January 15, 2019 - San Miguel de Allende

We have our own dining table in the middle of the several floors of the house and our menus include orange juice or fruit, toast, and several breakfast entries.  I have scrambled eggs with large chunks of bacon and delicious home fries.  I asked for only one egg, but that seems to be counter-cultural!  So much food!!  

and linden-flower tea!

After a leisurely meal Adan brings the van around and we drive to the ruins at Canada de la Virgen. There is an impressive canyon located nearby from which the archeologists took the name.  The ruins were first discovered in 1985 and opened to the public is 2011.  The people who lived here were active from about 540 to 900 A.D. with a pronounced Toltec influence felt around the 800s.

We didn’t know what to expect, since this is such a new site;  what a pleasant surprise!  There is a fully-developed pyramid and an adjoining, circular structure that was dedicated to the wind god.  There is even a natural garden.  At first we thought the archeologists had simply planted native plants to educate the tourists.  But, no!  The pathways were actually part of the original site!

We park the van at the small museum and visitors’ center and take the site’s van, along with an INHA guide.  We ride along with several Spanish speakers and we all get off at the gate which is locked.  Each group has to be accompanied by a guide and will be on the site for two and a half hours.  Turns out that lots of that time is spend hiking to the actual site!

Adan has thoughtfully given Barb her walking sticks since he says she will need them.  And she has graciously lent me one of them.  We’re hiking uphill at about 6,000 feet.  Need I say more??  Adan hangs back to make sure that all his little chickens are getting along okay!

Our little guide speaks only Spanish, but Ginger finds time between her speeches to tell us what’s going on and there are several large signs in both Spanish and English.  The sky is gray, which doesn’t help the photos - but sure makes the temperature much more pleasant!  And for a few minutes there is even a hint of blue.  Even without the young ‘uns to egg us on, most of us climb yet another pyramid!  Up one side, down the other, across the open court and up to the top of the taller section!  And back again!!

I may yet learn to do this!

In the mean time, Marilyn has made friends with one of the ladies from the other group and they have learned how the caretakers repair all the holes to prevent rain damage!!

And a couple of the other people in the other group help us with translations!

We’re on a strict timetable and our guide gets us back down to the welcome center in time for the next group to depart.  Ginger and Adan talk about lunch possibilities and Adan suggests Pollo Feliz.  It’s a chain that specializes in the Mexican version of rotisserie chicken and Ginger proclaims that it is more tasty than Publix’ chicken!!  It looks like a ton of food and Marilyn and I both opt for just a chicken sandwich and French fries.  And everything comes with the salad bar!

Adan shepherds us back to our hotel and everyone is pretty well played out.  Some people are in favor of a nap and others want just a little rest before setting out again.  It is our last afternoon, after all.  Barb and I decide to visit the other side of the Artisans’ Market and make a couple of scores!!  She finds two adorable little embellished purses and we both fall in love with silver Tree of Life earrings.  Happily there are two pairs of them and Barb works a deal since we’re getting them both!!  And, on the way back, Barb convinces me that I really, really need one more t-shirt~!  It’s the jaguar with the shaman in his mouth and I just can’t resist.  They don’t have my size, so I opt for the next size up and hope that hot water will shrink it enough so it doesn’t look like a dress!

Dinner time roles around and no one is starving, so we head back to Los Milagros with our reduced ranks of only six. I have creme de champignon (cream of mushroom soup) that’s delicious and there are lots of other soup orders - and margaritas!  During our conversation Ginger asks everyone what surprised them during the trip.  Answers included the betterflies, of course, the ruins, the depth and breadth of Juan’s knowledge, the beauty of the colonial architecture, the extended Christmas holiday, and Adan!  There is a singer-guitarist playing non-stop and of course his rendition “Sweet Caroline” results in a community sing featuring our table and another small group of Americans! It’s our last night, so dessert seems in order - one creme brûlée and one flan for five of us to share. Adan gets his own - and he well deserves it!!

It takes a little effort to get our bill and then we’re on our way home.  We’ll be turning in early because we want to be on the road before six in the morning.  We stop at a bakery and Ginger gets us an assortment of sweet breads for the road, and the lovely folks at our hotel agree to have fruit and juice ready for us, since we won’t have time for breakfast.

Last night.  Sigh…