January 30, 2020
Despite the late night we managed to get up and make our 10:00 AM class. I had arranged a pot luck dinner that day so we went to one of the local markets to have lunch and pick up some groceries. Holly chose one of the food stands in the market featuring a bunch of large pots of mole and other sauces set out on the counter. Holly got a large green pepper in fried egg while I got a bowl of chicken soup although I thought I had ordered a chicken plate. Oh well, no biggie, I wasn’t that picky so a bowl of chicken soup was fine with me.
Holly enjoyed her food but at the end of the meal she asked if she might be able to have a small taste of what was in the other pots. The owner of the food stall though said that she could not and that if she wanted to try what was in the other pots she would have to order a full dish. Of course the owner did not speak any English and Holly was trying to make her desires known with her two week’s of Spanish classes so it could have all been a big misunderstanding but it left a bad impression on Holly. The food came out to almost 200 pesos so it wasn’t the cheapest food either.
We got our groceries and rushed back to the RV since the day was getting windy and I wanted to roll our awning back in before the wind might damage it. It was clouding and windy when we got back but I was able to stow the awning without problem. Afterwards Holly did Chinese schoolwork with Olivia and I took the opportunity to catch up on my sleep.
We had organized a pot luck among the residents of the RV Park at 5:30 and nine people attended. Holly made spaghetti along with brocollini. It was interesting chatting with the other people and listening to their stories and their plans. Most were snowbirds in Mexico for the winter while the other half were long term travelers planning to drive further down Central America.
Jan 31, 2020
It was another school day and after school we went a different local market for lunch and some more groceries. This time we found a food stall with a very jolly fellow who invited us to sit with him. It turned out that it was his family’s food stall and it was run by his parents. Holly got a bowl of menudo, a Mexican tripe stew while Olivia and I played it safe with a quesadilla. Holly had a good time chatting and trying out her newly learned Spanish while I mostly stayed out of it since I was feeling a little tired and unwell. The lunch ran 215 pesos.
After lunch we stopped by Starbucks where I got a Frappuccino hoping the sugar and caffeine would perk me up. Holly and Olivia got a dragon fruit drink and the two drinks came out to around 175 pesos or almost as much as lunch. One interesting thing I have found about San Miguel is that you can spend whatever you want. If you want to eat cheap you can go to a restaurant, get 7 peso tacos and fill up on 50 pesos or US$2.50. Alternatively, you can go a fancy restaurant and spend 195 pesos (US$10) for a single appetizer. You can get a cup of freshly squeezed orange juice for 18 pesos (US$1) or go to Starbucks and get a single drink for 95 pesos or $4.50. We are staying at the RV Park for about $14 a day but just up the street is the Rosewood Hotel averaging $550 a night. San Miguel really is a town for every budget. Unfortunately the Frappuccino did not work and it was not until we got back to the RV and I was able to take a nap while Holly and Olivia did homeschooling that I felt better.
After dinner we watched the live action Aladdin on Netflix. Olivia really enjoyed the movie and it was really cute how broadly Olivia smiled when Aladdin finally got to kiss Jasmin. I could just see Olivia’s expectations of a future husband going up. Olivia’s future husband had better be willing to help her run from the police, save her from evil sorcerers, support her to become Sultan and have a nifty magic carpet besides. I would be happy if Olivia’s future husband is a billionaire and supports her in becoming a pediatrician. 😉