I was originally going to Guadalajara, but two attempts to secure affordable housing failed. I had been reading about San Miguel de Allende. My golf buddy Berkley Kerns told me how his grandfather had insisted he spend a summer there. Berkley loved it.
Almost all of my friends in Merida warned me that San Miguel was too expensive and the gringos were cliquish and unfriendly. I found a listing on Craigslist that was affordable but the owner already had a reservation Fortunately, it fell through. I had a place to live starting December 1. I had already booked a flight to Guadalajara. I wish now I had gone by bus because as I have previously written bus travel in Mexico is wonderful. The modern, clean, comfortable Volvo 9700 coaches are a delight. And you get to see the beautiful country.
"The Kindness of Strangers" was the title of a previous blog and the experience continues. Cab fare from the airport in Guadalajara was almost as much as the air fare from Merida so I opted to take the bus. I asked the dispatcher how to do it and he said a transfer was necessary. This very nice man said he would show me and indeed he did. Even with the heavy bag {and his help) I managed. The trip took about forty five minutes and I did not get to see any of Guadalajara's historic section, but I made it dragging the bag through three blocks of construction near the terminal. I had planned to read during the journey to San Miguel but the countryside, the mountains everywhere were just too overwhelming and I spent five hours loving a very different Mexico. The flatness of the Yucatan had been replaced by the splendor of the Sierra Nevada mountains. We were steadily climbing and as the lovely sun finally set we arrived in San Miguel de Allende. My new address baffled the first cab driver but I convinced a more experienced one to take me. As we climbed through the cobblestone streets they became narrower and narrower. At one point I thought there was no way he could get his cab through what appeared to be a walk way not a street. Finally we arrived at the address and the view of the town below with it's twinkling lights and the clear sky above truly took my breath away. I knocked on the big black gates and was greeted by this welcoming Texas voice that proved to be that of the owner the ever amazing Betsy Streng(more about this remarkable lady later). Homemade soup and red wine awaited me in the "efficiency" and I prepared to settle in for the night. The apartment was small but immediately comfortable with maybe the nicest bed I have ever slept in. And the temperature in San Miguel was in the mid forties--about fifty degrees lower than Merida: wonderful!
And so I began to settle in to what has now become my home. There is a serendipity to San Miguel that is absolutely beguiling. The first day I was there I set off down the steep hill of Calle Santa Domingo in search of the Jardin. It is a lovely park across from the cathedral or Parochia and the true center of the town. People come to the Jardin to sit and relax or read, watch the continuous stream of people passing by,get a shoeshine, eat a quick meal from the many vendors who line the streets, listen to the mariachis at night or the the many concerts that are staged there and to dance. Dancing in a public park is a great Mexican tradition and it lives in San Miguel--more, much more about dancing later.
I sat on one of the benches and just watched the endless parade of people passng by:
some clearly on there way to some destination and others just casually strolling. Tourists, visitors from a nearby town, back packers and wanderers from all over the world find their way to the Jardin. And you will see extraordinarily beautiful Mexican women some who turn your head and some that take your breath away. Into this rainbow of people a stranger, clearly a gringo like me, tilted his head and said,"I don't think I know you. I'm Rick Iverson." He sat and we talked for an hour before going to his apartment for a beer and more talk. Rick, a former Navy pilot, flew commercially for twenty nine years: twenty with Pan Am and nine with Air New Zealand. There are very few places in the world that Rick does not know well. Ten years ago he chose San Miguel de Allende as his home. He is not a writer or an artist or an an actor or a musician like so many who make there home here. He just loves the place: the weather, the beautiful sixteenth century architecture, the breathtaking views because we are in foot of the Sierra Nevada mountains, the restaurants and the fascinating group of people who come from all over the world and often stay. Rick has become a good friend and a guide to this city he knows so well.
Washington DC is a truly international city but unless you are fortunate enough to somehow become a part of the international community it is truly difficult to experience it beyond the wonderful array of restaurants that it is so fortunate to have. San Miguel is about the size of Alexandria but the experience is completely different. The Jardin just seems to be a natural magnet for everone. Add to that the Bibliotecha--the library that is also a center for activity from a wonderful selection of books, the publication of the Attencion, the bilingual newspaper published weekly. It has a cafe, a constantly busy theater, film showings, lectures, house and garden tours, concerts, Spanish and English classes and a lovely patio where one can sit and read or chat with friends. People from all over the world come here and are drawn to these two wonderful places in San Miguel. The Mexican people are truly warm, friendly and outgoing. As large as the ex-Pat and international community is this remains a thoroughly Mexican city that has fortunately extended itself to the world and made all of us welcome. I am grateful to a a part of it.
More later..
A selection of some of my digital images of San Miguel de Allende are below.
