🇲🇽 San Miguel de Allende & Escondido Place - 03.14.23

I guess I’m behind on my picture sharing because here’s a boatload from my week and half in San Miguel de Allende.

I had a spectacular place to stay for the entire time… I do like to move around but a friend of mine was supposed to meet me here so I paid up to stick around… and this joint has an extra bedroom on a second level and a roof top terrace. Fancy. I’m fancy. Totally cool and totally affordable. My friend bagged out… it happens… but I kept the reservation and GurlSanFrancisco was nice enough to take some moments out of her life to join me in the mean streets of San Miguel for a few of the days here.

San Miguel has a light and easy vibration, is all kinds of artsy, and has a significant ex-pat population. I’m still a bit ambivalent about the number of Americanos… 10-20% is the number I read… most that I came across seem to be of the retirement age and certainly nice enough. Hmmm… I live with plenty of Americans back in California.

I am exporing here with some purpose of future seasonal living. I could do 1-3 here at the moment… it is beautiful and has the right vibe… but it’s dry… Denver and Santa Fe dry… I drove to the West Coast (twice) to get away from that.

Anywho, after saying that I had found myself held up the last 2 days because it’s been raining here. I think this is where you apply that word “irony.”

I saw lots here but far from all… because I do plan to return to the region and do have the intention of leaving something for the next time. GurlSF and I went to La Gruta Hot Springs just outside of town and it was all kinds of awesome. Lots of general strolling in town and lots of good snacks.

My companion shipped home Sat and I’ve spent the last 2 days on my own… I’m packed light and I’ve been out for over 2 weeks, which means it’s laundry time. I literally have one pair of jeans with me… 😬😝

La Lavandería… one brings in a bag of clothes… puts it on a scale… said one, comes back and gives the nice people 56 Pesos and they give you clean things and lots of smiles. I like this… I like this a lot! #coolbeans #cleanjeans

While I waited for my one pair of pants to be washed… I dropped off some art at the print shop and then hailed an Uber and went to another hot springs in the area. Escondido Place. It was a $5US ride and about $10US to get in and there were very few people when I arrived. I can see what would give some gringo guy the thoughts of not leaving here.

There’s an old fabric factory, “Fábrica de Aurora” now turned galleries and food center. Food and art… what’s not to like? There’s a high end gallery that had an Alexander Calder for $22.5k US and some Warhols and a Thornton Dial and all kinds of names that you may know…

And yup… this artsy kid couldn’t trade his bird watercolor for a bus ticket to Mexico City… 🤔 $22.5k for a Calder!

That reminds me… I will have embellished prints (and the original) for sale on my website shortly to help me fund my plane ticket home… which I don’t have yet ☺️🙏 #shamelessselfpromotion

So… I pack up this morning and I take a bus to Querétaro for a night and then a 3.5 hour bus ride from there to Mexico City, where I’ll wonder around taking pictures of everything and asking questions in Spanish with the dozen verbs I know and can conjugate in present tense, present and past participle only. If you want to meet me there hurry quick… I leave on Saturday for a little town called Buenos Aires, Argentina 🇦🇷