Our bags are packed, the bugs are fixed. Vamanos!
Trip Start
Jan 01, 2006
1
17
Trip End
Feb 28, 2006
Chicago,
Illinois,
United States
Thursday, December 22, 2005
Well, we aren't going to cry about leaving a frigid and gloomy Chicago, that's for sure. We love everything about Chicago, except for 3 Things--January, February, and March!
What's with the bugs are fixed???? Well, when I went to set up this travelogue there were technical glitches and finally I emailed for help and thanks to Jacque, whoever you are, the bugs are fixed.
With a fully operational Travelogue (DON'T LEAVE HOME WITHOUT ONE)and four suitcases and four carryon's full of clothes and household goods all but packed, we are rarin' to go.
We leave January 1 for two months back in San Miguel de Allende in central Mexico where we have rented a little house to use as a base for exploring the pueblo and its region and taking side trips further afield. On this year's itinerary are Mexico City and Theotihuacan (the amazing pyramids we saw two years ago during a trip to Cuernavaca) and Morelia and the Monarch Butterflies, as well as nearby towns to SMA. We plan to reconnect with friends we made last year during our visit and have other friends come visit us.
If you read about SMA on the posting boards of major travel sites, you will hear: "It is the best of places" and "It is the worst of places." Those who slam it, do so because it is too Americanized and not the slice of authentic Mexico they seek.
Behind the wall--our home away from home.
Also, if you are into bar hopping and the beach (paragliding by day, tequila shots by night, and all you can eat buffets at oversized resorts) it is not for you. Why do we like it enough to return for two months,having spent a month there last year? San Miguel itself has a very well preserved center area with no high rises and buildings dating back to the 1500 and 1600 hundreds. New construction, of which there is a lot, blends in seemlessly. All those second home owners and snow birds means that the town can support tons of galleries, good restaurants, yoga studios, language schools, and art schools. SMA has a long history of being an arts center with the Intitute Allende offering a masters in fine art and classes for the casual life long learner. Other schools and classes are also available. SMA in this sense is like Santa Fe, New Mexico, or Sedona, Arizona--high desert, low mountain scenic setting with lots of new age and artsy overtones.
SMA boasts a wonderful public library so you can get a library card if you are staying long enough. There are classical concerts and some jazz and pop, lectures every night of the week, house tours of the luxury villas, cooking classes, and, of course, language schools.
Downward dogs and warrior poses, pot throwing, rug weaving, digital photography, mole and tamale lessons, NPR (National Public Radio) lecturers--its all right there. We particularly like the fact that the whole town is walkable or you can take cheap taxis or local buses.
Esteban in front of our townhouse from last year.
One caveat: it is up and down a mountain side so many parts of the town are super steep and the streets are cobblestone. At 6,500 feel elevation this is not the place for someone with a heart condition--or bad knees or mobility problems. On the other hand, you definitely don't need any cardo equipment at the gym.SMA has many smallish boutique hotels, charming B and B's, little to no budget accommodations and lots of rentals. Rentals range from basic studio or one bedroom apartments without amenities in walk up buildings in the centro that rent for about $500 a month and attract retirees from the US and Canada on fixed incomes to five plus bedroom houses with live in servants that rent for $5,000 to $8,000 a month. Or you can live with a Mexican family for $30 a day including two meals--a popular option for those attending the language schools, especially if not doing a full month. We did the family home stay a couple years ago in Cuernavaca and enjoyed it but for two of us and a longer stay our own rental is affordable and offers more privacy and flexibility.
But you have to book way in advance for winter rentals. After a lot of checking things out, last year we found a charming two bedroom, two bathroom townhouse condo (booked in July for Feb.) and this year we have a small single family house with two bedrooms, two bathrooms but also a lovely garden behind a wall and a rooftop terrace. The maid comes three times a week and the gardener every few days. This year's house is a little further walk from the plaza but it is much less steep than our location last year and it is close to the Intsitute Allende--and it was $400 a month less expensive! Only $1,400 a month including utilities. You can't beat that anywhere in the US for a seasonal winter rental someplace warm.
Our house will not be wired for internet access and last year we didn't find that many wifi cafes but I am taking my computer this year so I can work on my pictures and I will post text(and hopefully pix)so our family and friends can check out what is going on.
