Peliculas!

Yesterday we arrived in San Miguel de Allende after a beautiful (all be it bumpy) bus ride through the mountains. I met a new friend on the airplane coming in to Mexico two weeks ago and she had suggested a bed and breakfast that was owned by an artist friend of hers. So we arrived at Casa Calderoni yesterday afternoon and enjoyed a rather luxurious evening here. It is a bit more expensive here in S.M. de A., but after penny-pinching all vacation we decided we could just eat beenie-weenies when we get home so that we can enjoy a delicious bed and tasty breakfast.

After lounging about in the room for a while, reading about Diego Rivera (the namesake of our room... and after having visited his first home in Guanajuato the other day, we can appreciate him even more) we decided to stroll to the jardin. When we arrived we found that an international film festival was being held in San Miguel. So after a short walk around part of the city we returned to the jardin to find it jam-packed with people. We bought some palomitas and some home-made chips with salsa (served fresh in a little clear bag) and settled in to the curb to await the festivities. By looking at the photos above from the bottom to the top you can see the evolution of our evening. The band was quite fun and when it got dark they showed a film about San Miguel, after which the bells in the church tolled clamorously and fireworks exploded immediately overhead. (Never been directly beneath fireworks before... it was quite exhilerating!) Then we watched -- along with several hundred other folks sitting outside -- about 5 more short films from various countries and part of a long film before we petered out and had to return 'home' for the night. The top two pictures were taken from the rooftop terrace this morning just before I came to type this.

I hear the breakfast being rustled up so I must stop for now... sadly, we have only one more day in this beautiful, magical country...

Different names for the same thing

So Death Cab for Cutie has a song I am currently into right now (several actually) and the title is "Different names for the same thing". (They have quite a cool movie with little videos from various directors ... I think the title is Directions...) I was listening to it last night and was thinking of all the words/names I have been learning here in Guanajuato. And sometimes I feel constricted because I cannot think of a word in Spanish ... and I like words very much.

But then as I listened some more I began to think of how we say lots of things underneath our spoken words. Some of the things I have heard lately in conversations with new friends and new people in GTO:
-- Uno cada dia..
-- I am still trying to figure out exactly what I think about things... I am just not quite sure about who I want to be yet, but talking helps me figure it out.
-- Well, my husband is a lawyer..
-- Yes, but our son lives in the U.S. ... it is very far.
-- Did they just say I am a "blanco gigante" and start laughing??
-- Don't tell _______ you saw me here...
-- Whatever...

Are they all different words for the same things? Perhaps. Which is another reason I love travelling... it helps me open my eyes and ears more so I can hear more clearly.

Digame...

It´s all good...

So my classes this week are a bit later in the day and we have time to leisurely awaken, find breakfast, and meander to school. But it is Monday. And at 9:15 we finally headed to breakfast. We forgot that things open when they want to open (or maybe not at all on Mondays). Most of our favorite places were still closed. But in Mexico, it´s all good.

The store is closed today? It is all good, it will be open later. You do not have money to pay for the hostel today? It´s all good... just pay sometime before you leave. You want to take classes but don´t know which ones? It is all good -- just try them out and we can rearrange things later if need be. Don´t have money today? It´s all good, they can find you later.

And my favorite -- the doggies don´t have a yard to watch and guard? It´s all good... they can guard la casa from the roof. Mira... this one is keeping watch over all that is happening in the street. (When we got too close to take his picture... 2 stories up from where we were standing, mind you -- he was very verbal about it.) After we stepped back a bit we could then take his picture.

Mexico... todo es bueno. (Must remember to bring some of this back home...)

HOW much further???

So today we decided to take a little hike. We found a note posted to the board in the school and it said that there would be a bus ride to another little town and a walk down the mountainside. The flyer said 4 hours. That sounded just right. So we started out at 9 in the morning walking across town to the bus stop and taking a very comfortable bus to a little village called Santa Rosa.

While in Santa Rosa we took a peek at a little church, bought a couple of snacks for the journey, experienced a very interesting bathroom and then set off on our journey. It was a lovely walk and we saw beautiful views of the mountains, old mines, and ate lunch on a little hillside of a very small village. Then we walked down and got some helado and continued our journey. And we walked... and walked... and walked. How much further is this, we kept wondering. We walked along a riverside, sat down at a little lake resevoir, and walked through another little mining village.

So, 10 MILES LATER, we finally arrived back in town. It was 5:00. Did I mention we started at 9:00? Needless to say, we are a bit tired, a bit sore, but had a lovely time walking through the Mexico countryside.

Maybe next time we will ask a bit more directly exactly how far the journey shall be. Or maybe we shouldn´t. Sometimes it is better not to know!! Nos vemos...

Pipila!

It has been a couple of days since I have written because we have been very busy!

On Thursday we had a bit of an adventure because we wanted to go to Valenciana. I was told that Valenciana was the best place to get silver jewelry because it is right near the mines. So even though it was a bit of a distance we decided to walk. But first things first...

Between classes Jim and I decided to visit Pipila -- the statue of which you see in the picture here. Pipila is a hero in Guanajuato and helped to burn down the doors of the hideout for the Spanish invaders and to help further the fight for Mexico´s independence. The statue you see here is at the top of a very tall hill which we climbed, smelled the delicious food, had to come back down for class, and then hiked back up to again. In some of the photos in the post below you can see pictures of views we took from the Pipila outlook. The second time up that day we decided to have some delicious tacos from street vendors and also some drink that included chilies and some other lovely ingredients with which I was not familiar.

Then we decided to walk to Valenciana. But little did we know that we would spend much of our walk on the side of a highway. We stopped several times and asked -- Are we going the correct way??? --- to which the answer was always, --Si, mas arriba... So we walked and walked for about 4 miles. Oy vey. But we finally made it, found some lovely silver and then rode the bus back down. The adventure continues but my computer time is up. Nos vemos!

Pics of Guanajuato

El jardin...

Me gusta mucho el jardin! It is 9:30 and the jardin de la paz is buzzing with life. In the middle of the jardin is a large gazebo. Surrounding the gazebo are large beds of flowers and also trees which have been grown and pruned carefully to form a canopy protecting the iron benches below from the sun during the day and from the rain at night. Many families, couples, and visitors sit on the benches, on the steps of the Juarez theatre, and in the cafes encircling el jardin. Musicians play for those who can pay for a special song, but all can hear the tunes floating through the trees. Shakespearean-dressed actors roam with castenets and streamers in hand, vying for tourists who would like a special theatrical tour of the city. Families young and old stroll around the jardin, to say hello to friends or just to be a part of the community. (I will add a picture later when I have more time.)

I want a jardin. I want a place to walk to at night and see my friends and listen to music and just relax. Things are a bit slower, more relaxed, and there is always time to commune with one another. Me encanta Guanajuato...