Mexico Archives - THE TARHEEL CHRONICLE

A Return Trip to San Miguel de Allende

This was our third trip to Mexico and second visit to San Miguel de Allende. With everything in the news and the events at the US-Mexico border taking place, my friends have been questioning how safe it is to travel to Mexico.

First Visit to Mexico

Our first visit was to Playa del Carmen in February 2013. Our second and third trip were to San Miguel de Allende ten years later. Although we were alert to any signs of danger, there was never a time when we felt unsafe.

Playa del Carmen is a beach town with many tourists. San Miguel, on the other hand, is in the highlands of central Mexico. Both are wonderful places. But we prefer the laid-back atmosphere of San Miguel. That is why we decided to return.

First Trip to San Miguel

There were many differences between our first and second trip.

Our first trip to San Miguel. was in August 2022. We flew via United Airlines from Greensboro, North Carolina to Chicago O’Hare to Houston, Texas to Leon, Guanajuato, Mexico. From Leon we took the BajioGo shuttle for the hour and a half ride to our loft on Calle Relox in San Miguel.

Calle Relox is in Zona Centro and close to everything. Our loft was a roomy efficiency apartment with a king size bed and nice en suite bath. It also had AC if you are so inclined. But the most impressive thing was the rooftop terrace. There was a breath-taking view of the entire city.

The month of August is during the rainy season. It rains almost every afternoon and sometimes there are storms at night. There are advantages to this season because everything is green and lush. And the rains cool things off. But carry an umbrella!

Most Recent Visit

Our last trip was in May 2023. This time we flew with Delta Airlines. Our route took us from Greensboro to Atlanta to Mexico City to Leon. From Leon we took a private car to our townhouse on Calle de Aldama.

May is the hottest month of the year in San Miguel. It is dryer, dustier and browner. Although it cools off at night, it gets warm in the afternoons.

My sister accompanied us on this trip. Therefore, we needed something larger than an efficiency apartment. As a result, we rented a two-bedroom townhouse located in a gated cul-de-sac near Parque Juarez in colonia El Parque. It was about a fifteen-minute walk to Zona Centro. However, there were grocery stores, restaurants, and many things nearby.

The Townhouse had two outdoor areas and a rooftop terrace but no AC. However, it had fans and large screened windows that kept the place comfortable for the most part. It was very roomy and nicely decorated and had a fully equipped kitchen. We enjoyed our stay very much.

Is Mexico Safe?

On our first visit to San Miguel, we also spent a few days in Guanajuato City. It is a university town and much smaller than San Miguel. We stayed in a bed-n-breakfast that was exceptional. When we arrived I asked our host, Rafael, about safety. He assured us Guanajuato was safe anytime of day or night.

That has been our experience with each of our visits to Mexico. As with all travel, you must pick the places you visit carefully and always stay alert. But, in Mexico, we have found most everyone to be polite, friendly, and helpful. Our safety has never come into question.

For more information on safety, see the website for for the US Embassy in Mexico.

Returning To Central Mexico

By Dan Anderson

My wife and I traveled to Mexico for the first time just a few years ago. We went to Playa del Carmen for a few days to enjoy the sun and fun. Recently, in August of 2022, my wife and I spent two weeks in San Miguel de Allende (SMA)and Guanajuato City. It was one of our best vacations ever. I must say we did not know what we had been missing.

As a result, we are returning to the highlands of Mexico. Our approach is a little different for this trip. We are traveling to Mexico City for the first time. And, we are pleased that my sister is coming along. She is very excited to be going to Mexico for the first time. We are thrilled to be returning with her.

Mexico City (CDMX) is our first stop for seven days. For the final three weeks we are staying in SMA and using it as our base.

Preparing For 4 Weeks In Mexico

How To Get Started

Accordingly, we started by doing the necessary research. What kind of research? Travel guides are the best source. You can find them in the library, books stores and online. Lonely Planet is one my favorite travel guides. It has detailed information on most major attractions and some hidden gems. Tripadvisor is another go to place.

One of our major concerns is safety. You hear some alarming things about Mexico. And, there are areas you do not want to go. However, our experience has been nothing but good in the places we have visited. But, be careful and check out any area where you may be thinking of staying.

As a precaution, we do are sightseeing and touring mostly during the day. We try to dress modestly and inconspicuously and wear little or no jewelry. Importantly, it is a good idea to carry minimal cash and only one credit card when you are out and about. These and other valuables should be kept in a front pocket or a fanny pack, never in a shoulder bag or rear pockets. Once you become familiar with your neighborhood, you can relax a bit.

Creating An Itinerary

After we did our research it was time to create our itinerary. Where do we want to go? What do we want to see and experience? Is there anything we want to accomplish (work, etc) ?

Moreover, we want to keep our itinerary flexible because plans have a way of changing once you get to your destination. Below are our tentative plans for Four Weeks In Mexico.

Mexico City (CDMX)

As I previously stated, we are spending our first week in Mexico City. The neighborhood where we picked to stay is called Cuauhtemoc. One of the reasons we selected this area is because it is centrally located and outside the hustle and bustle of the tourist areas.

Below are our plans for Mexico City.

Cultural Visits

Palacio de Bellas Artes
Bosque de Chapultepec (Especially the Zoo)
Castillo de Chapultepec
Xochimilco Floating Gardens
Villa De Guadalupe
Teotihuacan (Ancient Ruins)
Markets
Neighborhoods – Polanco, Condesa, Roma

Cultural Experiences

Mexican life
New friends
The markets
Mexican Food

San Miguel de Allende (SMA)

There is a lot of flexibility built into our three weeks in SMA. It is a wonderful place with many great things to do. It has a great library, excellent cuisine, arts and crafts, historic sites, hot springs and much more. Mostly, we plan to relax and take in the culture. However, I will be working on a travelog of our trip and posting it online.

Making Reservations

Airline Tickets

I made our airlines reservations first because they are the most difficult ones to make. Sometimes it takes considerable effort to get a flight with the best departure and arrival times. Another consideration is the layover between flights. We don’t want a layover so short that we will get stressed about making our next flight. Nor, do we want our layover to be excessively long. Most of all, we want the best flight at the best price. Delta Airlines is our choice for this trip.

A good place to find the best flights and fares, and buy directly from the airline, is Google – Flights.

Accommodations

After making flight reservations it is time to search for accommodations.

For our upcoming trip we need at least two bedrooms and hopefully two bathrooms. In addition, we need a kitchen, a sitting area and hopefully a patio or balcony.

I have had the best luck finding places on Airbnb. Usually, the accommodations there are as stated. A plus is the reviews posted by people who have stayed there before you. I like to make my reservations at least two months in advance because the best places tend to get gone. Vrbo, Booking.com, Hotels.com and Expedia.com are other websites to browse for a place to stay.

Local Transportation

Once we have landed in Mexico, the question becomes how do we we get from the airport to the place where we are staying? You might say, “That’s easy. Take a taxi!”. There are some safety concerns with taking just any taxi. So, we plan to use UBER to get to our apartment.

In the case of SMA, the closest airport is one and a half hours away. The best options are a private car, shuttle bus, or autobus. Last time we elected to take the shuttle bus (from different airport). This time we are taking an autobus from Mexico City because the trip is approximately four hours.

Communications

Normally, I use WIFI at the place I am staying or a public WIFI service when I am abroad. But, this has a downside. You cannot communicate or use many of the features on your smartphone if WIFI access is not available. The plan this time is to activate international roaming with my US cellphone provider. Therefore, I should have WIFI access for UBER outside the airport terminal in Mexico City. Once we get settled, I am going to buy a prepaid SIMS card from Telcel for mobile service. This will provide uninterrupted service at much lower costs while we are in Mexico.

In Conclusion

No matter how well you prepare yourself, something will not go as you planned. That usually happens at least once. These occurrences have the potential to be stressful if you let them. It is best to remain calm and see them as part of your adventure. Most of the time they appear humorous when looking in your rear view mirror.

Bon Voyage!