San Miguel Keeps Growing

living.boondockingmexico@yahoo.com

We've been here for three weeks now and we've seen and done quite a bit.  Most of the things we have done before but they continue to change and improve.  Some people say SMA is a small town.  That may be true but it continues to grow.  

What makes it nice here is that the city government does an excellent job of maintaining the city streets, lighting and water system.   There are constant projects to update avenues, sidewalks, and it appears that when they do updates on a street they are burying the cables as well.  Little by little.  New monuments are going up.  A statue of Ignacio Allende was moved to the glorieta that is on the exit to Dolores Hidalgo.

The majority of new development is taking place on the outskirts of the city.  For example, the area around El Charco, the botanical gardens, homes from $150,000 U.S, and condos are springing up everywhere.  We have visited several of these gated communities during the week.  Most are sold out or nearly sold out.   The real estate agents in these complexes assure us that the homes are being purchased by people mostly from Mexico City and Queretaro that use them on weekends.  So far, we see that the developments are quiet and without cars or people.  

We have had a visitor in town, our friend Darren from Mexico City.   This morning we picked Darren up and went to the Sunday market on the exit to Queretaro.  His first comment, "the town is quiet and full of gringos during the day.  At night, it comes alive with Mexican tourists that hit the bars and restaurants".  When I use the word "bars", I'm not referring to cantinas but semi-nightclub/restaurant bars where people go for appies and drinks.  I'm sure it can get crazy at times.

We went to the Saturday gringo market.  Most products are organic (?) and all-natural.  We eat at this place all the time.  Quesadillas with any guisado (topping) are 17 pesos.  Other places have gourmet burgers for 120 pesos, no thanks.   The sign says, "Huevo En Su Nido", that's "Egg In Its Nest".  It's a quesadilla with your choice of guisado and a fried egg on top.  Yummy!

This is a huarache (sandal) with beans and toppings and a quesadilla. 

This stand is called "Moles Galdi".  They have the best mole we have ever tasted.  Fresh, clean and well-prepared.  Last week we bought "mole almendra" which is an almond mole.  I used it to prepare a spicy curry chicken peanut sauce over angel hair pasta.  It was a hit.  A bit on the sweet side but using tahini will cure that next time.

There are household duties to take care of here at home.  Feeding the cats, cleaning the cat boxes daily, a little housekeeping even though a maid comes once a week.  Like at home, if we put things back where they belong, minor dusting and cleaning, the house stays in order.   Plants need constant attention and watering as the air is dry and the beats down hard in the afternoons because of the elevation  We enjoying our time here and providing service to others.  That said, I am watching more YouTube videos of rvs on the road and their adventures.