Richard's Travel Blog

Well, Myung finally got here. For a while it seemed the stars were lined up against us. It’s a long story which came down to the last day when she was at the Tokyo airport, connecting to her flight from Tokyo to Mexico City, when they told her she needed an onward ticket out of Mexico. WHAAAT! Nowhere did it say anything about that. I happened to wake up around 1 AM and checked to see if something else may have gone wrong (I told you, it’s a long story), and there was an email from her telling me about this. In short, I Skyped her and then bought a refundable ticket right then. She got on the plane, got here fine, and I got my refund.

Funny thing, it was cheaper to fly to Guanajuato than Mexico City. So, we met up in Guanajuato.
If you read my earlier post about the first time I was in Guanajuato, you know (or maybe you knew anyway) it’s a lovely, romantic city, a good place to meet up after a long dry spell and a good place to begin as a tourist in Mexico. The first day, we went to Callejon del Beso, the Walkway of the Kiss, that place (here, on the left) where two star-crossed overs could touch across a 68 cm distance between balconies. Every romantic couple in Guanajuato goes there to kiss on the steps under the balconies. It’s said that if you do that, you will have seven years of good luck. So we did that, then went up to the souvenir shop inside the left balcony where a woman took that picture at the top of this post. Here, below, is Myung reaching across to the other balcony.

You can look at what I had to say and my photos from the first time I was here by clicking on the June 2013 link or typing “Guanajuato” in the search box. This time, it was about doing all the cooklstuff with Myung. She likes to walk and Guanajuato is a great walking town, so up and down the callejons we walked. I got a kick out of taking Myung around on her first days in Mexico. We were very cute, I think, making memories. Ah, there’s nothing like a honeymoon.

As long as I’m putting photos on here, I might as well keep going. There are a few angles and viewpoints I didn’t post before, and of course Myung wasn’t in any of them.

We haven’t formulated a plan yet. It’s tentatively the same as it was, that is, to mosey around Mexico for a while, hitting the places I liked before and some new ones. Then we’ll go through Central America and on south. At some point we’ll stop. I don’t think I can afford to travel for more than a year without plunking down somewhere and lowering my travel and rent costs. Myung is the same way, so when it seems right we’ll stop at least for a while. She’d still like to make money somehow. Import/Export is what she does, so she’s already on the lookout for opportunities.

For now, we’re just beginning. We’ve been in Morelia a couple of days. Type Morelia into the search box to see last time I was here. Tomorrow, we’re going to Patzcuaro, about an hour from here. I haven’t been there before, but it’s supposed to be a nice lake area with lots of indigenous people. After that, we were thinking of Taxco, the famous old silver mining region. After that, maybe Mexico City.

I was looking though my pictures and ran across this one. I’ll caption it “Myung discovers tortilla chips and salsa”. She could become a westerner so easy!

That’s going to be it for now. Talk to you later. Be well, all of you.

Hi again. I’ve been hanging out in San Pedro since last writing, just living cheap and waiting for Myung. We’re meeting up next Thursday in Guadalajara. My flight from Tuxtla Gutierrez is on Tuesday, so I’ll leave here on Monday, as it will take a full day to get to there. I checked out taking regular buses, but it’s really better and nearly as cheap to take the tourist minivan shuttle to the southernmost major tourist destination in Mexico, San Cristobal, then take the 45 km regular bus from there to Tuxtla.

Here’s a nice view from the bus coming down toward Pana from Solala.

It’s lovely around here. Even Pana itself is not half bad except for the one main tourist street. You can eat or buy just about anything you need there. The restaurants are good. The lodging is cheap. Here’s the courtyard from my chair in front of my of my 8 dollar room in Pana.

One could hang out in Pana. I only did for three days, including the day I went to Chichi. Here are some scenes around town.

Pana sits on Lake Atitlan which, as I have said before, is lovely. There are three extinct volcanoes on the other side. It looks like two because there is another one behind the one on the left.

Along the lakefront is nice. One thing about this area, it clouds up and generally thunderstorms every evening around sundown. It gives photos character. Just stay dry, man.

Pana, though a major tourist destination by Guatemala standards, has little to offer the high-end traveler. I’m sure it’s fun for them to “slum it” along the waterfront where the cheap, good fish dinners with a view are served. Sorry about the dark pictures. It was getting dark quickly the evening I was walking along there with my camera.

At least as popular and more mellow is San Pedro, on the other side of the lake. With 14,000 people, it’s no village. The main part of town is regular Guatemala. Here’s the market street and an eatery I had lunch in several times. The proprietor here has rice, white or black beans, lake fish fillets, beef, chicken, veggies and spaghetti in those pots. The ladies behind make the tortillas. Lunch with 4 tortillas is 1-1.50 dollars, depending if you get one of the meat/fish things.

The tourist drag is along the water. Here’s looking up from the dock and down toward the dock. The main tourist street goes off mostly to the right and a little way to the left.

The place I’ve been staying for a couple of weeks is away from the water. It’s quiet up here and only 5 dollars a night. There’s even a view.

Also from my terrace, off to the left of that last one, is a popular place to climb called Indian Nose. You can see how it got that name. It looks like a profile.

And here are a few random photos.

I have a friend here, Sandra. She’s long-term resident, teaching English. Mostly, as is usually the case, I spend time alone. It’s been nice to hang out with her a few times.

One noteworthy thing occurred. One of her student’s mother was gravely ill. The family didn’t know what to expect or what to do. Sandra asked me if I would go look at her, which I did. There was nothing to be done at that stage but keep her comfortable and have friends and family come if they wanted to see her one last time. She passed away about four days later. Sandra told me the family felt like they benefited from my visit and would like it if I went to the funeral. We went. So, that all was a bit of cultural experience I got while I was here.

Traditionally in Guatemala, there is a procession to the church for the funeral, then a procession to the cemetery. I couldn’t bring myself to take but this one zoom picture of the procession as it started down the street. We joined and went the rest of the way with them to the church.

Here’s the Catholic church, by the way. The funeral was the day before yesterday, but I took this several days ago.

There are many activities for tourists here, hiking through the coffee plantations, up the peaks and volcanoes, horseback riding, kayaking and so on. I haven’t done any of it. I figure Myung and I can do that together if we want when we come here. I definitely want to show it to her. This has been a good place. There are many villages and towns around this lake. Besides the next village over, about a 15 minute walk, the only one I went to was another one popular with tourists, San Marcos. From there, you can look back toward the San Pedro side of the lake. San Pedro is down the right slope of the volcano on the right.

I thought about going to stay there or some other place, just to break it up while waiting, but decided to just bide my time here. I did, after all, travel fairly steadily for months before getting to Guatemala. Foreigners mostly go to San Marcos for self-improvement. There is a lot of meditation, yoga, massage and new age fluff. It’d be nice enough. I even checked out a couple places, but all in all, I’m fine here. San Marcos is cute, though, down in the tourist area near the water. Serene little lanes, plenty of shade, nice restaurants, massage etc, mellow people not into partying like in San Pedro

That’s about it for now. I seriously doubt anything will happen between now and when I head back to Mexico. Be well, all of you.

So far, Guatemala has a completely different feel than Mexico. After crossing over, the first place I went was Quetzaltenango. Everybody just calls it Xela. As slow as the pace is here, even they don’t have time for some of the tongue-twisting names of places. Xela is a perfectly nice place to get a taste of this country. I stayed in a really nice, friendly, family oriented hostel and had no trouble chilling out there. I figure to chill at least as much as usual, as I am basically waiting for Myung to get to Guadalajara Aug 29. Guatemala is only the size of Louisiana, so I could see most of what 95% of the tourists see in a month, but I think I’ll just save a lot of it for later.

Xela isn’t particularly interesting. The grand architecture of Mexican cities is not here. A block from my hostel is the main plaza. Here are the views from the northwest and the southeast. It’s nice enough.

Most of Xela is very plain. Here’s a wide boulevard near one of the so-called malls. Really, there isn’t much to take pictures of there.

With a population of about 250,000, it was small enough for me to walk around much of it. Just walking around in a normal place teaches you a lot when you first arrive. Besides observing the basics, like Guatemala’s level of development, the manners of the people, the general looks and vibe and, last but not least, the basics of how to function as a tourist, you get some surprises. I went to the most modern mall, which was actually at least half as nice as a Mexican mall, and felt like a bite to eat at the food court. Lo and behold, there was a Taco Bell. I said before that I never expected Latin Americans to go for a Taco Bell when even the street food is so much better and cheaper, but there it was. Before noon there was hardly anyone at the other establishments (which included Domino’s and Burger King), but Taco Bell had a big line. Who’da thunk it.

The Sunday I was there, An women’s organization set up some canopies in the central plaza and had local food. It was pretty good for a mass production. You could choose from about 20 things, all for less than 4 dollars. I had this. Those mild green peppers and broccoli were good, too.

It was also my first good opportunity to photograph some of the colorfully dressed women. Unlike Mexico, most of the people here are indigenous Mayans of various sorts.

Right now, I’m staying in Panajachel (Pana) on beautiful Lago Atitlan. Tomorrow, I’ll move to a village on the other side of the lake. I’ll post all about that in the next blog entry. Today, I went to the famous all over Guatemala Thursday market in Chichicastenango (Chichi). It’s billed as the biggest market in Central America. I don’t know if that’s true. It is big, especially if you measure big by crowded. I’ve posted so many market places before, but this warrants posting if only to look at the people. Lots of women in these pics, I know, but the guys just aren’t as interesting. I’m just going to put a bunch of the pics here and let them speak for themselves. As usual, I wish I was a good photographer. The first pics are of the flower sellers on the church steps. Then come some high angle shots from the steps. The rest are down in the market.

I came back from there by about 1 o’clock, bought some stuff to make in the kitchen here, and hung out with my computer. Tomorrow, as I said, I’m going to go check out a village on the other side of the lake, then the next day or so, go to another, then maybe another. Talk to you later.

Hi y’all. I continued down the coast and am in Guatemala. The only place I spent any time in while still in Mexico was Puerto Escondido, just 2-3 hours up the coast from Mazunte which I blogged about earlier when I came first to Oaxaca from Chiapas. It’s a fairly big city with several tens of thousands of people. The only thing going on there is a fairly mellow beach scene, as city beach scenes go.

A lot of people go there to surf. The surfers don’t get to ride long, but the breaks are lovely.

I mostly just walked around and chilled out in my hostel. Nothing much to say about that.

From there I took a couple of bus rides to the Guatemala border, spending the nights in a couple of forgettable cities,  Tehuantepec and Tapachula. Getting over the border was routine, and here I am. I’ll be writing soon about this current leg of my journey.

Here’s news! Myung is coming on August 29. She got someone to take over her lease and told me tonight that she sold the easy stuff to sell and sold the rest at cost to another cosmetics dealer. She’s going to Korea to visit friends and family August 11-28, and to gear up for life on the road again. Then she’s flying to Guadalajara. We’ll meet up there. I’ll likely stay here in Guatemala so I’m not far away and can get up there easily. I sprung for a plane from Tuxtla Gutierrez to Guadalajara. Turns out, like in America, it isn’t significantly cheaper to go long distances than to take the bus. Needless to say, it’l be nice to see her again.

That’s going to be it for now. Until later…

I’m basically heading toward Guatemala via the Pacific Coast road. From Guadalajara, first was Colima. Colima is the capital of the small state of the same name. LP calls it “charming”, and I must say I kind of agree. It has only about 130,000, just about right for me, at least at this time. People were nice to me all the time and I liked my hostel a lot. There isn’t much in particular to say about it. There isn’t so much to do. Here are some pictures. You will recognize the typical zocalo, cathedral and street scenes.

As in most cities, there is music and dancing in the evening. The band is in the gazebo. It does remind me of China, but the Mexicans do it with way more flair.

There’s a big park which is a real getaway. It’s about the size of Shapingba Park but not crowded, even though it’s wooded and shady, hence a good way to avoid the heat. There are even some bird and animal exhibits, including a couple of male lions. The lions were sleeping in their not photoworthy houses. I am happy to report they do have a fairly big outdoors area to walk around.

As I said, there isn’t much to say about Colima. I just liked it there and stayed several days.

Moving on, this place called Palma Sola on the coast toward Zihuatanejo was recommended to me by the hostel owner. He knows people there. I figured I’d do the deserted beach thing again, so I went. It was indeed a good choice. There are some towns and villages along the road, but this is only a hamlet. Down by the beach, there seems to be some activity during the tourist season, but it will not be tourist season for another couple of months at least. Now, there are a couple of families who live there. The people the hostel guy knows, Margarita and Adolfo, are the heads of one of the households. They were definitely not in tourist mode, but welcomed me and I felt right at home. I stayed in one of their two cabanas and basically walked the beaches around there and hung out. No internet this time, so I just read. Here are some pics.

During the tourist season, I suppose some number of folks kick back under these coverings.

No footprints in the sand except mine right now.

Chill out in the hammock or sit at your table for one and watch the sunset. That’s three liters of lemonade there. It sure goes down easy in the heat.

By the way, Margarita cooked up the best fish one night and octopus the next. Yum! She’s also a good brink maker. The family is upgrading there wood and palm frond buildings. Here she is stomping the mixture into the molds. Even the kids have jobs.

Three days was just about right there, so moved on.

I actually was in Zihuatenejo once. In 1984, I took a cruise ship down the Mexican coast, stopping at Cabo San Lucas, Puerto Vallarta, Zihuatenejo and Acapulco. Many of us got off the cruise liner for day excursions. I can’t say I remember it much from then, but I do remember Zihua was not nearly as developed as it is now. Now, there is about a square kilometer of touristy area. All the sidewalks (which there were none of last time) are covered and it’s pretty nice to stroll around and look at the stuff or get a cappuccino. I wouldn’t say it’s photoworthy, but it was pleasant for the three days I was there. The beach and shoreline area is built up, but still nice enough. There’s a walkway part of the way around the bay. Young couples love this in he evening, I noticed.

Here’s a look at the boats.

The rest of town is unremarkable. It’s gotta be a hoot when a couple hundred people from a liner descend on the place. I should know. I was one of them that time. There’s a high end resort area a few kilometers away, Ixtapa. It had just started being developed in ’84, only to have been destroyed in an earthquake in ’84 just before we arrived at that time. I guess now it’s like a mini Cancun. I didn’t go over there this time.

So, today I came to Acapulco. Everyone, and I mean everyone, said it’s crime ridden dump. I was advised not to even leave the bus station, but hey, how bad can it be if you stay right along the tourist strand by the water. My next stop is Puerto Escondido which is 7-8 hours down the road. After four hours on the bus today, I was in no mood to spend 7-8 more just to avoid Acapulco. Taking the safe bet, I got a hotel room right on the strand and am luxuriating in a proper air conditioned room, writing this. Ahhhh, it’s nice to be out of the heat!

I walked along the strand for a couple of hours when I got here. IT’s as I remember it from ’84, busy and crowded.

For any of the nervous Nellies who think Acapulco is unsafe at any speed, for what it’s worth here’s my hotel, that seven story white building in the middle behind the white boat. I can go out on this street fine, under the watchful eyes of about ten thousand people.

My agenda for the evening is to Skype Myung in about an hour when she gets up (China is 13 hours ahead), get a bite to eat and watch the Giants game on the internet. Tomorrow at noon, I head for Puerto Escodido. (I have no idea why this is in italics. I’m not going back to change it. I have my principles. One take. The Reagan end-run and publish.)

So, that’s it for now. Talk to you later. Be well, all of you.

Guadalajara kind of grew on me. I can’t point of anything in particular. I think it’s a function of my lack of motivation to travel as long term as I have in the past. It is only a matter of time till I plunk down somewhere. As it is, I’m fine hanging out for at least a while wherever I am, almost. I could have stayed in Guadalajara. with 4 million people, as it certainly has everything. It’s not real crazy like Mexico City. A lot of it is fairly safe. The weather is good. I just liked it there, whether it was about Guadalajara or me, or both, doesn’t make any difference.

That said, I’m still on the move. Going is still at least as attractive as staying. Myung seems to be getting closer  to getting rid of the lease on her shop in Chongqing. She almost had a deal this week, but the guy backed out. When she eventually joins me (“eventually” is the key, unknown variable), I doubt she will want to backpack for long. So, my thinking is I may plunk down with her, maybe by the winter. If that’s coming, I don’t want to become stationary, then burn out on that and want to travel again, just as she gets here hoping not to travel for long. By waiting, we might be on the same page.

In most ways I can tell, Guadalajara isn’t all that special. It has appeal. I liked where I was staying. There are the usual majestic buildings….

… and plazas…

… street life …

… and interiors …

It’s been awhile since I cared about the names of the particular buildings, like the 19th century legislative chamber to the left, or even the particular local culture. Things like the mask dance above are interesting to watch. Do I need to know, much less remember, what they are? Not really. I enjoyed them in the moment. I’m going with what strikes my fancy day to day. The nice thing about a big city like Guadalajara is it’s busy with things to notice, and that occupies me.

I had a poster in my room when I was maybe 12. It was of Lucy from the old comic strip “Peanuts”. She is sitting in her 5 cent therapy booth, chin in hand. The caption is, “Who says you are supposed to accomplish anything? I thought you were just supposed to keep busy.” I think I’m satisfied with traveling because at least it’s better than watching 5 hours of TV a day or being a wage slave/tax donkey. For what, a perfect lawn? Personally, for me it’s a choice between bus fare to the next place or the latest Roundup applicator. My addiction is my computer. So, I can be a couch potato, a serious one at that sometimes. Now, almost all the places I stay in have wifi and a TV which often show American programs. I could pay almost as much for my internet/smartphone/TV in the US as I currently do on rent, without any contracts. Or do this. It’s a good life. I am glad, though, that I already satisfied my inner mommy by accomplishing stuff when I was younger.

Okay, people who know me know all this anyway, so back to the travelogue. I have a few pictures of an area of Guadalajara called Tlaquepaque. Guadalajarans like it because it’s a little quaint still, like old Mexico. Old Mexico is still old Mexico in most places, but this is right in town.

It’s interesting how big city people in most big cities in the world like to visit their roots. Tlaquepaque is where cosmopolitan Gaudalajarans go for the evening,, or even a weekend, to feel “at home”. Guadalajara is hardly a foreign tourist center, and most of the attractions and things going on are for Mexicans.

They may be all cool about it, like, “this is us”, but you can be sure Mexico is modernizing along the same path as the more developed counties. Chains and uniformity are taking over everything. Like Texans, Mexicans can be all hat and no cattle, for sure.

I don’t want to imply Tlaquepaque isn’t nice. It is, even if it’s become an upscale retreat. I was a little surprised when I left Guadalajara on my way toward the coast. Lonely Planet talked up a “charming” town in the mountains, Tapalpa. I said to myself, “Charming is good. I’m all about charming towns with cobblestone streets and preserved preserved historical centers. I’ll stop by there.” It’s three hours from Guadalajara, so I didn’t expect it to be a weekend retreat for Guadalajarans, but it is, and even more upscale. It is nice, but not particularly photo-worthy (not that my redundant photos are photo-worthy anymore). It is even more upscale that Tlaquepaque. I couldn’t find a hotel for less than 100 dollars/night anywhere near the center. I carried my pack for maybe two hours and down and all around. By then I felt like I had seen it all before, so I just went back to the bus stop and continued on to Colima.

I don’t generally like to get into a city after dark, but hostelworld.com had a good looking hostel with plenty of vacancy. Mexico can be very sketchy at night, so I just showed up there via taxi from the bus station. And here  am.

I don’t know how long I will stay in Colima. It’s a pleasant capital of Mexico’s smallest state by the same name, with a population of about 140,000. It’s not sketchy and the people seem really nice. I’m not in that big a hurry and I really like this hostel I’m staying, so maybe I’ll just hang out for a while. Somewhere near the end or shortly after, I’ll blog about it. Till then, be well, all of you.

Hi again. Greetings from Guadalajara. I got here yesterday after about a week in Zacatecas and a town of about 40,000 an hours south of there, Jerez.

Zacatecas is a pretty good town. It’s nothing to write home about, though here I am writing home about it. What’s to say? Let’s see. It’s got it’s own character. Though it’s mostly urbane, the area around is cowboy county. It’s at about 2600 meters elevation, on the edge of what becomes increasingly desert as you go north. It’s still cool, with the highs in the teens and 20’s centigrade, and no mosquitoes. That alone makes it worth visiting. Things to see? Well, it’s got an extensive historical district with stuff like you’ve been looking at on this blog, and a famous mine which was in operation for 450 years. Other than checking that out, I just soaked up the goings on.

I stayed at the only hostel I know of in town. It was just fine, with a kitchen which I like so I don’t have to buy food at restaurants. My roommates were quiet. The wifi was okay. I don’t need much. There was a nice roof terrace.

And it is located right behind the cathedral in the center of town. Here the back of the cathedral view from terrace.

Here’s a nice feature on the front of the cathedral.

The mine is right in the mountain in the background there. It’s proximity to the city is one reason it was closed. The noise and waste just didn’t go with  the modern city. I went on a tour of the mine, but there were no good photo ops. Too dark. Like in Bolivia, it’s no wonder the average miner for most of that 450 years lived to be about 35. Of course, in Bolivia, they still only live till 35. This mine tour was nothing like that one. Whew, that one was tough, up and down through narrow passages, coming across miners chopping away. This one only went on the main, flat passages.

Zacatecas had the most music of anywhere I’ve been. In at least four areas just in the nearby center, there was live music and people singing and dancing well into the night.

On top of that, there are elections on Tuesday. The candidates get a crowd by putting on a show. If there is music, Mexicans will gravitate toward it every time.

I know y’all are into rodeo. One day I went with three hostel-mates to a semi-big rodeo. There were only two events, women’s barrel racing and men’s bull riding. The women were locals. The guys were professionals, mostly from all over northern Mexico. There was even a Brazilian and an American. The barrel racing was boring.

That particular contestant fell off her horse, landed hard, picked herself up and started crying. Here the cowboys are consoling her. I guess even cowgirls get the blues.

Before the bull riding event, the riders were introduced, then there was a moment of prayer. Maybe not a bad idea. I saw a TV show in China that was nothing but fatal rodeo accidents. It was gruesome, like Jackass for real.

Here are some random pics.

I got some nice smiles for being so out of place looking there, but I am a city guy and definitely not from there.

Back in the city… After going on that mine tour, there’s a gondola ride to the hilltop opposite the city below, up behind the center. I went on that and walked down.

Here’s the view from the gondola.

For me, the best site in Zacatecas is a partially restored 17th century convent. Parts are as they are, that is, ruins. Part is an amazing mask museum.

I probably should have taken pictures of the 1000-some masks. Or maybe photography wasn’t allowed. Maybe that’s it. I can’t remember. Anyway, here was the entrance to the exhibit. This area was very nice inside.

There is a pretty courtyard. While I was there, a wedding was getting started. What a nice place to get hitched! It must cost a pretty penny to rent that.

This brings me to the end of Zacatecas. My next major stop was Guadalajara, but Lonely Planet had a boxed spiel about Jerez, about an hour down the road to Guadalajara. LP called it “charming” and “as Mexican as tortilla”. I stopped there, thinking I could kill an afternoon and continue on. It was charming and I stayed two nights.

I figured it would be tranquil compared to Zacatecas, but the first night was an election show, though this one was more traditional music as befitted the populace there. Jerez seems to be a PRI stronghold

I just have one more picture I’d like to share. When Myung and I were in Korea, we got real, fresh honey. 95% of Chinese honey is drastically watered down and expensive. They have real honey in Mexico. A guy on the street in Jerez was heating a honey comb so it would drip into a container. Yum! This is the real deal.

So, now I’m in Guadalajara, a village of 4 million people. Some people asked me why I would want to go there, implying it didn’t have anything to offer. I like it so far, though. I think I will stay a few days.

Talk to you later. Be well, all of you,

This is Callejon del Besos, Alley of Kisses. Legend has it that the daughter of a wealthy man fell in love with a common miner. When her father discovered this, he forbid them from seeing each other. In order for the young man to see his beloved, he rented the room across the alley, only 68 inches (200 cm) wide. So close, they could exchange kisses and touch. The father discovered them together and it ends in tragedy. He knifes his daughter in the heart and the miner dives to his death down a mine shaft.

Some say Guanajuato is the most romantic city in Mexico. The custom, repeated all day and night by Mexican and foreign couples alike, is to kiss on the third step, the narrowest point. This  promises seven years of happiness together. If a couple passes this spot without kissing, they will have seven years of bad luck.

With this, I am done with Guanajuato, at least for now. It’s been great hanging out in this nice, quiet hostel. I get so impatient with partying backpackers now. Yes, they are mostly young and want to have fun, but I’m taking the laid back lodgings every time I can.  My perfect day is doing something for a few hours and chilling. This has been especially good because I have had a big, airy dorm room with a view all to myself.

But, I’ve run out of things I want to do here and am going to Zacatecas tomorrow. I’ll post from there, of course. Until then …

I’ve been here in Guanajuato for, I think, five days, and it’s still good. I like this mellow hostel, plus all but one night I’ve had this big room to myself. So far, there hasn’t been any difficulty finding something to do. I thought I’d go back into diary mode and just show you where I went. These places and pictures wouldn’t have merited posting back when I was lazy about doing it or there was no way for extended periods, but I liked the places okay.

Right in town is a garden called San Gabriel de Barrera.

I thought is was nicer in person than my pictures indicate. Just imagine walking around in here for a couple of hours. There was no one else at all there, so it was tranquil.

I thought this stained glass window was nice,then I went around outside and circled back to it. It was even nicer from the outside.

A couple more…

The hotel part is probably nice on the inside.

In the hills just out of town was an old mine. Many metals  were taken out of it from the late late 16th to late 19th century. It was of passing interest, but here is how it looks on the surface where visitors are allowed to go.

Visitors can’t go down the entrance.

There’s a view of Guanajuato from up there.

The day before yesterday was a fiesta before the opening of the floodgates on the dam in about two weeks. I’m told they do that to wash out the Guanajuato River bed. I’d like to see that, actually, but I doubt I’ll be here that long. The fiesta ringed the reservoir and had carnival stuff like rides, food and hawkers. there was also tons of music,including overlapping electric groups.

I wandered around there for about three hours till I was bored. A lot of Mexicans love boxing. there was an exhibition scheduled for the evening, but I didn’t stick around for it.

Other than that, it’s been mostly wandering around or hanging out at the hostel with my computer, like now. The music school has an opera performance tonight at the Teatro Principal. It’ll probably be okay, considering they are students. For 3 dollars, what have I got to lose?

Later….
Well, that could have been better. It was an hour of snippets of famous operas. A couple of the soloists weren’t awful. I was hoping the university orchestra would be there, but there was just a student pianist. Oh, the chorus! “Weak” would be flattering.

The owner of this hostel asked me how long I am staying. I committed to two more nights. Maybe it will be time to go then. Meanwhile, hasta luego.

Guanajuato is a lovely city. I wonder how San Miguel de Allende became the favorite of expats? There is nothing I saw in San Miguel that doesn’t seem nicer here. It’s prettier, much more photogenic, and just as sophisticated. I’m considering adding this to my short list of where I could plunk down.

Guanajuato is almost all up and down, so as the city bus wound down to the center, it was hard to see what Guanajuato is like. I kind of don’t like cities where I can’t get the lay of the land on the way in. The hostel I booked said it was above and away from the noisy center, and the pictures on it’s webpage looked like you could see around from it. This did turn out to be the case. From up high, one gets a better idea how Guanajuato is laid out. Here are pictures from the terrace outside my door.

This is a great town for wandering. Due to it’s maze of crooked alleys and streets, wander you do. I’ve gotten lost and unlost several times already. Let’s go for a walk.

You go down a footpath, then a couple of little streets until you get to this corner.

That fountain was my landmark the first day, or I don’t think I would have remembered which street to take up to my place. If you stick to one of the two main streets from there and not into the warren of alleys, you continue to go down until you hit the main plaza. This is the weekend, so it’s been busy down there. There’s a shady, triangular park…

Actually, on the walk I took today, this was where I ended up after about four hours. I sat on one of those benches on the right and listened to this band behind me serenade the diners.

Here is the scene around the outside of the shady area.

If you look down the right side of that theater, you look down what used to be vehicle access to the Subterranea Padre Miguel Hidalgo. See the headlights down there? The cars make a left and go underneath. Nowadays, that way is one of many pedestrian access points to a one-way road in what was the Guanajuato River before the river was diverted in 1905 after it flooded the city. This tour is all out of sequence from the walk I took, but let’s go down there, anyway. Here’s one end…

Then it goes like this. I don’t have any pictures that show how it’s really a pretty walk, photogenic is some places. Of course, I couldn’t capture it.

You look up at these funky homes and stuff.

After walking that for a while, I came out in a neighborhood area.

Then I came around toward the center…

… where there were even more people than when I left.

A cute thing was these guys who made themselves up like they were made of copper. They mimed and posed for pictures.

This guy has a little hose behind him. See? So, he is sitting there continuously pouring a drink. Pretty cool live fountain. I didn’t move quick enough to get a picture of him handing one of the carnations, tin man-like, to a little girl.

It was at that point I sat on the bench and listened to the band in the restaurant I was telling you about. After that, it was about 4 o’clock and I was a little hungry. I started back toward the hostel and grabbed a slice of pizza, thinking I’d make some spaghetti I have in the kitchen. On the way up the hill, I passes this chic tea house/bar/restaurant in front of which I had seen a sign saying there was live jazz from 11-5. At noon there was no music, so I went on the walk. On the way back, I could hear it on the street, so I went in and gave myself my weekly treat. There was a little table on the little balcony next to the drummer. Here are the views to the left and right, and of the dudes. They were good, especially the bass player.

Music is a big deal in Guanajuato. There is a music school here. Students and guest artists from all over put on frequent shows at the many venues. There is something just about every night, and usually two, three or four programs on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. The first evening I got here, I went to a piano and oboe recital in a room next to where this jazz was. There is a school symphony, a ballet company, voice, and a serious folklorico department. The environment attracts musical and other artists, not to mention money, to town. This is why I say Guanajuato is chic, compared to San Miguel de Allende. San Miguel isn’t particularly classy. Don’t get me wrong, I like San Miguel. It’s got plenty of stuff. It’s just Guanajuato pulls it off with more style

Look at me, t-shirt and sandals in a swanky bar, discussing chic. I do, though, recognize the difference between San Francisco and Sacramento (not to mention, God help us all, Stockton!). With enough money, not that much by most Western retiree standards, in my opinion Guanajuato would be a very nice place to plunk down. Even without much money, like yours truly, it would be nice. I’d just have to budget. The performances cost 4-5 dollars, which is doable. The jazz club thing could add up, especially with drinking and eating. My treat was a plate of nice cheeses with good bread, along with an actually fine glass of Mexican white wine. I was wondering if the expensive Mexican whites were any good. My glass was from a 20 dollar bottle, and it was dry, had plenty of character and a good nose.

Speaking of chic, this is some kind of dorm I’m staying in. It’s, like, three beds in the Astrodome. I’m the only one in here tonight, typing away in that bed with yellow sheets. As you saw, though, the view is good.

Boy, this was a long post for having only been here two and a half days. For sure, I will have more to say. I don’t know how long I will stay in Guanajuato. Maybe few days. Who knows? I’m not that busy.

Be well, all of you.