Mercado

On Tuesdays there is a giant market. I made my way over there to check it out.


Everybody around here talks about the clothes, piles and piles of clothes, for super cheap. And indeed, it was true. I assume these are all used clothes, although they were in surprisingly good condition. I found a lot of Chico's brand as well as Coldwater Creek and Talbots so there were certainly bargains to be had! You'll note the prices hanging from the posters. Five pesos is about 35 cents.



A couple of things to note about the massive pile of clothes above. Las gringas like to dig in there with the best of them. It's kind of like some kind of treasure hunt. You just stick your hand as far as you can into the pile and pull something out. The guy standing on the table at the end is shouting the whole time "barato! barato! barato!" Which means "Cheap! Cheap! Cheap! " he tries to whip all the ladies into a bargain hunting frenzy.


Lots of fresh flowers for sale. Here are some we arranged for our dining table. Which reminds me. You can see behind the table the fantastic collection of books about Mexico that the people who own this house have collected over the years. I wanted to read them all!


Above you see an interesting craft. This guy has coins from all over the world which he carves out with some kind of special tool, leaving the main symbol in the middle. These are all coins from Israel. My fav was the seahorse from Singapore, but I also loved the Aztec head from a Mexican coin. Cool huh?





Also at the mercado were lots of food vendors. It smelled so good. If you are a fan of fried pig skins you will love this!



I bought 3 tomates and two large avocados for less than a dollar total, came home and made myself this delicious lunch. Yum!


On to Guanajuato today! We're riding the bus!

Location:SMA

The happenings on the plaza

Just wandered down to the Starbucks on the plaza and heard something coming down the street. Still have no idea what the occasion was.




Guys wearing paper mâché heads dancing to the music from the pick up truck speakers.



Women carrying a litter with bags of something,rice maybe? Others carrying squash and flowers were part of the parade.


At the head of the parade a glass case with saint?


This is one of the awesome things about San Miguel. Stuff like this just happens out of the blue. It's mysterious and fascinating.

The dancers there to perform the indigenous dances seemed very serious. I don't know why.





Well this one lady and her little boy had smiles.









Even the kids were taking this seriously.


The costumes seemed to be those of warriors, with buckskin, fringe, feathers, and fur with the occasional skull thrown in for good measure.





Yet another day, yet another spectacle. This day a group of nuns stood before the cathedral for about an hour saying the Lord's Prayer in Spanish and singing songs and clapping. One nun had a guitar. I could not help but think of Sally Field and the flying nun.







Also in the Jardin (main plaza) you will always find someone or something of interest. You might just think this is an ugly dog, but actually it is an ancient breed of hairless dog from the days of the Aztecs. The "Xolo" breed has been around for at least 3,000 years and is known as the national breed of Mexico. The young man who owned him was quite proud of him.


In my experience the best way to conclude a visit to the plaza is with an ice cream cone. Mexican vanilla is my favorite.



Photo from google

Location:SMA

What I like and what I don't

Best things about SMA

1. The light here is so clear and bright. I can see why the artists love it. The colors just jump out at you. It's a delight to be outside. I wish I had a better camera to capture it.



2. Flowers. Bougainville drapes down the pastel walls like a curtain even in January. Brilliant poinsettia peek over a gate, or in the case below over a wall topped with glass shards.


3. Tacos. Cheap tacos of every variety are everywhere . The guy 3 doors down makes a good brain taco (also tongue taco) for only 70 cents I am told. I tried the chicken mole taco from a street vendor and loved it.

4. The locals smile a lot and seem happy. They are kind and friendly. I think the gringos provide a good source of income for them. If they resent us being here, they sure don't show it. I like the way they treat their kids, and their grandmas too.

5. The vegetables are fresh and cheap and within walking distance. They have a good deal of organic stuff here.

At the organic market on Saturday.


Lots of food to chose from


I ate gorditas. Yum.


They have stuff like rugs and baskets too.


It was cloudy that day.


6. You can walk almost everywhere, but a cab ride only cost three bucks or so if you get tired.

7. You could eat at a different restaurant everyday for a month!

8. The pharmacy in my neighborhood sells tequila which I consider very nice of them. So handy when shopping for shampoo etc.

9. The locals are veerrryyy patient with those of us who are trying to improve our Spanish. They speak slowly and try to make it easier. It helps so much.

10. There are so many interesting expats ( short for ex-patriot, a person living outside their country of citizenship) who live here and also numbers of widely travelled people passing through for a time. I love meeting them and hearing their stories. Fascinating folks! I learn so much!


The cons

1. It's a pain that you can't flush your toilet paper. You have to wrap it up in more TP and deposit it in a trash can next to the toilet. Ick. The sewer pipes under the streets are just too old to manage it, apparently, and they can't rip up all the streets to replace them without destroying historic stuff.

2. Along the same lines, you can't drink the tap water. Actually the water is fine as they have a good water treatment plant, however the pipes that carry the water are all old and corroded and contaminate the water. Replacement problem same as #1.

3. The cobblestone streets are heck to walk on after a while. Sidewalks are really narrow and uneven with many obstacles. You have to keep your eyes on your feet when walking and don't walk where it's dark.

4. It's really hard to learn the bus stops, routes, schedules etc because there are no signs. At all. Someone just has to show you where to stand to catch the bus. Once you figure it out, though, it's all good because it only cost thirty cents!

5. The electricity is unpredictable! Light bulbs burn out all the time and may even trip the breaker! The hair dryer can't do "high". Cross your fingers when using the microwave.

6. The kids here are in love with fireworks. If it's your birthday you can go wild with the firecrackers! Loud! Actually, I don't think you even need an excuse.
I wish the pic below were mine, but I found it on google.


7. Ice cream stand, bakeries, and candy stores are everywhere and it is nearly impossible to resist. Here are some candies I bought. They are made to look like tamales but are coconut inside.




8. Because the cable channels come in from Washington state for some weird reason, you can't watch Downton Abby until 11 pm and it's hard to stay up that late for us oldsters. I can't figure out when anything is on because some channels also come in from Miami. Solution: read a book!

9. There is no airport here. You have to take a shuttle to a town over an hour away to catch a plane. The silver lining is that there are no planes flying over. None at all. That's nice.

10. There are stray dogs here, which you rarely see back home. Also quite a few "roof dogs" that live on the tops of the houses. If you see water dripping off a roof, always walk way around it to avoid being splashed. People hose off the dog waste from the roof and you don't want to get mixed up with that! Sorry, no picture.

So that's my summary so far!

Location:San Miguel de Allende, Mexico

El Charco

On the edge of town is a botanic garden which is all about the cacti of course. I joined a group tour and spent a couple of hours hiking around the place. It was wonderful, my idea of a perfect day. The garden is called El Charco and it is set along the shores of a shallow reservoir . On the other side of the dam is a deep canyon with mysterious pools, rocky trails and loads of cool birds.





The barrel cactus below are less common than they used to be because people use them to make a popular type of candy. They rescue and relocate barrel cactus here when necessary.


Century plant putting out a flower.

















This pool is said to be inhabited by a spirit which will pull you down to the underworld if you swim there.


The structure below is made by indigenous people from parts of a cactus plant .








My absolute favorite thing was the incredible birds I saw there. I wish I had taken these two photos but I didn't . I did see both these kinds of birds though.



Vermillion flycatcher


Great kiskadee

I'm really looking forward to the bird walk next week!

Location:SMA

Things I learned today

I learned lots of new things today! I love it! I went to the cell phone company, riding the bus with the locals, and bought a new cell phone for use here in Mexico. It is a cool phone that, though it is not "smart", can show tv! Ok, yes it is only four Spanish channels but watching tv is free! Now how cool is that for only $25? Plus I got 100 minutes with that. Here is my cute phone with its antenna up. There's actually a tv show playing in that yellow square on the screen. Also has a camera and fm radio! In the background is a fun book set here in San Miguel which I have been enjoying reading.



Another thing I did was go to the Mega store, which is kind of like superwalmart. I bought all kinds of groceries and determined to make chicken soup tonight. First I had to soak the raw veggies in a vinegar bath for about twenty minutes. I boiled the raw chicken in some chicken broth with garlic and bay leaves and some onion. Then realized I needed celery. I walked the fifty steps down to the little corner store where I found the celery. It was huge! The guy in the store said you just break off however many stalks you want. Then I consulted with a knowledgable looking grandmother about which pepper would go best in my soup (my Spanish must be improving) and within 7 minutes was back at the stove!
I think my sopa turned out pretty good for my first try at cooking in Mexico. The cilantro really makes it.








The next thing I learned was something I have been very curious about for a long time, and that is medical care here in Mexico. A friend was ill in the hospital so we went to visit. The hospital was small, but clean and modern. Most of the doctors seemed to speak English, and my friend feels she is getting good care there.







The room was quite a bit nicer than the ones I have visited in Austin, with a couch to sleep on as well as a recliner and plenty of space. The nurses seemed capable, but it really helps to be able to speak a little Spanish. The small cafeteria was handy and clean. All in all, a lot better than I expected. Good to know. Oh, and one more thing, the doctor actually took time to show me how to program numbers into my new phone! Talk about service! Also, most all the doctors were really handsome, which helps if you don't feel good.

Lastly, I am happy I am conquering riding the buses around town and learning the streets so I don't get lost. Also I am getting so good at negotiating with cab drivers to get the best price. Hopefully I don't get pegged as a tourist right away. Blending in as much as possible is the way to go.

Tomorrow meeting up with a friend of a friend at the organic market for coffee and on to the fine art fair !

Location:SMA