San Miguel de Allende, MX - Week 2

Monday, June 10, was a cooler day after our Sunday storms and we opted to stay home.

However, Tuesday was a day for getting out and exploring new territory. We grabbed a shopping bag and headed out the door. The skies were somewhat overcast and the air was cool and dry. Jamey had her rain jacket, just in case. Heading toward El Centro and snapping photos along the way, the first stop was Carmela's Salon to make some manicure/pedicure and hair cut appointments for Jamey. Then we continued our trek to the Mercado Ignacio Ramirez. This was a small market and there were very few people. Usually, people are jostling each other to get up and down the isles. But since this was Tuesday and the big Tuesday tianguis was going on, fewer people were here. This just made it nicer to meander around. The only food vendor serving ceviche had no seats available so we left hoping to find ceviche somewhere else. Alas, we did not, but we did come home with fresh pastries, tomatoes, peppers, and a set of measuring spoons which we were lacking in the condo.

After returning home, Jamey unpacked the goodies from the morning shopping and Ken headed back out to buy some freshly squeezed orange juice and corn tortillas (we'll have some of these tonight for dinner).

Wednesday morning the maid, Lupe, came. It was so nice to have a clean condo again and fresh linens on the line. Today was much cooler and there was more rain predicted.

That afternoon, we heard the thunder so Jamey ran out and brought the laundry inside, draping sheets and towels over the staircase railing and backs of chairs to finish drying. The rain held off so we could go out for dinner. Ken had read about a good mariscos (seafood), family-owned restaurant. Many Mexican families have businesses on the street side and their homes in the back. This is what Mariscolandia was. The mother did the cooking and the daughter took the orders and served the food.

Restaurante Mariscolandia

Ceviche is one of our favorite seafood dishes but ceviche here is not all the same and quite different to what we're used to. Tonight's ceviche was in a tomato-based sauce. It was okay but not something we would order again if we return.

Walking back to the condo, we saw colorful flags strung across the road so we decided to walk up to the San Antonio church to see what was happening. Vendors had their carts and tables all set up around the park. The bells began to chime - that is all three bells began to chime with a single person ringing each bell in a different way. Ken made a video just as they ended.

Bell Ringers, San Antonio Church

Continuing on our way, we heard drums and saw dancers in costumes coming toward us. There were 2 different groups marching up the street toward the church. The first group was carrying a cross draped with a cloth. We weren't sure if this was a special day to commemorate a certain saint or if they were practicing for a big parade which is scheduled on Sunday for Father's Day. Ken took another video of this too.

Procession to San Antonio Church

Not long after we got home, the thunder started booming, lightning flashed and the rain came pouring down. It lasted several hours.

Thursday, June 13, was Jamey's manicure appointment. She had gotten a referral on a forum and took a chance since she has acrylic nails. Many things are done manually in Mexico compared to using tools in the USA. Her manicure was one of them. The small shop was in a hotel and became very crowded with clients and workers by the time she left.

Hair and Nail Salon is here!

As we left the shop we went exploring a little more and found another mariscos restaurant, Caribe, for lunch. Ken had the address; 85 Conde de La Canal. Watching the numbers, Ken noticed an 84 across the street, but we were standing in front of 55. Puzzled, he went in to a shop to ask where 85 would be. In the States, odd numbers are on one side and corresponding even numbers are on the opposite. But that's not necessarily how it's done in MX. Ken was told to keep going down the street and 85 would be on our side.

We found the restaurant and tried their ceviche; it was also different. It was good but not what we would order again either. Since San Miguel is not on the coast, we have almost concluded this is not the place to expect ceviche prepared to our preference. We do have a few more places to check though.

Tonight's dinner is another one of the tasty rotisserie chickens found all over MX. An easy dinner.

More photos:













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