So, I have been telling you all about all of the great deals I have been getting on things here in San Miguel….food, drinks, concerts, jewelry….and the list goes on. Well, today, I took all of the money that I saved on the above mentioned items and bought myself a private tour of a few of the Mexican towns near San Miguel. It was a great experience….one that I wouldn’t trade. But, it wasn’t a deal…..technically speaking. (Probably much less than I would have spent somewhere else, though.) So now, what I’m wondering is whether I can still call the above mentioned items a deal since I spent the money I saved. Read on….and, then let me know what you think!
Yesterday in the late afternoon, I decided that I would try to go out to some of the towns outside of San Miguel that I have been hearing about during my time here. I have given San Miguel proper a real run for its money and felt the need to branch out a bit. So, I enlisted the help of Tere, my gracious host here at the Bed and Breakfast where I am staying. On one of my first days here, she suggested that she could help me find a guide, so I thought I would take her up on her offer.
When I talked to her, she said, “But you want to go tomorrow? I will need to call someone. I don’t know. It’s Sunday. I will try. I will leave you a note in your room to let you know.” I thought this was fair. It was late notice after all. If it works out, great. If not, fine, too.
I will take this opportunity to let you all know that I have come to know my host, Tere, in the time I have stayed here. She is extremely nice, very well-meaning and very eager to please. But, she is a little scattered. She has offered to do a few things for me (that were her suggestions, not mine) that she hasn’t actually followed through on. Doesn’t matter to me at all. I am very happy. So, I wasn’t totally expecting her to follow through on my request for a guide. I had formed a back up plan, so what did I care?
When I came back to my room after last night’s festivities, there was no note in my room saying this had been set up. Also, no note this morning. So, imagine my surprise when Jesus, my guide, knocked on my door this morning at the appointed time! It took me a minute to gather my things and we were off! What a full and fun-filled day! Jesus was a wealth of information and great company! I can truly say that after my experience in San Miguel this week and today with Jesus, I have a new appreciation and respect for Mexico and its people.
Our first stop was in Guanajuato. Guanajuato is in the Sierra Madre mountain range and sits in a valley between 2 elevations. So, we drove up and then down into the town. We did stop at the top, though for some pictures. The views were spectacular. The hills around the town were covered with lines of terraced, box shaped houses of all different bright colors that looked like they were connected together. I told Jesus about my interest in the bright colors that I have seen in Mexico and asked him what the significance was. He said it symbolized happiness. Interesting. I interpreted the color as energy. I guess it’s the same thing when you get right down to it. Anyway, I loved the rows and rows of variegated colors of these houses. Just beautiful!
From the vantage point we had, we could see the houses and then look down into the town and see the buildings that were there. There were many churches in Guanajuato, as there are in all of the Mexican towns I have seen on this trip, and we were able to easily pick them out from where we were standing. The white University building was also easy to pick out. It was quite a scene.
Jesus took me down some narrow roads into the town and then into the underground where there were tunnels that had been built in the 16th, 17th and 18th centuries. Their purpose was to redirect the flow of the river, which now runs underneath the tunnels. The tunnels are now used as shortcuts through the city and for parking. The stone workmanship on these things was something to see. They are all over the city.
We then parked the car and took a walking tour of the city. We visited the Opera House and many of the churches in the city. The highlight for me, though, was the tour through the Diego Rivera museum. Diego is the most famous artist of Mexico and was a contemporary of Picasso. They were friends. According to Jesus, they had a falling out because Diego had been painting in the style of cubism and decided that it wasn’t really art. He shared his thoughts with Picasso….big mistake!
Diego was something of a prodigy….started drawing at the age of 3 and then went to the university to study at the age of 7. When he became of age, he went to Europe to further his education. He learned and practiced every style of art that was available at the time. The museum had representations of each style. I saw things that reminded me of Picasso, Rembrandt and Monet. I found it really interesting. Jesus was very knowledgeable and talked to me about the different styles and how they were represented in the different works and pointed out his favorites. WOW!
We then got back in the car and headed up a 3000 meter (9,840 feet, if my metric conversion serves me) elevation to a town called Valencia, the most productive gold mine in the Guanajuato region. There is a church sitting on top of the mine. (Actually, there is a church on each one of the over 20 mines in the region providing holy protection for the mines.) This particular church is the most beautiful, which is why we stopped there. The alter and chapels were all done in intricate hand carved wood and are finished with gold leaf. Very pretty and well worth the stop.
Earlier on in the day, I told Jesus that I could go forever without eating and he should let me know when he was hungry and we would stop for lunch. When we got another few paces down the road from Valencia, he said we should stop at a good restaurant he knows in Santa Rosa. It was totally a locals joint….very nice….and great food. We had an inordinate amount of food (chili rellenos, enchiladas, guacamole, soup….will need to go on a diet when I get home). Then, Jesus announced that I needed to have some tequilla. I don’t do shots. I’m a light weight and I feared it wouldn’t take much for me to become a laughing, incoherent passenger. But, Jesus insisted and I was here, so why not! The waiter brought a shot of tequilla and some limes and I downed this like a true Mexican. I wish I could tell you the name of the tequilla….don’t know, but it was quite tasty. And, it didn’t make me drunk. So,I was able to get through the rest of the tour with my marbles. I was grateful.
Our last stop was in a town called Dolores Hildago, home of ceramics and oddly flavored ice cream. Some combination, don’t you think? I didn’t get either, but did some hearty window shopping.
The town is named after Father Hildago, who was one of the heros of the Mexican independence from the Spanish. He was a bit of a rebel…frankly, a little too over the top for the catholic church. So, they sent him to this outpost to get him out of the way. He loved the Mexican people and wanted a better life for them, which he knew wouldn’t happen if Mexico continued under Spanish rule. The story goes that he organized the Mexicans to march against the Spanish. It was one of the starting point of the Mexican revolution. What a guy!
I ended my last day back in San Miguel with another walk around the Plaza Principal and one last Margarita at another of the sunset bars named by my airplane friend. I sipped my drink and watched as the sun set. The rays of the sun formed orange, pink and yellow stripes. I have to say that with the lights of the churches in the foreground and the dark sky in the background, it was breathtaking.
After writing all of this, I realize a few things. First, I had a once in a lifetime experience today with my private guide. Second, we covered more ground in one day than most people would cover in a week. Third, I got to see all of the scenery in the surrounding area. Lastly, I got to meet another really great person here in Mexico! So, I deem that my money was well spent!
Such a deal…..Don’t you think?!
Travel With Betsy 
May 19, 2014 at 9:38 pm |
wow, wow, wow. You have done did it! Blogs forever.