Now in Guanajuato - day 18
Trip Start
Jan 31, 2005
1
9
14
Trip End
Mar 01, 2005
Guanajuato, Central Mexico and Gulf Coast, Mexico
Saturday, April 23, 2005
The topography has not been accommodating to building a city, with its steep slopes of a ravine going down to a river bed. But build they did when silver and gold deposits were found in 1559, the richest in the world. For two centuries 40% of the world's silver was mined in the state, contributing to the city's wealth.
Day 1 -----------
Our hotel, Dos Rios, has a courtyard where my motorcycle is now parked. It is locked at night. The cost is about $22 a night. One thing out of the ordinary is the water fountain in the lobby with paper cups. We carry drinking water to our room using our water bottles.
This is a most interesting city. Very hilly and beautiful, you can see the homes as they climb the hillsides, each painted a different color. Lois, the walking in Santiago was nothing compared to this town.
We ate in a restaurant, Truco 7, which is a favorite of students. We had a three-course meal plus beer for about $3.50. The cream of carrot soup was "out of this world". We were served by a waitress, only the second one seen in the entire trip. This job is normally reserved for men.
People watching will be as much fun here as other cities. Now it is off for more exploration and a probable beer. It is a perfect 80 degrees.
Day 2 -----------
Guanajuato is so picturesque, with so much old world charm. If Jim Adams were here, he would have taken 2,000 pictures by now. I happen to be limited to one flash card in the digital camera or about 120 pictures for this one-month trip. It is difficult to make choices.
A lot more walking today. One particular walk was to the top of a hill where the monument to El Pipila overlooks the city. Pipila was the hero who torched the Alhondiga gates enabling Hidalgo's forces to gain an important early victory in the independence movement. After the tough climb up we took the funicular down. Annette wishes we had taken it up also. The pedometer will for sure display 10,000 steps today.
To start the day off, I awoke to find that my Seiko had quit running at 1:50 AM, this after 7 to 10 years on the battery. Fortunately, a watch repair shop was located and a new battery installed ($2.30). What luck. Annette was lucky too; while she was having her watch crystal repaired we saw a new watch that she liked. She wore one on each wrist for the rest of the day. She told me that it was a gift to her for going on this motorcycle trip.
The Museo Alhondigo is the principal museum in Guanaguato. Built in 1808 as the town grainery, this imposing building has played an important role in the city's history. When the first revolutionaries had taken most of the town in the fall of 1810 the federalists made it their fort. It was soon taken by Hidalgo's forces with the brave action of Pipila mentioned above. Soon after the first revolution failed and its leaders killed, the skulls of the four principal leaders were hung for years from each corner in metal cages. The Alhondigo served as a prison for 100 years until recently being converted to a museum. We toured the museum for over three hours.
Annette had her first enchilada plate in El Pengius restaurant, again located near the university. She said that she had been waiting for this meal but there were too many other good plates to try first. My mouth tingled for some time from the sauce smothering my steak mexicana.
Backpacks are as plentiful here as on the UW campus.
Annette read about a narrow street where two balconies almost touch. There is a story that a father of a fine family forbade his daughter from seeing a young man, a common miner. The young man then rented the room across from where she lived so that they could be together. The place is now call the Callejon de Beso (the narrow street of the kiss). I never thought that we would find it but we did. See the attached picture.
Observation of the day: Churches in Mexico generally do not have stained glass windows, at least with figures present. We were in one today with beautiful stained glass windows, only the second one in all of the churches we have visited. It is hard, however, to count the number of statues. Perhaps because it is lent, most every church has one or more larger than life statues of the tortured Christ, always in a long purple robe, generally with a crown of thorns. Picture provided.
The weather continues to be perfect: for us - that is clear, sunny and 80 degrees.
Day 3 --------------
Another day in this wonderful city. Great 80 degree weather and more sights to take in. We walked up one callejon (narrow alley) and thought we were climbing to heaven but we never got there. Seemed like we passed 100 doors of people's homes. See attached picture. We turned around before reaching the top or finding the desired street. Back to a main street, we walked to the university and found the large Temple de la Compania de Jesus, a church completed by the Jesuits in 1747. We spent some time in this beautiful church, partly because someone was playing the pipe organ. This is the first time this trip and many previous trips to Mexico that we have heard an organ played. Most of the larger churches have pipe organs but I wonder how many of them are in shape to be played.
A highlight of the day was sitting in a sidewalk cafe having lunch. A perfect setting with a great view of the plaza with its manicured trees, surrounded by happy, smiling people. After I finished the meal, I found an English language newspaper and began reading it while Annette finished her meal. A man at the next table spoke to us when he overheard me telling Annette some of the news, especially the part about current discussions to overhaul Social Security. It turned out that he was an American who had come to Guanajuato just two days ago to study Spanish. We just had to like the guy for what he was attempting, plus the fact that he enjoys driving his motorcycle. His objective in learning Spanish is to be better prepared to drive his cycle down into South America. He told us how he was recently divorced. His wife got his business, while she "gave him the business". We enjoyed our time together.
I learned from the hotel owner that he also has a cattle ranch. I told him that I grew up a campesino. We shook hands.
Tomorrow we are off to Celeya. After just one day there we will move on to Queretaro where we will stay one week in our second timeshare. Hope to find Internet access there. If not, oh well. Hasta luego Russ and Annette
