Sofi Mendoza's Guide to Getting Lost in Mexico

I've traveled off-the-beaten-path in Mexico, so I was curious when I came across this young adult novel called Sofi Mendoza's Guide to Getting Lost in Mexico.

The book, which I was wary of at first because it started off with some sexy, getting-drunk party scenes (it's a book for teens), turned out to be a good read.

It's about a high school girl named Sofi Mendoza who lives in LA. Her friends come up with this plan to tell all their parents they are sleeping over at each other's houses when really they are going to cross the border into Mexico and go to a party at a friend's weekend house in Rosarita.

What Sofi doesn't know is that she's not a U.S. citizen. She makes it into Mexico just fine, but when it's time to come home, she gets stopped by border patrol. She isn't allowed back into the United States and that's when her whole world gets turned upside down.

Via phone calls back to her mom and dad, she gets directed to relatives in Tijuana who she has never met. She must stay with them until her visa/residency/passport situation gets straightened out.

In the end, while I did think some of the boy-meets-girl themes were a bit too over-the-top and racy, as a whole, the descriptions of Tijuana and rural Mexico struck me as right. Plus, the observations Sofi makes about life between the two cultures and countries, and the lessons she learns about education, opportunity and family were wise and true.

Learn more about the author, Malin Alegria.

Day of the Dead Picture Book

Halloween and Mexico's Day of the Dead are not the same thing. First of all, today is Halloween, but tomorrow -- November 1 -- is Day of the Dead.

Secondly, while Halloween seems to be all about scaring yourself silly and hoarding candy, the Day of the Dead is about peacefully welcoming back the departed souls of your loved ones and spending time remembering your good times together even though you're now separated by death.

This picture book, Calavera Abecedario: A Day of the Dead Alphabet Book, by Jeanette Winter, can help teach those differences.

It's an alphabet book with a cultural twist: Each letter of the alphabet depicts a skeleton all dolled-up for a Mexican Day of the Dead celebration.

The words associated with each letter are in Spanish, but the illustrations and glossary at the end make it easy to understand what all the words mean.

The happy skeletons offer a perfect opportunity to discuss the differences between Halloween and Day of the Dead and illustrate that even though skeletons are part of the Mexican holiday, they are about celebration and not fear.

And the pictures also show that both holidays are about sweet things to eat.

While the alphabet format suggests a younger audience, the book’s cultural element means it could be used with older students, too.

Organic Blue Agave Nectar

A few weeks ago, I worked on a story about fair trade sugar. In researching that story, I spoke with one of the founders of Wholesome Sweeteners, a company that imports and sells fair trade sweeteners in the U.S.

Wholesome Sweeteners sells nine different types of fair trade sugar, but it also markets fair trade honey from Mexico and fair trade blue agave nectar, also from Mexico.

The blue agave nectar is harvested from the blue agave plant, which is also used to make tequila.

The nectar is sweet, sweeter than sugar, so you use less of it, and it has a low Glycemic index, which means that it breaks down slowly in your body, which means you don't experience a "sugar high."

I'm now obsessed with blue agave nectar. I have a bottle that I've been trying out on everything -- in coffee, on grapefruit, etc.

I recommend it!

Into the Beautiful North -- Great Mexico Read

I lost myself in this book! I wanted to do nothing more than sit on my back deck with my eyes sheltered by a picnic umbrella and my feet basking in the summer sun while sipping iced tea and reading.

Not only was it a winning piece of fiction, it also took place in a region of Mexico I recently traveled to -- the swampy mangroves north of Puerto Vallarta.

I didn't know this when I picked up the book. I only knew that I had read one other book by the author, Luis Alberto Urrea.

A few years back I read his nonfiction book, The Devil's Highway, which blew my mind! I pushed it on everyone I knew for months. I still think of it and wonder at how fantastically it was written. It's about the trials of crossing from Mexico in the U.S., about the coyotes and the loans they give and the interest they charge. It was soooo interesting.

But anyway...back to the book I just finished -- Into the Beautiful North. This book is a work of fiction.

It starts in a dying Mexican village that is so tucked away in a mangrove swamp that even the Mexican government isn't exactly sure whether the town is in the state of Nayarit or the state of Sinaloa. The village is dying because all the men have left to seek work in El Norte.

One day, the young women of the town suddenly realize that there are no men left, which poses a very big problem as it means none of them have boyfriends. And what is life without a little romance? Nothing!

And so, they devise a plan. They also plan to go to El Norte, but they aren't going there to stay. They are going to find young, able-bodied men. They plan to recruit them and bring them back to their town.

Can they do it? You'll have to read the book to find out -- which isn't a bad thing at all as the book is -- did I already mention this? -- fantastic!

Punky Junky Mother Load

There was only one thing I wanted to bring home from my recent trip to Mexico: Punky Junky.

Punky Junky is a type of hair gel made in Mexico. A few years back when we were traveling in the country, my husband had bought a bottle on a whim.

What started as a fanciful I'll-try-this-foreign-gel quickly became an obsession. Punky Junky became his favorite hair gel of all time.

It's not sold in U.S. stores (or not anywhere near us that we've been able to find). We finally found a guy who was starting up a business selling it online at -- where else? -- PunkyJunky.com.

Nonetheless, even though we are regular customers here, I thought that since I was actually going to be in Mexico, I'd scout it out at its source.

Look at how many bottles are lining this shelf! And the rows went four deep!

When in Mexico, Drink Mirinda

I love Mirinda!

It's an orange soda made by Pepsi that I first discovered it in Mexico a few years back. I developed an addiction for it. As far as I'm concerned, it's way way way better than Fanta, or Sunkist or Crush.

Sadly, it's not something I can just pick up at my corner store here in Minnesota. Pepsi doesn't sell Mirinda in the US, which is something I just can't understand, especially considering Pepsi sells it all around the world (read more about my Mirinda obsession here).

I've tried the Pepsi orange pop version that is sold here in the US -- Tropicana Twist. But even still, it just doesn't taste the same.

On my recent trip to Mexico, one of my fellow travelers pointed out that Mirinda isn't made with high-fructose corn syrup (that evil sweetener prevalent in soda). Instead, Mirinda is made with sugar. It says so right on the label = azucar.

Could this be the secret to both Mirinda's different taste and the reason it's not sold in the US?

Hmmm. I wouldn't be the first wonder about the big money and big business behind high-fructose corn syrup.

New Hobby -- Label Spotting!

Here's a new spin on sign spotting ... label spotting.

I spotted this label on a make-up bag for sale in a mall in Nuevo Vallarta, Mexico.

I think that it's sensational indeed!

Bedside Kleenex Art, Jala, Mexico

Coming home from a press trip to Mexico means I have lots of pictures to sort through.

Among the pictures I took and then quickly forgot about was this one.

It's an elaborate flower made from several pieces of Kleenex and set upon my beside table in my hotel room at the hotel La Casona de Xali in Jala, Mexico. Isn't it admirable?

Saying Goodbye, Dreams Hotel, Nuevo Vallarta

The road trip through Nayarit, Mexico must come to an end.

Before packing up and flying home, we've got one more night. Rooms at the Dreams Hotel in Nuevo Vallarta ensure we're close to the Puerto Vallarta airport.

From my balcony I've got a nice view of the hotel pools (so many!) and the ocean stretching far beyond.

Upon check in, we all discovered a bottle of champagne chilling in a bucket, just waiting for someone to pop the top.

And pop the top we did. Before saying goodbye to one another, the ladies of the press trip gathered round and shared a glass of the bubbly.

It always amazes me how quickly friendships can be formed on the road.

Close proximity and days of shared views, meals and road weariness either create friendships or enemies. And yet, in all my travels, more often than not, friendship is the result.

Just one more thing I love about travel.

Tamarind Margaritas in Punta de Mita, Mexico

This was the longest, most indulgent lunch I've ever experienced!

We stopped at Cafe des Artistes in the Hotel des Artistes, which is in Punta de Mita.

Before any food was served, we toasted our trip with tamarind margaritas. Delicious! The rim was dipped in a chile-salt mix that gave off a perfect bite when combined with the sweet tamarind.

The cocktails were followed by wine (two bottles of Malbec).

And appetizers (cheese plate, salad, lobster bisque).

And a main course (duck, snapper, osso buco).

And dessert (chocolate, sorbet, berries).

And coffee (cappuccino).

All of this was accompanied by long beautiful views of the ocean and lots of laughs.

It lasted three hours and when it was done, even though I don't smoke, I was hard pressed not to light one up when one of the other writers on the trip pulled out a pack.

The entire experience inspired this haiku:

cocktails before lunch

T - R - O - U - B - L - E

I forgot myself

What I won't forget is the wonderful feeling of lightness and shared humanity I felt while dining here.

Gallery Hopping in Sayulita, Mexico

Sayulita is a funky little beach town up the coast from Puerto Vallarta.

It's the sort of place I'd love to spend a few days.

I can picture myself with a room here, lounging on the beach during the day and wandering up and down the thin, cobbled streets in the late afternoon while the sun light lingers still but isn't quite so hot.

The town is home to artists and surfers and gallery owners. We spent a few hours browsing through shops here, but not nearly long enough to satisfy my curiosity.

Instead, my curiosity has been piqued.

There is a gallery that only sells handicrafts made by the Huichol, a tribe native to the area. It is called Galeria Tanana.

It's full of beaded work, greeting cards featuring native art and all sorts of other little trinkets you want to pick up and look at.

And then there are all the other galleries filled with the work of artists living nearby.

Oh, how I would like to return to Sayulita.

Serenity in San Pancho, Mexico

Press trips don't offer much in the way of down time. The pace of travel is pretty quick. Stop here, see this, move on to see something else.

Luckily, I found this small moment of serenity in San Pancho.

San Pancho (which is the nickname for the town of San Francisco) is a small little community that looks out over the Pacific.

It's a place where baby boomers are buying property and building houses. Yet the developers are taking a very sustainable, low-impact point of view about it all.

They are rebuilding the local schools, rehabbing the local polo court (yes, polo), teaching community members how to grow organic crops and putting in a playground built entirely of recycled materials.

I sincerely hope it all goes according to plan as the beach is tranquil and the views are long and I'd really like to come back here some day.

Shimp Hotdogs in Jala, Mexico

Sometimes you get to a place and find your food options are limited.

In Jala, we had plans for a nice dinner at a place on the edge of town, but strong afternoon cocktails rendered the driving distance a less-than-smart idea.

Instead, we struck out on foot, determined to have dinner within walking distance of our hotel.

We came to Bambu, a little spot overlooking the central plaza. The coffee counter promised all sorts of smoothies and lattes so we figured it was good bet.

The food menu, though, was cause for some giggles. Under the hamburger listing was a "Vagetariana" hamburger. "Jamon" (ham) was the first ingredient of this vegetarian fare. Hmmm.

Also on the list was a shrimp hot dog. We were expecting ground shrimp formed into the shape of a hot dog. Instead it was a hot dog bun with a couple shrimp in it, topped with hot dog fixings.

But you know what? Even though we were skeptical, once we started eating, nobody had any complaints.

And when the bill came, again nobody was complaining. The place was priced for locals and after 5 of us ate dinner, the bill was only $220 pesos, which was about $20 US.

Lovely & Laid-Back Jala, Mexico

We've arrived in the town of Jala, Mexico.

Jala is in the state of Nayarit. It's up in the mountains, inland from the beaches and ocean coast. But it's lovely. It's quaint and colonial and laid-back.

We're staying at a hotel called La Casona de Xali, which is the most surprising find. It's architecture has been fully resorted. It boasts a spa, a restaurant, a bar and in-room bathrooms with modern, chic fixtures.

When the check-in gal handed me the key to my room, I was happy to see my key ring was the Eiffle Tower. Something about that cosmopolitan icon seemed so in juxtaposition with this colonial hotel in the mountains of Mexico, and yet its aura seemed to fit exactly with the touch of refinement La Casona de Xali was out to capture.

Santa Maria del Oro, Mexico

Santa Maria del Oro is the name of a town and the name of a lake in the state of Nayarit.

The lake, which is a crater lake, is sunk deep into a range of mountains just beyond the border of the town.

All along the shore of the lake are restaurants and camp grounds. There is also a hotel by the name of -- what else? -- Santa Maria del Oro.

The journey down the mountain to the crater lake and the hotel is a stomach churning one. I was very glad I wasn't the one steering the car, but watching our decent from the back seat knowing I was completely out of control wasn't comforting either.

Once we arrived at the hotel, though, I forgot all about the harrowing ride down and just enjoyed the views.

The water reflects the color of the sky. When the clouds parted, the water shone crystal blue. When the clouds filtered overhead, the water turned muddled.

The lake was lovely with its steep green-covered banks rising steeply above it.

And the hotel grounds were so well manicured. I had fun posing with this jackfruit tree. Look ma! It's bigger than my head!

Magical Island of Mexcaltitan, Mexico

A day trip north from the town of San Blas took us to an island called Mexcaltitan.

The island, some theorize, is where the Aztecs originated.

Some say that before the Aztecs set out to wander Mexico for 300 years looking for the eagle sitting on a cactus eating a snake, which was to be their sign from their god as to where they should re-establish themselves, that they were living here on the island of Mexcaltitan.

Well...that's what some say.

Whether or not you want to believe the legend is up to you. What is certain, however, is that the island has been designated as a "Pueblo Magico", or magic village, for its unique history and way of life.

It's unique way of life, while it may have been something stellar in the past, is quite depressing right now.

The village is a bit in shambles. Jobs are scarce. Most make their living from fishing. There is nothing much to do but apparently wash clothes. Clean clothes flitted from clothes lines all about the island.

We did, though, eat a very fresh and filling meal of shrimp, shrimp and more shrimp that, according to our waitress, had just been pulled in two hours ago.

It was an interesting place to visit and I was glad that it was a stop on our route. I tend to like historical stuff, so it was up my alley.

I would even recommend it should someone be in the area as it was a pretty boat road out to the island.

Garza Canela Hotel in San Blas, Mexico

Nothing about my stay in San Blas, Mexico has been quite what I expected, but that's not to say the town hasn't exceeded my expectations.

In fact, I wish I could pass another day here. Part of the reason I'd like to stay longer is the hotel where we've been staying.

The Garza Canela Hotel is run by just the nicest, cutest people ever! It's owned by the Vazquez family.

The family's four sisters Josefina, Doris, Betty and Diana all take a role in running the place, as does their mother, Dora, who must be in her 80s (or older), and their four dogs, who greet every single customer to pass through the doors.

Betty is a rock star chef who trained in Europe but returned here to little San Blas to set up shop inside her family's hotel. Betty's food is amazing! Eating one of her meals is a luxurious experience.

Or, as she told us herself, eating one of her meals is a memory for the heart. You can not re-eat a great meal, she said, but you can remember how it made you feel forever.

Yes. And something else I will forever remember about my stay at the Garza Canela is what was waiting for me inside the bedside drawer in my room -- a copy of the New Testament and a copy of The Teachings of Buddha.

And you know what? There was nothing remotely strange about that at all (well, okay, at first I thought it was strange). But after staying there and experiencing the welcoming warmth of the Vazquez family (and their dogs) first hand, it seemed perfectly natural.

La Tovara National Park, San Blas, Mexico

The town of San Blas is a starting point for exploring Mexico's La Tovara National Park.

The park is a huge swath of protected mangroves and marshlands that is a bird-watching paradise.

Every winter the area is taken over by birds from both North and South America who have descending upon it for its abundant food supply (read lots and lots of mosquitoes).

The park is also home to a considerable number of crocodiles.

We took a boat ride through the mangrove swamps, spying all sorts of birds along the way.

We also spotted some newly hatched crocodile babies and a couple of full grown ones lurking in the depths.

The ride ended at a crocodile park where the beasts are protected and bred.

Unlike the ones we'd spied during our boat ride there, these big lizards are kept in cages so their eggs can be scooped up and hatched, then sent out to other parts of Mexico that are experiencing a shortage in their wild crocodile populations.

San Blas, Mexico

Our road trip up the coast from Puerto Vallarta-Nuevo Vallarta has finally landed me to the town of San Blas. Yeah!

I've been looking forward to visiting San Blas since I found out I would be coming here.

I didn't know anything about the town before arriving other than that it was the title of a popular song by the rock band Mana (En El Muelle de San Blas).

So here I am and as it turns out, there's not really a "muelle" (or pier) here in town like what I had imagined.

There is, though, a government program to build a modern marina for vacationing yachts.

The views from the San Blas marina, however, just can't complete with the views from the San Blas beach.

But we didn't spend too much time chillin' in the sand before heading back into town and wandering it central plaza and quaint brick streets.

Then, to catch the sunset, we headed to the old Spanish counting house, perched high on a hilltop over town and lined with colonial-era cannons.

Mango Madness in Nayarit, Mexico

Oh Joy! It's mango season here in Mexico!

A handful of years ago, I went to Belize and missed mango season by a month. I was so sad!

Then a couple years ago, when I was in Southeast Asia, I also missed mango season. Bummer!

Miraculously, somehow I have now ended up in Mexico during mango season.

And better yet -- my road trip is taking me north of Puerto Vallarta and the into the Mexican state of Nayarit, which is low in human population but high in mango trees!

Crates upon crates of mangoes are for sale up and down the roads in Nayarit and oh how I wish I could buy them all and eat them!

Bucerias, Mexico

I'm not really an all-inclusive sort of girl. It's nice to be pampered at a fancy, beach side hotel, but truthfully I'd rather spend my time exploring and venturing into the country I'm visiting.

I was happy, therefore, when we went beyond the confines of the Puerto Vallarta - Nuevo Vallarta hotel chains and headed just north of them both to the beach city of Bucerias.

Bucerias was certainly geared up for tourism. The streets nearest the beach were filled with booths selling t-shirts and all sorts of tourist knick-knacks and wares. Some restaurants advertised fancy, polished menus.

But Bucerias also felt very real. Elementary aged kids were making their way home from school dressed still in their uniforms. Men were hanging out and playing checkers on the sidewalk. Tamale vendors were doing brisk business in the plaza.

After strolling up and down the thin cobbled Bucerias streets, I left thinking that if I were to return to this area for a beach vacation, perhaps I'd seek out lodging here.

Taming El Tigre in Nuevo Vallarta

One of the great things about being on a press trip is that you get behind-the-scenes treatment.

For example, today I got to pet a real, live, cute and cuddly baby Bengal tiger!

The tiger -- Junior -- lives at the "El Tigre" golf course in Nuevo Vallarta, Mexico. He's about a month old right now.

He was rejected by his mother, which is why he now hangs out in the golf course offices.

The golf course's director, Jesus Carmona, has a fondness for tigers and a flair for raising them.

A couple cages on the golf course house adult tigers Carmona rescued from bad situations. When those tigers breed, Carmona tends to the cubs until they are large enough to be transferred to a zoo that can care for them.

So far, about 70 Bengal tigers have been born at El Tigre golf course.

If you go golfing there, you can stop along the way and take a peek at the tigers. Or, if you're vacationing in the Puerto Vallarta-Nuevo Vallarta area, you can head to El Tigre for it's Sunday brunch and then see the tigers once there.

Villa La Estancia in Nuevo Vallarta

I made it.

My plane touched down in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. Then I gathered my bags, met my driver and arrived at a hotel north of the city.

I'm staying in the municipality of Nuevo Vallarta at a place called Villa La Estancia.

The hotel is beyond belief. It is absolutely gorgeous. Even though it is nearly almost brand new, it has this old world charm about it. The wood work is a deep, dark hue. The lobby furniture is solid and heavy.

And the service is divine. As soon as I climbed out of the car, a bell hop met me with a cool, scented cloth. Next, I was given a mango smoothie to sip while I signed all the check in paperwork. A fruit plate was delivered to my room while I was still checking out all the closets.

But the best, by far, was that when I came back to my room after dinner, not only was a chocolate tartlette waiting by my pillow, but a secret fairy had slipped into my room and filled up the bathtub with hot bubbles, topped the bubbles with flowers, lit several candles and a relaxing stick of incense!

Bound for Mexico and San Blas

I'm bound for Mexico.

I'm headed there on a press trip for GoNomad. After my journey, I'll be writing a story about what I experienced for the site.

My trip will take me into Puerto Vallarta, but that's not where I'll be staying. After getting my bearings and finding my group, the trip will take me north into the state of Nayarit.

I'm going to be traveling along the coast of that state, in an area called the Riviera Nayarit, and checking out the small beach towns there.

The one I'm most excited about visiting is the city of San Blas.

I'm a fan of the Mexican rock band, Mana. One of my favorite songs by them is called En El Muelle de San Blas.

It's about a woman who says a tearful goodbye to her sailor boyfriend and vows to wait for his return on the pier of San Blas. She waits and waits and waits but he never comes back.

Once, years ago, I remember Googling "San Blas" and discovering that it was a real town on Mexico's Pacific coast. And now I'm off to see it for myself.

To help you get inspired about my trip, you can listen to Mana's San Blas song...

Rudo y Cursi

I went to see Rudo y Cursi. It's a Mexican film about two brothers, soccer, fortune and tragic flaws.

It stars Gael Garcia Bernal and Diego Luna.

Both did a good job and I enjoyed the movie much more than the recent Hollywood productions I've seen.

If you can find it playing somewhere around you, and you don't mind subtitles, I'd recommend it.

Going Greyhound to Mexico

Today, GoNomad posted a story I wrote about taking the Greyhound to Mexico.

Yes, that's right. I crossed the border on a bus.

Our end point was a pretty little town called Ensenada that is the heart of Mexico's wine country. It's just two hours south of San Diego on the Baja's Pacific coast.

While there, we toured a bodega, sipped some vino, downed a margarita, nibbled hot churros, and stumbled into a room where Al Capone was rumored to have played a hand of poker or two.

If you'd like to read all about it, go here:

Visiting Ensenada: A Bus Trip to Mexico's Wine Country

Also posted this week is an essay I wrote and published a few years back in the local paper. The link has been archived and hidden behind passwords, which means nobody is ever able to find it. So instead, I found it a new and approachable home.


Wanderlust and Lipstick is a web site that encourages women to get out there and travel. The site's author, Beth Whitman, actually posted two of my older travel tales.

First, What we Leave Behind, is about an encounter I had with a man on the streets of Havana.

The other, On Guard Against Giardia, is about getting sick in Guatemala.

Ixtapa in 36 Words ... Plus Photos

So I've been trying to come up with a single six-word string that might adequately sum up our Ixtapa trip into one succinct little bundle.

Can't be done.

Instead, I've come up a series of six, six-word strings that retell just a portion of the trip:

What fun! Anniversary adventure! Parasailing together!

Take off goes wrong. Wind dies.

Ten foot waves. Sucked under thrice.

Caught in ropes. Pulled to safety.

Onlookers. Big scene. Bruised. Battered. Nightmares.

Thankful: swimming lessons, each other, life.



Photos: My body bore the brunt of our tumble with the sea.

In Search of Soul

I am searching for soul.

Bright and early, tomorrow morning, hubby and I board a plane bound for Ixtapa, Mexico. It's a quickie of a trip, one of those all-inclusive deals, which is -- not at all -- my cup of tea.

But hubby researched it, talked up an agent and plunked down the dough all on his own in honor of our fourth anniversary.

When I learned the price he paid included everything we'd need for our time away (every meal, every drink, every transport), I got a little steamed. There was no wiggle room for discovering our very own favorite Ixtapa spot. We had no need to ever leave the grounds of the corporate-owned resort!

Surely, after all the travel he's done with me, hubby knows how I feel about these sorts of package trips. In fact, four years ago we'd come to huge blows over another trip just like this.

Good man that he is, he was trying to plan our honeymoon to a pretty beach somewhere. When I caught wind of his plan (he gave me some brochures), I flipped out, refused to go and commandeered the situation. I did. not. go. on package trips.

I took total control of our honeymoon (I gave out my credit card info before even showing him the spot), and we ended up in a small, family-owned hotel comprised completely of thatched huts on a beach in Belize.

So the fact that I'm going on this all-inclusive Ixtapa vacation (this blog posting being my only rant about the packaged-ness of it all) is impressive. For me, it is a practice in restraint. I'm considering it evidence of my emotional growth as a married woman. I have allowed my husband to plan a trip for me, even if it isn't the trip I would have planned. I have released my "travel control."

And yet, as soon as I learned we were going, I headed straight for my Mexico Guide, determined to find something "unique" to do in Ixtapa.

I was horrified -- and I do mean horrified -- to find that the book actually described the town as "soulless."

Ixtapa, it said, was never a sleepy village, never a sweet spot that real people called home. There is, therefore, nothing organic about the place. It was planned entirely by the Mexican government and a computer program during the 1970s to be the ideal tourist resort.

When I read this, I almost panicked. Then I breathed. I remembered that I was practicing the release of my "travel control."

So I am going. But I refuse to take the guidebook at face value. I will find some Ixtapan soul.


Photos from a "no-package" tour of Mexico:
Top - Morelia
Bottom - San Miguel de Allende