The Beginning - San Miguel de Allende, Mexico
San Miguel de Allende, Mexico
September 1,2013
Our flights were somewhat delayed but we made all of the connections landing in Queretero. We did have a long delay in the immigration line. There were thirty on our flight and their was a single person at the booth, and almost everyone had to go through a baggage search, including us at the back of the line. Fortunately, our driver hung in there with us and we eventually got out of the airport and north to San Miguel. His family were Mexican from San Miguel but he and his family had lived in Colorado. He explained some of the history of San Miguel and we remember the mural of the history in the San Miguel Historical museum. San Miguel was a priest and Allende was a general who came together to start the uprising for independence from the Spanish Dolores Hidalgo, quite near where we are. It started with only 100 men but by the time they had visited local towns the numbers were close to 10,000. We enjoyed his knowledge and his ability to share with us the history that will be part of our stay in San Miguel as Independence Day is September 15 while we are here.
We arrived at our destination in San Miguel and did a lite unpacking and a great nights sleep.
September 2, 2013
We had a great night's sleep and felt refreshed in the morning. I went out early to check out the banks and some light food. I remembered a lot of the area and as I set out I met our neighbor, Raymond, who lives next door and is from California. I took off and walked to the Jardin, and found an ATM which does not charge us fees. When I got home Sheila was ready for a walk and we went to the Bibliotecha to check out local events and I had my library card renewed. We found a local paper which had a calendar of events which will be important for the next week. We strolled looking in all of the shops and noticing the people and events at the Jardin in the city central. I told Sheila that I had found a cafe that we went to the last trip. We walked to the El Correo Cafe and had an early brunch and enjoyed the quite atmosphere of the cafe. We headed back to our Casa, but I went to the Mercado to get some basic supplies.
Later that afternoon I took another walk toward the southern part of the city and found a Mercado that I had found sin alconholica cerveceria, but they did not have any. From there, I caught a local bus to go further south check out the Mega Store and the Malanquin Golf course. I walked for almost two miles after getting off of the bus, only to find that the golf course was closed - it was Monday. I did see the extension of the new nine holes and realized that these are not open yet. Also, I was interested in finding my friend Javier, my caddy cabbie from my last visit here. No luck so far, but I will keep looking. When I got to the Mega store, I picked up some supplies and took a cab home.
Sheila and I are taking our time setting up the casa and looking into what plans we may develop over the next couple of weeks. Gail Tobey has a beautiful platter from Puebla and we may take a trip to explore the factory. We bought some smaller dishes earlier and they have wonderful colors. We will be attending a cooking class tomorrow.
We walked to the Jardin for dinner at Hank's, a New Orleans style restaurant. Dinner was so-so, We walked around working off some of the dinner and managed to walk to our Casa on the cobbled sidewalks and streets. I realized after getting home that I had walked approximately six miles today and even in the altitude, it went pretty well. We 6,500 feet above sea level.
September 3, 2013
Another restful sleep, in spite of the church bells ringing at odd hours! There does not seem to be any specific time or reason for the ringing, but they peel them around 6:13 am and 6:42, interesting, maybe we can ask the neighbors. I introduced Raymond our neighbor to Sheila last night, he was walking his dog as we came home from our dinner.
We took a taxis to the La Malanguin golf course but I was not able to connect with Javier yet. We went on the Mega store to do a more extensive purchase of supplies and caught a cab to return to our Casa. We reviewed some plans for our week but have not finalized anything yet.
At 3:45pm we left to go to our cooking class with Kristen Rudolph in the San Antonio area of San Miguel. The last class we took in San Miguel was in the same general area. We met Kris when we arrived and Linda, a classmate from St. Paul area of Minnesota. She reviewed the recipes for our class, Roasted garlic soup, vegetable & goat cheese Chile Relleno, Pork Loin with Mango-Chipolata Salsa, Pineapple, Jicarma & Avocado Salad, and Tabasco & Cinnamon Brownies. The class was hands on and we got into cutting, chopping, stirring and other sous chef responsibilities. Kris had everything timed and assisted us in our prep work. She answered all of our questions, urbane or foolish. Kris has lived here for around twenty-five years and has her own restaurant which is now adjacent to the cooking school. We stuck to the recipes with a few exceptions and she explained what the differences meant in the out come of the prepared dishes. With the sopa on, the meat in the oven with the chile relleno's we prepared ourselves for dining in the outdoor courtyard. We took our first course, sopa and drinks, and Kris stayed behind to put the brownies in the oven. Linda, Sheila and I had more of an opportunity to share our reasons for being in Mexico, and other trips that we have made. The food was excellent and I must say that the chile relleno was a very tasty treat. The brownies were a surprise, the cinnamon came through but the tabasco was very feint.
We purchased some cookbooks and items and the three of us set off to walk until we found a taxi. When we came nearer to the center of the city we caught one and we went back to our house. Linda is staying less than a block from our place. We took her on a tour of our house and sat up on the deck patio, over the garage, and had some wine and cerveceria. It was an enjoyable conversation and a great way to spend our third night in San Miquel. It is always a treat for me, that as we travel there are so many wonderful opportunities to meet such great people and find out more about the histories and experiences of others. Always, it appears to me, that our travel has brought us many unique and wonderful chances to met others and experience the diversity of thought and the similarity of the reflected experiences.
September 4, 2013
The focus for Sheila and me is to continue to explore the streets and stores. Sheila found a lot of information regarding restaurants through Kris Rudolph's "Savoring San Miguel" cookbook.
The street where we live has gone through some changes, at least things that we had not noticed before. There is a cafe on the street and a small restaurant that serves breakfast and lunch. The house across from us is being remodeled and the some of the front wall was removed so we will see the progress of the remodel.
As we walk around the city the decorations for Independence Day are becoming more prominent. Unfortunately, the rain we have had the last two days has not helped with the paper decorations.
We are investigating some side trips to Pueblo, and Guanajuato through la Bibilloteca. We have spent all of our time in and around San Miguel and it would be exciting to see other areas nearby'
Our walks are made difficult because of the cobble stone streets. When the streets are dry it is easier than during the rain. However, the terrain is difficult to navigate and I am pleased that Sheila has been a real trouper. The last time we had more difficulty but it does take it out of the both of us after a couple of hours of walking. We are still exploring recommended spots in San Miguel and I must say that I have really gotten a internal map that has been helpful.
We decided to go out for dinner as we had a late lunch. We went to La Bugambilia which use to be just up Hildago street at our corner. Now it is located near the Jardin on Canal Street.
We walked to the restaurant and were one of two that were seated. The colors and atmosphere were somewhat similar without the huge bouganvillea tree in the center. Sheila order the special of the season, Chile Relleno Engoda and I decided on the skirt steak. Sheila really enjoyed her meal and my was good, but I will try something different if we go again. The ambiance was broken up by two workmen, climbing over the front counter, measuring with a level and metal plate, and began drilling to install a large screen TV over the counter. Sheila and I wondered why it was not done in the day time or earlier because we found out that they had been in that location for nine months. It was a short walk home and a much needed sleep in our Casa.
September 5, 2013
I set out on an adventure around 6:30 am. I had my golf bag draped over my shoulder and started to walk to the Jardin. It was my intention to get to the Malanquin Golf Club and at least play around of golf, however I was hopeful that I would find a taxi prior to making the 5 mile walk to the golf course. Just when I was wondering if maybe I had started too soon a taxi came and I got to the course before sunrise. The office was open so I payed my fee and got my bag and went to the caddy shack to ask about Javier. The caddy master new Javier, but informed me that he would not be there until later. I was assigned Nicolas and we waited for the sun rise to tee off. I was heartened to hear that I would be able to connect with Javier. The game was a challenge and even with a caddy walking the course at attitude was a winding experience. This was so much the case that I felt sorry for Nicolas. My play was erratic, until I played the fifth and six holes, both with par threes. On number nine, I saw Javier walking toward us and certainly lifted my spirits. We exchanged greetings and a plan for the future. On the second nine on the 18th hole, Javier told me he had called his son Mario to have his taxi ready to take me home. It was like a homecoming of sorts. With my limited Spanish, I was able to make a connection that is very special to me in San Miguel.
Mario dropped me off and I got a chance to put my feet up for an hour. Sheila is still mapping out some plans and we walked to th Bibiloteca to talk with the tour guide. We found that we can have a tour of two days to Pueblo and two days to Guanajuato so now we will have to set specific dates to lock in the trips.
We decided to go to Kris Rudolph' restaurant, El Buena Cafe, this evening so I contacted Javier and he told me that his son Mario would pick us up and return us home. She informed us in the cooking class that it was down sized from her original space and she had a chef from Seattle that was expert with fish. It was a small intimate space and we were the second to arrive and we took a seat near the kitchen which was just a little bigger than ours back home. Alberto greeted us and gave us the menu board for the evening. The choices were some what limited, but all of them appeared interesting. Sheila order the fish stew, with mussels, shrimp and salmon and I had the pork loins with a salsa. Kris did come in as we had ordered and welcomed us to her place. She just makes the desserts and dropped off a lemon cheese cake. Sheila and I decided to have a piece of Italian wedding cake which was delicious. We met Mario after dinner and rode home.
September 6, 2013
We have been surprised by the amount of rain, and find that we did not prepare for it so I went out to find an umbrella. Gail, fortunately had one but we needed more head cover. We saw a store with two umbrellas high at the doorway and asked if they were for sale, and she let us know that they were to help fend off the rain to her store. We walked around and were unsuccessful in finding one.
The rain was not a problem so we explored areas south of the Jardin that were on Sheila's list. We did stop at a dress shop that had some scarves that Sheila found familiar and we walked in and she talked with the staff. She found a pair of slacks that were very nice and tried them on. They were perfect and she asked about the scarves. She was unsure about them and we decided to go back home.
We ate lunch at home and looked at the tours for Dolores Hidalgo and Guanajanto.
In the early evening we walked to the Cantina de Los Milagros, a fun kind of a place that Bob, Melinda, Sheila and I had stopped because of the music pouring out the front doors. We were seated at a table near the center and there were two guitarists playing and the place was filled with long tables of what appeared to the both of us as local patrons. We went international with our choice of hamburgers and fries with sin alcohol beer and red wine. There were many tunes we knew and it difficult to remember the English lyrics. The food was really good and we had a delightful evening.
September 7, 2013
I went to the Mega market for some more supplies and most importantly rain coat. It has been raining steadily and I did not back one of my rain jackets. It was challenge because the row of jackets was higher than my reach, and on top of that I could not figure out what the sizes meant. Not only am I almost illiterate in Spanish, the task of buying clothing now became almost daunting. A short petite staff member who did not speak much English motioned that she would assist. With my anxiety peaked I started to follow her until we were leaving the clothing area. She picked up an aluminum latter and we walked back to the rack of jackets. I now know that XL is not a listing they have, so she gave me one and I tried it on and it fit well enough and I said por favor and tossed it in my shopping cart, found an aisle with no one in it a drew in a breath and exhaled a lot of the anxiety. I now moved on to shop for the other things that I knew where they were and took my time strolling the aisles, which is not my normal custom.
When I got back to the house, I did not explain to Sheila what all I went through but did hope that having purchased the rain coat that perhaps now the rain would let up. This is magical thinking, of course and the magic was not in my favor. As a matter of fact that afternoon was a torrential downpour, so much so that we were wondering about getting to La Lolita Restaurant. I called Javier to see if I could get his son Mario to drive us. Instead he said he would pick us up and take us there. We were both off balance when he arrived in his personal car. Luis, his daughter was with him, she was home this weekend from college and we talked with her and Javier. We went to La Lolita which is a newer restaurant and was recommended by Kris as having good Mexican cuisine.
The restaurant was much larger than any other of our experiences in San Miguel. We sat in the back area and were the first couple there. The menu was extensive and I often go into overload when I am faced with so many choices Sheila had no problem but I asked if we could order an appetizer and wait on the entree. So we had Locos Tocos and I went back to making a decision between camarones, pork or beef. Finally, our appetizer arrived and it was decision time, so we both ordered salads, safe so far, and Sheila ordered Pollo Mole and I ordered the shrimp, wrapped with bacon and stuffed with cheese. The dinner was very good and when I calculated the cost including tip when we got home it was still less than we spend at a good restaurant at home.
Following dinner, Javier picked us up and we made arrangements for Sunday morning to go to Saint Pabalo's Church.
September 8, 2013
Javier picked us up in the morning to go to St. Paul's Church. He brought his wife along and his grandson, by his elder daughter "Javier". Obviously, he was quite proud of his grandson who had the deepest bright brown eyes and was very curious about the gringo's getting in the car. It was really special to meet all of his family except the elder daughter.
We got to St. Paul's and were made very welcome. Prior to the service, a gentleman, had all the new people stand and be introduced. The service was primarily in English, with the Gospel and the prayers of the people stated in both Spanish and English. At the peace we were greeted more by the people around us and invited to brunch following the service. The choir, though small had some beautiful voices, almost opera in quality that sang the offertory anthem and an opening prelude.
We went to the eight sacrament, "coffee hour" following the service and Janet and David gave us instructions for the brunch which would follow at Hank's Restaurant. Sheila and I met a former rector now living in San Miquel and Galveston Texas. In my conversation with John I found out we had another John Tirrell in common, the former chaplain at Rice University, now deceased. I shared that he had a great impact on me and my chaplaincy in Florida. The coffee hour lived up to the richest of customs and it was easy to meet others and shares points of interest, personal and other.
We left the church and caught a ride to Hank's near the Jardin and found a table that accommodated 14 of us for the Mimosa Brunch. It was an animated discussion about what was going on in San Miguel and other events. A number of people started a "Feed the Hungry" program in San Miguel and they are putting on a major fundraiser to keep it going. It appeared to me that it started out quite modest but it is a large program feeding up to a thousand. They all took pride, as they should, in the fact that the seminal idea has garnered large support from the whole community.
We walked home from Hanks realizing that the brunch was much more than we anticipated, so we hung out at home and tended to some clean up, laundry and reading.
September 9, 2013
Javier arrived at our pre-arranged time for a round of Golf. He drove to the new course Ventanas Golf & Resort build by Nick Falito. Javier seems to know everyone so he got our cart and I went in the club house and the computer was not up so they said to pay at the end of the round. We drove a distance to get to the first hole which was a monster par five. I played so so golf, a little surprised that the balls were not traveling longer in the attitude. I made a few pars but struggled with some of the fairway shots. We finished the round at 11:00 am and the total was 94. Given the challenges of the course and some very long par fives, I was lucky. What made the round is how Javier was able to assist with clubs and shots and on one hole he told me how I needed to putt it and I sank a 14 foot put straight in. Unfortunately, his advise was better than my follow through but it made it an enjoyable round and I walked almost the entire course.
When I got home I was exhausted and hit the sack. When I got up I was dizzy and light headed so I decided to stay in bed. That night I had shakes, chills and perspired most of the night with strange dreams.
September 10, 2013
Sheila went to the Formica and got some aspirin and the thermometer in the morning and I was spiking a temperature and we called our advise nurse at Kaiser on Skye and she informed me that I had a flu virus and that it would take a week or two to work through and recommended Tylenol for the temperature. Hence there has been a long delay in the travel pod as I was out of it for another full day.
There are some reflections that are still relevant from our first trip and this current one. One of the unique aspects of San Miguel is that each narrow street has many doors and it you never know what is behind each door until you stop and look in. The shops, hotels, and restaurants do not have a lot of signage and one day when more of the doors are closed there does not appear to be much on the streets. The next day or even the next few hours the same street is filled with jewelry stores, shoe stores, massage shops, yoga school, flower shops, etc. It is as though each door way, entrance, offers a surprise, which stops you mid step.
September 11, 2013
The flu kept me up most of the night and the Tylenol did start to keep th temperature in check. We ventured across the street and three doors to the Sabor Natura. This narrow door way let to a small patio, with child playing at one table and the back wall was a screened in kitchen. We both ordered pollo enchiladas but with different sauce. It was not a busy time, but there were two pick up orders while we ate. I forgot how flat my taste buds get during a flu and consuming large amounts of water. My fist bite set off the taste buds because the sauce they were prepared in was rich and flavorful.
It was nice to get outside and we walked to the Bibilotecha to purchase some tickets to the Fiesta they have on Friday before the Independence celebration at the Jardin. We checked out the tours and realize that we have got to schedule one as soon as I am well enough.
I dosed off and on that afternoon and started reading Lee Child's first book on Jack Reacher. I suspected that the book may provide some excellent scenarios for my dreams.
September 12, 2013
It was a morning that was not raining and I felt like getting out. We walked to the end of our street to another cafe, Buena Dia, which provides takeout coffee that was excellent. We sat down and I realized that there was an upstairs area and another room off from the back dining area. We ordered Huevos' Racheros, in two different styles and since mine was a special, I won the jackpot with a tall glass of fresh squeezed orange juice. The food was very good and from the conversations around us a number of the dinners were from the US. Some of them volunteering in the school two doors down with ESL. It was a pleasant morning and we went on to do some looking into open doors to discover what are neighborhood had to offer. We walked the small mercado that runs behind us from Hilago to the San Francisco park. There are a lot of small stands and each have extensive displays, a lot of jewelry, beaded work, some clothing, and material displays. There are so many, you wonder how they all survive. However with the Independence Day Celebration and the festivals through now to October there is a huge influx of visitors and is making a difference.throughout the city. Each day we venture toward the Jardin there are more banners across the streets and flags hanging from buildings. The are more street vendors,especially the inflate-ables for the children.
I have started to feel better and we decided to go to Rio Lucas near the Jardin. We went the last time we were here and we were the only ones as a result of the swine flu. The place was not crowded and we were greeted by three gentlemen and were seated near the fire place which was not burning. The dinner menu focused on a beef which is known as their specialty and e both had beef for our main course. The portions were large and we managed to have some take out. We walked home through some slight rain with our umbrellas and enjoyed the cool evening air.
September 13th, 2013
We enjoyed a lazy Friday morning, however, there were at least thirty blasts of explosives along with odd hour bell tolling to remind us, I guess, that the Independence Day Celebration would soon be here.
We took care of some local shopping, nibbled on our take out for lunch and did some basic household stuff.
We went to the Bibliotecha for their festival celebration at 6pm. The entire courtyard was transformed and there were tents and food areas for the tocos or enchaldias.
We paid for our drinks, picked up our tocos and sat under our tent to experience the entertainment.
It was a wonderful evening of celebration and the youth chorus and adult chorus were certainly a reminder of the wonderful things that are sponsored at the Bibliotecha, Be sure to click on the youth chorus video, short as it is it captures their beautiful voices!
September 14, 2013
We have been having some tremendous rain the last few days. The thunder and lightning has been intense.and we found the weather report on Mexico and realized that a hurricane impacted Acapulco on the Pacific side and there was a landing of a tropical storm in the Gulf Coast which have met over the mountains and providing a lot more rain than is normal for this time of the year. Everything is green which is in contrast to our last trip in May which was dry and almost desert like in character. We did not go out until there was a break in the rain and went up Mesones where the parade celebrating Mexican Independence was taking place. We inched through a crowd around a corner so we were able to lean against a building and still see the street. Our timing was great because we heard the first sirens clearing the street and soon after came the banners of celebration and a seemingly endless number of bands, marching children, vechiles, horses and riders etc. The following is a sample of pictures taken about two hours.
The first two are video's and if you see video you can click it to play the video short that is behind the picture. There appeared to be at least 50 or more schools represent from pre to elementary, high schools, colleges, the policia, the fire fitghters, and military in the parade. The streets were so crowded that people trying to cut through the parade were not allowed through the line of people standing along the street. It was like a total body freeze and the people who sought to go through were either ignored or were given a shake of the head side by side. Sheila and I took a break and went back to regather ourselves. It was nice on our walk home to stretch our arms and legs after the parade body crush.
We entered the Jardin in the early evening to see the arrival of the insurgentes riding their horses through the city square, St. Miguel and Allende in uniform and followng the procession of horses, the farmers from the fields waving their implements. We sat out on the patio and had some drinks and tapas, as the area became crowded like the parade route. It began to rain and everyone started coming under the veranda, so it become more difficult to see the activity in the street, about 15 feet away. We opened the umbrella and walked to a taxi area. We did catch a cab to Hecho en Mexico Restaurant one of the many recommendations we have had. We decided to have fajitas and there was an abundance of food, so we had some to take out that evening.
September 15th, 2013
Sheila and I were up at a lesiurely time, enough to have her to and form me to go to the Buen dia cafe for a morning coffee. We packed our rain gear and caught a taxi to St. Paul;s Church. St. Paul's, in honor of Independence weekend had a Mariachi Mass (Misa con Mariachis). The church has a balcony in the back which has the organ and the choir sings from there. This morning there were a number of dressed Mariachi band members with horns, guitars, and instruments. It made the Eucharist very vibrant and there was more incorporation of Spanish in the lessons, prayers and songs sung throughout
The first picture is a video so you can click it and experience the wonderful sound. Following the service we all went to the social room for coffee and special treats that were made in honor of the day. Gean did see Sheila and told her that a group was going out for breakfast at Hencho en Mexico and were knew how to get there with a short walk from the church. There were about 17 of us and they had two table settings and we were able to meet John and Jo-el the former rector and his wife and Gean. It was very interesting to hear their stories and how the came to St. Miguel.
We caught a cab home and I watched sine football and put my feet up. We decided to go back to the Jardin in the early evening to find out what was taking place. Rain gear in tow we found some drumming and indigenous Mexican dancing in full feathers, leather and bellls. They did a number of intricate dances and made the evening take on a more traditional acknowledgement of Independence
.
We pulled out our umbrella and walked away from the Jardin and went to Garufa Restaurant, and Argentina restaurant. This was one of the most formal restaurants we had visited. The male waiters were at our side throughout the ordering process and came to the table with each course to explain its preparation and to see if it was to our standard. One of sauces, a chincurri, was particularly tasty and Sheila asked for the ingrediants and the chef came to our table to explain. I ordered a rib eye and Sheila ordered Braised ribs One of the results of my flu was I was drinking a lot of fluids, but not much at all by mouth. When our entrees arrived I knew that I had not only a fine dinner in front of me, but also a lunch and perhaps another snack. It was a very good experience overall and the price which was a little more expensive, still did not break the ninty dollar mark. After our busy day we took a cab home in the rain.
September 16th, 2013
We are still having some rainy weather, however there was a break in the clouds around 10:30 am and having had our tea and coffee set off for rhe Jardin. It is the formal holiday so there were a lot of youth enjoying the day off with their parents and Friends. The town center, with its government office is well protected.
The narrow streets with the cobble stone are not the easiest walk, but each building has its own character, complete with the watchful eye of a poodle.
There are a number of fountains along the streets and small corners for either gathering a blessing or a reminder of the saints that protect you journey.
We found more of the indigenous people doing a series of dances with drumming and there were two young children with a chain connected to a wolf and they were pulling the wolf into the dance. There was a shaman who circled among the dancers with gestures of shaking the spirits free.
We walked down Relox to have dinner at the Los Millagros. We ordered pollo and bief fajetas and were generously rewarded. The brothers were singing throughout our meal and they were able to be heard over a table of three guys who were loud and obnoxious. We heard songs by the Beatles, Johnny Cash and even Neil Diamond's "Sweet Caroline" while the Boston Redsox were on the TV monitor near the bar. It made for a great evening and their music rang in our ears as we walked home.
September 17th, 2013
I got my golf bag and met Javier for another round of golf at Ventana's Golf & Resort. It was raining during the night but had cleared up this morning. We started on hole number one around 7:30 am and the staff were not there to pay so we were told to pay on our completetion of the course. The wet weather has made the fairways tight and I did not have an easy time getting the ball up in the air. The one bad thing about having a caddy is that they get to see all of your worst shots. At least Javier was kind enough to just had me a club and did not say much about my errant shots. There was a time during the round that I just had to laugh and Javier joined me. There are only three par fives on the course but they measure 523 yards, 603 yards and 559 yards respectively. The second one is all uphill and I found myself very exhausted during these holes I did have a couple of pars, but I finished with a 97.
I caught a nap afterward and Sheila and I decided to walk up to the Jardin and to explore more of the festivities. The doors of most of the shops were opened, so much so that each one was filled with on lookers. There was one at the front door had these interesting purses.
We went to dinner at the Pueblo Viejo. We were here on our last visit to San Miquel. They have a cocktail lounge upstairs, with a supposed great view. Well the evening was cloudy and misting and the planter boxes did obstruct some of the view but we did a long view to the east of San Miguel.
We returned to the lower level for dinner. Our waitress was very helpful without much English. The busboy was very conversant and it he helped us with the all Spanish menu and we were able to make our order. The salad was good and we had Milanese pollo and Chile relleno. We had enough to take home so we walked back to the Jardin and caught a cab home.
September 18th, 2013
We had to go to the Bibliotecha to get our reservations settled for a six hour trip to Guanajuato. Sheila experienced a great deal of confusion over how to pay for them the day before. She was told that she needed to pay in US dollars. So we went to the back and had to convert pesos back into us currency No one in the office spoke English so Sheila pulled out her pocket dictionary and we struggled for a while. Fortunately, when she asked for my passport we had them with us. It took around 40 minutes but we finally got the passport back along with our receipt and the us currency for our trip. We went directly to the Bibliotecha to talk with the tour promoters and informed them that we had finally gotten our us currency to pay for the ttickets and he told us that we did have the option to pay in pesos. Sheila was taken aback and he took care of the transaction with the young woman, whom the day before had told Sheila to bring us currency. We got our tickets and left thankful that our excursion was going to take place.
We decided to dine in this evening as we have a number of options from our take outs from our last two nights out. We decided to catch up on our books and getting the blog somewhat up to date.