Inside San Miguel...
The Blog

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May 8, 2008, Sweet Tastings This Week in San Miguel de Allende

If you're in San Miguel de Allende this week and you have a sweet tooth, crave super-rich ice cream or love crisp white wines, you need to head over to Salida a Celaya 41 to Luna de Queso Thursday evening, May 8, from 6-9 pm. A great line-up of San Miguel's gourmet talent is coming together to present a sweet evening of tastings and fun.

Lila Shaw, "The Dinner Goddess," joins Mariana Peraza, owner of Luna de Queso, Mauricio from Sabores de Frida Helados and a special guest from Oveja Negra wines. The treats include a range of desserts and artisan cheeses from Fromagora.

Sabores de Frida organic ice creams used to be sold at Fellini's and have been sorely missed in San Miguel. Thursday will make the re-emergence of the line in town, since Mariana will be offering several flavors at Luna de Queso.

The evening is part of an ongoing and occasional series of tastings at the lovely little cheese shop, each around a different theme. Look for upcoming evenings of Mexican cuisine, tapas, etc.

Oh yes, there will also be a 10% discount off any merchandise in the store during the tasting.

Apr 29, 2008, How to Travel to Mexico and San Miguel de Allende

Traveling to San Miguel de Allende, Mexico, is not hard. Here are some tips on travel to Mexico that will get you there...

Apr 29, 2008, San Miguel Artists: Profiles of Artists in San Miguel de Allende

Talk about Art in Mexico and you end up talking about Art in San Miguel. Here are profiles of some featured San Miguel artists...

Apr 28, 2008, San Miguel is the most fascinating Mexican town ever!

I lived in Mexico City during the years 1991 and 1992, and I visited San Miguel on three occasions. I fell in love with the place the first time I

Apr 27, 2008, May Events in San Miguel de Allende

May events in San Miguel de Allende are lazy affairs as many of the

Apr 27, 2008, Finding a Cheap Mexico Flight

Some ideas, tips and tricks to help you find a cheap Mexico flight for your next vacation...

Apr 27, 2008, Finding the Best Flight to Mexico and San Miguel de Allend

There are lots of options for finding a flight to Mexico and San Miguel de Allende. Here are some tips to find the best way to get there....

Apr 24, 2008, Ten Reasons Why I Love San Miguel

1. I haven't checked a weather forecast for ten years! 2. Nothing runs as I think it should. A constant reminder that I have no control. 3. Now,

Apr 24, 2008, SPA Benefit Features Vocals & Guitars

This Sunday, April 27, from 5-7:30 pm, the animals of S.P.A. (Sociedad Protectora de Animales) will have reason to be grateful. So will lovers of good original and lively music.

A benefit at La Princessa, Recreo #3 (corner of Correo) will feature the original songs, vibrant voices and rich guitar sounds of three wonderful musicians.

Catherine McNeil, from Vancouver, Canada offers vocals, guitar and harmonica renditions of her original and funny songs.

Carolina Miller of New Jersey and San Miguel, performs original folk songs in a velvety, deep voice like chocolate syrup.

Gabriel Heiser, from Nashville, has written more than 600 songs. Add that originality to his 3-octave range and virtuoso guitar pickin' and you're in for a memorable evening.

Admission is $25 pesos, which goes to the SPA.

Apr 21, 2008, About San Miguel de Allende

Some fast facts to answer your first questions about San Miguel de Allende—like where is San Miguel, what's the weather like, how do I get there, stuff you need to know....

Apr 18, 2008, 36 Hours in San Miguel de Allende

You have a weekend, 36 hours to spend in San Miguel de Allende. Here's a perfect two days in this Mexican paradise...

Apr 14, 2008, What do YOU Love about San Miguel?

It seems pretty clear that a lot of people fall in love with San Miguel almost at first sight. And stay that way.

But why, exactly? What makes us love this pretty little town so passionately?

I've just created a space where you can share YOUR reasons for loving San Miguel with the rest of us. Your "Top Ten (or so) Reasons to Love San Miguel" can become a page on this site.

To share the love (or just try to explain it), click on the link below. It'll take you to a simple form where you can tell the world why you love San Miguel.

Please share.

Apr 9, 2008, Prepare Your Palates for a Special Treat

Paco Cardenas, owner of the popular bakery/cafe El Petit Four, at Mesones 99-1, is throwing a party. The cafe is 10 years old and the anniversary celebration will be this Saturday, April 12th from 6-8 pm.

Paco and gang will be serving, what else, petits fours, plus champagne and live music.

El Petit Four has been a popular stopover in a busy day almost from the the day it opened a decade ago. Delicious pastries, fresh-baked criossants, hand-made truffles from Belgian chocolate, mousses, tartlets, brownies--there's always something yummy in the case, perfect with espresso or cappuccino. Since they also have a bar, you can even add a dollop of Kahlua or Irish Cream to your coffee.

Do stop by for a glass of champagne and a sweet treat Saturday evening. And tell Paco we sent you.

Apr 7, 2008, The Rughookers of Agustin Gonzalez

Not far from the million-dollar mansions and over-the-top meals of San Miguel de Allende is the village, or rancho, of Agustin Gonzalez. It is typical of many of the ranchos and tiny villages that dot the campo throughout the state of Guanajuato--poor, agricultural, distinctly un-modern. With 200 families, the full-time inhabitants are mostly female or elderly. The young men—husbands, brothers, fathers—have left for el Norte to earn money to send back home to their families. They will return for two months or so each year to work their fields, then head back north to work someone elses.

For several years now the finances of 18 of these rancheritas, women (and one man) of Agustin Gonzalez, have been looking a bit brighter thanks to what has come to be called The Rughook Project.

The project was begun some 15 years ago by members of the San Miguel group Mujeres en Cambio, a local non-profit organization committed to enhancing economic stability and education for women living in rural communities in central Mexico. The group had been looking for a way to help poor women from the campo earn extra income through their own craft. The rancheritas already had a tradition of lovely embroidery, so learning to hook rugs was a natural. The project has grown and prospered, and the women are beginning to gain recognition for their work as a true folk art.

The rugs are charming—whimsical and colorful, full of scenes of the rughookers daily lives, from pigs to churches, burros to cornstalks.

Charlotte Bell, a professional photographer and San Miguel part-timer, has helped the group with materials, publicity, logistics and anything else she can think of to keep the project succeeding and growing. In the process, she has become dear friends with the rughookers. Now she has created a wonderful DVD featuring her own still photographs of the village, the rancheritas and their rugs, with her own voice-over narration. It tells the whole story of the Rughookers of Agustin Gonzalez, a charming and fascinating one.

She has also created a website with several galleries of photographs of the rugs, more information on the village and people, and a way to order these rugs for yourself.

The site also tells how you can help. The rancheritas always need wool. Not wool yarn, but wool fabric, which they cut into strips for the hooking. They can use any 100% wool yardage or clothing they can cut up (adult sizes only, since children’s clothing is too small to yield usable strips). The site offers a Texas address where you can donate wool.

For more on the Rughook Project and a chance to view and/or purchase the DVD, visit the link below. I urge you to visit the website. But be prepared to fall in love—with the people and with their art, their rugs.

Apr 7, 2008, Learn About Culinary Herbs & Other Edible Plants at El Charco

So you're wandering through the campo. You see an old Mexican woman gathering plants, picking some green and growing things, sniffing them, stuffing them into a bag on her back.

What's she picking? What's she going to do with them? Most likely she's going to take them home and cook them for her family, or use them to flavor a guisado or dress up a taco.

Could you do the same? Can you tell romeritos from verdolagas, pápalo from quelites? If not, you should plan to attend the next presentation in the ongoing lecture series at El Charco del Ingenio, the San Miguel de Allende botanical garden.

Victoria Challancin, owner of Flavors of the Sun International Cooking School of San Miguel, will be the guest lecturer at 9:30 am, Friday, April 11th.

Victoria's knowledge of Mexican culinary herbs and lesser-known edible plants is encyclopedic and her enthusiasm for her subject infectious. You'll get some anthropology lessons sprinkled among the recipes, some ethnobotany and phytochemistry mixed in with common-sense Mexican herbal lore and cooking tips. You'll find out what that old woman was probably picking, how she cooked it and why it was very healthy for her family.

The cost of the lecture is $70 pesos for El Charco members and $100 pesos for non-members (Hint: You can join on the spot.) Reservations can be made at nzerriffi@yahoo.com. Plan to arrive by 9:20 am at the reception area of the botanical garden on the edge of town.

For a deeper look at Victoria Challancin's expertise and charming writing style, check out her blog at the link below. The current issue features notes and a couple of recipes for delicious aguas frescas, the wonderfully refreshing fresh fruit drinks served all over Mexico.

Apr 4, 2008, Gustos for Comfort Food

When I'm craving some good comfort food and a tasty margarita, I head to Gustos. It's inside Los Milagros on Relox. Some are my favorites are their

Apr 4, 2008, World-Class Restaurant & Chef--Andanza!

For all of those who have complained that San Miguel did not have a world-class restaurant or talented chef, go to Andanza! I, a foodie, and two

Apr 3, 2008, Restaurants in San Miguel: Olivers

Oliver's is one of the newest restaurants in San Miguel de Allende, but already making a name for itself. Find out why...

Apr 3, 2008, Area Code for Mexico

There isn't just one area code for Mexico. If you're calling San Miguel de Allende, here's how to do it...

Apr 2, 2008, The Restaurant at Sollano 16

San Miguel's newest restaurant is called, plainly enough,The Restaurant. My husband and I went twice recently and were very impressed. Wonderful,

Apr 1, 2008, Restaurants in San Miguel: Ristorante Da Andrea at Hacienda La Landeta

One of the very best restaurants in San Miguel de Allende, Da andrea is locate din a 300-year-old hacienda just outside town. Learn more about it...

Apr 1, 2008, Bring Out Your Inner Diva

Popular songtress Billie Rose has been a regular feature of the San Miguel de Allende night scene for awhile. She used to perform regularly at The Thirsty Monkey before it changed location.

Now she will be appearing at Romano's from 7-9 pm every Friday in April. You'll enjoy both the food and the music.

And if listening to Billie makes you want to break out in song yourself, but you're afraid you might shatter the windows or frighten the horses, she can help fix that too.

She's offering a workshop for Wannabe Divas. It's a chance to "stop holding it all in and release your inner Barbra, Janis, or Celine!"

Small groups of 3-4 students will meet once a week to work on techniques to improve tone and resonance, range limits and how to choose material to maximize individual abilities. Each participant will also receive one individual lesson per month. Cost is $500 pesos a month.

For more information, contact Billie Rose at (415) 152-3375 1pm to 6pm or email her at river.rose@gmail.com

And swing by Romano's if you're in town any Friday this month for good food and good music.

Apr 1, 2008, Restaurants in San Miguel: El Pegaso

El Pegaso is one of the most popular restaurants in San Miguel. Colorful, friendly, cheap and good. What could be better....?

Apr 1, 2008, Restaurants in San Miguel: La Posadita

Two restaurants in San Miguel have killer views of the Parroquia. One costs a fortune. The other, La Posadita, doesn't. Dine well, pay less, and enjoy the view...

Apr 1, 2008, Restaurants in San Miguel: El Ten Ten Pie

Of all the restaurants in San Miguel, El Ten Ten Pie is one of the most popular. Good food, great ambience, interesting people. Find out more...

Mar 31, 2008, San Miguel Restaurants: Something for Every Taste

There is certainly no reason to go hungry in San Miguel de Allende. There are dozens of San Miguel restaurants for every taste and every budget. Here are some of the best...

Mar 30, 2008, A New Magazine Article is a Love Song for San Miguel

Sunset Magazine, a popular western US tavel and lifestyle mag, has just published another article about San Miguel de Allende and it's a virtual love song.

Author Peter Fish gets on the plane to Leon a sceptic--and falls in love with San Miguel at first sight. Like so many of us.

He tells us our town reminds him "of parts--the best parts--of Santa Fe, of Siena, of Seville. But it's maybe more beautiful than any of them, especially now, in spring, when the clear, high air--the city stands at about 6,000 feet--is tinted violet by hundreds of blooming jacarandas."

He also calls it "almost unbearably beautiful." He'll get no arguments from those of us who fell under San Mgiuel's spell a long time ago and have no wish to end the bewitchment.

Read the whole article at the link below...

Mar 23, 2008, A New Invasion in San Miguel de Allende?

I suppose it had to happen. More and more American franchises have been creeping into San Miguel. We've had a Blockbuster and Domino's Pizza for many years out on Ancha de San antonio. Recently a McDonald's opened in the new La Luciernaga shopping center at the Queretaro entrance to town.

But none of these are in the historic centro, the colonial heart of San Miguel. The only major US franchise that has set up shop in the centro is the Subway sandwich shop on Juarez, and reports are that it's not doing well. Too much competition from the Tortilan just down the block--cheaper sandwiches and, many say, better.

But now we have a Starbucks due to open this week right on the corner of the Jardin. Predictably, some people are upset, worrying that it will irrevocably change the character of San Miguel. Letters to the editor of Atencion have been flying thick and fast, both for and against.

I'm not one of the kneejerk fear-mongers, yelling that the sky will surely fall if Starbucks is allowed into town. And I think those who "blame" the Starbucks invasion on the presence of so many Americans here are either blind or terribly arrogant. We don't have that much power.

Starbucks already has a solid presence in several Mexican cities and has announced that they will open 80 new stores in Mexico this year. And they are not designed to cater only to Americans. For many young Mexicans, drinking at Starbucks is a status symbol. Who are we to tell them they shouldn't want it?

Still, I was upset this week when I saw the sign on the new store. It is HUGE! The individual silvery letters must be a foot high. There are no other signs this obtrusive in the centro. No way is this sign in keeping with the sign ordinances designed to maintain the colonial look of San Miguel de Allende.

More grumbling has already been heard. Protests are being prepared. We can hope that the city administration reverses whatever special permission was given to Starbucks for this awkward and ugly infringement.

Meanwhile, I think I'll continue to drink my coffee at Cafe del Jardin, Buen Cafe, Cafe Montenegro, Cafe on Correo, Cafe etc., La Buena Vida, Cafe Monet, Las Musas in Bellas Artes, La Finestra, or several other places that are locally owned, have great atmosphere, and don't burn the coffee.

Mar 23, 2008, The Solemn and Silent Processions of Good Friday

Yesterday was Good Friday, a really important day in San Miguel de Allende, and I'm still exhausted.

I love the fact that the solemn religious processions of Semana Santa in San Miguel are not put on for the tourists. They are not about producing a show that will bring people to town. They are very real and deeply felt religious observations, traditions that go back centuries. You have only to watch, to look at the faces of the women carrying the heavy platforms bearing angels and saints, to peer into the eyes of the men wearing haircloth tunics and crowns of thorns and carrying heavy wooden crosses to know that the emotion you see there is not fake, not phonied up for the audience. It is real, and it involves a huge percentage of the community. The final procession yesterday--the Santo Intierno or Holy Burial--included about 2000 participants. The women who carried the female saints were dressed all in black, with black lace mantillas and white gloves--and many in 3-inch stilleto heels, despite the uneven cobblestones. The men were in black suits with purple sashes. The little girls were sweet angels all in white.

Despite the fact that this is not a tourist show, it does draw thousands of spectators from all over Mexico and beyond. San Miguel is one of the few places in Mexico that has clung to these very old traditions, and many people come to see them.

And that's why I'm exhausted. For me, this year's religious processions were all about the photographs. I have seen them many times but never seriously tried to photograph them. This year, I was determined to get some good shots and that meant getting to the best viewing spots early.

My morning perch for the procession know as El Encuentro--the Encounter between Mary and her beaten and bloodied son--was in the atrium of the Parroquia, up against the iron fence--a good spot, except that it was in the sun, which meant almost three hours of standing in the heat. For the last hour, I perched my feet on an iron crossbar 12 inches off the ground, wrapped my arm around an upright and let that camera rip. Good photography, bad posture. I ended up with knees shaking.

For the dusk procession, I thought I'd given msyelf plenty of time to get a spot facing the Oratorio church, where the procession begins. Wrong. All shady spots taken. I finally ended up sitting on the wall at the north side of the Parroquia--not a bad view but that cement wall got a little hard by the end of the third hour on it. I came home numb and bruised.

But I got the shots.

For more, check out the Good Friday link below...

Mar 16, 2008, "Guide to Semana Santa" to Be Repeated

A few days ago, I wrote about a wonderful slide lecture being offered this week in San Miguel.

Charlotte Wolf, photographer and author of Tears From the Crown of Thorns, gave an inspiring talk based on her beautiful book of photographs and text about Semana Santa, Holy Week, in San Miguel de Allende.

Charlotte makes a wonderful guide to all the color, the pageantry and the mystery of this important season in San Miguel.

The response to last Thursday's lecture was overwhelming, so much so that people had to be turned away at the door. And so Charlotte has agreed to repeat the lecture for those who could not get in. The "Guide to Semana Santa" slideshow/lecture will be repeated Wednesday, March 19 at 3:00 pm in the rear sala at Posada San Francisco on the north side of the Jardin.

Everyone who comes to the lecture will be given a printed "guide" with a calendar listing all the events of Semana Santa and maps showing the best places to stand for good views of the processions.

Charlotte will also be signing copies of her book.

Admission is $50 pesos.

Mar 15, 2008, An Inspiring Viernes de Dolores, Friday of Sorrows and Night of the Altars

As I write this it is late Friday night--Viernes de Dolores, the Friday of Sorrows. I've just returned from walking around town to see altars with images of the Virgin of Sorrows. The heady scent of incense, chamomile and lilies is still in my nose and the echo of holy music still sounds inside my head. And I can still taste the ice cream on my tongue.

For this event that really begins Semana Santa, or Holy Week, in San Miguel de Allende, it's traditional for people to build altars to the Virgin of Sorrows in the windows of their homes, and to offer sweets to the passersby who come to see them. In the past, a sweet made from candied yams was the traditional offering, but today the emphasis has shifted to frozen treats and fruit water. I've just eaten two ice creams, a frozen fruit bar plus a couple glasses of limeade and jamaica, a wonderfully refreshing drink made from dried hibiscus blossoms. And I turned down half-a-dozen other offerings.

The crowds on certain streets famous for the best altars were thick. Dozens of people strolled up and down Calle Barranca, which has many lovely altars. A large crowd stood quietly before the decorated fountain at Prolongacion Aldama and Cardo. Just down Aldama, I counted nearly 100 people lined up at the Perez home to get a cup of ice cream then step inside to see the gorgeous room-sized altar, accompanied by lilting religious music. The statues have been in the Perez family for several generations.

The altars showed not only great religious faith but wonderful creativity. Some featured painted backdrops and papier-mache boulders. One had a dramatically back-lit silhouette of Christ on the cross with his mourning mother below. Tha Almanza family altar on Tenerias included exquisitely carved and painted angels made my Senor Almanza, one of the most famous santeros, or saint-makers, in the region.

There are dozens of these altars around town--in homes, in public spaces, and at nearly all of the 45 public fountains in San Miguel. Some are simple, with a few bitter oranges, some purple swagging, wheat grass and a picture of the Virgin. Others are incredibly elaborate, filling a room, or a courtyard, or a front garden, with several tiers, dozens of objects and complicated patterns created on the floor in colored sawdust and flower petals.

But no matter how simple or how elaborate, no matter how long they took to create, they will all be gone tomorrow.

For a complete description of Viernes de Dolores, Friday of Sorrows, in San Miguel de Allende, click the link below.

Mar 13, 2008, Bocca Baciata: a story by Keith Keller

A short story by Keith Keller, an artist and writer living in San Miguel de Allende

Mar 13, 2008, Featured San Miguel Artist: Keith Keller

Keith Keller is a long-time San Miguel artist and runs a art school on San Miguel de Allende. Here's a complete profile of Keith Keller...

Mar 11, 2008, A Classic "San Miguel Afternoon"

Today I had a "classic San Miguel afternoon." Here's how it looked:

I met friends for a late lunch and a really old friend--someone I hadn't seen in 10 years--was there too. This happens a lot in San Miguel de Allende. People come and go, but mostly they come back eventually. It was great talking over old times and catching up on the new over the delicious enchiladas verdes at El Buen cafe, one of my favorite hang-outs. Kris bakes a mean Italian cream cake, too.

Afterwards, I wandered up to the Jardin, ran into a couple more friends and sat on a bench awhile, just chatting and feeling the sunshine on our faces.

Next stop was the Biblioteca, San Miguel's wonderful bi-lingual library, for coffee at Cafe Santa Ana. As I write this, I'm sitting on the patio (yes, they have WiFi at the library) sipping a cafe latte. People are lining up for the regular cinemateca movie at Teatro Santa Ana. Today they're showing Lost & Found in Mexico, a wonderful short film by Caren Cross about moving to San Miguel and rediscovering herself and her true life.

A few feet away, in the brilliantly colorful Sala Quetzal, the San Miguel Community Choir is beginning a rehearsal with simple warm-up vocalizations, a pleasant accompaniment to my coffee. The Sala Quetzal is the library's main meeting room. Lectures, slideshows, kids' music classes--there's always something going on there. It also houses the library's stellar collection of books on Mexican history, art and craft and is decorated wall-to-wall, ceiling-to-floor with an amazing, brilliant, vivid and highly detailed mural by David Leonardo, that tells the story of Quetzalcoatl.

Ah, here's a small bird--I don't know the name--hopping and hoping for crumbs. Water tinkles in the fountain behind me as the sun stripes a slow-moving line across my hammered copper table. The piercing pink/fuschia of a rioting bougainvillea is having its way with the rough stones of the 400-year-old abbey wall.

Just down the steps, a group of Mexican teen-agers are gathered around a library table--ostensibly doing their homework, but chattering and giggling and flirting in between working on their assignments. All around me, chatter echoes in English, Spanish, a smattering of French. Every few minutes, someone stops by my table to say hello, make a date, ask what I'm working on. You don't go to the biblioteca--or anywhere else really public--in San Miguel to avoid interruptions.

Now the choir has begun to practice in earnest, a sweetly harmonized "Agnus Dei." The sun has passed on and the patio sits in cool shade. Time to wind this up, shut down the machine and head for home.

I'll just finish with a line you hear constantly in San Miguel de Allende: Another perfect day in Paradise.

Click on the link below to visit the Biblioteca Publica's website.

Mar 10, 2008, Pssst, Wanna Buy a Cheap Airplane Ticket?

If you've got a craving for San Miguel de Allende, this is a good time to book a flight to Leon/BJX. Leon Airport, just 1 1/2 hours from San Miguel by pre-booked van or shuttle, is by far the most convenient way to get to San Miguel de Allende.

American Airlines is running a Spring Break sale on flights to Mexico and the Caribbean. While we wouldn't actually call them "cheap," they are certainly a bargain compared to normal prices on these routes.

For example, a round-trip ticket from San Francisco to Leon/Bajio will run you a hair over $400 including taxes. From L.A., it's $495. From Dallas, the lowerst fare drops to $355. Not exactly pocket change, but a great bargain still.

You need to hurry, though. Tickets must be purchased by March 18 and are good for travel from April 1 through May 22.

If you're free for a San Miguel getaway during that time frame, this could be your best bet for getting here and still having enough cash in your pocket to enjoy dinner at Da Andrea Restaurant.

Mar 9, 2008, 12 Step Meetings in San Miguel de Allende

There's an active 12-step community in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico, with nearly two dozen English language 12-step meetings in San Miguel every week: AA, ACOA, CODA, Al-Anon. Here's the schedule...

Mar 7, 2008, Where to Stand to "Capture" Semana Santa in San Miguel de Allende

I'm looking forward so much to watching all the Semana Santa activites in the next couple of weeks. And this year I want to capture it all on film (or a digital flash card). If I get anything usable, I'll share them on my website.

But I know I can't hope to create images with the power of those in the beautiful book "Tears from the Crown of Thorns," by my friend Charlotte Wolf. Charlotte has spent years photographing the various processions and spectacles of Holy Week in San Miguel. But she's gone even deeper. She has met and become friends with many of the participants and gained an entree into many behind-the-scenes locations. These, too, she has photographed for the book.

For those of you who will be in San Miguel for Semana Santa, you couldn't hope for a better guide than Charlotte Wolf. And she is making her tips available.

Thursday, March 13 from 5-7 pm, Charlotte will give a slide lecture on Holy Week in San Miguel. Her "guide" will include advice on what's worth seeing and how to do it. She'll even hand out maps and timetables of where to stand and when to get there for the best views. She will also be signing copies of her book, which is a visual feast for any San Miguel lover. You can see more images from the book and even order a copy at Tears From the Crown of Thorns.

The slide lecture will take place at the Sala in the Posada San Francisco, on the north side of the Jardin, and costs $50 pesos.

For my own complete guide to the observances of Holy Week in San Miguel, when they happen and what they mean, click on the link below.

Mar 6, 2008, Easter in San Miguel de Allende

Easter in San Miguel de Allende is a wonderful spectacle, the culmination of all the Holy Week events. Solemn masses and exuberant fireworks and more. Here's what's going on....

Mar 5, 2008, A "Ni Modo" Kind of Day in San Miguel

I usually write glowing reports in this blog about San Miguel's beauty, charm, culture--all the magic and wonder here. Today, I was forcibly reminded of what I don't love about living in Mexico.

I'm nearly out of gas--not the car kind, the cook dinner and heat water kind. Also, my internet connection is down.

I called the gas company to come fill the tanque. "No problema, senora," said the chirpy receptionist. When a Mexican service person says "No problema," figure you're in trouble. She assured me the truck would come by three. I called the computer technician.

Here's how my day panned out: Waited for the techician to call back. Waited for him to arrive. Nuked some leftover Chinese food. Let him in. Waited while he worked on the thing. He left to take the modem to the cable company. Waited for him to return. Ate a cookie. Waited while he worked some more then said the cable guys had to come. Paid him. Waited for his call back. Meanwhile, waited for the gas truck. The technician called, said the cable guy would come tomorrow morning. Sighed. Cancelled tomorrow's other appointments. Waited for the gas truck some more.

By six, I figured it was safe to go out. Clearly no truck was coming today. Tomorrow I'll stay home and wait some more.

This is a pretty typical scenario for getting anything fixed/filled in San Miguel. Customer service is still a new--and often foreign--concept in Mexico.

There is a point to all this rambling, and it's this.... This is Mexico. They do things differently here.

For anyone contemplating a move to San Miguel, it's very important to understand this. If you expect things to work like they do "at home," you're bound to be often frustrated, disappointed and annoyed. If you complain to those you think have failed you, they'll be made to feel ashamed, to "lose face," and you will have committed an unforgiveable cultural faux pas.

There's a useful phrase in Spanish that you should memorize your first day here. Ni modo translates as "Nothing to be done," or "No matter." What it really means (said with a shrug) is "Oh well." It encompasses a whole list of Mexican philosophical realities: Disappointment is inevitable in life; things happen in their own time; it's no one's fault.

All in all, not a bad way to go through life, shrugging off disappointment and simply planning for another day.

So when the more frustrating side of living in San Miguel slaps you upside the head--and it will--shrug it off, say, Ni modo, and look out at the jubilantly blooming jacarandas, enjoy the killer sunset, remember your many friends. Remind yourself how lucky you are to live here.

Feb 27, 2008, The Directory of San Miguel... The Pictures of San Miguel

While surfing the internet today, I happened to come across a site with some of the most gorgeous photographs of San Miguel de Allende I've ever seen. It's the "Juarde" site.

So what, you ask, is "Juarde." The short definition is that it's the ex-pat phone book for San Miguel. The name is a play on words. Pronounce it like Spanish and you get "Hoo-are-day," which sounds a lot like the English "Who Are They?"

The directory of names, address and phone numbers has been around for many years. Since there was no reliable San Miguel phone book (there still isn't), the originators came up with the idea of making their own list of foreign residents. It's been published every year since--well over 20 years--and now includes both Mexican and foreign residents.

Juarde is not complete--you have to actually tell them to put you in and give them your correct contact information--but it's your best chance at finding that elusive phone number for your uncle's neighbor's daughter's girlfriend who moved to San Miguel two years ago.

Juarde has recently started a website with plans to put the directory on line. There's not a lot on the site yet...but.... When you go to their home page, you'll be greeted with a slide show of dozens and dozens of changing photos by Maximillian Monroy and they are works of art.

People, crumbling walls, reflections in the curved chrome of a car, a dog in a window--the images are striking, beautifully composed, full of richly saturated color. They truly capture the essence, the visual magic of San Miguel de Allende.

Be warned... don't click on the link below if you only have a minute. You'll be sitting there mesmerized by the photos for probably half an hour or more. How many of the locations can you recognize?