guanajuato day 2

7.22.06

no wonder i don´t see the obesity we have at home, everyone walks everywhere and protion sizes are near normal. i take and early morning hike up to a vantage point la pipila and navigate these narrow "callejon" or tiny streets , stepped pathways no wider than4 feet in places. i wonder how older or inform people get around as some inclines are close to 45 degrees. as i climb at 7 am i pass people on their way to work and a man yelling out at intervals. i wonder if he´s un poco loco or the street´s designated alarm clock, but learn later that he is the "gas" man. alerting the residents to the avaialable service. i notice that people look at you when you pass dont´smile or acknowledge you directly even when you do.

construction and street repairs are going on every wehre bu tyou´re as likely to trip over a replacemnt cobblestone as a pigeon. work areas are not cordoned off, people don´t wear motorcylcle helmets, few wear seat belts, gaping holes in the streets lead straight down to sewers. is the famous "fatalismo" i´ve heard about? sidwalks are less than 3 feet wide in spoit;when buses careen around corners you had better have your elbows and chyildren well tucked in.

a few piles of dog poop make me notice that otherwise the city is spotless despite the dearth of trash cans. do people recycle more or just generate less junk?

i love how the homes are hidden here behind huge wooden or sculpted metal doors. there is a modesty of dress and social interaction from what i can see so far. no couples draped around each other in pda´s, no loud voices or large gesticulations. perhaps growing up in such tight quarters everyone respects each other´sspace? i don´t know enough to say.

i write while seated at teh school awaiting our group trip to la gruta on a cloudy day and hear clip clops approaching. it is a man wearin ga white cowboy hat, whistling as he rides a burro leading two others who have shovels strapped to their backs. he is followd by a young boy on his own donkey.

the trip to la gruta is through lovely rolling country side, with speed bumps that knock our heads on teh van´s roof and nary a stop light in sight. we arrive to the garden like spa to find that the ¨grotto¨is actually a series of mineral hot bath pools, not the natural burbling springs i expected but it´s fun, includes a tunnel that leads into an enclosed area that steams and invites couples to canoodle in the corners ( i stand corrected about pda´s, one such was reported to have to take care of their business in a changing room while my colleague waited outside). i laugh to see one woman carrying her beer, purse and cigarettes into the inner pool.

san miguel is filled with tourists so i don´t get a real sense of the city but enjoy what i do see, much like guanajuato except less steep. i see more street vendors, beggars and police than here.

learn a sad things from one of my fellow travelers. domestic violence is on the increase here as woman are now entering the work force (due to rising costs of everything) and are also expected to keep th ehouse going. when they´re tired their men resent them for not doing their houseowrk and get nasty. also more drinking. makes me think of the effect of global trade as they export so many goods and then have to buy them back at higher prices.

the central plazas are busy tonight with people out in the streets despite the drizzele. i love being in a pedestrian city again and will plan to take in some music the teatro juarez.