Don’t you just love meeting new people? I surely do, and I can honestly say that I am becoming something of an expert at it. I have said this in my blogs before, but I’ll say it again. For some reason, people just love to tell me their stories. I love to hear them, so I guess we’re even. On day 2 of my trip I have made 7 new friends. It might be a record, even for me.
Let me start from the beginning. First, I don’t think I told you where I was going. I am in Mexico in a small town called San Miguel de Allende. It’s in the Guanajuato area of Mexico, which is north of Mexico City in the middle of the country. I am not at a Mexican beach, which you may have thought. When I was looking to do a small get away on my own, I, as usual, began to ask people I know who are well traveled if they had any ideas. When I suggested to one of my good friends at the winery that I might go to Cabo or Puerto Vallarta he said, “Why would you do that? What are you going to do there? It’s a beach. After about 3 days, you will be looking for something to do.” So, he told me about San Miguel. He was right. It’s a little bit of Europe right here in central Mexico. What a great spot!
Truth be told, I was a little nervous about going to Mexico to begin with, let alone going on my own. The stories of Americans traveling in Mexico have not been too positive as of late….you know….people being detained….people having their heads cut off…..that kind of thing. I’m adventurous, but not that much!! I’m happy to say that after day 2, I have a different opinion. I still have my head (such as it is!..HA!) ….and I have the 7 new friends I told you about. Not too shabby right out of the gate!
I may have mentioned this in some past posts, but traveling from San Luis,where we live, is an adventure in itself. It’s not easy, or cheap, to get anywhere from there. We have a small airport, but most of the time, it’s not possible to use it for the reasons mentioned. So, mostly, we go out of LAX, which is about 3-3.5 hours away from San Luis. This requires a ride on the Central Coast Shuttle, which runs out of Santa Maria, about 30 minutes away from us. We use it often and it is great! But, because I was traveling internationally and on the 11:30 am flight, I had to catch the 4:00 am shuttle to get to the airport at the required 3 hours before flight time. (I sat in the airport doing nothing for about 2.5 hours. Was this early morning really necessary?!) But, Mike and I were up at 2:00 am getting me there. YIKES!
I wanted to ride shotgun with the shuttle driver because it’s the best seat in the car, and I like to chat. SURPRISE! But the driver was not up for this. Oh well, I should sleep anyway. I wanted to be alert in case I needed to make any important decisions about keeping my head, etc. As it turns out, I was the last person to be dropped off at the airport. As soon as the bus cleared out, guess what?! It turns out that the driver was up for a chat after all. In a short…..or long (depending on your perspective)…10 minute ride to my gate, I heard his life story. Interesting fellow…and hard working, too. He was my first friend of the trip….very exciting!
The flight to Mexico went smoothly and was pretty short. On the way, I met my 2nd friend of the trip. San Miguel is known for its allure as a retirement destination. The livin’ is easy….and cheap…so, many Americans and Canadians buy property and retire here. The woman I met on the plane was one of these people. She assured me that I would love spending time in San Miguel. And, if I gave her my email address, she would send me a list of fun things to do. Great! (I’m still waiting for the list, but it was a very nice gesture.)
I arrived at the airport in Leon (the most common airport that one uses when going to San Miguel) at the appointed time. I met my driver without a hitch and climbed into his van for the 1.5 hour drive to San Miguel. I was the only passenger. My new friend, George, invited me into the shotgun seat and we chatted the whole way to San Miguel. I also learned his whole life story…. and some information about Mexico.
We talked about all the different kinds of cacti that grow here (including one whose juice would make me feel “happy”. Happy is good!). I learned that corn and alfalfa are the most common crops grown and that much of the land we were traveling through was ranch land. The other interesting tidbit was that gold and silver mining are a big occupation in this area. I’m sure I should have known that. Oh well, he was happy to tell me about it.
George dropped me off right at my B & B where I was greeted by Tere, my host. She gave me a quick tour of the property and when my eyes glazed over from exhaustion and confusion, she said she understood. The building is like a labyrinth, but I would get to know it in about 10 minutes. She was right. It is a beautiful property, with many quiet sitting areas, a garden and fountain in the middle and a roof top terrace where one could sun bathe, if desired. I have to say that I will not desire to do this unless the temperature here drops about 10-15 degrees. WOW! Very hot!!
Tere was very concerned that I was traveling by myself and maybe I would not be able to find things to do and would be bored. She doesn’t know me. I never let too much grass grow under my feet, and already have my week somewhat lined out. Very nice woman, though…and helpful.
My next 4 friends came as a result of a cooking class that I took this morning. I learned to make 5 different salsas and one chicken dish, had hibiscus tea for the first time, and got a very good tutorial on chilis. The next time you have dinner at my house, it will be Mexican. Be ready! It was a lot of fun…and, great food!
Maria, the instructor was great. Gabriella and her mother were the only other 2 in the class with me. They were on a trip together in celebration of Mother’s Day. They were a “hoot”, and the 4 of us had a great time.
In fact, we had such a great time, we are meeting for dinner at a restaurant recommended by Maria in about an hour. So, I will sign off now. I need to get a shower before I go, not that it will make me smell any better. As soon as I step out into the heat, I will be a sweaty, stinky mess again. But, I will make the effort. I think this will be the type of place where you have to be OK with being stinky all the time. Not my favorite, but I think I can adjust.
Hasta Luega!
Travel With Betsy 
May 14, 2014 at 1:44 pm |
This post (blog) is the best you have ever written. What a change. Well done.