After our long stay in Oaxaca, we made our way to San Miguel de Allende on Sunday, September 4th. It was another big drive, but we left early and had plenty of time to make the trip. That was the part we got right.
This is a good time to remind anyone traveling the toll roads through Mexico that you want to carry plenty of cash.
About six hours into our eight hour drive, we stopped for gas and got a couple cups of coffee. We paid cash for the coffee. This would turn out to be an unfortunate error.
A little further down the road, we arrived at a toll both where they asked for 315 pesos (about $16.50). We were short on pesos and they didn’t accept credit cards or dollars, so we had to back out of the toll booth through the oncoming traffic, pull off to the side of the road, and climb up to the office area to get this sorted out.
After lots of waiting and a bit of confusion due to my imperfect understanding of Spanish, I learned that the solution was for me to hop in the employee shuttle that would take me to a bank in Jilotepec where I could withdraw cash, then take the shuttle back to the toll plaza. Emily and I were not thrilled about being separated with no means of contacting each other (we have one SIM card and it’s usually in my phone), but given that we had no other option, I took the shuttle. About 90 minutes after we arrived, we were on our way with *plenty* of cash on hand.
Even with our delay, we arrived in San Miguel de Allende well before dark and got moved in to our lovely apartment. The next day was Labor Day (thanks, unions), so Emily and I had the chance to do a little city exploration. We started off by walking the dogs to wear them out, then went back out for a trolley tour of the city. That helped us get our bearings, to a certain extent, and we spotted some places we’d end up visiting later in the week.
On our last day in the city, we went to the artisans’ market. It’s subsidized by the city, so the vendors are able to keep their prices low. It’s a huge market, about four blocks lined on either side with stalls full of lots of great crafts. We picked up a sweet mirror with a metal and talavera tile frame (photo soon!).
We stopped in at a free concert by a string quartet at Bellas Artes, an art space in the courtyard behind the Templo de la Purísima Conceptión. Formerly a convent, the building was later named for Ignacio Ramírez (aka El Nigromante), a famous writer, lawyer, and atheist and repurposed as an art and cultural center. It was a great place to hear a concert and you can watch a clip below.
San Miguel de Allende is a pretty magical city and we had a great stay. Next stop, Guanajuato!
Destino Pura Vida 