Adventures in San Miguel de Allende

2005-12-20T18:38:00.000-08:00

No problem!

2005-12-20T18:36:00.000-08:00

Trouble!

2005-12-20T18:32:00.000-08:00

The players on the back of a flatbed truck

2005-12-20T18:25:00.001-08:00

Hi there everyone!

This has been a busy week for picture taking . . . I have put quite a few on here. Enjoy!

The next couple are from a funny episode last evening that may give you a little sense of life in Mexico.

One of the traditions during the Christmas season are "posadas". They are essentially a reenactment of Joseph and Mary's walk in search of an Inn. During this particular one (see the photos) the truck the players were riding on broke down. Without much hesitation, people that were walking behind the posada ended up pushing the truck through the posada's route through the city. Amazing!

2005-12-20T18:21:00.000-08:00

The Jardin all dressed up for the holidays

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I want one!!

2005-12-10T10:44:00.000-08:00

A great place to relax!

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Residents of the fountain include 6 fish and a turtle.

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The new place!

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quite a spectacular scene

2005-12-04T19:49:00.000-08:00

Mexican Sushi

2005-12-04T19:47:00.000-08:00

I finally decided to give into my need to taste some sushi! We actually have two places in town (can you believe it)! I had a little lunch there . . . not too bad. Frozen fish and not the best I've ever had, but it certainly was in the shape of sushi! For an afternoon I indulged!

2005-11-26T14:45:00.000-08:00

The city on a beautiful clear day

2005-11-26T14:43:00.000-08:00

VIPs in training

2005-11-26T13:59:00.000-08:00

How cute is this parade?!

2005-11-26T13:57:00.000-08:00

Had a good friend visiting this week! It was great being a tourist again . . . and it was a good week to come! It wasn't as crazy as September, but there was a great children's parade (check out the pictures) and a small music festival. Who's going to visit me next?!

2005-11-16T15:45:00.000-08:00

So San Miguel actually does have a social life!!

Last Friday evening was amazing. Started out at a party hosted by a friend of mine who makes amazing furniture. The party took place in his factory outside of town and was the "place to be". Afterwards a group of us went back into town and started bar hopping. Suffice to say that I din't make it home till 5:30am! Haven't done that for a long time! During the evening I met some really fun and interesting people . . . I seem to be building a social group! Hmmm! Maybe I won't be leaving anytime soon!

This next week I have a friend visiting. It will be so much fun to show off the town. I have been here long enough that I might even be starting to take things for granted!

Still warm here. Days are beautiful and nights are just starting to get crisp.

2005-11-10T06:59:00.000-08:00

A bunch of high school girls who wanted to practice english with me in the jardin!

2005-11-10T06:51:00.000-08:00

Well . . . believe it or not "the book" is almost done! I had some great feedback from my book mentor (a guy I met in San Miguel that has published) and I'm putting some finishing touches on it before I start sending it out to collegues for review! Exciting! I can't wait to actually have it published and see a actual book with my name on it. Been a dream of mine for years! So start saving your pennies and dimes to buy it when it comes out! (smile)

Tonight should be fun! My new maid turns out to also be a chef! She is going to cook this evening! Mmmmmmm.

I thought about buying a motorsycle again this week. I'm on the fence as not having a vehicle does limit me to a certain radius around town. However, I am walking more than I ever have before and feel pretty great! We shall see!

Dave

2005-11-04T08:53:00.000-08:00

What a great day yesterday turned out to be. Woke up to a beautiful sunny day here and went on an early morning walk to the bibliotecha . . . on Thursdays they have a public book sale (lots of great bargains on titles donated by the visiting gringos)!

After the sale I wandered over to a Cafe to meet a friend who is helping me through the book writing/publishing maze. I stayed a bit too long chatting and had to run home (about 15 minutes) to meet my Spanish teacher for class. After wrapping my head around the future tense, I had a bit of lunch and relaxed on the patio.

In the evening my friend Paul had organized one of his "guy nights" . . . dinner and bar hopping. Got home late and flopped into bed.

Just another lovely day in San Miguel!

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These are grasshoppers tacos!

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A parade of human size puppets.

2005-11-01T10:52:00.000-08:00

I am in a new house! My housesitting duties finished in the previous place and I now find myself in a three bedroom (there is room if you want to come visit) casita on the other side of town. It will be fun to explore a new neighborhood!

The Day of the Dead festivities have started . . . the town is awash with flowers and the graveyards are being cleaned and decorated for the big day tomorrow. The concept and philosophy behind the Day of the Dead celebrations are so interesting . . . and so different from our North American perspectives on death and dying.

I also found a new taco stand near my new casa that is vying for best taco in the city. Boy they are good! Mmmmm. I think I will go have some right now.

More later . . .

2005-10-23T07:54:00.000-07:00

The beautiful Jadin at night

2005-10-23T07:45:00.000-07:00

Hi there everyone!

I'm back in San Miguel after a couple days back in the US. Interesting how much I really didn't miss anything from there. I got a chance to visit Washington and Chicago and accept for the potential social life (the average age of the local gringo here is 55+) there wasn't anything that excited me about going back! I suppose I will eventually have to since traveling to and from San Miguel can make for such a long day! Not sure where though. Any votes as to where in the US I should try next? Some friends are voting Chicago, some Denver and some back to LA (but closer to the beach). I'm just not sure!

The festivals have stopped and the town is a bit quiet, but it will ramp up again at the end of the month for the Day of the Dead festivities!

Hope you are well . . .

2005-10-11T14:54:00.000-07:00

Artistic shot of a praying mantis in my garden.

2005-10-11T14:53:00.000-07:00

Salesmen in the Jardin

2005-10-11T14:46:00.000-07:00

Been a couple days since I have posted . . . sorry for the delay! I can't believe how time passes here. The town has slowed down a little. The major festivals are over for a bit and the crowds have started to thin. Not much major going on until the end of the month when Day of the Dead celebrations begin. I was here last year during that time . . . what an amazing cultural way of looking at death.

Tonight I am going to my art teacher's house. On Tuesday evening he hosts an art evening with wine and a live model. Should be interesting!

I actually am heading back to the US for a couple days next week on a business trip. Will be interesting what my reaction is. Stay tuned!

2005-10-06T07:36:00.000-07:00

Both of these were drawn from live models. Double yikes.

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Some of you wanted to see what I'm doing in art class. I went from stick figures to these in only two weeks! Yikes!

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The garden . . . where I sit and think. (smile)

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Here are a couple pics of the place I am currently staying!

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Here is a map of the city. At the moment I am living on Callejon de los Muertos! (Scary!)

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By the way, San Miguel de Allende is located in the mountainous region of Central Mexico, in the state of Guanajuato. It is located about a 4 hour drive to Mexico City, 2 hour drive to Guanajuato, and about 2� hours from Leon.

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The release of one of the bulls. He quickly found someone to take his anger out on!

2005-10-04T13:30:00.000-07:00

Today was a bit overcast. Didn't feel like doing much. Went to the big supermarket (Gigante Super!) with a friend who had to make a fruit salad for a party. Walked around the Tuesday market (imagine a GIANT social outdoor flea market where you can buy just about anything) then came back home. Worked a little on the "book". Contemplated a nap. Ah . . . the life when you aren't working!

By the way, I have conflicting stories as to the casualty count at the running of the bulls. I read about 50 people were injured and one is supposed to have died. Yikes! I took a couple movies with my little camera and caught one person getting tagged by a bull! At the end of the day the bulls were tired and confused but unharmed. Can't say the same about the runners.

Tomorrow is art class . . . more nudes I'm sure! Here is another bull picture for you.

2005-10-03T19:38:00.000-07:00

A dangerous combination of crazy people and mad toros!

2005-10-03T19:18:00.000-07:00

Just got home from a concert in the Jardin. Saw a great example of what makes San Miguel so spectacular. Walking through the square today (something everyone who lives here should get in the habit of), I noticed a large stage being erected. Nobody seemed to know what is was for except that it started at 8pm. Although the "Attencion" (the weekly English newspaper) lists tons of events happening in town . . . there are always one or two that don't seem to get publicity. This turned out to be a concert of the Acapulco Philharmonic! Free, and under the beautiful lights of the main church in the square. Amazing. And frankly, quite a respite from all of the Mariachi music that is playing every other night!

So, back to catching you up on my adventures. I have been here over a month and it will take a couple more posts to bring you up to speed! A couple weekends ago was one of the largest events of the year . . . the Sanmiguelada. This is San Miguel's version of the running of the bulls and it is spectacular. Quite a few things that happen here don't really have any equivalent in the states. The jardin was closed off with barricades and 8 bulls were let into the area along with the 300 or so brave individuals that wanted to test their bravery against the bulls. Amazing! Saw a couple people get knocked high in the air and sadly, another get gored! (I was behind the barricades)

2005-10-03T08:12:00.000-07:00

Coming up in future posts: Nude models surprise Dave in art class! Getting pelted with flaming fireworks! Pictures from the running of the bulls!

Stay tuned . . .

2005-10-03T07:26:00.000-07:00

El Grito! (The Cry) An annual recreation of the speech that touched off the revolution from Spain. The fireworks, music and passionate flag waving marks Mexican Independence Day.

2005-10-03T07:01:00.000-07:00

Ok . . . I'm settled. Had a good night's sleep and can write a bit now. San Miguel is turning out to be a very interesting place. It is a town with a ton of charm and it is very easy to lose yourself here. A think a lot of people have come here to escape whatever life they were living before. On any given day you can meet artists, writers and hollywood sports agents. They all seem to agree that they have found a secret place . . . I am starting to believe them! I had planned to spend two months here as part of some time off from work. It has been a month and all the planned thinking about life (and my place in it) hasn't happened yet. Too easy to relax. Between the art classes, spanish lessons and the celebrations . . . I'm much too busy. Maybe I will get started in month number two!

A couple words about celebration. San Miguel is known as a town that loves to celebrate . . . anytime, for any reason. Coincidently, September is THE month for events. Every weekend people pour into the jardin (the main square) for fireworks (oh, wait till you hear about the fireworks!) dancing and music.

Have a great day!

2005-10-02T22:06:00.000-07:00

Welcome! Tonight I decided I would create a blog to capture all of the adventures I'm having in San Miguel de Allende. I'm tired from all the firework watching tonight . . . but I will share more later! Pictures coming too!