Return to San Miguel de Allende

Dia de Muertos

 We are back in San Miguel de Allende and are planning to stay for the next several months.  The transition, except for a snafu with our checked bags that was rectified after three days, has been pretty seamless and trouble free.

Day of Dead display 

We arrived on Saturday, November 1 (Dia de Muertos.)  Seeing all of the adults dressed up like skeletons going to a masked ball and the children in their "Halloween" costumes was fun, but it seemed to lack of the spontaneity and levity we remember from last year. Others have commented on the same to us.  We are fearful it is being taken over by the ex-pats and other foreigners.

Our Apartment

View from our Terrace

 Before leaving San Miguel last year, we searched for a place for our stay this year, and we feel fortunate that we found a great one-bedroom apartment right in the heart of town.  Our rent covers all utilities, cable and Internet, and weekly cleaning so we feel it is a good bargain at $742/month. There is a small grocery store, two green grocers, a butcher, and a liquor store within half a block of us.

Small but very comfortable, the apartment includes a living/dining room, kitchen on the first floor and the bedroom and terrace on the second floor. Though  small, we do have room for visitors and there is an open invitation.  Winter nights can be chilly, but most days are bright & sunny with incredibly crystalline blue skis.

Larry at the Biblioteca

There is much to see and do in town, and in the two weeks we have been here, we feel like we have done and seen a lot, although many might think it is a rather leisurely existence.  Larry has signed up for a Spanish language conversation class for an hour each day; Sue is studying on her own for now but is keeping her options open.

Monday nights we are attending a Spanish language lecture series offered by a local language teacher, Javier.  He is very knowledgeable about Mexican history, culture and current events, and he speaks so very clearly and precisely that we both are enjoying this learning opportunity.

We have signed up to tutor some teenagers in English three days a week, at the Biblioteca Publica (a library founded by the expat community some sixty years ago and dedicated to serving the entire San Miguel community.) Our first class will be later this week--wish us luck!

Gil Gutierrez & Friends

 There are so many restaurants that we almost certainly will never be able to sample all of them.  We have returned to some we remembered fondly from last year, like Hecho en Mexico and our favorite Pizzeria.

Last Friday, at the invitation of our friends, John & Martha Birney, we dined at Mi Casa--a restaurant located in the Instituto de Allende and featuring the music of guitarist Gil Gutierrez.  He was joined by some Cuban musicians, and it was a truly memorable and delightful evening. We hope to return regularly.

Organic Market

Other activities have included visiting the Saturday Organic Market and participating in the Audubon Society of Mexico's monthly bird walks.  The latter was great fun.  It was a beautiful Sunday morning and the walk took us along the banks of the river Loja.

Bird Walk

Along the River, Loja

Our expert guides are armed with binoculars and "scopes" that make seeing the birds a lot easier--we spotted a number of exotic species, at least for us, including Vermillion Flycatchers, Phoebes, Keskakees, Cara-Caras,  several variety of egrets as well as mourning doves, warblers, kingfishers, jays, and ravens.

We joined the Society and look forward to their monthly "walks." It was especially nice to have an opportunity to see the countryside outside of town.

Weekend at the Jardin

San Miguel, in addition to a lot of US and Canadian expats, attracts a lot of Mexican tourists from Mexico City and other larger nearby cities like Queretaro, Guanajuato, and Leon.

On weekends, the Jardin, or main plaza, is filled with people--milling around, looking at the Parroquia and other local sites, eating at one of the many restaurants on or near the square, and buying souvenirs and other gimgaws.

Music is a big part of the experience, and at any one time, there might be two or three competing Mariachi bands or singing groups playing or performing.

One thing that we have enjoyed this time is the friendliness of the expat community.  The local Mexicans are almost uniformly polite and helpful, but without a thorough mastery of the language or some other intro to the community, it is hard to integrate--but perhaps with time.

Barbara on her Terrace

The expat community, on the other hand, seems to be very friendly and welcoming.  Already we have met and socialized with a number of individuals and couples.

Attending a play or concert or dining at a local eatery is not unusual to get involved in an extended conversation with the strangers seated next to you.  It is always great fun to exchange stories about how and why you have come to San Miguel.

The Language School, El Liceo, has been another great outlet and a way to meet others.  Last Saturday evening, we were invited to the home of one of Larry's classmates, Barbara and her husband, Dave.

Last year, while on a vacation to Mexico, they visited San Miguel and within three days bought a beautiful home just outside "El Centro" or downtown, and decided to settle there permanently.   They returned home to Seattle,  sold their condo, retired from their jobs, and now are making a new life for themselves here in this lovely Mexican city. It's an easy life with great weather, an interesting culture, and a cost of living probably half of what one experiences in the USA.