Mexico Medical Student |

(continued from previous post)

We got up in the morning, grumbling there was neither coffee nor breakfast, but I smelled coffee, so I went downstairs. There was some pan dulce (sweet bread) and coffee already brewed, so I took a piece, two cups and cheerfully presented Claudia with coffee and bread, happy to start my day with SOMETHING. As you will read later, this coffee was not for us and I was essentially in blatant violation of B&B rules.

For our first day in San Miguel de Allende (San Miguel or SM for short from now on), I really just wanted to hit all we could: museum, churches, plazas, etc. It was very clear very soon that this town is several things we wouldn’t necessarily have known:

• tiny (not a bad thing)
• mountainous hilly
• impossible to drive anywhere in an extended cab truck due to streets made in the 1700s
• absolutely chock-full of Americans and other foreigners, perhaps even outnumbering the local population
• holiday weekends are taken seriously here in terms of people and activity

We found some decent parking at the top of a large hill and planned to walk downwards, but I met some Americans who spoke of a sceneic overlook further up the hill. 10 minutes and 100 beats/min HR increase later, I found nothing but more stairs and more curves, so I cursed out loud and made my way back (in the photos, you’ll see the stairs). You have to be WAY in shape to do anything long-term in this town. Sure a cab is 20 pesos anywhere you want ($2 bucks–no joke), but everybody walks. There was an 80+-year-old man I passed along the hill (yes, I passed him, thank you very much!) who was using a walking stick and carrying pan dulce back home, but that’s probably a daily thing for him, but I was a few ectopic beats away from a needing a defibrillator, walking at a 45 degree angle up the hill.

Breakfast was at Correos Cafe, across from the Post Office (correo is “mail” in Spanish), and it was far and away some of the best cafe de olla I’ve ever had. Cafe de olla is a Mexican preparation of good, strong coffee, frothed milk, cinnamon, anise and special somethings that make for a morning drink that will cure any mood. The rest of the day was simply spent walking, looking, listening, absorbing–taking the city in, going wherever the mood struck us. I’m a huge planner, but for some reason, I just didn’t plan this trip to the ‘T’ (note our driving experience). As such, I had the slight anxiety not knowing what to do, but also experienced the rare occaision of the freedom to not have pressure to do anthying in particular since I didn’t know what it was I WASN’T going to get to do/see/etc. I have to definitely do this way again. Maybe.

We saw several impromptu parades, a driving ad for a bullfight, went to the museum (which was actually a disappointment, but they don’t charge, so I’m sure it’s limited by that), walked and walked, and hung out at the town square, people watching.

Dinner was spent at a nice restaurant, and in spite of repeated bloody filet mignon when Claudia specifically asked for medium well (when a steak goes back because it’s twiching, moo-ing rare, perhaps returning a plate full of dark red blood less than 5 minutes later indicates you haven’t left the ‘rare’ stage quite yet) we were well taken care of by the manager to interesting conversation and a comped dessert of the best flan I’ve ever had. All in all a good day…

…Which is why the following morning was such a bust. I wake up in the morning at 8:00 and smelling coffee, went downstairs to get some. Buenos dias, I said to the B&B lady. She looks at me, “Yes?” “Um I just want some coffee,” I say eyeing the half-full pot.

“Breakfast is at 9:00,” she snapped. “OK,” I say slowly and deliberately, “I just want coffee.” I’m the one w/o coffee, and she seems to be the one who isn’t getting it.

“Breakfast will be served promptly at 9:00; coffee will be available then.” It took all my self-control not to just say “Whatever,” and walk over to pour myself a cup in defiance. I have never stayed at a m/hotel–and I’ve stayed in some bad ones–that didn’t at least have a coffeemaker in the room or some ready made stuff out in the lobby in a thermos dispenser if nothing else with little 6 oz cups. I’m not complaining about not getting Splenda or half-and-half–we’re talking total deprivation of the most basic element of hospitality. If I wanted rules and attitude, I’d go home and visit family. I’m on vacation here.

Long story short, I got my weak coffee at 9:00 with breakfast. We left shortly thereafter and headed back to Guanajuato (although we took the autopistas back!). I was looking forward to take pictures of the mines, mountains and churches, but traffic was so bad when we got there, it ate up most of our in-city time. We got info to go back, but next time we’re taking the bus: $157 dollars in gas and tolls could have bought us round trip bus tickets for both of us with plenty left over, and had the whole stress of the drive out of our hands.