Guanajuato-- a very cool city

This week we have been in travel and party mode. One of our good friends, Crystal, was sweet enough to come visit us in the middle of nowhere Mexico. We definitely don't run the type of tour most people take, but we try to be good hosts. Most of our time abroad is not nearly as glamorous as one might imagine. It mostly consists of Brian working, and me trying to be creative about cooking. Even though we have a "furnished" apartment, there are no spices, a limited number of pots and pans (3), and the cupboards are bare. Since I love cooking, my challenge becomes what can I cook with a limited number of ingredients and spices? My current spice rack includes cinnamon, cumin, and chili powder. Anyway, we enjoy eating food, I walk around to entertain myself, and Brian works. Occasionally we have an excuse to party. Like this week.

We started last week doing things in the wrong order. We went out in the afternoon, roasted, and died. Then we came up with a new strategy: do something in the morning, hunker down for the afternoon, and head out in the evening when things cool off. Bingo!

Crystal was a trooper, and tasted Horchata, Jamaica, Agua de Sandia y Piña. She ate Gorditas, tacos al pastor, and only demurred on the Chiles en Nogada (Brian likes, me no likey). Our final trip was to Guanajuato. None of us had ever been , so it was truly a journey of discovery. The fun began with a CRAZY taxi ride. After winding through some mountain roads, we took a turn into a small, one way tunnel. The driver was maxing out his speed, slamming on his brakes for speed bumps, and putting the speed on again. Then it got fun. We hit an intersection, in the middle of the mountain. Several times! It was absolutely crazy because there were no lights in the tunnels, except headlights from the cars. Every intersection was a four way stop. I couldn't believe how extensive the tunnels were. Conversing with a taxi cab driver the next day we found out there are 37 tunnels beneath the city. It is kind of like a subway for cars. Fun, scary, very different! When we popped out in the city again we were dropped off at the foot of a very steep pedestrian road. We wound up three blocks of increasingly narrow walkways, following handpainted signs directing us to Casa Bertha. When we arrived the street was so narrow there was only room for one person at a time, and it was a squeeze to get into the door of our hotel.

Squeeze would be the word I would use to describe Guanajuato. SO MUCH, in such a tiny space. You have the subterranean roads, Buildings that sometimes span over footpaths to make use of the space above them, and steep, steep hills with buildings built incredibly close to each other. It was truly a maze, and we had a blast. Brian wanted to go to a Quixote museum, and we saw over 500 pieces of art on Quixote. We had good food, went in an old silver mine, skipped the mummy museum, and had a great time in general. Alas, reality called, and we had to return to Queretaro to get Crystal on her way home.

So much fun, so little time.

Explanation of photos starting in middle, going clockwise: Guanajuato and it's tunnels, Crystal mining, Quixote, in the mine, Callejon de besos (Kissing street, street so narrow, supposed lovers used to use the balconies to kiss each other), Me, Crystal and Cora with the aqueducts of Queretaro in back, Sleepy baby & Daddy, Me and Cora in the silver mine.