Early January in San Miguel
—Blogpost written by Bob
In this blogpost, we continue our 6-month winter excursion in Mexico. We arrived by car on October 15 in San Miguel de Allende, traveling from near Annapolis, Maryland where we live on our sailboat. This blogpost describes four early days of 2022 in San Miguel de Allende. (At the end of January we will be moving to Bucerias near Puerto Vallarta, on the coast, for our last two months in Mexico.)
Tuesday, January 4
It was very cold in the apartment this morning! I got up, fed the cats, had some coffee and a light breakfast and then I went back to lay in bed under the blankets for a while.
An image from AirBnB of the terrace connected to our new apartment in Bucerias. (We went overboard on outside space and windows this time around.) |
My haircut cost 350 Mexican pesos (about 18 USD), including trimming my eyebrows (really needed at my age). It was as good as any haircut in the U.S., at probably half the price.
The barber shop in San Miguel de Allende was state of the art. |
The young Mexican barber spoke (broken) English but it was much better than my (very broken) Spanish.
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My lunch at Cafe Santa Ana made up for my spotty intake of veggies so far this week. I had a very large and delicious Cobb salad (and a muffin for dessert).
My Cobb salad for lunch today. |
Today, I walked to the barber shop, then to Cafe Santa Ana, and back to our very humble abode, a total distance of about one mile (as later estimated on Google maps). This was the longest distance I have walked in one day since we were in the Exumas in the spring of 2020. (I think I am finally getting somewhat back to normal. My recovery from prostate cancer has been very frustrating to say the least.)
A colorful mural on the side of a brick wall along Aurora. |
Wednesday, January 5
Notes on electrical wiring in Mexico
The electrical wiring that is typical here in Mexico would make anyone familiar with electrical wiring in the U.S. cringe. This is not a knock on the country but an illustration of the different cultures.
For example, there are four overhead lights in our apartment in San Miguel de Allende—the weight of each of the four light fixtures are hanging only by their connecting wires.
All four overhead light fixtures in this apartment are supported by the connected electrical wiring. (Also note that the inlet wiring has no color code on the wires.) |
I haven’t found a circuit breaker or fuse block (as used in old homes) anywhere on this property. Wiring is embedded in the concrete walls and ceilings. As far as I can tell there was no conduit to protect the wiring used in these areas.
There is not a single GFCI used anywhere in our apartment. You would think there would be at least one in the bathroom but that not the case. (Imagine what would happen if someone accidentally dropped an electrical shaver or a hair dryer into a bathroom sink full of water.)
There are a few three-prong sockets used in our apartment but I understand that a dedicated ground is not used in Mexico—so, they are simply for ease of connecting common U.S. made appliances with 3-prong plugs.
Fortunately, there is very little wood or other flammable materials used in home construction in Mexico. So, fire prevention is not a driving force in making good electrical wiring like it is in the U.S. Also, Mexico is completely lacking in liability regulations. So, if a light fixture electrocuted someone it would be treated as “an act of God.”
Fortunately, we don't have what is called a "suicide shower" in this apartment, even though they are common throughout Mexico and the rest of Latin America. (By the way, "suicide showers" are the second leading cause of death in Costa Rica.)
I heated up a couple of (turkey) hotdogs for lunch, wrapping them into a flour tortilla with mustard and relish. |
After lunch, I walked to La Tienda de Gil, a little neighborhood market, to pick up a few things. I purchased milk, bananas, a couple very tasty muffins, etc. It was nice and warm outside (75 degrees F) and I took along my camera with my 20mm f2.8 wide angle lens attached.
The outside appearance of La Tienda de Gil. |
Thursday, January 6
Today is Three Kings Day and the fireworks used in the celebration kept me awake a good part of last night and early this morning. I spent the morning rather leisurely, not even eating breakfast--just my regular (decaf) tea. Of course, I fed the cats early or they would have driven me crazy
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At lunchtime, I drove to Pizza Guy Restaurant to have lunch out and afterward continue driving a short distance to La Comer (the supermarket).
Prime seating at Pizza Guy is a view of the main road into San Miguel de Allende. |
For lunch, my pizza contained pepperoni, black olives, and bell peppers. I took home what I couldn't eat there. |
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