it, has beckoned once again. We hope you will join us on our adventure as we explore this 500 year old gem!

As we began to prepare for this trip, I started to brush off my rusty junior high school Spanish (when you think rusty, think a 40 year old Chevy that has lived in Chicago its entire life) and Kate began the daunting task of learning a language from scratch. I will give us an "A" for effort as we did a pretty good job of plunging ourselves into the lessons, but I can honestly say that we still suck and that most of my rust has been patched up with large quantities of linguistic Bondo. Luckily SMA is a vibrant multi-cultural city with a large expat community, and English with a little Spanish will apparently get you by in most cases.

We also began walking every day, as we have been told the best way to get around the city is by foot. This is assuming you don't mind walking on cobblestone streets that have been known to swallow up tourists like a 10 cent taco, while trudging up hills and attempting to breath at 6500 ft. Fortunately, we live at the bottom of a steep hill that leads (ironically) to the local cemetery  and this has become our training camp for what lies ahead.

While preparing for our trip, we were fortunate enough to find a place for our stay that met all our requirements. The price was right, the location was within walking distance of "centro" (or the town square), and the property itself appears to be absolutely gorgeous.  Our hosts John & Veronica have been extremely helpful and gracious. We are looking forward to our stay. More on the Villa Alta Dos after we arrive!

Today we leave for Mexico and the adventures that lie ahead.  While the weather is predicted to be in the 90's (unusually high for SMA, just like the rest of the world!), the evenings drop down to the 60's.  With a little siesta in the afternoon, it should be quite nice. We hope you will join us as we stumble our way through the streets of San Miguel!