Summer explorations in Mexico

Taken in Vallarta by a local resident

August has brought us more heat and humidity and the rain gods have displayed some spectacular thunder and lightning storms. We’ve only been caught out in two of them, but both made driving incredibly difficult because we couldn’t see the roads. The streets in downtown Vallarta flood quite quickly so as we were driving some friends home from dinner one night, the heavens not only opened – it was if the heavenly dam had burst. We made it up a steep hill to drop off one friend, but as we came back down the street, it was a raging river. So glad we have an SUV and 4-wheel drive!

We track all of the animals that come to the clinic

During the night before our August clinic we experienced one of our longest rainstorms. They don’t usually last for hours, but that night, it rained all night up until 5am. I didn’t sleep all night because I kept deliberating how we would keep the animals dry. Our clinic is held outside, and only a tiny bit of the area where the vet techs work is covered. The vets have a tent, but the rest of us just make do. After reassuring several people on Facebook that we would definitely be having the clinic, we arrived at a flooded area in the dark. Steve and I along with a couple of locals got busy moving things and tried to sweep the water out of the area. In one area in particular where the electrical outlet is we just couldn’t remove all of the water. This was more than a bit worrying! The vets weren’t worried – they just plugged in their extension cords and carried on. That’s Mexico! We were happy to see that the rain didn’t stop locals from bringing their animals – we had 81 that day.

Steve's French baguette

 Our first short trip was visiting San Sebastian and Mascota for a couple of days. Both are only a couple of hours drive from Vallarta up into the hills (or small mountains). Both are small villages now, but San Sebastian is an old mining town. There isn’t much there anymore except for two excellent restaurants. We only went through there to stop off at one of the restaurants where the food is French. It was mouthwatering delicious! Steve thought he’d died and gone to heaven when they brought out a proper French baguette. Then he found the espresso beans in the restaurant’s little shop and knew he’d gone to heaven.

Church in San Miguel

We’ve just returned from San Miguel de Allende and Guanajuato. San Miguel is very much an artist community for both Mexicans and gringos. Downtown Guanajuato has a Parisian feel and if you weren’t surrounded by Spanish, you could easily believe you were in Paris. Six days was far too short although we packed so much in it felt longer. We decided to drive for 8 hours rather than taking a plane and I’m so happy we did. Most of our trip was driving through mountains that were lush green and either bathed in sunlight or shrouded in misty clouds. San Miguel doesn’t have an airport so we’d have had to get transport to and from Leon, which is about a 2-hour drive. Our apartment, rented from HomeAway, was perfectly located just 2 blocks from the main plaza. Most of the attractions are then only a few blocks from the plaza. 

Our view from rooftop restaurant

Plaza in Guanajuato

Walking tours of both cities were fascinating and filled with history and culture due to our guides being exceptionally passionate and knowledgeable. Our trip to the Cañada de la Virgen Archaeological Site was so filled with the history of the site and its people that our heads were spinning – or maybe it was the 3 kilometer walk up to the site at 7,000 feet altitude! Then climbing all those steps. Dinners were scrumptious every night. We enjoyed two rooftop dinners, one with a couple of friends and one just across the street from our apartment. Friday night we attended a string quartet concert by four Americans who have been playing together for 35 years. They were mind-blowing! After a day of wandering the streets on Saturday, we savored Thai food at a small restaurant that Steve stumbled on while looking for bottled water. It was a perfect ending to our trip.

This was the 2nd set of stairs - we'd already climbed one set

September is going to be a busy month with lots of dinners and more trips planned. We’ve decided to go away for the weekend of our anniversary the middle of the month. And my birthday trip to Madrid begins on the 25th of September. We’ll be gone for just under two weeks. I can’t wait to return to Madrid and to be able to show Steve what I love about the city. We’ll also be visiting Segovia, Toledo and Avila. Again, we’ve rented an apartment from HomeAway located in the center of Madrid. It’s my favorite area of the city.

I know when I return to Vallarta, I’ll be missing the autumn leaves again so I’ve already planned on getting out my decorations as soon as I get back. One of our new friends is a chef and he loves to cook Thanksgiving dinner. I’ve already invited myself because I miss turkey and stuffing! And there’s a part of me that will always miss the autumn leaves!