Colorful Guanajuato

Guanajuato is fractally colorful, from the entire town down to the locals. The town was built into a valley, so the homes are stacked and placed in no particular order along the hills, and only connected by narrow winding footpaths. Some have compared Guanajuato to Venice for the architecture, ornate cathedrals, charm, color, and beauty, among many other qualities, and I'd have to agree.

Be sure to check out "Me... in Guanajuato!", a great blog about another traveler's day-to-day experience living in town.

Mexican food

The food in Mexico is delicious and cheap. I finally discovered the wondrous chocolaty joy of mole, and ended up ordering it at least once everywhere we went. Look for "enmoladas" on the menu. It's not an accident that "enmolada" sounds like "enchilada" -- they just mean "in mole sauce" or "in chili sauce" respectively. And don't forget the ever popular "enfuego" -- on fire!

Freshly made churros were definitely one of the culinary highlights of our visit to Mexico. It's just dough extruded by a giant spritz press, then fried and covered in coarse granulated sugar. The outside is chewy-crisp, and warm and soft on the inside. I've really only had them at Disneyland -- three bucks for one long reheated churro (still tasty) -- but for twenty pesos (about US$1.25), I had an entire bagful, freshly made, that I shared. Oh man, what an experience.

The Lebanese place (Meson de Terraplen) on the corner from where we stayed was excellent too. Very flavorful, great textures, and beautiful presentation. San Miguel has not one but TWO Lebanese restaurants. Who would have guessed?

San Miguel de Allende Colors

Hot Air in the Jardin

San Miguel de Allende, Mexico.

We heard from the locals that a hot air balloon was going to lift off from the Jardin the next morning at 7am. We somehow managed to wake up that early and rushed up to see it. Hot air balloons aren't normally launched from the center of town, but it looks like an exception was made here because it was being filmed for a Canadian art TV show. As you can see, the balloon is as big as the Parroquia (the cathedral)!

First the balloon is unrolled on the ground and the basket is placed on its side and attached. A big fan is used to mostly fill the balloon with air. Heating the air with a huge flame finishes the job.

Most people were right next to the balloon taking photos up until it lifted off. I ran around the Jardin instead to capture the balloon from the side and different angles before it flew away. The silhouettes of the geometrically cut trees framed the balloon in unusual ways (in more photos than I've posted here). I like how the size of the balloon is emphasized when seen towering over the trees and with the Parroquia just peeking out from behind.