Guanajuato City, Guanajuato, Hotel San Diego

Yesterday, Friday, late in the afternoon, Derek, Lupita, Tomas, Cathy, and I headed out from San Miguel, me and the wife saying goodbye to the city for the time being, and headed out to Guanajuato City. It was about an hour and a half drive across the arid rolling plains and hills and over the San Rafael (??) mountains into Guanajuato City.

The skies darkened along the way, so we didn't get to see our entry into the city, but the change in terrain was dramatic as we climbed to this former (or still) mining town. The city sits in a bowl of sorts, surrounded by ridge and peak, and to enter you drive through a series of tunnels, rather than surmount a pass and descend in. A very cool drive in.

We got a room at the Hotel San Diego, right on the Plaza de Union, one of the city's main squares. That night we walked out and had dinner in a restaurant on the square, me having chicken-chipotle something and Cathy having the specialty enchiladas of the region with carrots and potatoes. Very good.

We walked around the old city's cobbled streets after dinner, looking around and taking it in. It was quite lively, apparently a hotspot for students on this night.

This morning we started with coffee and huevos at a small place called La Truca, I think. Then we hit the pavers to take in the city.

We visited the museum of the house of Diego Rivera, his old residence now preserved as a museum and gallery. Many paintings and photos lined the walls, but the highlight was surely the mural on the main room of the top floor recounting the history of Mexico. This was one of those paintings that you could stare at for hours, and not just because of its size.

We left there and went to an indoor market in the former train station. Then we had a small lunch and a couple beers, walked around some more, had some ice cream, and went to the funicular. We rode this glass elevator up to the highpoint of the city where we got a fantastic view of the town and surrounding hillsides.

From there we headed back to the Plaza de Union and hit a restaurant for some tacos and beer. We'd cap this great afternoon with a nap before dinner. And what a dinner--I had a creamy poblano soup that was perhaps the tastiest thing I'd had this whole trip.

Derek and I would go out this night for a few beers, and stay out too late as usual. My 2am bedtime didn't mesh so well with my 4:30 departure for the airport, but what else is there to do on a plane but sleep?

All in all a fantastic, relaxing, very nice vacation. Great food, wonderful people, and a pace that I could adapt to pretty easily. It'll be hard to give up taking a nap every afternoon.

San Miguel, Casita

1.16.08

Once again I sit and enjoy the view of San Miguel from the rooftop patio of 59 Correo. I just can't get enough of this spot. A cold Modelo, a notebook, and the setting sun make for a fine transition to evening.

Yesterday, Tuesday, Cathy and I went to the big market, El Mercado de Martes, to wander and shop and eat. And boy did we. This place had everything, from acres of clothes and shoes to mounds of dried and fresh chiles to dubious electronics to stall after stall of fresh-made street food. That was the big attraction for me--though I did leave with a pair of black boots, a red cowboy shirt, and a couple molcajetes.

But mostly we ate. Sopes con picadillo, potatoes, and carrots; tacos de bistec in flour tortillas; tacos al pastor with cilantro, pineapple, and onion on fresh corn tortillas; aguas frescas; fresh salsas on every table; and that was only what we were able to get to.

After the market we took a cab down to the botanical garden, or the Charco, to walk among the cacti. This is an impressive place, partly for the size and array of the cacti and succulents that cover the grounds, and partly due to the fact that they were able to protect this much space. Development is rampant in the surrounding area, and the reservoir itself is apparently the recipient of much unfiltered sewage from said developments, but the hillsides are still gorgeous and the body of water still host to hundreds or even thousands of migratory water birds.


Tonight Cathy and I head out for a big fancy dinner. We intend to go to some Spanish restaurant, Gastronomica or some such, but we end up instead at a French Bistro where we have an oustanding meal. She has the fillet, which is huge and perfectly cooked, with steamed spinach and vegetables and potatoes. I have chicken crepes gratin, baked in a clay dish to cheese-crispy perfection, a French version of chicken and dumplings that I fall in love with.