I ride across the mountains from Guanajuato and spend an
afternoon in Dolores Hidalgo then move on to San Miguel de Allende, a town I
read referred to as the Florence of Mexico and where many wealthy Americans
choose to retire. It’s a beautiful place, all streets lead to the central jardin which is always full of people
and atmosphere. There’s often music and salsa dancing and always shoe shiners.
The church is well restored and probably the most beautiful exterior
I’ve seen outside of Europe.
I meet Eric at the hostel, a Californian who knows the town
well, this time here to continue writing a story about a guy living here and to
chase a girl who works at a nearby café. We have a couple of fun nights out.
Eric takes me on a tour of the cantinas
(bars) in town, some vintage venues, full of character with old jukeboxes and
famous for appearances over the years including the Beat Generation on their
trips into Mexico. The first night starts with a bottle of tequila at the
rooftop of his friends place and finishes huddled around the late night taco
stand in the pouring rain. The following includes a karaoke bar, at first we’re
celebrated as foreigners choosing classics then after a few songs the
enthusiasm is lost and we’re encouraged to call it a night. I take the
opportunity to ride 2-up and we spend a day at the hot springs out of town. I
drag myself away from San Miguel after a few days and head for Morelia, a relaxed
regional capital further south. Another hostel to myself for a couple nights,
the women who runs the place it quite friendly and offers me a free ticket to
the theatre to see the regional symphony orchestra play Beethoven one evening
which was an interesting outing. I spend a day riding to some of the regions ‘pueblos magicos’, a heritage listing of
villages throughout Mexico that are restored and protected for their beauty and
cultural significance.
