La Canada de la Virgen

We continue to enjoy this beautiful and most relaxing little town. Every day begins with cold, crisp mornings and gradually drifts into the warm, sunny days that are characteristic of the high desert...which this is. Rita found the local soccer fields and usually goes running around them in the morning. I found a local fitness club that I walk down to about 3 times per week to hit the treadmill. After that it's a leisurely walk into town to have a coffee in the Jardin, and then begins the search for a place to have lunch. There are scores of them around - usually with inviting little gardens, bougainvillea covering the surrounding walls, and usually a water fountain tinkling in the middle of the courtyard. With the dollar trading at upwards of 14 to 1 to the peso it's pretty cheap too. We can usually wrap up a complete lunch for the two of us, including wine, for less than $20. It's almost cheaper to go out than it is to stay in.



A view of the Jardin all dressed up for Christmas.




And another. These balloon guys are a common sight around all of the little squares and plazas, but I never see anyone buying anything from them.


This is our little friend Isabel, who sat down next to us one afternoon and started a sales pitch (in Spanish) trying to get us to buy one of her embroideries. She was so entertaining to talk to that we broke down and bought one as a souvenir. She drove a hard bargain...and carefully counted the money after I made the exchange.

La Canada de la Virgen

Our excursion for the week was a short trip out of town to a local historic site that was just excavated and opened to the public as a tourist attraction this year. Called Canada de la Virgen after the river that lies close by, it apparently is one of several pyramids in Central Mexico that were built by the Otomi people who inhabited this area from around 700 AD to the present day...their ancestors are still here in the nearby villages. Our guide for the tour was one of the archeologists who assisted in the excavations, so his knowledge about both the site and the area's history was extensive. He was also an enthusiastic tour guide, which made for a very enjoyable day trip from SMA.



The main entrance looking up the steps towards the high altar. The archeological evidence shows that they performed human sacrifice here, apparently tossing the bodies (and heads) down these steps once the victim had served his or her purpose.



Around the back of the main pyramid. Apparently the site was completely buried before they started the dig. All that was visible was a huge mound of earth on the broad plateau. What was buried here wasn't a complete mystery, however. There was a long oral tradition among the local indigenous people of what lay beneath. Our guide was one of the people tasked with collecting the old stories from the residents, including many that were told in the Otomi language...now almost extinct. Must have been fascinating work.




Another view of the entrance, oriented so that the sun rises in the notch at the top on the morning of the summer solstice, marking the beginning of the planting season.



The view from the top. There was actually a small settlement here, not just the pyramid. Several hundred people lived here year round to oversee and maintain the site.


Random Thoughts

The cost of living here is extremely cheap by US standards. The big expense is a place to stay, and options run from some truly palatial estates costing upwards of $10K per month to more simple, local style, efficiency units for those on a budget. The place where we had Christmas dinner was located in a little posada near the market, and had one bedroom apartments complete with kitchens for $500 per month. Groceries are pretty cheap too. Our average weekly trip to the local MEGA Supermarket costs us barely $100 for a week's worth of food.

It's a very pedestrian-friendly town. Vehicle traffic crawls along thanks to the narrow streets, punctuated every block or so with speed bumps (unmarked) to guarantee that speeds of 10 mph are rarely exceeded. On weekends and Dias de Fiesta they close off the area around the Parroquia and the Jardin completely...which makes it even nicer to be on foot. Only detractors to being a pedestrian are the cobblestones, which in some areas are very old, widely spaced, and polished smooth from centuries of use. Easy to turn an ankle if you're not careful, and we're told that when it rains (in May) the streets and sidewalks get as slippery as ice. The other negative is that they apparently don't believe in emission controls down here, so buses and autos spew a toxic cocktail of exhaust as they pass. The high walls along the street effectively create a canyon effect, trapping the fumes and making walks along some of the busy streets a thoroughly unpleasant experience.

I've noticed that drivers are pretty courteous to each other here. There are no stop signs on the narrow streets so local etiquette is to come to a stop as you approach any intersection, then yield the right of way to whoever (apparently) got there first. Hardly ever hear any horns, and pedestrians always (and cheerfully) have the right of way...even if crossing a busy street in the middle of the block, which seems to be the norm. At any rate, no one seems to get too excited behind the wheel. I've seen things that would probably get you shot at in Los Angeles greeted with a friendly wave here. Pretty mellow all-in-all.

They do love their fiestas here in Mexico and apparently SMA gets the award for biggest party town in the country. Hardly a week (or weekend) goes by when there isn't some sort of celebration, religious or civic, always punctuated by all of the churches ringing their bells at all hours (and for no apparent reason), fireworks and loud music flooding the town from temporary stages erected in front of the Jardin. Thank goodness for soft ear plugs.

Maybe it's the impact of the large expat community that lives here most of the year, but along with the myriad festivals there are numerous concerts, musical shows, plays and generally artsy things to do here in SMA. You could literally go out to something every night of the week if you wanted to. Standard price seems to be about $100 pesos...or about $7 US. Our latest night out was to attend a Christmas program in a little theater around the corner from us. The price was right (this one was free) and turned out to be a recital of classical Christmas music performed by a small group.


This was the soprano for the evening's program. She was nervous as hell at the beginning of the show - must have been her first public performance.

Next week we've signed up for a trip to the Monarch Butterfly Sanctuary about 3 hours from here. Looking forward to it.

Guanajuato Part Dos

Our big excursion of the week was a return trip to Guanajuato - this time on our own for a couple of days to further explore the town at a more leisurely pace. Took the local "Primera Plus" bus, which cost us about US$6 apiece. The nonstop service in a clean, modern, and efficient vehicle took about an hour and 15 minutes to make the journey. Pretty painless actually, and gave us another chance to see some of the countryside in this part of Mexico. Once there we stayed in a nice local hotel located near the lookout we visited on our first trip last week. They had a little funicular train that transported guests up and down the hill, so we didn't even have to get out of breath unless we wanted.



First, another look at one of the pretty streets of San Miguel.




The street where we live.





The view from the balcony of our little room in Guanajuato. Thank goodness for Trip Advisor, else I never would have found this place on my own. Cost US $60 per night, which included breakfast and free use of the funicular to get up and down the hill.



The view towards one of the plazas from our lunch table. Really a pretty place.


During our wanderings we noticed advertisements for an evening event at the local Teatro Principal, sponsored by the classical dance club at the University. The title was Juegos de Gatos (Cats). Sounded interesting so we got tickets to attend, even though we didn't quite know what to expect. Turned out to be a dance program performed to the sound track of the broadway show. Most of the dancers were obviously students from the University, but the show included about 20 or 30 local children, ranging in age from about 7 to 11, as extras...all of them dressed up in their little cat outfits complete with makeup and whiskers. Was like an extended Halloween school play set to music, and the theater was absolutely packed...I mean Standing Room Only as (apparently) all of the local families came to see their kids on stage. Looking around it appeared that we were just about the only tourists there, with everyone else being a local. It turned out to be a very enjoyable program...in a charmingly amateurish sort of way. Afterwards we stopped in a local outside restaurant in the Jardin for a glass of wine and noticed a lot of the dancers, both large and small, on their way home - still wearing the makeup and fake whiskers from their outfits...really pretty charming.



Some of the action onstage. We arrived a bit early and so wandered around the theater before finding our seats. Saw some of the smaller kids getting made up and preparing to go onstage for the first time - all of them extremely nervous, and super cute.


Back in the 1970's one of the local prof's at the University started organizing stage plays based on the story of Don Quixote as part of one of his classical literature courses. The thing eventually evolved into what is now known as the Cervantino, a three week celebration of Cervantes in general and the story of Don Quixote in particular that takes place here every September. It's a pretty big deal locally. There's even a local museum dedicated solely to the theme - basically art from all over the world that's based on the story. If you like Cervantes then this is the place to be - room after room of paintings and sculpture depicting individual artists interpretation of the centuries old tale.



The artwork ranged from the fairly standard and straightforward...



...to the more edgy and bizarre




This one is by Salvator Dali.



Lest anyone miss the point that Guanajuato is the epicenter of everything Cervantes in Mexico, this is the sculpture that greets visitors as they enter the town.


The rest of our time in the city was spent exploring and enjoying all of the crooked little streets and alleyways, sort of grazing as we went.

A street scene in Guanajuato.



The local basilica facing the Plaza de la Paz downtown.


One stop was the Alhondiga, once the old corn exchange and now a municipal museum commemorating the events of the Mexican Revolution against Spain from 1810-1821. Lots of displays telling the story of the their War of Independence. Seems that early-on in the struggle the Spanish captured four of the ring leaders, including Ignacio Allende (for whom San Miguel is named), who were quickly tried for treason and executed by firing squad. Just so no one would miss the point, the Spanish authorities then had the bodies decapitated and displayed the severed heads in iron baskets around the four corners of the building...for 10 years. Needless to say it created martyrs out of the revolutionaries and further stoked local hatred and resolve against the Spanish occupiers. The scene above is the Eternal Flame in their Hall of Honor.

After a very enjoyable three days in Guanajuato we caught the bus back to SMA and our little oasis of peace and tranquility on Callejon Pilancon.

Guanajuato

Took a day trip last week to the nearby town of Guanajuato, which is the state capital of the region we're in. It's about twice the size of SMA and sits in a pretty little valley nestled in the hills. Like San Miguel, it was founded back in the 16th century as a silver mining town. There are still some active mines in the area, and the city is also the home of the University of Guanajuato - a fairly sizeable institution apparently. Anyway, the presence of all of the students gave the city a younger and more dynamic air than SMA. It's advertised as the "most European" town in Mexico, and we wouldn't dispute that. Lots of winding streets, pretty little parks and plazas, and numerous cafes and restaurants reminded us very much of Siena in Italy...one of our favorite "off the beaten path" places.

Guanajuato also played a key role in the uprising of 1810 which led to the Mexican war of independence from Spain.


Looking down at the centro from a panoramic lookout above the town. The University is the large gray building in the center-left of the photo.



Every intersection had a little plaza with a fountain like this one, along with inviting green spaces with strategically placed benches to sit and relax.




And another.


This is the Callejon de Beso. Local legend has it that two lovers once lived in the homes with the facing balconies, which are located so close to each other that the two could each lean over and share a kiss. The girl's parents disapproved however, and ordered her to end the secret affair. When she persisted the father apparently flew into a rage and killed the girl. Sort of a Mexican version of Romeo and Juliet I suppose.

We really enjoyed the day in Guanajuato, so much in fact that we plan to return on our own this week and spend a couple of days exploring the place at our leisure.


El Charco

We returned to the El Charco botanical gardens the other day to enjoy an early morning hike before the heat of the day set in. Still a nice place to wander around and stretch our legs for a few hours. Had the place almost to ourselves in the AM, at least until the buses started to arrive with organized groups doing tours - and by that time we were ready to leave anyway.


The ruins of the old hacienda in the northern part of the botanical reserve.



A photo op while exploring the hacienda and its grounds.



Even came upon some of the local wildlife while tramping thru the bush. Just behind this group of sheep were some cattle and horses grazing...apparently just left to forage on their own.



The river cuts a small canyon thru here. Back in the Spanish days there was a dam that provided hydraulic power to one of the mines, and later to a factory a little further down the valley.



Cactus, cactus everywhere. Or, put another way, there were more little pricks in this area than there are at an Occupy Wall Street encampment (sorry).

Today is December 12th, which is the feast day of Nuestra Senora de Guadalupe - patron of Mexico. Another big dia de fiesta here, so the early morning hours have been punctuated with firecrackers starting at around 0500.

The Streets of San Miguel

The first week here has passed quickly, with one sunny day blending into another as we've enjoyed exploring parts of the town we never got to last year as well as revisiting many that we did...including some of the terrific restaurants.

The house is great. So nice in fact that it's tough to pull ourselves away from it sometimes to go exploring. Rental of the place includes a full time maid named Maria who comes 5 days a week, and who handles all of the domestic chores associated with the large property, as well as doing laundry, ironing and even cooking the occasional meal if requested. There's also a gardener named Isidro who doubles as a handy man. Neither one speaks any English so my limited Spanish language skills have been getting a workout. They say that the best way to learn a language is to go "full immersion" in it. Well, here I am, and it's proving to be a real sink or swim sort of a thing.


Part of our back yard as seen from the Estancia. Nice place to have lunch on a balmy afternoon. The fountain is lighted at night.

It's always enjoyable to wander about the town. There are pretty views around every corner and always the likelihood of discovering another great place to have lunch or dinner.



Just waiting for the local bus downtown - this is the view across the street.



Lots of pretty street scenes like this one looking up one of the Callejons.



And another while walking up the street towards the Parroquia.



Morning delivery of supplies at one of the restaurantes.




Lots of quiet parks and plazas in the city where you can duck in out of the afternoon sun and relax in the shade for a few minutes. This one is El Chorro, near the spot where the first spring was discovered that initially supplied the city in the 1500's.




There are lots of festivals this time of year. Went to one that featured a local band doing an "homage" to the Beatles. They were really pretty good, although the only English part of the program was the actual singing of the old songs...everything else was in Spanish. Was enjoyable to listen to several sets featuring the songs of Juan, Pablo, Jorge, and Ringo.

When we visited last year the exchange rate was about 12 pesos to the dollar. Now it's between 13.5 and 14 to the dollar, so prices are about 10% cheaper than before which has been a nice surprise.

It's a city of churches which also makes it a city of bells...which announce everything from calls to mass to the beginning of local festivals. We live just up the street from the church of San Juan de Dios, which also has an elementary school. Starting at 0700 sharp the bells start clanging away - apparently the first call to classes for students in the neighborhood, who all go trouping past our front gate on the way to school. The bells continue to blast away at 5 or 10 minute intervals until around 0745, at which time (I guess) the first period has begun. December 8th was the feast of the Immaculate Conception, and the bells started extra early in celebration of the Catholic holy day. As an added treat some people started lighting off firecrackers at 0600 to announce the beginning of the festivities. So much for sleeping in.

Estamos Aqui

We arrived in San Miguel yesterday evening after a long but relatively uneventful travel day from Vancouver. The town is as beautiful as ever, especially with all of the Christmas decorations up. Spent today just settling in, stocking up on groceries, and getting acclimated.

The house is as terrific as we expected. Only issue to be resolved is with internet speed - which is really slow. The good news is that the problem has been identified. The bad news is that it may not be fixed until next week, so will have to wait a while before I can post any photos and get rolling on the blog again.

Suffice to say that we're loving it here. Was nice to walk around in the sunshine and without a jacket all day today...the afternoon high was 80 deg. ... love it!

Autumn Update

Valdosta Trip

After returning from the Alaska trip in early September we took it easy for a few weeks and just enjoyed the pretty Autumn weather here in Vancouver.

At the end of October we flew to Valdosta to visit with Mike, Jennah and the grand kids. Kevin drove up from St. Augustine where he's now living to spend a few days as well, so it made for a nice family reunion.



Jennah, Makenna, and Nana

Our visit coincided with Halloween, so we had a chance to enjoy the various programs for the kids both at Makenna's school and at Mike's squadron on base which also sponsored an evening for the little ones.



Makenna the Ninja and Shane the Fireman.

Didn't do any side trips this visit - just stuck around the house and enjoyed the family time together. Rita and I watched the kids one weekend while Mike and Jennah went with friends to the Epcot Center in Orlando for a Wine and Food festival, and we both greatly enjoyed that.



Shane and Grandpa

While we were there Mike found out that he and the family will be moving next summer to Kirtland AFB in Albuquerque, NM. They had been hoping for Hawaii but it just wasn't in the cards for them.

After enjoying almost 3 weeks with the family we returned to Vancouver on Nov. 15, where we were greeted on arrival by rain, fog, and a high temperature in the low 40's. One thing you can always count on in the Pacific Northwest - Winter comes early and stays late. Been raining off and on most days since we returned. Even dipped down into the 20's the other night.


Around Vancouver

We have had some nice days lately - good enough to actually get outdoors anyway. Mike and Jennah got us a new digital camera while we were in Valdosta, and I carried it with me on one of my walks around the neighborhood the other day to try it out, and to show off some of the pretty scenery that we get to enjoy when the sun occasionally appears.


Heading east along Fort Vancouver Way towards the historic site. The recent stormy weather had knocked down a lot of the leaves but there were still enough of them hanging on to make for a pretty scene.


A little further on. The old Army barracks are just to the right in the photo, and "Officer's Row" - which includes homes once occupied by George Marshall, U.S. Grant, George McClellan and a number of future Civil War generals once lived in the 1850's.




Looking back at Fort Vancouver. Nice to have the open parkland only a couple of blocks from our little apartment.


Columbia Gorge Hike

The rains let up enough on Sunday (yesterday) for me to grab my backpack and head up the Gorge to Hamilton Mountain for a quick hike. Was anxious to get outside when I had the chance since the extended forecast is for continued rain thru the end of the month...or until next May (take your pick). It had been pretty cold of late and the snow level had dropped to around 1,000 ft., but I figured it couldn't be that bad and so donned all of my waterproofs and gave it a go.



Looked like the summit had gotten a pretty good dusting as I set off.



Approaching the snow line at around 1,500 ft.


Didn't take long for it to deepen. Probably about 3 or 4 inches at this point.



By the time I got close to the summit at 2,500 ft. it was over 8 inches deep on the trail, and there were a couple of drifts up on top that I had to slog thru that were nearly 3 feet deep. Thankfully, someone had preceded me along the trail so I was able to follow in their footsteps...otherwise the stuff was nearly up to my waist.


It was a pretty hike - albeit a cold one. Temps in the 30's when I started out and quite windy in the parking area along the highway (and near the Columbia River). Not too bad once I got away from the natural Venturi effect of the gorge and wound my way up into the trees, then blowing like crazy at the top as I hustled across the Saddle between two peaks.




Am guessing that this will be my last hike until February, or maybe even May when we return from Australia if the early snowfall is any indicator of Winter conditions on the trails.

We depart for San Miguel on December 1st. Looking forward to our extended stay in the land of eternal Spring. Will try to blog as we go if I can muster the motivation once we're there.

Leaving Kodiak...and Alaska

Big disappointment - we never made it on a bear viewing flight - the weather just wouldn't cooperate. Monday's storm apparently set an all-time record for rainfall on the date (lucky us) and it didn't get a whole lot better on Tuesday or Wednesday either. At least the rain wasn't blowing sideways at 35 knots as was the case on Monday.

We did get out and about our last couple of days on the island...returning to some of the nice hiking locations we had discovered the first day, but the combination of rainy conditions and cold temperatures (highs about 54 each day) made it a challenge to be outside.





The woods were especially pretty in the mist and the rain. The mosses and ferns on the forest floor will give you an idea why Kodiak's motto is "Alaska's Emerald Isle". Like the original Emerald Isle (Ireland) the reason there are 40 shades of green is that it's particularly well watered. Rains here about 65% of the time, and our timing was bad...too late in the season I'm afraid. Need to return earlier in the summer when the chances for some sunny days increases.





Dodging the rain along a stretch of remote beach. The salmon were still running, and we saw an occasional fisherman but no bears. Did see several Bald Eagles going after an easy meal, however. Their piercing calls as they swooped down to snag a fish were pleasant on the ear. The Alaska State motto (at least for tourism marketing) is "The Final Frontier", and after spending 10 weeks here we must agree that it's well chosen - really an amazing place, and one that we hope to return to.




The Alaska Marine Highway ferry (MV Tustumena) heading out on its weekly run connecting the Alaska mainland to the islands of the Aleutian chain. From Kodiak he'll go all the way out to Dutch Harbor on the island of Unalaska, about 500 miles from here, before turning around and heading back the other way. Must be a miserable trip - the boat isn't particularly large and the big swells in the Bering Sea probably toss it around like a cork, especially this week with the big storm system still active. Wouldn't want to be on board at any rate - you'd need industrial strength dramamine just to be able to hold down your breakfast.


One of the rainy mornings we spent going to all of the little museums in town, including the Baranof Museum near the waterfront. Named for our old friend Alexander Baranof, this particular structure is the oldest surviving building from the days of Russian occupation in Alaska - built in 1792. It started out as a warehouse for the storage of Sea Otter pelts, and later became a private residence for many years after the Americans moved in. Although Baranof is the man most responsible for the Russian-American company's commercial success in Alaska his treatment of the indigenous people, especially the local Alutiiq natives, was especially brutal. For that reason his memory is alternatively revered and reviled...depending upon who you're talking to.




The Baranof Museum on a sunny day. Gleaned this photo from the Kodiak Chamber of Commerce website since ours didn't turn out nearly as well.




And a last look at the domes of the Orthodox church with the mountains beyond. Kodiak really is a gorgeous place. Would like to come back here someday, a little earlier in the summer, and explore it in more favorable conditions.

We left Kodiak yesterday morning and flew down to Seattle by way of Anchorage. Rented a car at the airport and drove down I-5 to McChord AFB where we spent the night. Up early this morning to reclaim the car in Tacoma and then drove home to Vancouver... where it's sunny and about 90 degrees. Never thought we'd be coming BACK to Vancouver to find the sun, but there you go.

We both thoroughly enjoyed our time exploring Alaska. It's one of those places we've always wanted to see and it certainly didn't disappoint. We've already talked about trying a Space-A flight from McChord to Elmendorf someday - maybe even during the winter to see the Northern Lights - but that's still a ways off in the future. Suffice to say that we love the place and have to rank it next to New Zealand as the most spectacular place we've ever visited.

And...I can now say that I've visited all of the 50 states, having saved the best for last.