The Rough Start: No One ever said blogging was easy

As noted in the previous post we have a new address:

Pied-à-terre at Casitas Aparicio in El Centro, 25 Aparicio, San Miguel de Allende, GTO, MX, 37700

Also noted there was a hiccup in the blog process. The day we moved into the new apartment the computer had a harsh encounter with the floor and the screen died. The entry I had written the night before hadn’t been published because I was waiting until morning to enter pictures. So now I am several days behind and this is the catch up entry.

The differences between Mexico and the US can be stark. That can be good, bad or indifferent. The broken laptop afforded an opportunity to see some of the good. One of our landlords recommended I call his “computer guy” Abelardo. The morning after I called. No one answered until after 11, which happens to be when he opens for business. Later I found out I had been talking to his wife. After 5 minutes on the phone when she kept speaking spanish to me that I failed to understand (and I kept asking if she knew any English) Abelardo got on the phone. He also spoke almost no English, until I told him my friend Jonathan told me to call him. Miraculously he learned to speak English. He told me to bring it on down. When he saw how it was working he said I had to get a new screen but the computer was alright other than that. He told me he could fix the computer that day and would call me.

About 4 hours later he called. This morning I picked up the computer from him. Less than $90 and all is well with the computer, and by the way the wife also speaks decent English. I believe I got a great deal, and learned a little something about people, not sure what.

Traffic is another difference. It functions well here in the old town without any signs or signals. Pedestrians and drivers alike know when it is their turn to go, even in crowded conditions. It is a bit amoeba-like. But if the opening is there for you to go and you hesitate the other party will go. Many people in the states would have a hard time with this because they often want to stop and be cautious, to wait until they are certain it is safe to go. That would never work here because cars would continue to go before you. If they didn’t then at times dense traffic would come to a stand still. And, in spite of this it is much more rare to see a collision here. There just happens to be a pervasive mindset here in San Miguel that parallels some shared vision.

There is a much greater police presence here. Yet they don’t seem to have to do, or do much. Once in a while they direct some traffic, but mostly they just either stand or walk around. Not sure it is a Mexican mindset, or their presence that causes good behavior, but behavior is quite civilized. Sidewalks are narrow and the streets are cobbled. The cobbles slow traffic and when the narrow sidewalks cause people to walk in the street everyone simply adjusts. No one yells, gives an evil eye or honks – observe and adapt. The police never interfere with this dance, they don’t even bat an eye at three to a motorbike, or ten to the back of a pickup truck. Take a chance if you want, but no one to blame but yourself if it doesn’t work out because this is not a very litigious society – personal responsibility instead.

There are numerous park like squares in the old downtown where we are staying. They are filled with people, mostly natives who just don’t seem to be in a hurry. Men, women, children, extended families can be seen at all times of the day taking it easy. That’s not to say you don’t see others working hard, it is simply a more relaxed environment. It would be a mistake, however, to think the entire city is like that. San Miguel de Allende is an ever-growing city and there are modern areas where the streets, the malls, the office buildings are similar to the U.S. We took our most expensive Uber (so far we have spent anywhere from $1.50 to 7.50 for Ubers) to one of those areas to grocery shop at a modern store. Stark difference and we aren’t sure we need to do it again. We can easily find fresh produce, even organic meats, at the markets, one of which is blocks away. Even packaged goods are available at an extensive supermercado near us, it’s called Bonanza, and anytime anyone references it they also mention the TV show. So, we probably will mostly stay in the old part of town with it’s orchestrated chaos melded with a laid back atmosphere – weird combination.

Lots of hills here and we walk a lot so our lungs, hearts and legs are getting noticeably stronger already. So far we have mostly worked at solving what was automatic in Spokane, things like the phone, shopping, banking, finding a place to live. We feel like we are finally getting settled and will have more time for a normal life. Interesting fact, we have yet to watch TV. So, this entry has been a cultural exploration of our Mexico trip to date. Tomorrow I promise pictures of our apartment and some areas of town. Special treat today, the image in the background shows me hard at work shopping for women’s clothes.