Leaving Queretaro tomorrow

It's been two long months of travel. It does get a little trying at times living out of suitcases, Stan is starting to feel the strain. We decided not to stay in San Miguel for a number of reasons. The hotel we were able to get, with our car, was far away from the center and we didn't relish having to walk down to get something to eat each and every day, especially after having done that a lot while in Guanajuato.
San Miguel is apparently a haven for expatriates but while in the "jardin", San Miguel's version of a square, we only noticed a few here and there. I suppose they were mostly all ensconced in their fabulous villas bought at a time when it was still fairly cheap to settle here. Although San Miguel is pretty with lots of cobblestone streets, it's also bone dry. It sits in a desert valley where some plots are irrigated but the rest is mostly given up to cattle or to the birds. There is a "lake" which we could see in the distance from our hotel viewpoint. We took a tour on one of those little tramways and we were able to visit most of what makes San Miguel interesting. A long time ago there were many haciendas there many of which have been converted into hotels "de grand luxe". The cathedral is very interesting in that it has semi-gothic architecture on the outside, very unusual for Mexico. The inside did not reflect this however, no stained glass windows and no real flying buttresses, the same busy, ornate interior that we have come to expect from Mexican churches.
With its narrow sidewalks and buildings which hide much of what's inside San Miguel had a slightly claustrophobic feel to it. It's not that we didn't like it, it is pretty and a great example of colonial architecture but it just wasn't the town for us.
Queretaro, on the other hand, is quite splendid although I do have to qualify that statement somewhat. The colonial center is extremely well laid out, the rest of the city is plagued with the same problems plaguing most big cities here and elsewhere. Congestion, pollution, sanitation problems, too many people, not enough jobs although it does feel more prosperous than a lot of other cities we've been to but that might just be an illusion.
The colonial center of the city is quite big and flat because the city doesn't sit in a geographical location as dramatic as that for Guanajuato or even San Miguel. On the other hand it's a very walkable city with lots of little green spaces, plazas, coffee shops, fountains and an army of sweepers in green and orange, mostly women, keep it sparkling clean. They work at it from morning to night. It does instill a sense of civic pride in its citizens that's undeniable.
We visited two museums on Tuesday which happens to be a free day. We were more interested in the architecture of these old convents than in the art itself which consisted mostly of religious art. I've seen enough religious art to last me a lifetime, neither of us really cares for it but we dutifully took a look if only to remind ourselves how much we dislike it.
If you throw a coin in Queretaro it's sure to land on one of three things: a church,a shoe store or an optometrist/optician. The first one is obvious, so many churches here it's mind boggling and as far as we can tell none of them are too involved with helping the poor. No soup kitchens for instance and the need is certainly there. As for the second the women and men must be inordinately fond of footwear so plentiful are the shops. The third is a little more problematic and we haven't figured that one out yet. People do wear glasses here but not in huge quantities, it's puzzling why the need for so many eye doctors and eye stores.
One thing they sure lack is "lavanderias". We found only two in a huge radius and none of them could take our clothes because they were too overwhelmed with all the orders they had already.
That's another puzzle, the buildings are old, doubtful they have washer/dryers in them and yet.... One could make money just starting one of these babies up, no worries though it won't be us.
We were fortunate to meet two friends of Pedro, Monica and Oscar. We spent some time with Monica and she gracefully showed us around. We will be stashing our car in her house.
Oscar invited us for lunch and came to pick us up on Wednesday. He and his wife manage a stand in the market where they sell raw chickens. They have two little girls. We visited them in the market, they're quite expert a wielding that knife to cut up the chickens in parts that customers will want. They do this 7 days a week except for Christmas day and New Year. It seems like a hard life but they appear to be happy working alongside each other and making enough to send their two daughters to private school. I'm opposed to private schools on principle but public schools are severely underfunded in Mexico and I can understand wanting to provide the best for your child.
Our hotel was built in 1825 and is the oldest hotel in Queretaro. Unfortunately the bathroom stinks of "aguas negras" (sewer) which wasn't immediately apparent when we booked it. We've had to live with this shitty smell and literally breathe through our mouths when having to linger in there. Actually this pervasive odor is one that we encounter very often in the city. Obviously there are a lot of problems attached to disposing of waste material.
Today opposite our hotel there is an indigenous woman with a small 3 month old baby and a 4 year old boy who looks tiny for his age. I spent a bit of time observing passersby and pass by they do without even a backward glance. Indians are a forgotten and ignored majority here. It's not the first time I've observed this, Mexicans seldom give and apparently are quite good are ignoring as well. I went down to talk to her and gave her some money. I know I'm a friggin softhearted Liberal but I couldn't stand it. She's from some poor village, she didn't speak very good Spanish, she can't read or write, never went to school, what chances does she have and what chances will her children have? The newspaper today was filled with glowing pictures of the mostly white elite, so prosperous, so filled with a sense of their accomplishment and their right to the good life,the contrast is just so jarring.
Tomorrow we leave by bus for Mexico city. It's going to be a wild time, okay I'll amend that, not too wild but I'll be sure to blog about it, no worries.