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We had an interesting day. We rode the city bus, for one. It wasn’t bad at all. I don’t know if I mentioned that Guanajuato doesn’t have any traffic lights. None. And this is not some sleepy little pueblo. So, even though we could have walked it, it’s a fairly long walk, and getting across some of the streets is a little dicey. So we took the bus, and were glad did. We headed out after school, about 2 pm.

We’re staying in a neighborhood called Presa, and to get to El Centro, you just find a bus stop on the side of the street that goes in the right direction and look for a bus that says Centro. Coming back, look for a bus that says Presa. Simple. (I still always ask when I get on. “Presa?”)

We rode past the Cervantes Museum with it’s giant statue of Don Quijote and Pablo. Past a cathedral and a couple of temples and into El Centro, which is really, really lovely. Lots of very old buildings dating from the 1600′s on, lots of parks and outdoor restaurants. Really nice. If you’re coming to Guanajuato just for a visit, try to stay in El Centro or Districto Historico.

On one of the surrounding mountains, there is a large statue to El Pipila, who was a hero of a revolution. To get there, you take a funicular, and the bottom of it is very near El Centro, only a few blocks away. And I certainly didn’t expect what we saw at the top. What a view! The entire city of Guanajuato laid out before you. The entire city, with ring of mountains in the background. Gorgeous.

We also visited the home and museum of Diego Rivera, a famous artist. He had an interesting life.

On the bus for the trip back to our apartment, another couple got on that we knew from the school. These people are our age and extremely well traveled. Extremely. So it shocked us when, as she saw us, she said, loudly, “this is the worst bus we’ve been on so far.” One, the bus wasn’t bad. The one we came into town on was nicer, but this was okay. Two, she said it fairly loudly (in English). And three, she violated the first law of travel. LAW # 1. Never, ever criticize the country you’re visiting (or anything about the country) in public. And be very cautious of doing it in private. It’s just rude. It’s law # 1. (and #2 & #3). Don’t do it. Oh, and don’t assume that no one speaks English, while you’re at it. Wait until you get home to discuss the things you didn’t like. And just because you don’t like something, doesn’t mean it’s bad or inferior or anything else. It means you don’t like it. We were glad that there wasn’t a place beside us for them to sit. Otherwise they seemed nice. Strike one.

A really good experience: we were sitting at an outside area of a restaurant, later in the evening, and these three guys walked by carrying their musical instruments. They asked if we wanted a song, we asked how much, agreed and they serenaded us. They were pretty good too. They were obviously farmers (or at least worked outside) because their skin had that look of constant sun at high elevations. They were very nice. It was a pleasant experience.

 

And the food here is really good.

 

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