San Sebastian del Oeste, Jalisco

Even though I am no longer in Mexico, I have some pictures and memories that I would like to share with you. I didn't have time to write about everything on my blog while I was there!

San Sebastián del Oeste is a quaint little town, in the state of Jalisco, nestled in the Sierra Madre mountains about 40 miles from Puerto Vallarta. It is a weekend escape for Vallartans who appreciate the altitude of 4500 feet and the cool evenings! Pine trees, cattle and coffee plantations, and splendid mountain views, together with the relaxed atmosphere provide a special treat for all visitors.

The town was settled in the early 1600s as a gold and silver mining town. The precious metals were mined there, sent to Guadalajara and on to Veracruz where they were transported to Spain. At one time the population was about 40,000 people; however, the Mexican Revolution in 1910 and the depletion of the mines caused the prosperity of the town to decline. Now there are about 600 people living there.

The road from Puerto Vallarta to San Sebastián reminds me of my home state of West Virginia! Mountains, dramatic views of the valleys, hairpin curves and narrow passages provide thrills as you drive along! They are still building parts of the highway and at times we had to stop and wait for the construction. But, in true Mexican form, where we were stopped for about 10 minutes waiting for the road grader, it was party-time! Some people pulled out a cooler and sold beer, soft drinks, and water and everyone got out of their cars and stood in the shade talking with each other, wondering how long we would be stopped.

Even though it is only 40 miles away, it took us about 2 hours to make the drive due to the condition of the roads. While the highway that they are building is almost complete, and is very good, at some point one must leave the highway and drive over cobblestone and dirt roads to get to the town. Also be sure you have a full tank of gasoline. The gas stations are few and far between!

As we drove through the fields, we passed many maguey (agave) farms. Jalisco is the state where the maguey plant is grown which is made into tequila.






This is a how the farmers grow the maguey plants. Like corn in Illinois and Iowa, the maguey is planted in straight rows--field after field. it takes 7 years for the plant to mature.

The mountains and valleys on the way to San Sebastián.

This new bridge, called El Progreso bridge, spans a river.

Here is the road we were just on! I took this picture from the area near the bridge where we had stopped for a photo op.

Upon arriving in any little town, one always asks: "Where is the church?" That will get you to the center of town. The Temple of San Sebastián was built in the 1600s but due to an earthquake, it had to be rebuilt in 1868.

Next door to the church is a small museum with interesting artifacts from the region.

The altar of the church.

This is the churchyard with beautiful bougainvillea blooming.

The town plaza with the church steeple in the background. The long, low building in the back is their version of a strip mall! Souvenirs, cold drinks, snacks and even some postcards were sold there. The kiosk in the plaza is used for music programs and fiestas.

We walked up the road to the tourism office! This young lady was very helpful and explained a lot about the area to us. She also gave me some brochures and then posed for the picture.

Walking down a street in town.

I love this picture---the satellite dish next to the house where a burro was tethered in the back yard! The lady from the tourism office lives here and her husband makes silver jewelry and sell it from their home.

Lety and I took turns photographing each other in front of the bougainvillea plant with the church in the background.

Sitting on the porch of the Posada del Sol restaurant drinking limonadas and people watching was great fun! The main activities of the town are: walking, enjoying the beauty of the region and resting! There are 2 museums in town, and we visited both, and if you are so inclined, you can rent an all-terrain vehicle and drive through the mountains. There are 7 hotels/bed and breakfasts in town but only one has a television and Internet connection. People come to San Sebastián to rest and rejuvenate---and what a perfect place to do so. I am ready to go back!

Hasta luego.

Fun In Florida

My friend, Sara, invited me to go with her to their condo on St. George Island, Florida for a few days. What a wonderful, relaxing time we had!

Does everyone know where St. George Island is? I didn't so I had to check out the map. Look at the panhandle of Florida that sticks out under Georgia and you will see the town of Apalachicola. Drive over a new 4 mile bridge with a very pretty view of the bay, and you will arrive on St. George Island.



Arriving on the island you are welcomed by this newly built lighthouse, a replica of the original one.

At one end of the island is a National Park where everyone can enjoy uninterrupted views of the ocean, picnic or camp, launch a boat and fish for the day, or just walk and enjoy the solitude and beauty of the place. What a treasure.

And then there is the beach! The sand is almost white and the water is beautiful. There used to be large sand dunes here until the area was devastated by a hurricane a few years ago, but the dunes are slowly being rebuilt by the wind.

In the morning we watched the dolphins playing and jumping out of the water. In the afternoon people swam and fished, but the best time for us was in the evening. From about 5:00 until 8:00 or so, we sat on the beach when the sun was not so hot and there was a light breeze. Enjoying a glass of wine, visiting with each other and watching and listening to the ocean---what a great way to relax, unwind and cool off from the heat of the day. The moon came up over the horizon as the sun was setting. How beautiful!

In the small town of Apalachicola, there is a park on the waterfront where you can observe, close-up, the oyster and shrimp boats. The town's industry is fishing and fresh shrimp, oysters, and fish can be found everywhere.

This is an oyster skiff and I learned that the long wooden paddles which you can see on the boat are tongs that the fisherman uses to reach into the water and gather the oysters to bring up onto the boat. Oyster boats are flat-bottomed and have the small cabin in the back. On the front of the boat is a culling board and a culling rake. The fisherman uses the tongs to throw the oysters onto the culling board and then rakes across them. He keeps the large ones and throws back into the water the smaller ones, allowing them to grow larger.

Another very interesting spot we visited was the dwarf cypress forest. Driving 4.5 miles off the main road, we arrived at a place where cypress trees only grow a few feet tall.

The boardwalk allows us to walk into the midst of the trees. In the photo you can see the taller trees in the background and the dwarf cypress in front. The information board says they do not know why the trees only grow so tall in this area because when the seeds from the trees are planted elsewhere, the trees grow to their normal height.

The area was a marshland with swamp grasses and lily pads growing in the creek.

I love the lily pads. But there were no frogs sitting on them!!

One evening Sara and I indulged in a seafood dinner. When you go to Apalachicola, try the Boss Restaurant on the waterfront. Mmmm--good!

Our table was right on the waterfront and the seagulls hovered, hoping for a treat!

Can you see him sitting on top of the light pole?

While Sara had fried shrimp, I tried grilled oysters with 4 different sauces. And, yes, we shared a dessert too: Mud pie!!

Sara was a great "tour guide" as she showed me the Estuarine Center, the historical churches, and beautiful old houses with interesting architecture.

As usual, I took many, many pictures and I just had to share some of them with you. I will have the pictures to remember the lazy days we spent in Apalachicola and on St. George Island, Florida.

Hasta luego.

Goodbye But Not Adios

No one wanted to say "goodbye", including me! Everyone asked when I am coming back. I wonder that myself. We didn't say goodbye, but we did say "Hasta luego" several times during my last week in Puerto Vallarta.

My friend, Lety, with whom I lived and worked while there, invited me to breakfast at a very unique restaurant, El Set. Not recognizing the word "set" in Spanish, I asked her what it meant. She replied "It's an English word". It seems that when the movie, "The Night of the Iguana" was filmed in Puerto Vallarta years ago, this restaurant was used as a set for the movie---thus, the name "El Set"!




Lety and I enjoying our breakfast: eggs with mole sauce, frijoles, and fresh squeezed orange juice.




A replica of a movie camera adds to the authenticity of the restaurant.





And the view....oh, how beautiful!

On Wednesday morning, I returned to the preschool where I taught, to say goodbye, and the children put on a program for me. The principal, Maestro Rogelio, the English teacher, Maestra Erika (second from left) and I posed for a "faculty photo" before the program.









The three year old class sang "Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes".

These four-year olds, with Maestra Erika holding the mic, said a poem in English.

The girls did an Hawaiian dance!

At the end of the performances, the whole school sang the songs I had taught them to sing at the beginning and ending of the class period. They sang to me and I sang back to them!

Then everyone lined up for a big hug and said "goodbye" (in English!) to me. I hope they are able to continue learning English as they progress in school.

That evening, some of the principals and teachers, with whom I worked, gathered at the Restaurante Hector" for dinner. Located on the beach, we watched the sun go down and applauded when it fell below the horizon!

The sun joined us in the photo, sticking its bright head in between two of the teachers!

Another goodbye at the airport with three friends brought tears from us all but we parted with the standard farewell: "Nos vemos" ("We'll see each other").

Although I have returned from the trip, there is much more to be written about Mexico and I hope you will continue to read, as I write, about the schools, the people, and the country. And for those of you living close enough to see the photos, I have several hours worth of vacation pictures!!! I bet you can hardly wait!!

For now, I am very happy to see Mr. Neat, my kids and grandkids, and, especially Nellie, my faithful Gooldendoodle who missed me more than anyone!!

In the meantime, nos vemos and...

Hasta luego

A Day at the Beach

My friend, Lety, said this morning, "We haven't spent a day at the beach yet. You can't go home without being at the beach. Let's go to Punta de Mita today." What a great idea! Sunny, warm, light breeze, temperature in the mid-80s, what better day to go to the beach?

One of her favorite beaches is in Punta de Mita, Nayarit, about 30 minutes north of Puerto Vallarta. There is a beachfront restaurant there that she likes, so off we went.




The Anclote Restaurant has dining inside and out. We chose to sit outside on the beach for our tequila sunrise but went inside to the tables for our dinner.

Here is the beach and today there was seaweed all along the edge of the water.

Kids playing in the water.

Building sand castles.

Relaxing under the palapa. Can you see the people dining inside the restaurant on the right side?

Music time!

He caught "the big one"!

And we ate it! This is fish zarandeado, a way of preparing the fish. it is delicious!

Buying ice cream on the beach.

We had a very enjoyable day reading, people-watching and snoozing. Lety even went into the water but I didn't like the seaweed and rocky bottom. I prefer her swimming pool!

Hasta luego.

Teacher's Day

May 15th is Teacher's Day in Mexico and what a big deal it is!



There are no classes and the teachers enjoy their day off. Hosted by the mayor of PV, one of the hotels served a big breakfast for the public school teachers. Scheduled to begin at 8:30, parking was at a premium and the line of teachers, waiting to enter the grounds of the hotel, snaked around the corner.

The Krystal Hotel had tables set up outside in the pool area. I estimate that there were about 1000 teachers there. Our table had "number 89" on it and we were next to the pool! There were 8 people at each table. The PV weather was at its best by having a light breeze and a few clouds which prevented the sun from boiling down on us!

You can see how close we were sitting, and this photo shows only just a tiny bit of the group! We were a big crowd!

What's a party in Mexico without Mariachi? They played while the people entered the grounds and kept us all toe-tapping while the breakfast was served.

This is our table. My friend, Lety, is 3rd from the left and I am 5th.

This is breakfast. Quite a bit different from the breakfasts we eat in Georgia! We started with a fruit bowl and pan dulce (sweet rolls) with coffee. Next came a glass of fresh squeezed orange juice, a bowl of tortillas, and the main dish. On the left of the plate are frijoles with grated cheese with a tortilla chip standing up; at 12:00 on the plate are beef chunks, cooked in a very delicious sauce, (not spicy); next is a rolled tortilla; and at the bottom of the plate are pieces of chicken, grilled with tomato and green pepper slices. In the middle for looks (or for "some people" who like spicy food) is a grilled Jalapeno pepper. It was a typical Mexican breakfast which one would eat in a restaurant and very good!

The mayor of PV welcomed everyone and, of course, made a speech! Next a young student from the Normal School (Teachers' College) recited a poem about teachers which was so good it gave me goosebumps! I had heard her deliver the poem at her school, Juana de Asbeje, a couple weeks ago when I was there for a book signing by an author and was blown away by her talent. Such a wonderful gift to give to the teachers on their day.

The breakfast ended with door prizes: microwave ovens, dishes, TVs and the 3 big prizes---three 2008 automobiles to the lucky winners! Quite a nice day.

After the festivities ended, "Hizzoner (the mayor of PV) and I posed for a picture!

Mayor Francisco Javier Bravo Carbajal and retired Georgia ESL teacher: me!

Upon leaving the hotel about noon, Lety, 6 other teachers and I went to Starbucks where Lety treated us to a coffee and conversation. We made such an impression in the Starbucks employees (I'm not sure if it was a good or bad one!!), they took our picture and put it on their bulletin board! We had fun.

Then home long enough to change clothes and return to a restaurant where we had been invited by a principal to join in the festivities with some other teachers. About 50 of us ate, drank, danced and listened to what had to be "the worst band" in PV!! I'm not sure who had more fun---the teachers or the band members whom I am sure were playing together for the first time!!! The bass drum and the tuba drowned out the other instruments and the two singers who strained to be heard without a mic!

Victor, Meli, Lety and me and the band in the distance!

Dancers salsa-ing to the music!

After about 3 hours of music and merriment, Lety and I went home to relax....

And relax we did in the pool in the subdivision. Here's proof that I got wet above my knees!!

Lety received text messages and phone calls all day on her cellphone from friends wishing her "Congratulations" on Teacher's Day. And how nice that I was included in the messages from friends that we both know.

Teacher's Day is a special day for Mexican educators.

Hasta luego.

San Miguel de Allende

San Miguel de Allende is a famous "little city" in Mexico. Famous, not only for its history, but also for its expatriate population of artists, the city of about 80,000, high in the mountains (6400 ft) is home to a large artist colony, 2 art institutes, many galleries, and a big theater community. No wonder I was anxious to see it!

It is a colonial city, named a national monument in the 1920s, so there are no neon signs or modern buildings and---get this: no stoplights! During the 1940s, the area became a tourist attraction because of the hot springs in the area and after World War II, American veterans discovered that their GI bill money went further at the art institutes here. Word got around and Americans began to visit, then move here and now retirees are joining them.

I am sure that Fray Juan de San Miguel, the Franciscan monk who founded the city in 1542 would be a bit surprised if he saw his city now! The town, like many others in the area, was a stopover from Zacatecas on the silver route to the mines.

The Mexican War of Independence began in a nearby town (Dolores Hidalgo) and General Ignacio Allende, who lived in the city (then known as San Miguel el Grande) joined the army and led it to several victories. He is now a national hero and the city was renamed for him in 1826.

As you know from other ramblings on my blog, in every city and town in Mexico the church and plaza are central features there. San Miguel de Allende is no different.



The Parroquia de San Miguel Arc Angel is a pseudogothic church overlooking the main plaza. Legend has it that the architect who added the facade had never seen a real Gothic cathedral and made his drawings from pictures. How true that is, I don't know but that is what they told me!

The altar of the Parroquia.

The plaza.

An Indian woman makes and sells her things on the plaza.

A street in the city.

I am showing you these doors because, not only were they very beautiful but they also had exquisite doorknockers on them and also, something else that I have never seen in Mexico: mail slots! The mail slots actually say "Correo" (mail)!!! Regular mail is not a common thing in Mexico and I have see only one actual mailbox and these were the first mail slots I have seen!

This is the (?) or a policeman for the city. I'm not sure if he was dressed up for a picture or if he always looks like that! But it does make for a nice photo, verdad?

We were only able to spend a few hours in San Miguel de Allende but I am so pleased to have seen it. Perhaps one day, Mr. Neat and I can return as tourists and really get to know the beautiful city.

Hasta luego.