San Miguel de Allende, MX - Week 8

With one and a half weeks left in SMA, we're winding down but we're still on the lookout for things to do and see.

Cuna de Allende

After dinner Sunday night, we walked to the Jardin where a concert was scheduled as part of the Guanajuato International Film Festival. The first band to play was Mud Howlers. The evening was the first in a long time that we didn't have rain so the streets and park were packed with people and dogs. The music was more hard rock than we liked so we left early.

"I liked the music"

Tuesday night we ate dinner at Bahji, a curry house, and had samosas, garlic naan and some break-out-in-sweat hot Ceylon curry with chicken. Delicious!

Bahji Curry House

Our VOIP telephone rang at 3 a.m. Wednesday and woke Jamey; Ken slept right through it. There's nothing more startling that being woken by a ringing phone. Once she woke up enough to realize what the noise was, grabbed her glasses, and raced to the computer, Jamey discovered it was an unidentified caller. Ken researched the call and discovered it was a scam caller (usually originating overseas) that try to get into VOIP systems. Luckily, Jamey didn't answer the call.

Police will remove your plate if you're illegally parked

Thursday was our final day for a manicure/pedicure for Jamey and another hair cut for Ken. With only one week before our return home, we had a list of restaurants we wanted to try to get to. We chose La Sirena Gorda (The Fat Mermaid) for our dinner. This restaurant offered a casual bar atmosphere and served unique drinks like ginger margaritas or martinis and unusual bar foods like steamed artichokes and seafood tostadas and tacos. Needless to say, this was definitely a gringo hang out. The ginger margarita was delicious!

La Sirena Gorda

Saturday was a gorgeous day and we joined our neighbors Kathy and Bob and went to Ranchito Mi Sueño to watch team sorting. Fun, fun, fun and lots of sun, sun, sun! Even the children took part.

Ranchito Mi Sueño

Chuck, the owner of the ranch had a
replica of the Alamo constructed

Rancito Mi Sueño owner, Chuck, on right

Team Sorting

Contestants try to move 10 bulls from one pen to another.

A team of 2 riders enters an hour glass shaped corral and has 90 seconds to move 10 young bulls to the other part of the corral. The judge calls the first number and the bulls must be moved in numerical order. All bulls have a numbered necklace. This replicates work on a ranch when animals needed to be sorted, to sell or keep. Each team has 3 opportunities and accumulates points for the day and also for the year. Teams with the most points split the prize money, 1st, 2nd and 3rd.

Spectators become experts quickly and verbally assist the teams.

Charro waiting his turn to compete

Team Sorting action

One of the contestants was Deborah Axton, widow of country music singer Hoyt Axton. We got to meet her and she graciously gave us a lift back into town after the event.

Jamey, Deborah, and Ken

Future charro practicing his roping

Sunday was another gorgeous day. The sun was shining and the sky was clear and blue. We walked to a restaurant, Kuni Doni, for a brunch of Mexican flavors - eggs in ranchero (red) sauce, potatoes and cactus (nopales), chile rellenos, beef (res) fajita, corn (maiz) tortillas, French toast with jamaica marmalade (marmalade made from red hibiscus flower - so yummy). Then we walked back in time to rest before a special sunset dinner.

Tonight's dinner at Sicilia in Boca was the best by far for the food and the view. The cuisine was Sicilian (Italian) and superb. Jamey had traditional beef rolls, stuffed with bread crumbs, parmesan cheese, parsley, and pine nuts; the server said the beef was suave (very tender) and it was. Ken ordered chicken breast with a Sicilian tomato sauce; it was accompanied by a wonderful salad of romain, oranges, green olives, red onions, and shredded carrot with a sweet balsamic vinegar dressing. A Sicilian wine, Nero d'Avola - Syrah, was a wonderful pairing.

Restaurante Sicilia en Bocca

El Centro

A wonderful meal and view

We started our dinner by sitting on the terrace overlooking San Miguel, but as the rain moved in, so did we. We finished our dessert (chocolate mousse with chili) and watched the storm, including lightning, move across the town below. This was a perfect evening!

Rain storms moving through San Miguel

Fond memories of San Miguel de Allende:

• Multi-colored bougainvillea in full bloom. When the breeze blows, it tosses the petals around like confetti.
• Hummingbirds
• Cool, dry air and blue skies
• Thunder rolling over the mountains, warning of rain coming with big fat drops
• Walking - everywhere (SMA is considered a healthy city, as mentioned in an earlier blog)
• Amazing surprises behind ornate wooden doors set in colonial period rock walls

Lavados en El Chorro - where many in the
community still do their washing

This will be our last posting on this blog as we prepare for our departure on Thursday (Ken's birthday). We bid you hasta luego and leave you with these gorgeous sunset views  from San Miguel de Allende, Guanajuato, Mexico.

The setting Sun illuminates clouds over mountain

Hasta Luego, San Miguel