TRAVELS (and more) WITH CECILIA BRAINARD: Mexico: My Last Words about San Miguel Allende (For Now)

We're winding down our visit to San Miguel Allende in Mexico, and what a wonderful time we've had.

The group picture was taken on the rooftop where we had cocktails before dinner, l-r Lauren Brainard, Hilary Walling, Doug Noble, and Cecilia Brainard.

I'm also sharing a picture of a dog on a pharmacy counter, which amused me a lot. There are several pictures of a wet market near the Mercado Artesania. There's a picture of the Los Milagros Bar, where we played Bingo one night. There'a a picture that shows some fanciful wood carvings outside a building. And the last picture shows Hilary Walling, the magical Manuel who keeps the Zazula garden green, and Doug Noble.

This is our fourth visit to San Miguel and I enjoyed it once again. I would come back. There's a lot of creative energy in this city, and while it's a tourist place, maintains an authenticity. As mentioned there are quite a number of American and Canadian expats living here, and locals are used to Norte Americanos. One can easily get by with English, although Spanish is welcomed by the people.

There is a nearby city, Guanajuato, a university town, that is also very charming. In the past, after visiting San Miguel, we spent a couple of nights in Guanajuato, and in fact caught their famous Cervatino Festival. I mention this, in case you should want to visit San Miguel, you might also want to visit Guanajuato.

These two places are different from the Mexican seaside resorts; these are old Spanish colonial towns that became rich from silver mines. Some of you may wonder if San Miguel is safe from drug problems; I've not heard of any problems of that sort here. San Miguel thrives on tourism and goes out of its way to protect their tourists. I feel safe walking alone at night in the center of town.

To those who plan to visit, here's more information about San Miguel Allende. There are cobble stones, so wear comfortable shoes. San Miguel is in the hills so it gets chilly at night. To get here from Los Angeles, we flew into Leon-Guanajuato, and we had pre-arranged for a car pickup (Viajes). It takes around 1 1/2 hours to get from the airport to San Miguel Allende. In town, try to live as close to the center of town (the Jardine and Parroquia San Miguel Arcangel), as it's very fun to explore San Miguel on foot. Taxis within the city center cost a pat 35 pesos, which is around 3 dollars, no additional tip needed. In town, there are ATMs or you can go to a bank to change dollars to pesos.