An Opportunity to Taste Some Local Artisan Beer in San Miguel de Allende

On Sunday March 21, 2010 our friend and craft brewer Mark Taylor will be serving a few of his ales at the Burrito Bistro on Correo #45 at the 2nd annual Artisan Ale and Food Paring event. Mark will introduce three very distinctive beers, an Imperial IPA, a Honey Red Ale made with honey form the Tuesday market and a Weizenbock, a strong German style wheat beer.

Is there a better way to spend the first day of spring?

The event is limited to 60 people. Seating times are 2:00, 4:30 and 7:00 pm. The cost is $250 pesos per person. There is only enough beer for 60, so you must reserve your spot. You can reserve at 415-154-8956 or email at elburritobistro@yahoo.com.mx

Hiking Peña De Bernal and Wine Tasting, a Perfect Day-trip From San Miguel de Allende

Located about an hour-and-a-half from our bed and breakfast in San Miguel de Allende, La Pena de Bernal is one of the world’s tallest monoliths. It is 1,150 feet tall, and its peak reaches an elevation of 8,230 ft. That's about 2,000 feet higher than San Miguel. The hike from the base takes about an hour, and good shoes are a must, although on our recent trip we saw many ladies doing the hike in heels!

Earlier this winter we spent a fun-filled day hiking the monolith, eating lunch at the nearby town of San Sebastian Bernal (known simply as “Bernal” to the locals) and wine tasting at Freixenet winery.

Here’s how we spent our day (the times are approximate, as we didn’t really keep track of time.)

• 9 A.M. – We hop into our friends van and head out of town on the road to Queretaro.

• 10:30 A.M. – We reach our destination, a visitors’ parking lot at the base of the monolith, and after a quick potty pit stop, we begin our hike.

• 11:30 A.M. – After many stops along the trail to enjoy the views, we reach the highest accessible point, which is about two-thirds of the way up. The rest of the way is left to the expert mountain climbers.
  

• Noon – We begin the trek back down to the base.

• 1:00 – 1:30 P.M. – Back at the base we visit the market and buy some beer (post-hike carbo-load ;)) apple wine and candy for later.

• 1:30 to 3:00 P.M. – After a short drive to the center of town, we have lunch at a nice Italian restaurant followed by a stroll around town.

• 3:00 to 3:30 P.M. – Back in the car, we head to the Freixenet Winery.

• 4:00 to 4:50 P.M – At the winery, we join a free guided tour of the facilities. The tour is given in Spanish only.

• 5:00 P.M. to 6:00 P.M.– Wine tasting for 20 pesos a glass. The sparkling wines were pretty good.

• 6:00 to 7:30 P.M. – Drive back to San Miguel de Allende.

View San Miguel de Allende to Bernal in a larger map

Freak Winter Storm Hits San Miguel de Allende - 6 inches of Rainfall in Dry Season

After five days of heavy rain, it looks like we’re back to normal, folks! The sun is out, and the umbrellas have been put away. Our Davis weather station, which is mounted on our roof at Antigua Capilla B&B, is forecasting mostly clear days. Finally, and not a moment too soon! The dams are filled to capacity, and flooding had been reported around town.

Winter it supposed to be our cool DRY season, but San Miguel de Allende just had a freak storm that produced 5.98 inches of rain over a 5 days period, as recorded by our weather station.

Here’s the breakdown:

Jan 31, 2010 0.65 inches
Feb 1, 2010 0.86 inches
Feb 2, 2010 0.53 inches
Feb 3, 2010 2.63 inches!!
Feb 4, 2010 1.31 inches

Storm Total 5.98 inches

Vampires in San Miguel de Allende?

A few months ago, we took this picture of the recently restored gas pump on Calle Juarez. Looking over our archived pictures today, we noticed a very peculiar thing with this particular picture. There is a shadow of what appears to be a man to the left of the shadow cast by the gas pump, but there is no man!

Could it be a special kind of shadow casting vampire. Could the spirit of Ignacio Allende still be in limbo right here in San Miguel de Allende after all these years? Is the man perfectly situated directly behind the pump as we snapped the shot? We're voting for the shadow casting vampire!

Getting around Mexico City Airport with Lots of Luggage

You just cleared customs, and the guard informs you that you cannot take your luggage cart beyond this point. What do you do? You hire a luggage valet. These guys can haul literally hundreds of pounds of luggage, and they will escort you anywhere you need to go within the airport. Think of them as your personal human airport GPS system with muscles.

The tip amount is up to you. Keep in mind what you would pay for a luggage cart with no GPS system at a US airport ($4 USD at SFO,) and factor down from there.

For information on getting to Antigua Capilla B&B in San Miguel de Allende from various airports look at our blogs labeled "Transportation."

Getting From MEX Customs to the Airport Bus Terminal

About a 5 minute walk -

It is very easy to get to the Mexico City International Airport Bus Terminal from the Customs area. We’ll get to that in a second, but first you should know the following two important things:

1. You are not permitted to take your luggage cart beyond the Customs area. If you have lots of luggage, once you clear Customs you'll need to hire an official airport luggage valet (you decide on the fee/tip, but $20 to $40 Pesos depending on the load should do it.) See our “Getting around Mexico City Airport with lots of Luggage” blog for more information.

2. If you need to withdraw Pesos from the ATM, do it inside the Customs area. The area is secure and relatively calm compared to the rest of the airport. You'll find a couple of ATM's near the luggage carousels.

Upon exiting Customs, head to the left and walk about thirty meters or so (look up and you will see ground transportation signs.) Turn left and head towards the ramp. Go up the ramp to the upper level.


At the top of the ramp walk straight ahead (check the overhead signs) to the very end of the hall.


You’ve made it to the Primera Plus ticket counter. If you're headed to Antigua Capilla Bed and Breakfast in San Miguel de Allende, purchase your ticket to Queretaro. Read our “Mexico City International (MEX) to San Miguel by Bus” blog to learn what to do once you get to Queretaro. With ticket in hand, head right and down the stairs.


Once downstairs, make a U-turn. The Primera Plus busses are parked at the very end of the terminal (below the ticket counter). Now, wasn’t that easy!


For the rest of your journey read our “Mexico City International (MEX) to San Miguel by Bus” blog.

Winter Bike Ride from Dolores Hidalgo to San Miguel de Allende

From left to right, our guide Daniel, Bob, Sang, Chris, Deb and Paul

Last December, we joined a few of our guests on a bike trip from Dolores Hidalgo to San Miguel de Allende. From Antigua Capilla Bed and Breakfast, we walked to Bici-Burro, a local bike outfitter, and hopped in their van for the 27 mile drive to Dolores Hidalgo.

Riding the Camino Real back to San Miguel de Allende

After a quick drive in and out of Dolores Hidalgo for the benefit of those who had never been there, we were dropped off at a gas station just outside of town to begin our ride back to San Miguel. We road on the Camino Real, the colonial era road that originally linked the two towns. We could still see some of the original cobblestones in certain sections.


The majority of the trip was through scenic farmland, and occasionally we came across an interesting chapel or colonial era building. We saw very few people. A couple of times, however, we had to move off the road to let pass a procession of catholic pilgrims on multi-day journeys.

Bicycles share this road with pilgrims!

About 7 miles before reaching San Miguel de Allende, we stopped at the UNESCO site of the Sanctuary of Atotoniclo for a quick rest. We refueled on liquids and gorditas, hand formed thick tortillas that are split open and stuffed with various meats and/or vegetables (like a pita). We never pass up an opportunity to munch on street food!

Deb and Paul in front of the Sanctuary of Atotonilco

Bob and Sang Enjoying a Gordita

What a great winter activity. There were a couple of ascents, but they were manageable. If you’re relatively active, you will definitely enjoy this trip.

If you're interested in seeing more pictures, click here.