Guanajuato

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Guanajuato is the name of the state and the capital, like in many other states in Mexico. When I was telling people, that I will see the city of Guanajuato they all told me, how nice the town is. They also recommended me, to see one and another thing or eat a special meal. I had heard that before of places and not all of them I did like. Though I was very surprised, when I saw this town, because it is really beautiful and not for nothing it is one more of the UNESCO world heritage sides.

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1st Oct 2018

I was coming from the state of San Luis Potosi and it was a whole days trip between the city “Ciudad Valles” and the city of Guanajuato. More about that, you can read by following the link for San Luis Potosi and scroll down to the end. Finally arrived, I asked a taxi driver, what he will take driving me to the Diego Riviera Museum, because my host is living very close to it. He answered me 60 MXN, what I was happy about, of course. By this way I have got the first impression of Guanajuato: First the taxi drivers, who are waiting patiently and not screaming “taxi, taxi”, than the good price and now I also saw the city. It is built “in” the mountain. We were driving through a lot of tunnels for coming to the city center and they were all natural. I could see the stone, there was no concrete.

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Well at my destination, Xavier (a young lawyer) was waiting for me. We had to force a lot of stairs to come to his apartment, which has two floors. On the upper floor is the combined kitchen/living room and the bathroom. On the lower floor is the bedroom. Yes, you read right: The apartment has only one bedroom. His bed is a solo one and there is also a bunk bed in the room – and a little wardrobe. I was thinking about my own home, which is even smaller. The guy is really nice and as a hobby he is painting – mostly portraits. He has them on his walls. He also has a wall on the upper floor with an own drawn map of the world. His couch surfers had left sketches there as well and he also asked me to do so. Though I will leave a “Swedish impression” to him (red little house with white corners with a green, trees and a lake as well as the Swedish flag). We were to bed already around 10pm, because he has to go to work early the upcoming day and I was tired from the long ride.

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2nd Oct 2018

I have had a bad night, because I must have got a cold. I had to go and pee nearly every hour until 3am. I hope, I did not disturbed my host. He actually did not say anything in the morning, though I hope, he had a good sleep.

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At 8am the church bells were ringing. I thought it is the alarm clock for Xavier, but he also had his alarm clock. He has to start at work at 9am, but is only working until 3pm. He is also studying for his master, he told me. Before he left, he told me one more time, that he will show me around in the afternoon. He had already given me his keys the night before and answered my questions about the laundry. When he was coming back from the bathroom, he saw, that I was using my notebook and asked me, if I want his Wi-Fi code. I told him, that I am just writing a document, which I later will put online and I can wait until the evening for the code. I won’t being him late for work.

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I continued until 11am with my text for the blog, followed then my usual routines before I went out leaving my dirty clothes to the laundry. As usual I was looking for the laundry in the wrong direction, but when I asked at a shop I have got it right. Unfortunately I only can get my clean clothes back tomorrow. That is worse, because I also had to get my towels washed. This time I had 6kg and I was thinking, the scale must not be right. Anyway I paid the ask amount: 120 MXN. I was really happy, that I could wash in Querétaro at my host’s home.

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I walked the town. The first amazing building I found out, was the University. There are some churches in town as well and there are banners about that abortion is murder. In front of one church also was a tent, where people tried to get other people to understand that. I continued and saw some squares as well. I was recommended to see the Callejon del Beso. Callejons are a kind of tiny streets of stairs. This one was very small – just for one person at the same time. One could not meet there in the upper half. I was entering this Callejon from that side. When I came down and the street had widened and had not so many stairs anymore, there were some tourists taking pictures of the sign etc. I think they missed the important part of this street. I did not take time for the museums this day, because I was short on time. Around 3pm I met Xavier, my host. He did show me the parts of the city I missed and also explained about the tunnels. They were originally built for the water during the rain season. Later tubes were installed for the water and on the top the streets were built.

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He had an ice cream and let me try a special Guanajuato taste, but I was so full from my meal I have had before I met him – enchiladas Guanajuatos called Marinas or similar. It was the first time for weeks, that I ate all off the plate. These enchiladas came with fried chicken breast in a thin slice and vegetables (a potato and carrot mix).

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Later, when Xaver had to go back to work, I bought that special ice cream, but I did not find it so special. I walked around a little more and listened to musicians. There were groups in clothes from former times and they were taken the people with them. I followed one group, because there were no sign or told, that one has to pay for it until later. There were Tequilla and other drinks offered, where I did not take of, because I thought, I will have to pay for them. People did get or buy souvenirs as well and at that point I was asked for a ticket, but not offered one. Though I left this group and was going back to the city center. It was getting dark now and I was looking for a place to eat just a small meal. I finally found a place where I ordered two quesadillas with mushrooms. I also had a smoothie, but it was getting cold outside now. Though it was not the best choice as well as I had seen the wrong price for it. I red 30 MXN – like a bottled water, but it was for 50 MXN. The quesadillas were for 30 MXN each ;-).

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From the place where I had eaten it was only a couple of minutes to Xavier’s home. I did not feel save, because it was dark and I also had to check the number of the house, before I could enter it. There were two other people at the door, but they let me in, when I told them my host’s name. I opened the door to his apartment with the key I had got. Xavier came soon afterwards and we had a nice evening together talking about painting and traveling.

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3rd Oct 2018

This morning I had breakfast at a restaurant. I had seen that restaurant the day before and when Xavier was walking the town with me, we passed it as well. I told him, that they have so nice chairs and he recommended me to eat breakfast there. Though I did this day and I can tell you, that the restaurants not only has nice chairs. The whole interior is beautiful and the service is good. I only had an omelette with coffee and bread, but it was enough for me. It was not very cheap, what I did not expect either. The breakfast was for 90 MXN with as much coffee as I want.

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The next thing I did was to book a tour – also a recommendation of Xavier (no, I do not think he gets a share of that). The tour was for an old silver mine, not in use anymore and a church nearby the mine, which is decorated with lots of gold. – There were also gold found in the mine. In addition to that, we got a nice panorama over the town and the surrounding mountains. I had to wait for, that I was picked up and actually the female assistant from the Tourist information walked with me to another point, where this pick up should happen. We had to wait for a long time and I was first picked up of a bus for around 20 passengers, but was the only passenger. I was brought to another bus – for 8 or maybe 12 passengers. Even I was the late-comer I have got the seat on the side of the driver, what I was happy about. The first stop was the “Pipila” (which means something like pricks, Xavier told me), where I already had been with Xavier.

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All is business, though the guide explained things for us by using two books, which another man was selling. Afterwards the books were offered for sale – and many more of the same kind. Before we reached the mine, we were taken to handicraft shops, e.g. crystal and food. I bought some sweets, because they looked similar like I could buy them in Sweden and Germany. I was interested in to see, if they were similar in taste. They were not and filled with peanut butter and in the very middle with a peanut. Furthermore there were two more museums, we visited, one called the “Purgatorio”, which was about Inquisition – with lots of torture tools and the mummies museum, were dead bodies were shown, who had become mummies of nature. There was something in the church, where they were buried, though they became mummified. Even the clothes were still as they had been while they were buried. There were babies among them. The fee for the halv day trip was for 150 MXN, but there were admission fees to pay for around the same amount.

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Back in town I booked the music tour, which I tried to attend the evening before. It was stated on the ticket, that there will be things to get, so we would have our “money back”. I had chosen the 8:15pm tour, though I had time enough to eat something before it started. I had seen a pizza bar, selling individual pizzas as well. The usual pizzas are very big here. I ordered one of the individual pizzas at that restaurant, but the dough was not a pizza dough. I was full after nearly half the pizza and took the rest to go.

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At the tour I only got a special mug to drink Tequila or wine out of it. I do not know if the alcoholic beverages were in the price. I did not take one. Couples also got flowers. If their husbands etc bought them or not, I do not know either. We women were offered to spend money for the Malign cancer fond. Though that was not included in the price. The tour started well. The other song was “Cielito Lindo” and we were ask to sing the refrain, which we did. There were three or four more songs on the tour, which the Mexicans knew. They were singing the refrains of them as well. There were some explanations and at the end, the concierge told us the legend of the “Callejon Beso”, but let people act to what he told. Anyway it was not the legend as I had read it. The unlucky couple did not even kiss in real – just a kiss on her hand, which was enough, that her father let kill her.

I walked home through the dark without any problem. I had done that the evening before as well, but this time I took another route, which felt saver. Xavier was already at home, when I arrived. He told me, that he and a friend of him had started a weekly CS-meeting, which will be hold the upcoming evening and he would like if I would attend as well.

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4th Oct 2018

This was my last day in Guanajuato city and I had decided to make a museum tour, exactly I would choose the museums I would like to see. There are more than one in my street and I started next door with the Diego Rivera museum. It is not very big, but anyway over three floors. The museum is inhabited in the house, Diego Rivera lived with his parents as a little child. His parents already were well-situated and Diego started painting very early. At almost 12, maybe earlier, he was attending schools for it.

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On the first floor the home is decorated like it could have looked like, when the Rivera family lived there. On the upper floors where paintings in different styles shown, which Diego had done during his learning years as well as later. There was a kind of mural in the “auditorium”. The mural showed a lot of people and also Frida Kahlo, his wife, was on that one.

• It was not allowed to take photos of his art!

The next museum I found was a museum for contemporary art, but I was told, that they are closed. They were preparing the exhibitions for the Cervantino festival. This year it starts 10th October, therefore I will miss it. Before I had read, that it will be hold in the beginning of October and I was expecting to attend it. Actually I would not have had the time for it as well as it is not a festival hold on the streets.

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I continued to the Museo del Pueblo de Guanajuato (Museum for the people of Gto). It was open and had some art as well to show – both profane and church art. The admission fees each for both the Diega Rivera and this museum were 25 MXN.

I was walking further to the Teatro Juarez to see it from the inside, but also this was closed for the preparation of the Cervantino festival. Though I was looking at the map I had got of the tourist information on the first day of my visit in Guanajuato and decided to try to see the Ex. Hacienda San Gabriel. It is a little outside town and I was asking at the tourist information, how to get there. First the assistant told me by taxi, but I asked her if there is no bus or collectivo I can use. Her answer was, there is and she pointed, where that one is stopping as well as she told me, that I had to take one to Marfil. When I had entered a bus to Marfil and asked the driver to call at the closest stop for the Hacienda, he told me, that I am on the wrong bus, but that I should stay at that bus a little longer. When we reached a real collectivo, he told me to change to that one. The driver of the collectivo promised me to call at the stop for the Hacienda – and he did. There is a hotel first and a little later the Hacienda, which the driver also had told me.

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The Hacienda with an admission fee of 35 MXN and a fee for the allowance to take photos of 30 MXN has a self-guided tour, which starts with the gardens and end up in the part of the house, which is open for the public and shows furniture from the 18th and 19th century. Also this furniture has not been original in the Hacienda, almost not all of it. There is Mexican furniture as well as furniture from France and England.

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I started to walk back, but there were buses every 5th minute, though I soon caught one. Back downtown I had a meal (comida) for 95 MXN. I had chosen a vegetable soup, Spaghetti Bolognaise and a pineapple cake as a desert.

It was still time enough for another museum and I actually chose the “Don Quichote” museum. All the items in the museum, like paintings and sculptures, were from one collector. It became to much for his private home, even he already had been moving to a bigger house. Though he finally decided to offer these artistic works to the city of Guanajuato. Even the original story ”Don Quichote de la Mancha” is written of a Spanish writer (Miguel de Cervantes), the city of Guanajuato accepted and installed the museum for the collection. There are very different interpretations of the story, some very up-to-date, others more like the original. Even one of the two sons of the painter Leonora Carrington, Pablo Weisz Carrington, had an interpretation of the story. If I remember right, he just made a horse in bronze or similar material.

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When I had finished my visit, just in time for the closing down for the day, I went to the “Plaza de la Paz”, where I was waiting for my host Xaver. He and his girlfriend had initiated a couch surfer meeting. Nine attendees had signed up, but finally we only were four and the two organizers. All, but Xaver, were women. We were a nice little group and spent some hours on the roof top of a restaurant with beer respectively wine. I had only one beer, but that was also absolutely enough for me this day. I was happy, that I had Xaver with me all the way home. We both went to bed quickly, because we were tired – each one of us in his/her bed, of course.

For more photos of Guanajuato click here, please.

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5th Oct 2018

It was time to say good-bye and I had to leave the latest together with Xaver, when he was going to work. I was really early up, that means already at 6am. I was done, when Xaver was going to the bathroom, but we left at the same time. He also fixed a taxi for me, because I had told him, that I will take one to the bus station. The price is quite low and it is not worth it to try to get all my things into a bus. It is much more comfortable with a taxi, of course.

I bought my ticket to San Miguel de Allende, a very well-known town, especially by United States Americans. A lot of retired US citizens are living there, because of the climate and the lower costs of living. I was told, that half of the citizens of San Miguel de Allende are from the USA. The temperature is all year around very sufficent. The bus was going soon, because there are buses between these cities every 40 minutes. From the bus station at my new destination I took a taxi to my host, but I first asked the taxi driver for the price, because it seemed, that Roberto, my new host, lives outside the town. This is actually true, but he do not live far away and because of the small size of the town of San Miguel de Allende, the price for the ride was only 60 MXN. I was happy about that, of course. There was a little problem, because Roberto had send me the directions to his home, but he had forgotten to write the name of the village he is living in. I only had the name of the area, but was told, that there are two with similar names. One is in San Miguel de Allende and the other one is outside. Roberto had send me a very good discription, though after the taxi driver had read the whole one, he did know, where to go.

Fortunately Roberto was at home, when I arrived. He actually had come home just for my arrival. He is a very active 60-year-old guy. He has a Mexican girlfriend, but they do not live together. Roberto rent his apartment, he told me later. It has two bedrooms, a combined kitchen/living room and two bathrooms. Mine is in-suite, his not. We made us comfortable with each other and afterwards he was going with his motorcycle to town and took me to a point, where I easily could walk to the city center. Roberto is half Italian and half French and moved here from Europe. He has worked in several countries and he speaks a good English, with a very little accent. He has not got his pension yet, but will try to get it soon.

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I walked the city center, bought another bag (it is of straw or similar and unfortunately as big as my backpack. Though I won’tt get it with me on the flight. In the moment it is handy, because I am walking around with two bags. The one I bought in San Louis Potosi and the paper bag I have got in Querétaro, when I was hosted by Fernando. The paper bag is, of course, not a good option as well as it is not a good option to have two bags to carry. Unfortunately the lid of my new bag do not really close the bag. Though I have to be careful, that the bag is upright all the time. I think, there will be a possibility to close it by an inner bag, but that is no idea now, because I cannot take it home respectively I would have to pay a high extra fee. I have to find a way, to take it with me anyway – even it will be empty or nearly empty on my way home, I guess. I could have bought a little smaller one, but they were not as beautiful as this and I did not really understand, when I bought it, how big it is.

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I had a lunch for 60 MXN this day and afterwards an ice cream before I was going home by bus. It took time for me to find a bus station outwards to the area, where Roberto lives. I asked a bus driver, but he explained it so bad, so I was walking around for a while, before I found it. It also was a surprise for me, where it was, because it was directly behind the bus, where I had asked the driver. I did not eat more, when I was back at Roberto’s home. He was not at home, when I was back, though I took a shower and cared about my expenses before I fell asleep.

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6th Oct 2018

Roberto asked me to buy milk for breakfast and sent money with me. He explained to me, if I follow the fence, there is a hole at the end of it and from there it is very close to the grocery shop. I found that way quite easily, but the shop was closed. I saw another shop not far away and was walking there, but that one was also closed. Though I walked further until I found a shop, just opening. The female owner told me, that she is not selling milk, but showed me, where the open grocery shop is, where they are selling milk. I thanked her so much and was going there.

I bought milk without lactose, because I have heard, that people in the South of Europe cannot drink milk with lactose. I also bought half a liter yogurt. When I finally was back, Roberto was surprised, when I told him, that it was hard to find an open shop. He was not happy in the milk without lactose, but told me, that his girlfriend is keen in it. We had breakfast and I had a banana as well. When I had taken the first bite of the banana I felt not well, but I ate the whole one. Soon afterwards I had to throw up. This continued more times this day, without I had eaten something more. Roberto recommended me to have a tea of Rosemary. It actually did help, but when I in the evening did brew a Cuachalalate tea, I throw up again. I should have met a couchsurfer, who was interested in to know me, but unfortunately I had to tell him, that I could not come – and it was good I did, because I was afterwards still throwing up. Fortunately I could sleep the night thru after I had been drinking more of the Rosemary tea, but for the usual walk to the toilette.

Roberto itself had left me alone in his apartment in the middle of the day, because he was going with his girlfriend to a dancing class. If I remember right, it was a tango class. He told me, that he won’t be back before Monday, but that I could ask the neighbor, if I need help.

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7th Oct 2018

Next morning I had such a Rosemary tea again, but I was meeting a CS-host at a restaurant in the middle of the day. I had to eat something and chose quesadillas with mushrooms. I think it was not the healthiest food, but the healthiest of the offers, the restaurant had. I also had a Coca Cola and let the carbonate disappear before I drank it. It is an old Swedish recommendation when someone throw up and need something to drink. Actually I did not throw up again.

The meeting with the American CS-host was wired. We just had that meal and then she and her neighbor, who was with us, said good-bye. It seemed, she was not at all so interested in me or my story like it sounded, when she was inviting me to her home – she did that, after I had agreed with Roberto to stay with him. In addition to that, the restaurant, she had told me, I can meet her, was not a cheap one. For the two small quesadillas and the Coke I had to pay nearly 100 MXN.

I walked the town and could see a fiesta. It was something the church celebrated. See also: http://sanmigueltimes.com/2018/08/all-you-need-to-know-about-feria-san-miguel-de-allende-2018/

There were “Indians” in different clothes and with big feather attires. They played the same music and danced the same dances I have heard and seen by the “Mayas” in Querétaro. Some were wearing christian symbols, most of them did not. Unfortunately my camera was out off battery after a photo and a short video. I did take some more with my smartphone, by using WhatsApp and sending them to my Mexican friends. I could upload them later from WhatsApp to my Google account. Though here you can see one of the results:

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When I was tired of watching the spectacle, I was going to the bus, but on the way I bought a half, fried chicken and in a grocery store I bought something to drink. For my evening meal I ate a little of the chicken, but I was not very hungry. I also had the rest of the yogurt. At Roberts home I was surprised, because there was no water coming in the pipes. Though I did not flush the toilet. I was to bed quite early, but watched a movie. It was a little strange one and I tried to sleep afterwards, which was working very well anyway. By the way, during the movie I heart it raining and it was a heavy rain. I did move the couch, which was closets to the kitchen window, that it would stay dry.

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8th Oct 2018

I was up as usual and saw, when I was going to the kitchen for taking half a mug of drinking water to take my medicine, that the floor close to the window was very wet, but the couch, I had moved, stayed dry. I heard the family on the top of us. The children got ready for school and the father were coming down asking for Roberto, because of the water, which was still not running. Roberto tried to repair it, as soon as he was at home, but had to call a specialist for it. He filled two buckets with water from the lower cistern. It is the one, the water is delivered to. From that one it will be pumped up to another cistern and from there the water is running into the system. This way it is handled, because of the low pressure it is delivered. He was still working with the pump, when I left for the day. I told him, that I will go to Dolores Hildalgo, another town in the state of Guanajuato.

Dolores Hidalgo is also a “Pueblo Magico” as well as a UNESCO site and is around one hour, maybe a little more, away from San Miguel de Allende. I could catch the bus very close to Robert’s home. There was no need to go to the bus station. I paid the 56 MXN for the tour by a fifty and a twenty MXN-note. The driver gave me 15 MXN back (in two coins). I think he did not have the correct change. He did not ask me for a 1 MXN-coin.

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Well there, it is easy to find the interesting things of the city, because there are lots of information tables. I was hungry and looking for a restaurant, but I was walking further and further. I had to go back to the city center to find one. I actually tried one, who offered a kind of smorgasbord. I was not very hungry, but the first time I did take a meal, I did take very little, though I had to go one more time and fill my plate. Unfortunately there was no much to chose by the spices or other reasons. The drink was also included in the price as well as tortillas. When I asked for the bill, the waiter managed something at the cash, but was coming back without a bill. He told me, it was for 100 MXN – the price was not announced anywhere and I think he did take a little higher price as usual, because he first had asked me, what I want for dessert and when I asked for the dessert, I was told, that there is no dessert included. I did not leave any tip.

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For more photos of Dolores Hidalgo click here, please.

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I walked back to the “Zocalo”, which is not named by that name here in Dolores Hidalgo and took a rest on a bench. A maybe two-year-old girl was standing on another bench, with her mother on the site of her. The girl had a coke bottle in her hand and tried to drink out of it. She made it, but the little rest. She was gliding from the bench, but her mother did not really care about her. I have got the impression, that the children here do not get a lot of attention, but some. Sometimes I even see daddies kissing their small children.

I took another round throughout the town, following signs about e.g. an old railway station, but I did not find that one. Finally I had to use Google maps to find the way back to the bus station. Luckily I had taken a photo of the street name, though I could easy find it, but it was a quite long way to go.

Around 5pm I was on my way back to San Miguel de Allende. I just had caught a bus. When I bought the ticket, it were only two minutes left, before the bus was leaving the station. I had a window seat and did not close the curtains to see the surroundings. I could made it that way, though nobody was disturbed by the sun. I was going all the way to the bus station. Well there I bought a ticket for the upcoming Wednesday for Querétaro to pick up the things I had left at my host there.

I did not find the bus from the bus station to the area, where Roberto lives. Though I walked into town and took that bus instead. Well back, Roberto was not at home and the water was not working yet. It had become chilly and I would have been happy about some heating. I ate of the chicken I had bought the day before, but did not eat much of it, because it was too salty for me. I had a banana as well and more than half a liter of juice. I was going to “my room” and wrote down my expenses as well as I started to write down my memories about the last three days as a document, which I will put online soon.

When Roberto was arriving, he was checking into me and asked me, if the water was not fixed yet as well as he said good-night and closed the door to my room. With other words: He was looking for privacy. I continued with the text for my blog until around midnight and was then going to sleep. I still could hear Roberto in the kitchen.

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9th Oct 2018

I started with my medicine and directly afterwards to send my cousin and godmother the best wishes for her birthday. She was born 1936, though she already became 82 years old. She still goes walking with her two years older husband. That is amazing. I remember my grandmother, the mother of my father. In that age she was living with us. She was very thick and did not leave her room on the second floor. Times have changed and peoples health as well.

When I had breakfast, Roberto told me, he could take me to town, if I could wait for him. He had an appointment around 11am, but we would leave his home around 10am. Before we left, he tried to fix the water one more time. He found out, that there is air somewhere in the system and hoped, if we would fill the system with water, the air would come out. Unfortunately it was not working. Just when we had given up and were ready to go to town, the plumber finally arrived. Though I was leaving by myself instead. Roberto had explained to me, how to go to the places I want to see.

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I was going by bus to the stop close to the statue of the Pipila – yes, also San Miguel Allende has a statue of Pipila, but it is much smaller than the one in Guanajuato and in a round about. I asked the driver to announce the stop, but he only answered, when I asked him, if we were there. I came off the bus at the right place and that was counting. I had to walk a while and a man, who saw my with the map in the hand and looking around, asked me, where I was heading. I told him, that I want to go to the Institute de Allende. He answered, that I only had to continue on the road and that the doors were wide open and that there is a court yard. I thanked him and continued. Well there, I was told it was a school and I was not allowed to come in. I was not even allowed to use their bathroom, even I asked for it.

I continued and asked people for the Museum de Allende instead, because I thought I was at the wrong place. I have got help to find it, but meanwhile I was walking I needed a bathroom more and more. At the end I asked at the café “Local 67”, if I could use there bathroom and I was allowed, even I did not buy anything. I was very happy about it and tried to give them a coin, because I had used toilet paper, soap, water and paper to dry my hands, but I was denied.

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Finally I arrived at the museum Allende, which was close to the Pagodia (church). At the cash was a sign, that children under a special age and people 60 years and older had free admission, but I was denied. Even it was not written there, they told me, that it was only applicable for Mexicans. I also had to buy a photography allowance, because I was not allowed to take photos at the museum without it. Though I had to pay 100 MXN to see the museum from the inside. I did make the experience, that this museum was not worth the admission fee. There were mostly text, a few artifacts and in every room a screen talking about a lot of things around the political situation in Mexico in former times. It was disturbing me, when I was reading the text and it was not interesting enough to listen to it.

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When I left the museum, I was very hungry. I was thinking about to eat at the closest restaurant. There were only one vacant table and it was dirty. I took a seat there and when I saw the waitress I tried to catch her attention, but she did not care. Though I was going further instead. I think, they had already had enough income for the day. I found a small café instead with lower prices. They had a dish of the day and this day it was “Chili con carne”. They told me, that this dish was not picante and actually, there were only a little Poblano chili in it. The dish was only a little picante, but salty. Though I had to ask for some yogurt, which I have got as well as a little more bread – even a tiny bit. I asked for a dessert, but they told me, that they had run out of it. Therefore I paid and continued.

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My next goal was the view point, where one can see all of the city. I had to force steep roads for that, but I made it. It just takes some time. Well at the view point I first was enjoying the view and took some photos. I also ask a young man to take a photo of me with my camera, which he did. Afterwards I was crossing the street to see, what the candy shop had to offer. I actually bought some sweets. They were relatively expensive.

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I tried to find the Benito Juarez garden, but did not understand where to change direction. After a while I asked a man, who seems to live in the area for the way to the garden and he explained it to me. I did not really understand, that I had done so wrong and was on a very wrong point. Anyway I followed the man’s advice and found the garden. At that time I also saw, where I should have headed instead of walking the wrong way. I enjoyed the small garden for a while. Some people were running or doing other exercises in the small garden. There was also a playground.

From the garden I followed a “green street” and at the end I was looking for a butcher. Roberto had pointed out them on the map for me. Meanwhile it had became 6:30pm and the butchers had closed. I entered a Mini Super(market) and bought a drink yogurt and a drink chocolate, but they did not have meat. I remembered that there should be a supermarket close to the place where I would catch the bus. I walked further and took some more photos – even one from the Pipila statue. I asked a private security gard for the supermarket, he told me, that the “Comer” nearby was a supermarket. Though I crossed the street by the pedestrian’s bridge and entered the supermarket. I found what I was looking for and was going back to the bus stop. There was a bus in my direction, but it was very full. In Sweden and even Germany, no bus driver would allow so many people to enter the bus. I decided not to try to enter as well. I was waiting for around 15 minutes, before another bus to my destination was arriving. That became full as well. If I had been quick, I could have entered, but I had bought eggs and was afraid, they would be crashed. Though I decided to take a taxi and found one soon. It seemed that the taxi driver had his wife on board. The taxi driver brought me to my area and asked for 50 MXN. I felt, it was a little much, but I accepted the price.

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For more photos of San Miguel de Allende click here, please.

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Back at Roberto’s apartment, I immediately started with cooking a meal. His girlfriend would come around 8:30pm and I had promised Roberto to cook in time. I actually managed that. Both Roberto and Patricia appreciated the meatballs and the vegetables. We had a long chat mostly in Spanish. Patricia only speaks a little English and it felt more comfortable to speak Spanish with each other. I was happy, that I had an opportunity to use Spanish even it was the well-known phrases about my travels and my life. We were to bed not earlier than 12:30pm!

I wrote down my report of the day, before I took my phone. Trying not to fall asleep before the taxi was coming the next morning to bring me to the Central station of the buses.

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10th Oct 2015

I did not sleep the whole night, because I was afraid, not to hear the taxi and miss the bus. I sat in the combined kitchen / living room with my backpacks and my new Mexican bag waiting for time to go and for the taxi. The taxi was actually in time. Patricia, Roberto’s girlfriend had called it the evening before. Anyway it was not a taxi with a taxi sign. I think it was an Uber, though the price was also only 60 or 70 MXN. I arrived very early at the cold bus station. Even the seats were very cold, though I used my inflatable seat. A bus for Querétaro was announced in good time and I was out to look for the bus. This time I had booked with an ETN bus and I had to pay 160 MXN instead for 115 MXN. When I asked for the price difference I was told, that the other price was not for a primary bus. Finally entering the bus – the bus driver was telling us, we had to wait a little while, which took around 15 minutes, I had to enter from the back and there were only a few seats in that part of the bus. The seats were very comfortable. I actually have never been in such a comfortable bus before, not even in Europe. There was a door between a part of the bus between the driver and where I sat. Though I think, it was the best class I could get at this company. Which also explains the price difference.

I fell asleep in the bus, but awoke some minutes before we were entering Querétaro. It was still around half an hours drive to the bus station. At the bus station I brought my big backpack and my new big bag to the luggage guard and bought a ticket for the taxi to my former host in Querétaro. I arrived there around 8am, what he told me, I had to be there. Usually he do not leave his place before 8:30am. His female housekeeper opened for me and invited me for breakfast. Then I was waiting for my host to enter the kitchen, but he never came. After a while I have got to know from her, that he already is at work. Though I send a WhatsApp message to him and he explained, that he has a lot of meetings this day, that his housekeeper knows, where my things are and should give them to me. When I told her, she did. She also offered me to drive me to the bus station, which I was thankful for. Later Fernando, my former host, messaged me, that he had told her, to drive me to the bus station.

At the bus station I bought a ticket for Guadalajara, Jalisco. Unfortunately I had to wait for around one and a half hour, but that time went by, too. About my time in Guadalajara you can read by following the link for Jalisco.