Adios San Miguel, Hola Guanajuato!
Although the imodium did the trick, there was something else working its way through my system. I woke up after midnight chilled and shaking. I took ibuprofen at 1, 3 and 5AM. Dixie got worried when she saw me comfortable under an extra-large woven blanket while she was throwing off the covers. The next morning I broke open the Cipro our doctor had prescribed us back in April. [Note to self: send him flowers or something] Packing, walking until we got a taxi, all was very tiring. I was wrung out. Then we got to the bus terminal just in time to wait almost three hours for the next first-class bus to Guanajuato. We killed some time at a nearby mom-n-pop restaurant. One look at the buffet and my mind screamed ‘bacteria!’ but I was already on antibiotics so I sample some Menudo and other unidentifiable food products. I mostly ate bread. Dixie had two beers, I only had one (for medicinal purposes, of course). I think $10 U.S. covered everything including the propina (tip). The bathrooms barely qualified as such. The public restrooms are nicer, all of which require $3 pesos (30 cents). Interesting sidenote, the sewage plumbing in much of San Miguel and all the ‘silver towns’ of this area is so old and made of crumbling cast iron that no one puts toilet paper IN the toilet. It would catch on breaks in the pipes and clog up an entire block. That’s what trash cans are for.
The bus ride was a bit uncomfortable for me due to the curving roads. But buses in Mexico are incredible. First class includes a movie (Wild Hogs in Spanish is funny), a snack and a drink, and spacious seating. It is very much like first class seating on an airplane. The trip from San Miguel to Guanajuato took an hour and fifteen minutes and cost $8.60 U.S. each.
The taxi ride from the bus terminal was interesting. He used the tunnels which pass under much of the central part of the city. They utilized existing silver mine shafts which date back to the 1600’s. It was a bit surprising when he pulled over to let us out, as we were still in a tunnel! But it was a quick walk up the steps to the main plaza. The driver attempted to tell us which street to take, but we didn’t catch the details and I just figured we would find it one way or another. We stepped out into a movie set. No, literally, they were filming something. I got the impression it was for a commercial or some such. Most of it seemed to consist of people walking up and down a particular street. We watched for a few minutes and then wandered off looking for the Teatro Principal, which we promptly walked right by. A few minutes later we found a map and retraced our steps. The one thing I remembered reading about Casa de Pita was all of the steps one was required to climb to reach it. 170 was the number I recalled. So we found steps next to the Teatro and took off. The steps only lasted to about 50 after which it was just an uphill lane. We found a small plaza and finally spied the Casa de Pita sign. We later found a better way up and down (no steps, just incline). It was the road they were filming earlier!
After clearing up some confusion regarding payment and accommodations (confusion due to us not understanding enough Spanish) we were checked in. After ducking through the arched doorway into our room, you take two steps down to the kitchen, two more steps to the bathroom, two more steps to the living area. To get to the platform where the bed is requires a climb up a wooden ladder/stair that looks like it was built by the Conquistadors. The shower is separated from the toilet and sink by a shower curtain, nothing more.
After unpacking we walked back down to the relatively flat part of town and found a large tree-filled plaza lined with shops and restaurants. Latin music was emanating from a band in the gazebo and couples were dancing all around. We sat and enjoyed the ambience at a sidewalk cafe. I was actually hungry and had Chicken and enchiladas, Guanajuato-style. It was possibly the best-tasting meal I have had in Mexico to-date. Then, we heard singing. It was the troubadors (well, that’s how they were dressed). We paid the bill and hurried to catch them as they were leaving a nearby plaza.
I had read about them, and they appear to be a regular event. It is a group of young men, probably including several college students, who serenade accompanied by guitars, mandolins and an upright bass. They also give the history of Guanajuato while walking the crowd through town, eventually ending up at the infamous Callejon de Beso (alley of the kiss). There is a cheesy story that goes along with it, but you can Google it. It’s almost time for desayuno (breakfast).
Sleep did not come easy. The beds in the places we have stayed in are all hard. I finally felt like I had slept well only after I climbed down to the couch at about 5:45am. By 7am the bells were ringing for Mass and I was up and on the internet.
Pictures and video will be updated later.
1 year ago